Easily lose weight why still eating your favorite foods. Intermittent Fasting is a method of using your bodies natural eating cycle to be healthy.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard of intermittent fasting. This is being mentioned everywhere, from social media sites to health TV shows like Dr. Oz. If you read a weight loss, fitness, or health blog, you will most likely see it mentioned often there as well. Intermittent fasting is a new way of eating that promotes weight loss, fat burning, muscle building, and many other health benefits through a very simple eating pattern. Here is more information about intermittent fasting so that you can decide if it is a good option for you.

IF is a Pattern of Eating

Many people call intermittent fasting a diet, but it is rather a pattern of eating or dieting for optimal success. It teaches you a lot, including how to listen to your body’s hunger signals, and to follow a healthy pattern of eating. You are following a specific pattern each day, where you only eat during a shorter block of time, fasting for the rest of the day, except for having coffee, tea, and water. This pattern helps your body to burn food more quickly so that there is more time for burning fat.

4 Types of Protocols of Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss

As we mentioned earlier, there are a number of different ‘protocols’ for Intermittent Fasting.  Your preferences, schedule, and other details will go into choosing the one that is right for you. For me, the 5:2 has proven to be the easiest to adhere to. I suggest picking the one that works best with your schedule for the easiest weight loss.

The 16/8 Protocol

The first intermittent fasting protocol you might want to consider is called the 16/8, or LeanGains. This is one of the easier methods of fasting and eating, due to its simplicity and because you don’t go as long while fasting. Naturally, at least half of your fasting period will be while you are sleeping, so that makes it a lot easier. Basically, you want to fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours. You just want to be sure you schedule it for the time of day when you tend to get hungriest or when eating is most convenient for you. This might include eating earlier and going longer at night without eating or splitting it up. Do what works for you as long as each day you go 16 hours in a row without eating.

The Eat-Stop-Eat IF Protocol

Also called the 24-hour fast, the Eat-Stop-Eat protocol requires you to go a full 24 hours during the fasting periods. You can either do this once or twice per week, so if you are just starting out, you might want to stick to doing it once a week. All you have to do is follow your normal diet the other 6 days of the week, then have one fasting day where you don’t eat or drink anything with calories. This can start when you wake up, and end the following day, or you can choose a day in the middle of the day. This is often when people prefer to do it, otherwise, you’re going over 24 hours. Just like all other protocols for intermittent fasting, that 24 hours should only include water, coffee, and tea.

The Alternate Day Protocol

Another way you can do it is by fasting every other day. This is often referred to as an alternate day fasting protocol. For example, you may do 16:8 fasting protocols every other day, or do a full 24 hours fasting every other day. Feel free to experiment with it until you figure out what works best for you. Some people have their fasting days be absolutely nothing but water and coffee, while others allow about 500 calories during the fasting days. The most important thing to remember is to pick something that is sustainable for you and works with your schedule.

The 5:2 Diet Protocol

The 5:2 diet is one where you eat your normal diet for 5 days out of the week, then fast the other 2 days.  This is my preferred method. This is very similar to the 24-hour diet since the 2 fasting days are separating by at least one eating day in between them. You do want to eat about 500-600 calories even on the fasting days.

Tips for Starting Intermittent Fasting

Here are a few quick tips that can make this transition easier for you:

• Pick your protocol first, then do plenty of planning. You want to make sure you know when you will eat, what to eat, and how much.
• Don’t go extreme on the first day. It is best to start with the lesser protocols, like a 12-2 or 16-8 where you still have a pretty lengthy window of eating. Wait a bit before you go to the 24-hour fasting protocols.
• Listen to your body. The intermittent fasting method you are using might not work good for you, so if you notice bad side effects, go back to your normal way of eating.

Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Why is Intermittent fasting such a growing topic in the health and weight loss communities? Simple– it works. Many people have discovered the long list of benefits to this form of fasting. While losing weight, is definitely one of the top advantages, you will find many other health benefits as well.

It is a Simpler Way to Lose Weight

Yo-yo dieting is not only not conducive to successful weight loss, but it can actually be harmful to your body. Too many changes in short periods of time can lead to many issues with digestion, weight gain, and abdominal pain, so you want to stick one method and keep with it. The reason why so many people are having success with intermittent fasting is because of how simple it is. You just have to pick one method of intermittent fasting and stick with it, eating healthy and moderately during the eating periods, and fasting during the other hours of the day. It really doesn’t get much easier than that.

It Can Help With Blood Sugar Control

Intermittent fasting is also efficient at controlling your blood sugar levels. When you do intermittent fasting correctly over a prolonged period of time, you start increasing your insulin resistance and lowering your blood glucose levels naturally. When you do this, you might help to control your type 2 diabetes or avoid the disease if you were in the high-risk category.

You Can Increase Cognitive Function

There have been studies on intermittent fasting on how it can have a positive effect on your cognitive health, which helps to promote brain and memory health. You can actually reduce your risk for brain-related illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with diets like intermittent fasting.

It Promotes Healthy Eating

By definition, intermittent fasting reduces overeating and requires you to really be conscious when you eat. This alone can help tremendously with your overall health. Nutritious foods provide so many amazing health benefits, for your weight, heart health, cholesterol, even your bones. Since with intermittent fasting, you try to have nutrient-dense foods during eating phases, it can help you to learn to eat better overall.

Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting

While intermittent fasting can be a great tool for losing weight, controlling your eating, and learning healthier patterns with food and workouts, there are some side effects to keep in mind. Just like any other healthy eating method you try intermittent fasting won’t work for everyone. Here are some potential side effects to be aware of.

Being Too Full to Eat

You might be used to spreading your meals out a bit and eating smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. With IF, you eat more at a time, and in a shorter time span during the day. What might happen is that you become too full after these bigger meals. The trick here is to eat as many nutrient-dense foods as you can so that you are getting adequate nutrition without feeling ill.

Obsessing About the Eating/Fasting Windows

Intermittent fasting should be a simple way to eat healthily and train your body to recognize your hunger cues. It is possible for it to become an obsession. You should develop a healthy relationship with food, understand it is only meant to fuel your body. Be careful that eating doesn’t become a hobby or something to help with your emotional health. When you first start fasting, you might find that you are constantly counting down the minutes until you can eat again. Try to set timers or eat at the same time each day so that you aren’t obsessing about it quite so much. Learn to accept some mild hunger pangs.

How IF Helps with Weight Loss

Like many people, you started researching intermittent fasting as a way to lose weight. Intermittent fasting (IF) provides a simple but great way to burn more fat and help improve your weight loss efforts. It is very simple – you eat during feeding periods and fast during the fasting periods. Here are some things to know about intermittent fasting and weight loss.

You Burn More Fat

So why are you able to lose weight with intermittent fasting? The first benefit for weight loss is that it helps you to burn more fat. Your body is a machine, working constantly to burn food and fat for energy. Your body will first burn the food you eat, which can take a few hours before it starts burning fat. This is why if you have a calorie deficit, there comes a point where your body has burned your food, and then starts burning fat. With intermittent fasting, you are burning your food and have a longer period of time for burning fat. This is why it is exceptional for losing weight and burning more fat than a diet where you are eating every few hours.

Your Calories Are Reduced Naturally

One thing people don’t often consider is that you tend to eat less when you have less time to eat. You might think you will just want to eat everything in sight once your fasted period is over, but this is often not the case. Over time, you get used to going long periods of time before eating, but you also have a reduced appetite. This, in turn, requires you to go for the healthiest, most nutrient-dense foods before you become full from eating, which helps with what you eat, but also how much you are consuming. Your calories and carbs will likely go down naturally.

You Learn About Self-Control

Many of the weight loss benefits of intermittent fasting come completely by accident. If you have trouble with self-control and eating, intermittent fasting is a great way to start. When you first start doing IF, just stick to the protocol you chose, not worrying about what you are eating during your eating periods. If you want donuts, have donuts. If you’re craving a pizza, go for it. Over time, you will learn to practice self-control by sticking to your fasted and eating states, then you can eventually use those skills to start changing what you eat, as well as how often.

Intermittent Fasting Versus Starvation

Among the different questions people ask about intermittent fasting, a common one is comparing it to starvation. Fasting can be confusing because you are going a certain length of time without eating or drinking anything with calories, but that doesn’t mean it is the same thing as starving yourself. Keep reading to learn the difference.

What is Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a way of eating where you only eat during certain times of the day or week. This is not the same as starving yourself. The point is to get where your body is burning fat for energy, instead of taking all day just to burn the food you eat. This is the difference between maintaining weight and actually losing weight. While you are fasting, you are not going so long that you begin starving yourself or entering the dreaded ‘starvation mode’. You are also not trying to deprive yourself of necessary nutrients.

The Difference Between Intermittent Fasting and Starvation

This might sound like starvation so far to you, but they are quite different. One of the biggest differences is in your mindset. When you are starving yourself, you are doing it purposely to keep yourself from eating foods that will fuel your body. There is often a deep-rooted mental issue related to starvation, not to mention failing to provide nutrients that help to sustain life. With intermittent fasting, you know when you will eat next, and you will try to eat nourishing foods for your body. You also don’t fast for so long that it will have a negative physical effect on your health.

Knowing the Side Effects of Starvation

Another way you can tell the difference between intermittent fasting and starvation is that with IF, you won’t have all those classic malnutrition side effects. When you are starving yourself or simply not getting enough nutrients, you might have lightheadedness and feel faint, have nausea, abdominal pain, and constipation. If you are experiencing these symptoms while doing intermittent fasting, you are either not eating enough, or the foods you are eating do not contain the nutrition your body needs.

Doing Intermittent Fasting the Right Way

This is why you should make sure when you do eat while doing intermittent fasting, you eat the healthiest foods you can find. They should preferably not be processed, and be whole, fresh foods. Plenty of lean protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds, will sustain you during the following fasted periods.