How much weight can you lose with intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting for beginners. Intermittent low-carb fasting is the most effective diet for weight loss

Intermittent fasting is considered an ancient health secret as it has been practiced throughout human history. It was also considered a secret because this powerful habit had been virtually forgotten. But now many are rediscovering the dietary effects of ISIS. Fasting can have huge benefits if done right: weight loss, reversing type 2 diabetes, increased energy, and much more.

We asked the great IS guru, Dr. Jason Fung, to put together this beginner's guide so you can learn everything you want about it.

Intermittent fasting (fasting) - is it literally hunger or not?

No. Fasting differs from famine in one significant way. Control. Hunger is the forced absence of food. It is not considered an intentional or controlled action. On the other hand, fasting is a voluntary abstinence from food for the sake of spiritual improvement, health, or other reasons.

Food is readily available, but you decided don't eat it. This can be any period of time, from a few hours to several days or even weeks on end. You can start the fast at any time of your choice, and you can also end it at your own discretion. You can start or stop fasting for any reason or no reason.

Fasting does not have a standard duration, as it is simply the absence of food. Any time you are not eating, you are fasting. For example, you could fast between dinner and breakfast the next day, for about 12-14 hours. In this sense, fasting should be considered as part of everyday life.

Consider the term “break fast” (interrupt/break a fast). This breakfast word refers to food that breaks your fast, which is done daily. Thus, the English language implicitly recognizes that fasting should be done daily, even for a short time.

Fasting is not something strange and outlandish, but part of everyday, normal life. This is perhaps the oldest and most powerful method of nutritional therapy imaginable. However, we have somehow forgotten its amazing power and ignored the therapeutic potential of IG.

Learning how to fast properly gives us the opportunity to decide whether it is worth using or not.

How does IG work?

At its core, fasting simply allows the body to burn excess fat. It is important to understand that this is normal and humans have evolved to fast without harmful health effects. Fat is simply energy from food that is stored in reserve. If you don't eat anything, the body will simply "eat" its own fat for energy.

Life is in balance. The good and the bad. Yin and yang. The same applies to food and fasting. Fasting, after all, is just the other side of eating. If you don't eat, you are fasting. Here's how it works:

When we eat, more energy from food enters the human body than can be used immediately. Some of this energy must be stored for later use. Insulin is a key hormone involved in storing energy from food.

Insulin rises when we eat, helping to store excess energy in two different ways. Sugar can be bound into long chains called glycogen and then stored in the liver. However, storage space is limited, and once all the reserves are full, the liver begins to convert excess glucose into fat. This process is called De-Novo Lipogenesis (literally meaning creating fat anew).

Some of this newly created fat is stored in the liver, but most is exported to other fat stores in the body. Although this is a more complex process, there is no limit to the amount of fat that can be created. Thus, two additional food energy storage systems exist in our body. One of the systems is easily accessible but has limited storage space (glycogen), while the other is much more difficult to access but has unlimited storage space (fat).

The process goes in the opposite direction when we do not eat (fast). Insulin levels drop, signaling the body to start burning stored energy since it is no longer coming from food. Blood glucose levels drop, so the body must now pull glucose from storage to burn for energy.

Glycogen is the most readily available source of energy. It breaks down into glucose molecules to provide energy for other cells. It can provide enough energy to the body for 24-36 hours. After this, the body will begin to burn fat for energy.

So, the body exists in only two states - fed (high insulin) and fasted (low insulin). We either store food energy or burn it. Either one or the other. If eating and fasting are in balance, then we will not gain weight.

If we start eating as soon as we roll out of bed and don't stop until we go to bed, we spend almost all of our time in a full state. Over time, we gain weight because... We didn’t give our body time to burn energy from food.

To restore balance or lose weight, we simply need to increase the amount of time we burn energy from food (fasting). Essentially, fasting allows the body to use all its stored energy. In the end, this is what works for us. It is important to understand that there is nothing wrong with fasting. Fasting exists because our body is designed for it. This is how dogs, cats, lions and bears live. This is how people live.

If you eat constantly, as is often recommended, then the body will simply use the incoming energy from food and never burn fat. You are just accumulating it. The body will store fat even when there is nothing to eat. You lack balance. There is not enough post.

Benefits of intermittent fasting?

The most obvious benefit of IG is weight loss. However, there are many benefits beyond this, many of which were widely known in ancient times.

Fasting periods are often referred to as “cleanses,” “detoxes,” or “cleanses,” but the idea is the same—fasting from food for a period of time to improve health. People think that this time of fasting will cleanse their organ systems of toxins and rejuvenate them.

Some of the supposed benefits of fasting on the body include:

Increased Energy
Prevention of Alzheimer's disease (potentially)
Increased life expectancy (potentially)
(potentially) by stimulating autophagy (a discovery for which the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded in 2016)
Reducing inflammation

Other benefits

Fasting offers many important unique benefits that are not available in regular diets. Dieting usually makes life more difficult, while fasting makes life easier. The diet costs a lot of money, but fasting is essentially free. Dieting can take some time, but fasting saves time. The diet has restrictions, fasting is available anywhere. Diet has varying effectiveness, but fasting has undeniable effectiveness. There is no more powerful method for lowering insulin levels and losing body weight.

Types of Intermittent Fasting

Short post (<24ч)

IS offers endless flexibility. You can fast as long or as short as you like, but here are some popular fasting plans. As a rule, shorter posts are made more often.

16: 8

This fast involves fasting daily for 16 hours. This is sometimes called the “8-hour eating window.” You eat within 8 hours and fast for the remaining 16 hours. Typically this is done daily or almost every day.

For example, you allow yourself to eat between 11:00 and until 19:00 in the evening. Typically this means skipping breakfast and you eat two or three times a day during that 8 hour period.

20: 4

The regimen includes a “4-hour eating window” and 20 hours of fasting. For example, you eat between 2 and 6 pm every day and fast for the remaining 20 hours. Typically, you will have either one large meal or two smaller meals during this period.

Longer posts (>24 hours)

24 hour posts

The scheme includes fasting from dinner to dinner (or from lunch to lunch). If you eat dinner on Day 1, you skip breakfast and lunch the next day, and eat dinner again on Day 2. This means you still eat every day, but only once during the day. As a rule, such fasting is carried out two to three times a week.

5: 2

Dr. Michael Mosley popularized this option in his book The Fast Diet. It includes 5 regular days of eating and 2 days of fasting. However, during these two days of fasting, you are allowed to eat 500 calories each day. These calories can be consumed at any time during the day - either spread out throughout the day or as one meal.

36 hour posts

The scheme involves fasting for the entire day. For example, if you ate dinner on Day 1, then fast for the entirety of Day 2 and do not eat until breakfast on Day 3. This works out to typically be a 36-hour fast. This type of fasting provides a more powerful weight loss benefit. Another benefit is that he avoids the temptation to overeat at dinner on the 2nd day.

Extended post

You can fast almost indefinitely. Typically, for fasts longer than 48 hours, I recommend taking a multivitamin to avoid micronutrient deficiencies. The world record for such a fast is 382 days, so being on the extended version for 7-14 days is certainly possible.

Frequently asked questions about fasting:

Who shouldn't go hungry?

You should not fast if you:

Are underweight (BMI)<18,5)
Pregnant: You need extra nutrients for your baby.
Breastfeeding: You need extra nutrients for your baby.
If you are a child under 18 years of age, you need extra nutrients to grow.

You can fast, but may need to be monitored by a doctor, under the following conditions:

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
If you are taking prescription medications.
If you have gout or high uric acid levels.

Will I be put into starvation mode by fasting?

No. This is the most common myth about fasting. In fact, the opposite is true. Research strongly suggests that fasting increases a person's basal metabolic rate.

Can I exercise while fasting?

Yes. You should continue all your normal activities, including physical activity, while fasting. You don't need food to provide energy for exercise because your body will burn fat for energy during this time. And that's great!

What are the possible side effects?

There can be a number of possible unpleasant side effects. Here's what to do if you encounter them:

Constipation is common. Eating less food means having fewer bowel movements. You do not need medication if you are not experiencing discomfort. Standard laxatives can help alleviate the situation.
Headaches may occur but, as a rule, they disappear after the first trials of fasting. Taking extra salt often helps mitigate this side effect.
Mineral water can help if your stomach often makes itself known.
Other possible side effects include dizziness, heartburn, and muscle cramps.
A more serious side effect is refeeding syndrome. Fortunately, this rarely happens and usually only happens with extended fasts (5 days or more).

Why do my blood sugar levels rise during fasting?

This is due to the hormonal changes that occur during fasting. Your body produces sugar to provide energy for your system. This is a change in the “dawn” phenomenon (increased blood glucose concentration in the morning).

How to manage hunger?

The most important thing to understand is that hunger comes like a wave. Most people fear that hunger will increase until it becomes unbearable, but this does not happen. Instead, hunger comes in waves. If you just ignore him and drink a cup of tea or coffee, he will go away.

During long fasts, hunger often increases on the second day. After this, he gradually retreats; and many report a complete loss of hunger for 3-4 days. Your body is now powered by fat. Essentially, the body eats its own fat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you no longer feel hungry.

Does fasting burn muscle?

No. During fasting, the body first breaks down glycogen into glucose for energy. The body then increases the breakdown of fats to produce energy. Excess amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) are also used to produce energy, but the body does not burn its own muscle for fuel.

It takes a lot of imagination to imagine that our bodies store energy so thoroughly in the form of glycogen and fat only to burn muscle mass when needed.

Fasting has been practiced for thousands of years without difficulty. In my experience, out of over 1,000 patients on various fasting regimens, not one has ever complained of noticing significant muscle loss.

What are your top tips for IS?

Here are the top nine tips, in a nutshell:

Drink water
Stay busy
Drink coffee or tea
Survive the waves of hunger
Don't tell those who don't support you that you're fasting
Give yourself one month
Stick to between fasting periods. It will reduce hunger and make fasting much easier. It can also increase the effect of weight loss and type 2 diabetes, etc.
Don't overeat after fasting

How to break a fast?

Carefully. The longer you fast, the more carefully you should break it. For short-term fasts, eating too much food after IF (a mistake that everyone has made, myself included) usually results in pain and heaviness in the abdomen. But this is not a very serious problem; people quickly learn to eat as normally as possible after fasting.

Isn't breakfast every morning a sacred meal?

No, that's not true. This old fallacy is based on speculation and statistics and does not stand up to the test of facts. Skipping your morning meal simply gives your body more time to burn fat for energy. Since hunger is usually lowest in the morning, it's often easier to skip breakfast and break the fast later in the day.

Can women fast?

Undoubtedly. The only exception is for women who are underweight, pregnant or breastfeeding. Other than that, there's no particular reason for them not to try it. Women have problems during fasting, but the same as men. Sometimes women don't get the results they want, but this happens to men too.

Women fasted for thousands of years without much incident. Research shows that the average weight loss for women and men while fasting is the same.

Is fasting the same as cutting calories?

Absolutely not. Fasting reduces the time spent eating and addresses the question of “when to eat.” Calorie reduction looks at the question of “what to eat.” These are separate issues and should not be confused with each other.

Fasting does reduce calories, but its benefits extend far beyond that.

Can I lose weight?

Undoubtedly. It's almost unthinkable that you won't lose weight if you don't eat.

I call the post “The Ancient Secret of Weight Loss” because it is one of the most powerful dietary interventions for weight loss, but it has been almost completely forgotten in recent years.

How to start IG?

Now that you know everything you need to do to successfully fast, where do we start? Just follow these steps:

Decide what type of post you will use.
Decide how long you will fast.
Start fasting. If you're not feeling well, or if you have any problems, stop and get help.
Continue with your normal activities without eating. Keep busy and live your life as usual. Imagine that your body is eating a delicious lunch from its own fat reserves.
Break your fast carefully.
Repeat.

Yes. It really is that simple.

The 16/8 diet is not really about fractions: the number 16 indicates the period of fasting, and the number 8 is the period of time during which food is allowed.

Diet 16/8 - rapid weight loss with minimal energy expenditure.

The 16/8 diet (or the so-called intermittent fasting) is a rather original, but at the same time effective diet for many women, which is aimed at rapid weight loss with minimal energy expenditure. In most cases, in the absence of problems with metabolism and with strict adherence to its rules, the 16/8 diet practically guarantees short-term weight loss effects.

16/8 diet concept.

16/8 are not exactly fractions: they add up to 24 - which is exactly how many hours there are in a day. And the number 16 indicates the period of fasting, and the number 8 is the period of time during which food is allowed. Has the 8 hour window ended? Then not a crumb in your mouth! Outside of these periods, for eight hours every day, 16/8 dieters are free to consume as many calories as they want, as well as any type of food they want, without stopping them from still losing extra pounds. Intermittent fasting is quite liberal: everyone moves the time frame for eating according to themselves, for example, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., etc.

Rules of the 16/8 diet.

So, eating is allowed only within eight hours of knocking (but you can eat whatever your heart desires). The number of meals can also vary from one to infinity, but again, only within an eight-hour window. And in order to quickly launch metabolic processes and maintain the fat burning process throughout the day, it is recommended to develop a training schedule: at least 8 minutes in the morning should be devoted to active physical exercise. Simple, isn't it? Only at first glance: intermittent fasting has many more life hacks and a couple of pitfalls.

How to improve the results of the 16/8 diet.

To provide the body with the necessary nutrients, it is worthinclude eight food groups in your diet. This four types of fat burners- These are mainly sources of proteins and healthy fats that will help get rid of fat reserves, form a muscle corset, and also satisfy hunger. Next group – four types of wellness: sources of fiber, antioxidants, various vitamins and microelements that improve mood, strengthen the immune system and help maintain metabolism. Let's present an approximate set of fat burners and health boosters.

Fat burners:

Lean meat, bird, eggs.
Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds are best.
Natural yogurt and other low-fat and unsweetened dairy products.
Chickpeas, peas, beans and other beans.

Wellness providers:

Currants, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and other red and blue berries.
Grapefruits, oranges, apples and other fiber- and antioxidant-rich fruits.
Leaf, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and other green vegetables.
Tomatoes and bell peppers– sources of lycopene and carotenoids.

As you can see, there is nothing exotic or expensive delicacies in this list, which means it is not difficult to include a portion of these products in your diet. How best to do this:Try to include two foods (one from the Fat Burners category and one from the Health category) in each meal.

Well, as for harmful products, it’s better to limit yourself here. Don't get carried away with processed carbohydrates - baked goods, sugar, white bread, rice and pasta; saturated fats and especially trans fats.

Can't give up fast carbohydrates? Try proven combinations: Add two foods from the following lists to each carbohydrate-rich dish (for example, pasta with cheese and tomatoes, a turkey sandwich with salad, cereal with milk and berries).When choosing intermittent fasting as a method of losing weight, you should also pay attention to drinks:The more water you drink, the better it is for your metabolism.

But alcoholic drinks should be limited to two or three servings per week - otherwise impressive results will not be achieved.

The benefits of the 16/8 diet are in simple principles.

Nutrition experts say that intermittent fasting quickly increases metabolism, which leads to fairly rapid weight loss. At the same time, the 16/8 diet allows you to eat exactly what you want, but only during the allowed period. Of course, during fasting (or the period of “fat burning”) you cannot eat anything: but it is during this interval that your body will burn calories, and you will lose weight.

Diet 16/8: how not to fail? For people prone to emotional overeating or so-called social eating (the habit of chewing “for company”), sticking to the 16/8 diet is not so easy (but there is another version of intermittent fasting - the 20/4 diet, it is more severe!) . How not to lose your temper if you are surrounded by people munching on snacks.

Attacks of false appetite can be dealt with using a couple of tricks: Run from hunger.

A half-hour jog at a good pace, a workout in the fitness center - and the feeling of hunger can decrease by at least half over the next two to three hours, or even disappear altogether.: Chew sugarless gum (brushing your teeth and tongue also helps). Or distract yourself: slowly (a centimeter per second) move your index finger in front of your face from temple to temple, without taking your eyes off the first phalanx; this activity will completely occupy your mind and make you forget about food.
Educate yourself: if you suddenly have a ravenous appetite, start a stopwatch on your smartphone. Determine how long the forbidden desire will annoy you - next time it will be easier to experience the impulse of passion for food, because you will clearly realize that it will not last forever.

Disadvantages of the 16/8 diet

What are the potential pitfalls of the 16/8 diet? There are only a couple of them. For example, the first one:This meal plan doesn't work for everyone.Thus, experts from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) believe that the diet concept stands up to criticism and it really works, butonly in people without metabolic disorders and eating disorders or emotional eating.

Nutritionists also claim that the effect after the 16/8 diet is very short-lived and even fleeting, although for many it becomes a habit and turns into a balanced lifestyle. Others are advised to set themselves realistic goals, for example, minus 5-10% of slow but steady weight loss with the Mediterranean diet - it is considered the most effective and healthy today.published

The method of intermittent fasting has gained great popularity (and in our country it is recommended with links to research). Some claim its incredible effectiveness for burning fat and building lean muscle mass, while others, on the contrary, say that it does not provide any dramatic effect.

The essence of intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting refers to alternating periods when a person fasts for a long time (for example, 12 hours a day in a row), and then consumes the calories allotted to him during the allotted hours. This no caloric restriction! This is not a diet, but a meal schedule that should pay dividends in terms of fat loss and lean muscle gain.

There are several intermittent fasting schemes, but their essence is the same - you should fast for most of the day and allow yourself to eat the required amount of food only during a certain period of time. For example, 16 hours of fasting are followed by 8 hours of feasting. Apart from this example developed by Martin Berkhahn, the most popular intermittent fasting schemes are 20/4 by Ori Hofmekler, as well as 24-hour fasting by Brad Pylon, which is recommended to be practiced 1 or 2 times a week.

Temporary fasting is beneficial for the body. This is like a kind of reset system, as a result of which our body gets the opportunity to optimize all the processes occurring in it. But is fasting effective for losing weight and gaining lean muscle mass?

Intermittent fasting and body composition

In terms of changing body composition, intermittent fasting could theoretically have its benefits.

When we fast, many changes occur in our body - due to a long period of fasting, the blood sugar level decreases, which entails a decrease in the secretion of the hormone insulin. Low insulin levels, in turn, provoke a significant increase in the secretion of growth hormone, which stimulates protein synthesis and fights fat deposits.

The Science of Intermittent Fasting: Does It Work?

However, not everything is so simple with intermittent fasting. Let's turn to the opinion of master in nutrition Alan Aragon. In 2007, in his review entitled “An Objective View of Intermittent Fasting,” the specialist notes that an analysis of studies regarding the effectiveness of intermittent fasting does not give any reason to talk about its advantage over the classical nutrition model. Moreover, Alan notes that scientists still have a lot of research to do to fully understand the mechanism of how intermittent fasting affects our body.

Many may assume that in 8 years, scientists could thoroughly study the effect of intermittent fasting. Let's turn to the review of Dr. Amber Simmons, who in 2014 conducted an analysis of studies regarding the effectiveness of intermittent fasting. The specialist noted that at the time of publication of the review, there was not a single data that would confirm the theory about the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for losing weight and gaining muscle mass.

“Intermittent fasting is not a weight loss program. A person will lose weight only if the calorie content of his diet is limited,” is an indicative excerpt from the author’s review. Amber also emphasized that to date, there has been no research into the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for athletes whose priority is maintaining muscle mass and strength.

Finally, here are the results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of South Manchester. The purpose of the experiment was to compare the effectiveness of the intermittent fasting technique and the classical method of calorie restriction. As a result of observation of 107 overweight women, it was revealed that PG does not outperform the classical model in terms of effectiveness.

CONCLUSION

Despite the promotion of intermittent fasting as one of the best methods for losing weight and gaining lean mass, to date there is no scientific evidence confirming its effectiveness.

As you can see, it all comes down to the simplest principle that Zozhnik constantly talks about - the primary importance is not the time or frequency of eating, but the total daily amount of calories that we consume. If you still want to try the PG method for yourself, follow it for a few weeks before assessing its effectiveness.

Sources:

Alan Aragon, Ryan Zielonka; An Objective Look at Intermittent Fasting;
Amber Simmons; The Scientific Evidence Surrounding Intermittent Fasting, EAS Academy.
Harvie M.N., Pegington M.; The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women, University Hospital of South Manchester.

Intermittent fasting (cyclic, periodic) is a method of eating that includes cycles of eating and not eating. You will be surprised, but many people unconsciously use this method: without having time to have breakfast, they go to work, giving themselves a snack in the late afternoon.

The essence of intermittent fasting (IF) Intermittent Fasting) not in refusing food and following a diet with the exclusion of unhealthy foods, but in creating a gap (16 and 8 hours) between meals, allowing the body to rest.

Intermittent fasting is not a diet in the traditional sense, nor is it the three-day or 24-hour fast that Bragg practiced weekly. I tried a five-day refusal of food and a daily one: the body became more prominent, the body was cleansed, a coating appeared on the tongue, the urine darkened, the desire to eat sweets disappeared. However, after a week I noticed that the body was demanding that the lost kilograms be returned to it, and the figure became the same.

Intermittent fasting for weight loss is an ideal method for those who want to lose weight without dietary restrictions. This is not a diet, but a way of life, not a one-time event, but daily observance of one rule.

You don’t have to limit yourself: periodic fasting helps you consume fewer calories per day, because food intake has a time limit.

Benefits for the body

The benefits of intermittent fasting have been confirmed by experimental studies, including animals:

periodic hunger allows you to get sick less;
potentially slows down the aging process;
improves figure;
increases vital energy, adds strength;
helps to sleep less;
reduces inflammatory processes (mechanism of autophagy and cellular repair);
teaches you to control your appetite;
increases the level of growth hormone HGH, due to which muscles increase and the percentage of fat decreases;
normalizes blood sugar levels.

One might be outraged: long periods between meals are harmful and slow down metabolism (fashionable diets mean three meals a day and two or three snacks).

I will object: To lose weight, it doesn’t matter how many times you eat - you need to monitor the caloric content of your diet, even if you consume all the food you need at one time.

When you eat 5-7 times a day, the body does not get the opportunity to rest, being in the process of endless work on digesting food. Intermittent fasting is a fast that allows the body to burn excess fat during the period of rest from eating, turning extra centimeters into missing energy.

Myth: Frequent meals speed up your metabolism.

Truth: metabolism is not affected by the quantitative intervals between food intake, but it has been scientifically proven that intermittent fasting accelerates metabolism and speeds it up by 5-14%.

By consuming breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we receive more energy than the body needs, and it stores it in the form of fat deposits. Insulin, which is responsible for storing glucose, constantly increases, and the liver begins to participate in the process of converting sugars into fat (lipolysis). Some of the fat is stored in the liver, but most of it turns into unsightly folds on the sides.

Intermittent fasting contributes to a drop in insulin levels, and the body begins to expend accumulated energy, which no longer comes from food (it is important for it to resist a drop in blood glucose).

If intermittent (cyclic) fasting is regular, the body is in balance and does not turn into a shapeless, unhealthy ball looking for food. A fed body will not burn fat, and it is not designed to chronically absorb food. Look at cats and dogs: animals can eat 1-2 times a day, remaining healthy and beautiful. Why do you eat seven times a day?

Intermittent fasting for women tired of complex diets is the easiest way to lose weight:

does not require additional costs;
saves time on cooking three times a day;
frees you from endless trips to the refrigerator and storing food in containers;
has high efficiency.

Important! Intermittent fasting not only helps you lose weight in general, but also reduces your waist circumference by 5-7% (most often this is fat around the internal organs) and reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for losing weight before PN is that proper nutrition is difficult to maintain constantly:

purchasing the necessary products (you cannot eat something from the refrigerator that belongs to your husband);
packing healthy food into containers for work;
diet planning;
and even worse - counting calories.

Intermittent fasting IF does not require anything from you except taking a break between the process of absorbing food - this is a huge plus for working, always busy women and men.

Contraindications

Intermittent fasting, of course, is not suitable for everyone and has contraindications.

This type of food is prohibited for people:

with a body mass index below 17, as well as patients with anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders;
pregnant and lactating women;
planning to conceive;
women with cycle disorders;
teenagers under 18 years of age.

A relative contraindication for cyclic fasting is if the patient has:

diabetes mellitus;
low blood pressure;
gout;
diseases of the kidneys and digestive system;
diseases requiring constant use of medications.

Even if you consider yourself healthy, consult a specialist, before practicing Intermittent Fasting.

Mistakes of losing weight

The harm of intermittent fasting is observed if the technique is not followed correctly and if it is used by persons for whom it is contraindicated:

My own interpretation of the 16 to 8 regime: in eight hours, some eat as much as another would not consume in two days.
On the contrary, a combination of intermittent fasting with dietary restrictions (which leads to exhaustion).
One-time hunger strikes from time to time, for which the body does not have time to adapt to the new diet and responds with a decrease in metabolism.
A combination of intense physical or mental exercise and fasting. Paul Bragg, for example, advised limiting activity during periods of food refusal.

Intermittent fasting is a lifestyle that should lead you to a healthy, beautiful body. If your body is not satisfied with this technique, refuse it.

6 types of fasting

There are six options for intermittent fasting, from which you can find one that suits your daily routine:

Meals every other day. You can eat for 24 hours, the next day - only water without sugar. A convenient scheme for strong-willed people, patients with an eating disorder will consume food in this mode without stopping, thinking that this is their last chance to eat.
Fasting 16 to 8 Martin Berkhan. Avoid food for 16 hours using an 8 hour eating window. It is the basis for weight loss, provided that you eat clean and stay hydrated.
Scheme 18/6. Similar to the previous diet with a shorter eating window. Popular among some athletes and fitness models.
Scheme 14/10 or 12/12. Habitual meals excluding a heavy dinner before bed.
Warrior Diet. Intermittent fasting 20 by 4, in which the time allowed for the absorption of food is set at 4 hours, and the fasting period expands to 20.
A less strict regimen of the warrior diet (Ori Hofmekler) - with the inclusion of egg whites, green vegetables and juice in the fasting phase.

Rules and preparation

When starting cyclic (intermittent) fasting, remember that now this is your way of life, in which there should be no breakdowns or relaxations. Start with the 16/8 scheme, then move to 18/6: try, experiment.

You should not start fasting if you:

are sick;
You feel sick;
are pregnant or planning to conceive a child;
belong to the category of people for whom this method is contraindicated.

Avoid Intermittent fasting if you realize that after a week:

you continue to feel hungry around the clock;
experience irritation and unmotivated aggression;
lost 5 kg or more;
you feel weak and cannot do your usual work.

Eating should be a joy, don’t torture yourself with what doesn’t suit you.

Note:

During the eating window, try to eat healthy foods;
control the quantity and quality of food;
Drink enough fluids.

During the famine period:

allow yourself unsweetened tea, and coffee if necessary;
drink clean water in the amount required for you.

Personal experience and results

I didn’t plan to lose weight with intermittent fasting. Moreover, I didn’t even know that my type of nutrition had a similar name. I intuitively cyclically fasted, following a peculiar regime: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating.

It was convenient for me to eat between 6:00 and 14:00, and then stay away from the refrigerator. You can choose any time that suits you, for example, from 12 to 20.

Intermittent Intermittent Fasting:

frees you from thoughts about food;
allows the digestive system to take a break from constantly digesting food;
helps not to be in search of food when there are a lot of other things to do.

I didn’t change my intermittent fasting menu, staying true to clean eating. My diet includes:

meat fish;
vegetables, fruits, berries;
cereals;
dairy and fermented milk products;
black tea, water.

If I want, I drink coffee, eat something sweet or spicy. I don’t see the point in denying the body what it wants: if I understand that it requires this particular product (and I don’t want to enjoy something), I eat the unhealthy product. The main thing is not to constantly follow the lead of desires, allowing the most delicious and harmful things.

The intermittent fasting plan is simple:

at six I have breakfast (the most dense and high-calorie meal);
I have a snack at 9 o’clock;
I eat at two o'clock in the afternoon.

After that, I try to only drink water, but several times a day I allow myself unsweetened tea or coffee. Sometimes the schedule shifts and my day begins at eight in the morning, periodically the interval shifts to 11:00 - 16:00.

My regime does not fit the definition of classic fasting: I don’t want to eat during the day because I saturate my body with the substances it needs.

It’s just that some people consume food around the clock, while others devote several hours a day to this process. We eat in order to live, and do not live in order to eat, although many have forgotten about this.

Intermittent fasting: results:

I repeat: I have not considered intermittent fasting for weight loss. I wanted to make life as comfortable as possible, independent of food and its preparation.

Of course, when starting periodic nutrition, I ran into problems:

I suddenly lost five kilograms from an initial weight of 56 kg;
experienced a constant feeling of hunger;
constipation and skin problems appeared.

After two weeks, the body got used to the new regime and regained the lost three kilograms, intestinal function returned to normal, and the condition of the skin improved.

Read about the benefits of intermittent fasting 16-8. Find out how to combine it with training, check out the recommendations for creating a menu.

What is 16-8 intermittent fasting? What are the benefits and advantages of this popular nutrition system? We'll explain the basic principles and offer a rough plan to make it easier for you to start eating differently.

First of all, intermittent fasting is a lifestyle, not a diet.

It is designed to make your life much easier. If you're comfortable eating every 2-3 hours, keep it that way. But if you are a busy person who finds it difficult to prepare a large number of dishes, constantly break for snacks and maintain a complex diet, we are ready to offer you an alternative.

Switch to intermittent fasting very simple. It is based on the 16-8 eating pattern. You fast for 16 hours and eat for the rest of the time.

Is it always necessary to fast for 16 hours? No. It completely depends on your daily routine. If for some reason you need to move your eating window 1-2 hours forward or back, you can always do it.

Should you always eat within 8 hours? Again, no. If it’s convenient for you to fast for 20 hours and eat for 4, that’s quite normal. It all depends on your preferences. The eating window can be 8, 6 or 4 hours. Intermittent fasting will give results in any case.

What does a day look like on intermittent fasting? The nutrition plan may vary. It all depends on when you eat for the first time, as well as what time you exercise. Let's assume that you will eat from 12 pm to 8 pm, and fast from 8 pm to 12 pm the next day.

Working out on an empty stomach

By following the principles of intermittent fasting, you can exercise on an empty stomach. Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, bulk up, or get in shape, this guide will help you exercise and diet.

Taking 10 g of BCAAs before training helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis and maintain the body in an anabolic state. BCAAs contain calories, so it makes sense to include them in your daily caloric intake.

The first meal is immediately after training. At the same time, you decide for yourself how many times you eat during your eating window. For example, the following scheme is possible.

Fasting: from 8 pm the previous day until 10–11 am. Then we take 10 g of BCAA.
Training.
13:00 - first meal.
16:00 - second meal.
19:00 - third meal.

Although BCAAs are included in your daily calorie intake, this does not mean that they open your eating window. If you take a pre-workout supplement with carbohydrates, there is no need to give it up. During the fasting window, you can consume up to 50 kcal. This could be milk and sugar in coffee or sports supplements.

1-2 meals before training

After eating, you can exercise. In this case, your routine looks like this.

12:00 - meal.
Training.
16:00 - second meal.

Or another option is possible.

12:00 - first meal.
15:00 - second meal.
Training.
19:00–20:00 - third meal.

Of course, these are just approximate recommendations. Depending on your personal schedule, you can eat 4 times in 8 hours or 2 times in 4 hours. Intermittent fasting may seem difficult at first because your body is used to frequent meals, but over time you will adapt.

When it comes to caloric intake, here are some guidelines to follow.

Your post-workout meal should contain 50-60% of your daily calories.
Unless you are training on an empty stomach, your pre-workout meal should be very light. You can eat chicken breast, vegetables or fruits for about 400-500 kcal. Your task is to fuel yourself with protein and carbohydrates during your workout without overloading your stomach.
Drink water and coffee in the morning. As already mentioned, supplements within 50 kcal are allowed.
Intermittent fasting allows you to vary your macronutrient intake depending on your goals. For example, you can increase your carbohydrate intake on training days and cut back on rest days.
If you use sports supplements (multivitamins, fish oil, whey protein, etc.), take them during your eating window.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

It may seem that intermittent fasting limits muscle growth and therefore should not be used in bodybuilding, but this is not true. You simply eat your daily allowance in a predetermined period of time.

The main thing that matters is the number of calories per day, and not when and in what combinations you consume them.