How to lose weight with intermittent fasting?
There are a whole range of approaches you can take to shed pounds. One approach that has grown in popularity, particularly in the last few years is intermittent fasting. Simply put, Intermittent fasting refers to the scheduling of meals that entails regular, short-term fasts — or periods of time with limited or no eating to achieve weight loss.
The reason for its effectiveness as a weight loss approach is that fasting for brief durations of time helps people consume fewer calories, which in turn can result in weight loss over time.
There are other possible positive health changes from intermittent fasting such as helping manage diabetes and cardiovascular disorder by lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
In this article, we will dive deep into intermittent fasting and explain how it can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Choosing the right intermittent fasting plan for you is important so you ensure you have the best chance of succeeding.
There are several intermittent fasting approaches. The most widely followed ones are:
- the 16:8 method
- the 5:2 diet
- the Warrior diet
- Eat Stop Eat
- alternate-day fasting (ADF)
Each of the different approaches can be effective in their own right, however, choosing the best one for you depends on your individual circumstances.
To help you pick the approach that suits your lifestyle, here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of each one.
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The 16/8 approach
The 16/8 intermittent fasting method is one of the most popular fasting plans that people chose to lose weight. The plan restricts meals intake and calorie-containing drinks to a specific window of 8 hours a day, whilst requiring the person to abstain from meals for the other 16 hours of the day.
While some diets can set strict policies and limitations, the 16:8 approach is primarily based on a time-restrained feeding (TRF) plan and gives a person more flexibility.
By flexibility I mean you can pick any 8-hour window in the day to consume food and replenish your calories.
Each person has their own individual preferences. For example, some people like to fast from midday to 8 pm, while others would prefer to avoid eating late and fast from 9 am to 5 pm so they can have their last meal of the day in the early evening.
Research shows that time-restricted eating styles which include the 16:8 approach may help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure.
A study carried out in 2016 found that when the 16:8 fasting approach was combined with resistance training it helped reduce fat mass and preserve muscle mass in male participants.
In addition to this, a more recent study found that women who took up the 16:8 fasting plan did not harm their muscle gains from resistance training.
While the 16:8 approach can be integrated into most people’s busy lifestyles, some people could find it too challenging to stay away from food for 16 hours a day.
It’s important to bear in mind that eating too much junk food and/or unhealthy snacks during the 8-hour window can negate the positive gains you may achieve from the 16:8 intermittent fasting method.
To achieve the greatest health benefits from this method or any other of the fasting methods it’s important to eat a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and protein.
The 5:2 method
The 5:2 fasting method is probably the most straightforward of the intermittent fasting plans to follow.
For two days a week, you reduce your calorie intake to a quarter of your daily needs, while on the other five days of the week you can eat normally with no restrictions on calorie intake.
For example, a person who usually consumes 2,000 calories a day would need to lower their calorie consumption to 500 calories a day for 2 days a week.
Interestingly a study in 2018 observed that the 5:2 fasting plan was just as effective as daily calorie restriction for both weight loss and the prevention of diseases such as heart diseases and diabetes.
The 5:2 method gives people flexibility, as you get to choose which days of the week you fast and they don’t have to be the same days each week.
With that said, it’s important to stress that this diet does not give you a free pass to eat whatever you like during the 5 full-calorie days and you are still advised to monitor your diet so it’s well balanced and healthy.
Restricting yourself to 500 calories a day will take some discipline even if it’s only for two days a week and it’s important not to take it to the extreme and consume too few calories as this could cause you to fall ill or faint.
As with any fasting plan, speak to a medical professional to see if this plan might be right for you.
Eat Stop Eat
Eat Stop Eat is an unusual method of intermittent fasting popularized through Brad Pilon, writer of the book “Eat Stop Eat.”
This intermittent fasting plan entails choosing 1 or 2 non-consecutive days a week during which you fast for a whole 24-hour period- yes, I said it was unusual but stay with me to find out more…
For the remaining 5–6 days of the week, it’s recommended to eat a balanced diet and avoid over-eating to compensate for the fasting day(s).
The reasoning behind the weekly 24-hour fast is simple; by consuming fewer calories every week it will help you to lose weight.
Fasting up to 24 hours can cause a metabolic shift that causes your body to use fat as an energy source as opposed to glucose.
Of course, avoiding food for up to 24 hours in one go requires plenty of will power and discipline, and it could lead to binging and overconsumption later on if you’re not careful. It can also lead to disrupted eating patterns for the rest of the week.
More research is required regarding the Eat Stop Eat food diet to establish its potential health benefits and whether it can help achieve sustained weight loss.
Again, we advise that you talk to a qualified medical professional before trying Eat Stop Eat as a weight loss plan.
Alternate-day fasting
Alternate-day fasting is an intermittent fasting plan which is very easy to understand.
Simply put, this fasting plan requires you to fast every other day and you are allowed to eat whatever you like on the non-fasting days.
Some variations of this method include a “modified” fasting approach that involves consuming around 500 calories on fasting days. However, other variations eliminate any calorie consumption altogether on fasting days.
Unlike some of the other fasting diets, the Alternate-day fasting plan has proven weight loss benefits.
Interestingly, a pilot study that compared obese adults that tried alternate-day fasting with obese adults that applied a daily restriction in calorie intake found both approaches to be equally effective for weight loss.
Another study concluded that participants consumed up to 35% fewer calories and lost an average of 7.7 pounds after fasting for 36 hours and then having 12 hours of unlimited eating over a 4-week period.
If you are serious about wanting to maximize your weight loss potential, it’s recommended to add a regular exercise plan into your life.
To further reinforce this point, research has shown that people who implemented an alternate-day fasting plan with regular exercise in some cases lost twice as much weight as those who fasted with no exercise.
Fasting a whole day, every alternate day can be really tough especially if you’ve never fasted before and it can be tempting to indulge in over-eating on your non-fasting days.
If you’re new to intermittent fasting I recommend easing yourself in with a modified fasting plan.
Whatever fasting plan you decide on it’s always best to maintain a balanced nutritious diet, incorporating high protein foods with low-calorie vegetables to help you feel full.
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The Warrior diet
Strangely enough, the Warrior Diet is an intermittent fasting plan primarily based on the eating patterns of ancient warriors.
It was created by Ori Hofmekler in 2001 and is a bit more extreme than the 16:8 fasting plan but less restrictive than the restrictive Eat Fast Eat approach.
It involves eating as little as possible for 20 hours during the day and then eating as much as you like during the 4-hour window at the end of the day.
To explain further, the Warrior Diet encourages people to consume only small quantities of dairy products, hard-boiled eggs, raw fruits and vegetables, and non-calorie fluids during the 20-hour fast period.
After this period, people are essentially free to eat anything they desire for a 4-hour window, with the caveat that unprocessed, healthy, and organic foods are encouraged.
While there’s been no significant research conducted on the Warrior Diet specifically, human studies have shown that time-restricted eating cycles can lead to weight loss.
Time-restrained eating cycles may also have a range of other health benefits. Studies on rodents have shown that time-restrained eating cycles can prevent diabetes, delay tumor growth, slow aging, and increase lifespan.
More research is required on the Warrior Diet to completely understand its potential to contribute to weight loss.
The Warrior Diet can be hard to follow because it restricts significant calorie intake to only 4 hours a day. Therefore, overconsumption at night time is a typical challenge.
The Warrior Diet may additionally cause disrupted eating patterns. If you feel like this might be right for you speak to a qualified medical professional first for some advice.
SUMMARY
As we have explored in this article there are many different versions of intermittent fasting, each one with their own benefits and challenges. Before you decide to follow any plan speak to your doctor or a qualified health professional for help in choosing the best approach for you.
Read the rest of the article and discover how intermittent fasting impacts your hormones here.
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