How to Adopt an Intermittent Fasting Diet
Consult your doctor before beginning an IF diet., Choose an eating schedule that you can maintain., Choose and maintain your schedule in your daily life on roughly 2,000 calories for men -- or 1500 for women., Moderately decrease your daily calorie...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consult your doctor before beginning an IF diet.
Talk to your doctor, and explain that you’re considering an IF diet.
Ask about the pros and cons of the diet, and be sure to inform your doctor of any pre-existing medical conditions.The IF diet can have a dramatic effect on your daily metabolism.
Do not fast without consulting with your doctor if you are pregnant or are unwell.
Caution:
Type 1 diabetics on an IF diet would have difficulty regulating and maintaining healthful insulin levels, due to the deliberately infrequent food consumption. -
Step 2: Choose an eating schedule that you can maintain.
When implementing this diet, you’ll go without food for repeated periods of time (typically on the order of fasting 16 to 20 hours per 24 hour day) or as tough as 23 hours before you get to eat a full meal(s) during the remaining 1 hour or 4 to 8 hours in your day.
Intermittent fasting is often a way to lose weight, and is also a good way to regulate and schedule your food intake.It’s important to form and stick with a daily fasting schedule, such as easing yourself into the diet by only eating two meals a day.
Set a daily time to eat your last meal in the eating window., Snack seldom/a few times on 20 to 30, or fewer, calories (a few carrot-/celery-sticks, or a quarter apple, 3 cherries/grapes/raisins, 2 small crackers, or 1 ounce of chicken/fish, or such) until your fast ends.
Other than hours, most IF schedules are essentially equivalent.
Several viable methods to choose from include:
One meal window:
So, you might fast for 23 hours daily, and select a 1 hour daily window (e.g. from 6:00 to 7:00 pm) to prepare and eat healthily.
Two meal window:
Eat two healthy meals daily, such one at 12 noon and the other at 7:00 pm.
Then fast for 17 hours after the second meal, sleeping and not eating "breakfast" until you fasting period ends.
Skip days:
Do not eat at all on Mondays and Thursdays, and eat healthily on the other 5 days.
So, the last meal of your eating window could fall on Sunday night, at 8 pm for instance.
This is known as the 5:2 diet: 5 days on which you eat an 2 on which you fast., If you normally eat 2,000 or 3,000 calories per day, then you can cut the calories only a little during brief meal times.Try not to exceed 1,500 or 2,000 calories a day.
To meet this goal, tailor your diet to include healthy carbs, avoid white bread and white noodles, but have some complex carbs and some fats.
You’ll need to consume all of your daily calories during your one or two narrow meal times.
You may find that the calorie reduction is easy to achieve, since you simply won’t have as much time to consume calories during a week. , When on an IF diet, there’s no need to cut out any specific food groups (e.g. carbs or fats).
As long as you eat a healthy, balanced diet, and don’t exceed roughly 2,000 calories per day, you can eat the same types of food that you did before beginning the diet.
The IF diet changes your eating schedule, not the types of foods that you eat.A well balanced diet includes only small amounts of sodium-heavy processed foods and added sugars.
Focus on healthy proteins (meats, including poultry and fish), fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of daily carbohydrates. , If you’re not used to fasting, the IF diet may come as a shock to your appetites, hunger and bodily system.
You can ease into the diet by lengthening your times of fasting between meals, or start by taking one day off from eating one week.
This will benefit your body by allowing your system to detox and allowing you to reduce uncomfortable symptoms (which can include headache, low blood pressure, and fatigue, or irritability).At the beginning of your IF diet, you can also allow yourself to have light snacks during the fasting windows.
One snack of a hundred calories of protein and fat (nuts, cheese, etc.) will not impact the effectiveness of beginning and carrying out your fast.
Then go to a few very light snacks.
As part of this process, gradually alter your diet to decrease your consumption of processed foods, including processed meat, dairy, or soda. , Avoid the temptation to load up on junk food, sugar, and processed items in your last meal before fasting.
Eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and make sure to eat plenty of proteins so that your energy level stays high.For example, a last meal could include a cooked chicken breast, a piece of garlic bread, and a salad including romaine lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, and a vinaigrette dressing.
Some people binge a little starting this strategy, though this means that you will spend more time digesting your food and less time in the “fasting adapted phase” of your food-abstinence period.
Eat a full meal before you begin fasting.
If you fill up on only sugar-heavy or carbohydrate-heavy foods, before your fast, you’ll become hungry again quickly.
Eat plenty of protein and fats when you have a scheduled meal.
Going too low on carbs and fat can be hard to maintain, as you’ll feel unsatisfied and constantly hungry when fasting. , This will help keep your mind off of your growling stomach when you’re in the middle of a long fast.
Make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, with at least a few hours of fasting on either side.Then, while you’re awake, you won’t feel food-deprived because you know you will get to eat a big meal soon.
The first/main meal after your fast will be the reward for the fasting period.
You will be hungry after fasting, so eat a full meal. , Although you’ll be fasting for the majority of the hours in a day on an IF diet, this does not mean that you should stop drinking.
In fact, it’s crucial that you stay hydrated while fasting, in order to keep your body working well.
Drink water, herbal tea, and other no-calorie drinks.Staying hydrated will also stave off hunger pains, as the liquids will take up room in your stomach. , The IF diet can effectively help you lose weight by reducing your daily caloric intake and allowing your body to burn off fat reserves.
Reducing the amount of time that you spend eating will cause your body to shed excessive body fat by raising your metabolism.
Intermittent fasting may also reduce the amount of inflammation found in body tissue.Keeping motivated to achieve a personal goal through fasting will give you added mental strength to continue fasting, should you need it.By restricting the amount of time that you spend eating, you may be able to reduce excessive weight gain.You may be able to extend your lifetime expectancy by burning off body fat., An IF diet gives you a good opportunity to build muscle.
Schedule a work out for just before your first meal (or, if you’re eating two meals a day, work out between meals).
Your body will be able to use the calories most effectively at this point, so plan to consume about 60% of your daily calories right after working out.To keep yourself healthy and increase muscle mass, don’t cut your calories to below 10 calories per pound of body weight.
For example, a 180 pound man would need at least 1,800 calories per day to get lean, not by starving, while training moderately.
If you cut too many calories, you’ll decrease your ability to stay healthy and build muscle tone. , The type of exercise you perform while on an IF diet will depend on the outcome you want.
If you’re simply trying to lose weight, focus on aerobics and cardio-based workouts.If you’re trying to add some muscle mass and bulk up, you’ll need focus on anaerobic exercises, such as weight training.If you’re trying to lose weight, focus on aerobics or cardio exercises in long sessions.
If you’d like a more muscled body, focus on short bursts of anaerobic exercise.
Anaerobic means working out in short bursts, without raising your heart rate dramatically.
It is based on short times of doing resistance or weight exercise, not long sessions of aerobics or cardio. -
Step 3: Choose and maintain your schedule in your daily life on roughly 2
-
Step 4: 000 calories for men -- or 1500 for women.
-
Step 5: Moderately decrease your daily calorie consumption.
-
Step 6: Do not dramatically alter your diet.
-
Step 7: Ease into your IF diet.
-
Step 8: Eat your last non-fasting meal.
-
Step 9: Fast during the hours in which you’re sleeping.
-
Step 10: Keep your body well hydrated.
-
Step 11: Set a weight-loss goal.
-
Step 12: Get lean and build muscle mass while fasting.
-
Step 13: Tailor your exercise style to meet your desired body outcome.
Detailed Guide
Talk to your doctor, and explain that you’re considering an IF diet.
Ask about the pros and cons of the diet, and be sure to inform your doctor of any pre-existing medical conditions.The IF diet can have a dramatic effect on your daily metabolism.
Do not fast without consulting with your doctor if you are pregnant or are unwell.
Caution:
Type 1 diabetics on an IF diet would have difficulty regulating and maintaining healthful insulin levels, due to the deliberately infrequent food consumption.
When implementing this diet, you’ll go without food for repeated periods of time (typically on the order of fasting 16 to 20 hours per 24 hour day) or as tough as 23 hours before you get to eat a full meal(s) during the remaining 1 hour or 4 to 8 hours in your day.
Intermittent fasting is often a way to lose weight, and is also a good way to regulate and schedule your food intake.It’s important to form and stick with a daily fasting schedule, such as easing yourself into the diet by only eating two meals a day.
Set a daily time to eat your last meal in the eating window., Snack seldom/a few times on 20 to 30, or fewer, calories (a few carrot-/celery-sticks, or a quarter apple, 3 cherries/grapes/raisins, 2 small crackers, or 1 ounce of chicken/fish, or such) until your fast ends.
Other than hours, most IF schedules are essentially equivalent.
Several viable methods to choose from include:
One meal window:
So, you might fast for 23 hours daily, and select a 1 hour daily window (e.g. from 6:00 to 7:00 pm) to prepare and eat healthily.
Two meal window:
Eat two healthy meals daily, such one at 12 noon and the other at 7:00 pm.
Then fast for 17 hours after the second meal, sleeping and not eating "breakfast" until you fasting period ends.
Skip days:
Do not eat at all on Mondays and Thursdays, and eat healthily on the other 5 days.
So, the last meal of your eating window could fall on Sunday night, at 8 pm for instance.
This is known as the 5:2 diet: 5 days on which you eat an 2 on which you fast., If you normally eat 2,000 or 3,000 calories per day, then you can cut the calories only a little during brief meal times.Try not to exceed 1,500 or 2,000 calories a day.
To meet this goal, tailor your diet to include healthy carbs, avoid white bread and white noodles, but have some complex carbs and some fats.
You’ll need to consume all of your daily calories during your one or two narrow meal times.
You may find that the calorie reduction is easy to achieve, since you simply won’t have as much time to consume calories during a week. , When on an IF diet, there’s no need to cut out any specific food groups (e.g. carbs or fats).
As long as you eat a healthy, balanced diet, and don’t exceed roughly 2,000 calories per day, you can eat the same types of food that you did before beginning the diet.
The IF diet changes your eating schedule, not the types of foods that you eat.A well balanced diet includes only small amounts of sodium-heavy processed foods and added sugars.
Focus on healthy proteins (meats, including poultry and fish), fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of daily carbohydrates. , If you’re not used to fasting, the IF diet may come as a shock to your appetites, hunger and bodily system.
You can ease into the diet by lengthening your times of fasting between meals, or start by taking one day off from eating one week.
This will benefit your body by allowing your system to detox and allowing you to reduce uncomfortable symptoms (which can include headache, low blood pressure, and fatigue, or irritability).At the beginning of your IF diet, you can also allow yourself to have light snacks during the fasting windows.
One snack of a hundred calories of protein and fat (nuts, cheese, etc.) will not impact the effectiveness of beginning and carrying out your fast.
Then go to a few very light snacks.
As part of this process, gradually alter your diet to decrease your consumption of processed foods, including processed meat, dairy, or soda. , Avoid the temptation to load up on junk food, sugar, and processed items in your last meal before fasting.
Eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and make sure to eat plenty of proteins so that your energy level stays high.For example, a last meal could include a cooked chicken breast, a piece of garlic bread, and a salad including romaine lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, and a vinaigrette dressing.
Some people binge a little starting this strategy, though this means that you will spend more time digesting your food and less time in the “fasting adapted phase” of your food-abstinence period.
Eat a full meal before you begin fasting.
If you fill up on only sugar-heavy or carbohydrate-heavy foods, before your fast, you’ll become hungry again quickly.
Eat plenty of protein and fats when you have a scheduled meal.
Going too low on carbs and fat can be hard to maintain, as you’ll feel unsatisfied and constantly hungry when fasting. , This will help keep your mind off of your growling stomach when you’re in the middle of a long fast.
Make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, with at least a few hours of fasting on either side.Then, while you’re awake, you won’t feel food-deprived because you know you will get to eat a big meal soon.
The first/main meal after your fast will be the reward for the fasting period.
You will be hungry after fasting, so eat a full meal. , Although you’ll be fasting for the majority of the hours in a day on an IF diet, this does not mean that you should stop drinking.
In fact, it’s crucial that you stay hydrated while fasting, in order to keep your body working well.
Drink water, herbal tea, and other no-calorie drinks.Staying hydrated will also stave off hunger pains, as the liquids will take up room in your stomach. , The IF diet can effectively help you lose weight by reducing your daily caloric intake and allowing your body to burn off fat reserves.
Reducing the amount of time that you spend eating will cause your body to shed excessive body fat by raising your metabolism.
Intermittent fasting may also reduce the amount of inflammation found in body tissue.Keeping motivated to achieve a personal goal through fasting will give you added mental strength to continue fasting, should you need it.By restricting the amount of time that you spend eating, you may be able to reduce excessive weight gain.You may be able to extend your lifetime expectancy by burning off body fat., An IF diet gives you a good opportunity to build muscle.
Schedule a work out for just before your first meal (or, if you’re eating two meals a day, work out between meals).
Your body will be able to use the calories most effectively at this point, so plan to consume about 60% of your daily calories right after working out.To keep yourself healthy and increase muscle mass, don’t cut your calories to below 10 calories per pound of body weight.
For example, a 180 pound man would need at least 1,800 calories per day to get lean, not by starving, while training moderately.
If you cut too many calories, you’ll decrease your ability to stay healthy and build muscle tone. , The type of exercise you perform while on an IF diet will depend on the outcome you want.
If you’re simply trying to lose weight, focus on aerobics and cardio-based workouts.If you’re trying to add some muscle mass and bulk up, you’ll need focus on anaerobic exercises, such as weight training.If you’re trying to lose weight, focus on aerobics or cardio exercises in long sessions.
If you’d like a more muscled body, focus on short bursts of anaerobic exercise.
Anaerobic means working out in short bursts, without raising your heart rate dramatically.
It is based on short times of doing resistance or weight exercise, not long sessions of aerobics or cardio.
About the Author
Douglas Simmons
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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