Intermittent Fasting Benefits: A Guide For Intermittent Fasting

I have 7 years of intermittent fasting experience. Today I want to talk to you about intermittent fasting benefits and how you can start intermittent fasting for weight loss.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

So what is intermittent fasting anyway? Intermittent fasting is when you only eat during scheduled times. You can't eat anything outside that schedule and you can't drink anything that has calories outside of the schedule either.

We have a period of time called a "fasting window" and a period of time called an "eating window". You can guess what we do during those times. And it's that simple! People drop weight easily following this plan. I'm going to explain all about how to start intermittent fasting so you can do this too.

What Can I Have During The Fasting Window?

Consuming water or no calorie beverages like plain coffee or plain tea is fine. I personally only drink water. Some people will go for the zero calorie sodas, but those often have artificial sweeteners in them which can halt your weight loss progress, so I don't advise drinking them.

You can make yourself some zero calorie lemonade by adding lemon juice and stevia to some water. That's something I drink from time to time as well. Some people place slices of lime or cucumber in their water. But more often than not, I am just sipping on water all day.

What Can I Have During The Eating Window?

The great thing about intermittent fasting is it doesn't tell you HOW to eat. It only tells you WHEN to eat. You can eat as you like during your eating window.

You will notice a funny little thing happening the more you intermittent fast. You will notice that food tastes better to you. Food that was once kind of bland is now pleasureful to eat. You will also notice a preference for nutrient dense foods. You will find yourself craving foods that give you more vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

But as I said, intermittent fasting doesn't dictate what you can eat, so eat whatever you want. If you are vegan, that's fine. If you are keto, that's fine. Do whatever you wish.

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

When you eat, your body stores glycogen to use as fuel later on. Once those glycogen stores are depleted, it starts to use stored body fat as fuel. If you are eating 3+ times per day, you will never ever give your body the chance to use up all the glycogen. You will constantly replace it. Intermittent fasting allows you to use up the glycogen and start burning fat as fuel.

You might say, "Well, I know so and so eats all day but is ripped." Okay sure. That's because they are eating at a caloric deficit so their body ends up not having all it needs so it dips into the fat stores. It can also mean they are exercising a ton and using the glycogen that way. You can lose weight doing all of that. But in my opinion intermittent fasting is a better way to lose weight. Intermittent fasting is a life hack.

Also, just because you are intermittent fasting doesn't mean you can't eat at a caloric deficit or exercise. You can do all of that and intermittent fast at the same time. You will see results either way though.

Intermittent fasting increases insulin sensitivity better than any other diet or lifestyle change that I know of. This leads to weight loss in those who have trouble losing weight on other diets.

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

A quick answer: Yes. It's way more healthy than most people know. In fact many people that hear about it are so quick to dismiss it, because they've been taught to believe going without meals is very bad for you. But the evidence is on the side of intermittent fasting. It has been studied and found to have many health benefits. Let's talk about some of the intermittent fasting benefits.

Intermittent Fasting Benefits

Intermittent fasting is not just for weight loss. It comes with many health benefits. Here are some of the benefits that you can expect from regular intermittent fasting:

• Weight loss (of course)
• Reduced risk of disease
• Anti-aging, longevity
• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Detox and cell renewal, faster healing
• Improved gut flora

You can receive all these benefits simply by restricting your eating to certain hours and not eating anything outside of those hours. I think you're getting a pretty good deal here.

Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

There are so many intermittent fasting meal plans and schedules. The best thing to do is pick the one that works for your personal schedule. We all have different work schedules and different needs so what works for one won't always work for others.

Look at all the available intermittent fasting plans and select one that fits your lifestyle best. You will lose weight and receive benefits on all of the plans, so don't worry about that part.

A few of the most popular intermittent fasting schedules are:

• 16/8
• 5:2
• ADF
• OMAD

I will go into detail about each one of these to help you decide which one to pick.

16/8

16/8 intermittent fasting is fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8 hour window. A person will likely have a couple of meals and a snack during this time frame, but it varies from person to person. Just eat normally within your eating window.

5:2

The 5:2 diet is when you eat normally for 5 days of the week and fast for 2 days of the week. Followers of this diet will eat 500 calories of low carb food on their fasting day sometimes. Some people choose to not eat anything on the fasting day because eating nothing is so much easier than eating a small amount of food. It's up to you to decide.

ADF

Alternate day fasting is basically 24 hours of fasting followed by 24 hours of eating regularly. It's a step up from the 5:2 diet. If you enjoy fasting for 24 hours at a time then this may be the diet for you.

OMAD

OMAD means one meal a day. You will eat just one meal a day, following a 23/1 schedule. For 23 hours you will fast and for 1 hour you will eat whatever you want. Then repeat. This is a pretty extreme level of intermittent fasting but I have done it here and there. You will notice an increase in energy during the day when doing OMAD. This intermittent fasting plan is not for everyone.

There are definitely other intermittent fasting schedules. One that I did for a long time and am currently doing right now is 19/5 intermittent fasting. This involves fasting for 19 hours followed by a 5 hour eating window.

Intermittent Fasting Pros And Cons

I want to talk real quick about the pros and cons of intermittent fasting. There are definitely some benefits, but there are also some intermittent fasting side effects.

Pros

The pros of intermittent fasting are (almost) effortless weight loss and weight maintenance. It's pretty easy to stick to once you find the intermittent fasting schedule that is right for you. Also, you can pretty much eat what you want and still lose weight as long as you don't go too far overboard. Chinese buffet and your daughter's birthday cake are not off limits with intermittent fasting.

Cons

No late night snacking, or eating outside of your eating window period. This can be hard for anyone who enjoys eating whenever they want. You will also experience some hunger. Over time you will make peace with the feeling of hunger. You will realize it's okay to let yourself be hungry. This comes with practice.

Also, it's not the most social diet. Oftentimes people will want you to eat outside of your eating window. Events and family gatherings will be a challenge to overcome. There are some people that you can mention intermittent fasting to and it's okay. There are others who will preach at you and scold you about it. This diet is not always accepted by everyone.

Sometimes it's best to adjust your eating window on those days that you know you have to be at an event. Do what you have to do for yourself.

Intermittent Fasting And Working Out

You can workout while doing an intermittent fasting plan. It's not going to hurt you one bit. If you do workout, I would suggest doing so right before ending your fast. That is because you are likely to get pretty hungry after the workout. But, if your daily schedule doesn't allow this it's okay. You can just fit it in when you are able to.

Working out goes hand in hand with intermittent fasting. It can help you achieve your goals much faster. You will see that you are fitting into smaller clothes pretty quickly.

Intermittent Fasting Side Effects

There are some side effects to intermittent fasting that we should go over. You may not experience all of these, but it's important to know what you might go through when starting an intermittent fasting plan.

Intermittent fasting side effects:

• Low blood pressure
• Weakness
• Hunger
• Family ridicule

That last one is just thrown in there because most people seem to have trouble with family and friends once they find out you are intermittent fasting. The rest of the side effects are all physical problems you may encounter. Some people may have issues with low blood pressure and weakness. If that's you, then you may need to adopt an intermittent fasting plan that allows for shorter fasts.

For example, if you are experiencing weakness on ADF, then you may need to switch to 19/5. Make sure you are getting plenty of minerals in all your foods as well. If unwanted side effects persist, then you may need to find a different weight loss program to follow altogether.

Hunger is something that comes and goes in waves, and over time you will get used to the feeling of being hungry. You will give yourself permission to feel hungry, and tell yourself that it's okay and nothing bad will come of it. We are so used to running straight to food the moment we feel a hunger pang. But when you intermittent fast, you can't do that. You have to wait for your fasting window to close before you can eat. This teaches discipline but it also helps you understand that hunger is not something to fear or get rid of immediately.

How To Start Intermittent Fasting

So, if you've read all this and you are ready to start intermittent fasting, it's pretty simple to get into.

First, decide which intermittent fasting plan you want to do. You can change your mind later if the one you pick ends up not being the right one. The most important thing right now is to start trying it out. Use trial and error to figure out what works for you. Then once you find the right plan, stick to it.

I would suggest for a beginner to just start with a 16 hour fast. That's short enough that it won't be too hard for you, but it's also long enough to receive many of the benefits of intermittent fasting. It gives you a taste of what intermittent fasting is like.

To help you track your fasts, you may want to download an intermittent fasting app. It will time your fasts and let you know how long until your eating window begins. It's a pretty easy way to track your intermittent fasting right on your phone.

Intermittent fasting doesn't have to be difficult, and the rewards make it so worth it. I hope you feel encouraged to give intermittent fasting a try.