How to lose weight fast is one of the most searched questions on the internet today. Our generation has been falling prey to obesity in large numbers. According to a WHO Survey, obesity has reached more than doubled since 1980 worldwide. This leads to development of various fat loss diet plans in aid to control the rising obesity in our generation. There are many ways to lose weight but the best diets to lose weight are worth your notice. Intermittent Fasting weight loss is one such diet that is easing the people`s weight loss success stories.

Introduction to Intermittent Fasting weight loss Plan

You are familiar with the benefits of fasting. The fasting can help you lose weight. But do you know how to fast for an effective weight loss? Intermittent Fasting is one such way for an effective weight loss success.  As the name suggests, Intermittent fasting weight loss plan is a fasting plan that requires you to fast in short term set intervals.

There are different ways you can start intermittent fasting weight loss plan. You can opt for these below methods to take benefit of this plan. A point to mention here, intermittent fasting is a long term calorie restriction diet and you should consult your physician before starting any such diet. Try the method you feel more sustainable according to your lifestyle. Let us discuss these methods in detail now

Do you know?

Fasting for short term periods, usually 12-72 hours, will not slow your metabolism.

1. Lean Gains or the 16/8 Intermittent Weight Loss Method

The Lean Gain or 16/8 method of intermittent weight loss requires you to fast for 16 hours and eat in the set 8 hours. This method will potentially benefit those who wish to gain muscles and burn fat. The 8 hour eating window is important and should be planned carefully.

What you eat in 8 hour window depends upon your goal and activity levels. However, it is advised, you make the right choices of food. You should plan your macros well. If you are working out hard, your day should be filled with good amounts of carbohydrates and protein. And, on the non- training days, the 8 hour eating window should consist of mostly healthy fat and protein. The other 16 hours of fasting requires you to eat nothing. But if you feel craving to eat, you can include negative calorie substitutes like black coffee, natural flavored water and sugar free gum.




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This method is very convenient and is easy to adhere for long terms. You can break your eating window into three meals for more convenience. You can simply fast when you are sleeping and break your fast after 8 hours of waking up. It is advised you work out in the evening during this plan. Also, this plan requires proper scheduling on the aspects of proper nutrition and nutrient timing.

2. Feasting or the Warrior intermittent weight loss method

The Feasting as we say or the warrior intermittent weight loss method allows you to eat a feast meal after following a 20 hour fast.  In this method, you have to eat a large meal at once and fast for rest of the time frame. The main idea behind the warrior intermittent weight loss method is to skip your breakfast and lunch. And eat all the required calories in night time.

According to Ori Hofmekler, the author of Warrior Intermittent Fasting method, this diet can serve you with life extending benefits. It is believed that the humans are nocturnal eaters and eat only once during the day. The principle of this method is based upon the ancient warrior societies feeding principles.




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The warrior Intermittent Fasting is divided into two parts. The first part is Day time phase when you are required to under eat.  And in the second phase, the night phase, you have to overeat.  During the day time eating, you can include small portion of fruits, yogurt, kefir and whey protein. Green vegetables like cucumber, celery, bell peppers can also go well during under eating phase.

The under eating phase does not require you to exactly starve and you can include these above mentioned foods. During the overeating phase, you can eat any amounts of food you want. The only compulsion in this phase is to eat healthy and the right food combinations.

3. Eat Stop Eat intermittent weight loss method

The eat stop eat intermittent fasting weight loss method involves 24 hour fasting once or twice in a week. In this method, you are required to fast for 24 hours and after which you can eat whatever you like. There is no such restriction on what to eat and how much to eat after the fasting period.  The benefits of this fasting can help you reduce your calorie intake without the need of limiting foods you eat.

The author of Eat Stop Eat intermittent weight loss plan, Brad Pilon says that this type of fasting is flexible. You can plan to fast during the busy time and eat when you are not much occupied. This way you can also increase productivity. You can even retain more muscles while losing fat as compared to other fasting methods. If you simply put notice, you can see that you never go hungry in a day.

Initially, if you feel the need to eat something during the fast or you cannot fast for 24 hours. You can start gradually and reach to 24 hours slowly.  If you still feel the need to eat during fast, you can include negative calorie foods as we mentioned above in this article. A noteworthy thing here is to not go crazy in eating phase. You can eat anything but eat in moderation.

4. The 5:2 intermittent fasting weight loss method

The 5:2 intermittent fasting weight loss method needs you to eat normal calories for 5 days of the week. The rest 2 days of the week, you are allowed to eat only 500-600 calories per day. It is recommended you eat foods containing fruits, nuts, vegetables, yogurt, oily fishes and cheese during this diet, says Mosely, Co author of 5:2 fast diet.

You can think of planning this diet by fasting on Monday and again fasting on Thursday. This way you can easily stick to your plan or the way you feel more convenient. The time, in which you are eating fewer calories than normal days, you are allowing your metabolism to speed up. You can effectively lose fat and shed weight by following this type of intermittent fasting.

5. The Alternate Day intermittent fasting weight loss method

The alternate day intermittent fasting weight loss method requires you to fast every alternate day. You can eat whatever you want on a non fast day. There are no set guidelines on what to eat when you are not fasting. But the days of fasting are very specific and you should not jump the 600 calories mark. You can only include low carbohydrate vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms. Include these veggies only if driven by constant craving to eat.

A 10 week trial has been conducted on two different groups of obese patients on Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting diet. During the trial performed by Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois, Chicago concluded following results. She concluded that Alternate Day intermittent fasting is effective in helping obese people to lose weight. The research has also penned down in her book “The Every other Day Diet”. It has also been concluded that this diet is also effective in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease.

 

How does Intermittent fasting weight loss diet works?

The intermittent weight loss diet is a great way to shred fat and lose few pounds without changing your diet. If you see closely on the above mentioned methods, you surely have noticed one thing. That the intermittent fasting is not exactly a diet but it is more of a way of how you eat. There are many diets to lose weight. But no other diet can get you the flexibility that the intermittent fasting offers. So what is that, even without changing what you eat? You lose weight. The answer lies in the fact that when you fast, your insulin is low and body burns fat.

To make you understand this better, let us put light on two different states of your body. The first state is when you are feeding and the other is when you are fasting. The feeding state is when you are feeding your body with food. During this state, your body takes up the food, digest it and then absorb it. This state tends to remain up to five hours after eating. During this state, your insulin levels are high and body is not able to burn fat.

The other state of fasting arises possibly after 12 hours of your last meal. During this time, if you don’t feed your body, it produces its fuel by burning the fats stored in your body. This is how your body burns fat during the fasting phase. And the intermittent fasting weight loss methods make it more convenient for an individual to lose weight and shred fat.

Intermittent Fasting Results-How much fat you can really burn?

The intermittent weight loss diet looks similar to other fad diets on the first glance. But if you go over the internet and search for the intermittent fasting results, you will only see victory. The intermittent fasting weight loss diet has a clear advantage of serving the benefits of fasting.

The different methods of intermittent fasting allow every user of this diet to lose weight conveniently. So what results you can expect after initiating the intermittent fasting weight loss diet? After all, there is no point of discussing what it has offered to others. If it cannot serve exactly what it promises to deliver.

The intermittent fasting can help obese people to lose weight. It can further benefit in reducing type-2 diabetes suggested by a research published in Translational Research in year 2014. During the research, it has been found that the subjects lost 3-8% body weight in course of 3-24 weeks.   The subjects also show reduction in their waist size by 4-7%. Now that, you have got a glimpse on intermittent fasting results, let us put forward some more benefits. You can avail various health and lifestyle benefits with intermittent fasting apart from just fat and weight loss. The benefit of fasting includes

Health Benefits of intermittent weight loss diet

• Build muscles while burning fat
• Longevity
• Increase GH production
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Control Type 2 diabetes
• Helps in preventing colon cancer in men
• Promote liver glycogen breakdown

Lifestyle Benefits of Intermittent weight loss diet

• Increase productivity as you spend less time on eating
• Increased energy
• Improved mental focus
• Simplified eating schedule
• No need to change foods you eat.

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Myths on Intermittent Fasting weight loss

When you put yourself on intermittent fasting, there can be some common questions that reach to your mind. These questions are often answered by myths. Let us include all those intermittent fasting myths that can reach your mind before initiating the intermittent weight loss diet.

• Skipping breakfast on Intermittent Fasting

It is a common misconception that you skip breakfast during intermittent fasting. This is not true in any sense. Breakfast refers to the first meal that helps you to break your fast. During intermittent fasting, you are just changing the time of breaking your fast.

• Intermittent Fasting muscle loss

You lose muscle due to catabolism. A state where you deprive your body of calories it needs to produce energy. The intermittent fasting is different from a long term calorie restricted diet. It requires you to fast for set periods and for short intervals.

• Intermittent Fasting causes fertility issues in women

Intermittent fasting aims to provide various health benefits. It is not more than a myth that intermittent fasting can lead to fertility issues. This case can only occur if you are not able to intake required macros and not making the calorie restriction gradually.

• Intermittent Fasting causes nutritional deficiencies

The intermittent fasting is a short term calorie restriction plan. During an intermittent fast, you eat your meal after few hours of fast. That means, you are eating the nutrition your body needs. This in any condition can`t lead to nutritional deficiency.

• Eating after long intervals causes health issues

It is believed that the early men of Stone Age were nocturnal eaters and they generally eat once during the day. You can also eat similarly but not depriving your body of the nutrition it requires. However, it is a good practice, if you split your protein consumption throughout the day. There is no evidence that says fasting for short intervals causes interference to your metabolism.

Why intermittent fasting is bad for you?

The intermittent weight loss diet has been the most convenient diet to lose weight. It has many health benefits to serve its user. But there is no denial on the fact that it is a calorie restricted diet. And, the calorie restricted diet also has side effects in association with all the benefits it offers.

• Food cravings during intermittent fasting

It is a normal phenomenon to experience food cravings during fasting. The intermittent fasting can trouble you if you don`t know how to control cravings. However, it is completely natural to experience food cravings in the beginning of an intermittent diet. Your body will slowly adapt to control cravings.

• Intermittent Fasting decreases athletic performance

Exercising during a calorie restricted phase is sure to decrease your athletic performance. You can`t train heavy and intense during the fasting state. You shall plan your workout according to your fasting schedule.

• Intermittent Fasting Heartburn

Average people can surely feel heartburn during the intermittent fasting. The heartburn caused due to the production of acids by the body. It occurs due to the fact that the body is adapted to old eating pattern. And, adapting to new eating pattern put stress on your body. However, it goes by its own after 5-7 weeks.

• Brain Fogging in intermittent fasting

The brain fogging is a very common experience during a calorie restricted diet. Your body takes time to adapt to your new eating pattern. The brain function also improves during a fasting diet.

The Bottom Line

The intermittent fasting is an effective way to lose weight. It adds convenience to your weight loss journey. It helps many people lose weight and benefiting them by not changing much to their lives.

The point not to be missed here is that intermittent fasting weight loss diet has some considerable side effects too. You should run this under the expert guidance. And, if you wish to see results, start intermittent fasting, monitor your progress and make necessary changes to reach your goal.