Intermittent Fasting – Common Questions!

 

Weight Loss for Women..

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a style of eating that alternates periods of fasting with periods of eating.

During fasts, you avoid all food and calorie-containing beverages, but water, black coffee, and tea are OK.

During eating periods, you basically just eat there’s no restricting your calorie intake or avoiding certain foods.

Intermittent Fasting – Common Questions!

 Many people say IF helps them lose weight and spend less time thinking about food overall.

But that’s not the only potential benefit. A growing body of evidence is also showing that an IF-style diet could help protect against certain diseases and improve overall health.

If I’m fasting in the morning can I still have my coffee or tea?

The short answer is yes! Generally speaking, you’re free to have water, black coffee, tea, and greens powder.

Now for the grey area…If you drink one cup of coffee each morning and like to add a splash of cream you may be okay.

But, if you’re one of those people who drink coffee all morning long and adds what I like to call ‘the fixings’ each time…then probably not.

Some people can get away with consuming 50 to 100 calories during the fast, but any more than this is too much and is considered breaking the fast.

That said if you’re looking for a hard and fast rule, or just starting out, then stick to water, black coffee and tea only.

After you’ve been fasting for a while you may feel freer to experiment and see how your body responds to a small amount of cream.

In full disclosure, I drink a cup of coffee with a shot of cream and whole leaf liquid Stevia in my coffee each morning and it works for me.

How hard is intermittent fasting…..really??

I love this question! Ha, I certainly hope that didn’t sound insensitive because I had the same question when I started.

This one just tickles my funny bone. So, depending on how often you’re fasting it may take a few days to get used to. (I recommend fasting daily for the best results.)

But it’s been my experience that once I adjusted I wish I’d known about IF sooner. The benefits definitely outweigh any negatives felt in the first couple of days.

That said, it’s normal to feel some hunger pangs and cravings as your body adjusts.

Your energy might be a little low and you might get a dull headache the first couple of days. Or maybe not.

And truth be told, any symptoms I had were nothing compared to the way I felt before I discovered IF.

For me, these symptoms were minimal because I so very slowly adjusted the timing schedule each day.

How much weight will I lose?

This depends on several factors such as how long and often you fast, what you eat between fasts, genetics, whether you work out, age, muscle mass, metabolism, and other factors. For the best results, aim to make IF a daily part of your healthy lifestyle.

Can I work out while I’m fasting or will it be too difficult?

Yes, you can work out while fasting. In fact, many athletes (and non-athletes) plan their workouts an hour or so before they break their fast so they can eat as soon as they’re finished training.

For example, they might plan to work out from 12 pm to 1 pm, then eat breakfast/lunch at 1 pm.

Do I have to do IF every day?

You can IF as much or as little as you choose. It’s totally up to you! This freedom is definitely a bonus! Still, please keep in mind that the more consistently you do intermittent fasting the better your results.

This is why I encourage people to make IF a part of their daily lifestyle if possible.

 

Intermittent Fasting – Common Questions!

 Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight?

The short answer: probably. “IF gets a lot of press as a weight-loss tool, and I recommend it in my practice for weight loss and weight management,” Dr. Gottfried says.

It’s linked to weight loss because not eating between meals forces the body to turn to the fat stored in cells for energy, according to Harvard Health. Insulin levels decline through this process as the body burns fat.

Lowden believes what it really comes down to, though, is calorie restriction. “Overall, people tend to consume fewer calories in a smaller window of time compared with eating all day, and that’s what leads to weight loss,” she says.

A study published in June 2018 in Nutrition and Healthy Aging involving 23 obese adults found the study participants took in about 300 fewer calories per day when participating in the 16:8 approach to IF.

Versions of IF that restrict eating after a certain time, say 7 p.m., also help eliminate nighttime eating, which has been shown to contribute to metabolic syndrome and obesity, according to a study published in December 2018 in BMC Public Health.

Some critics, however, say the amount of weight loss to expect from IF isn’t any more significant than what you’d see with other calorie-restrictive diets.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 2018 found that a diet that cut calories by 20 percent resulted in a similar amount of weight loss to the 5:2 version of IF after one year. Still, IF may be a good option if you find it easier to stick to than other diets.