Intermittent fasting sometimes called "IF" it is a trending topic in some diet & wellness communities and relevant to those of us on keto. In this guide, I am sharing basics of the Intermittent fasting and Free Intermittent fasting plan for beginners to advance. This free intermittent fasting plan will help you to kick start your weight loss.
There's a lot to get used to and keep track of when adopting a ketogenic diet. But once you have the basics down like your new grocery list and meal planning then you are going to kill it!!
There's something else to keep in mind.
Success on a keto diet isn't just about what you eat though that is essential it's also about when and how often you eat.
When done properly intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool to break through a weight-loss plateau or ramp up your fat-burning before you consider intermittent fasting.
It's important to know what your macros are and how to track them. These things and many other things I have covered in this guide: Take advantage of Intermittent fasting
Another thing to remember is that you certainly don't have to fast on a ketogenic diet.
Some people find it helpful and doable and others do not there's no reason to restrict yourself with intermittent fasting.
If it makes you unhappy that'll just cause stress and strain around your entire diet and may lead to lapses in your dietary discipline.
If you are confused about Intermittent fasting then you should check these pros and cons before deciding.
That said if you want to learn more about intermittent fasting here are some of the key principles.
There are two basic terms - first, familiarize yourself with feeding and fasting.
Your body is in a feeding state when you're eating and in a fasting state between meals.
Understand these terms that will help you to understand the Intermittent fasting diet plan.
One is skipping meals to prolong the time of fasting the most common meals that people choose to go without are breakfast and lunch.
Another method is referred to as eating and fasting windows this approach requires condensing your entire macronutrient intake in between a four and seven-hour window.
During the rest of the day and night, you're in a fasting state.
Third and most extreme is a 24 to 48 hour cleanse this long of a period is really more of an extended fast than an intermittent fast and we don't recommend that people new to fasting.
We found that the best intermittent fasting introduction is restricting yourself to certain eating windows.
One common way people restrict themselves is by eating only during the hours of 5:00 to 11:00 p.M.
Remember the time you spend sleeping counts as fasting. So if you finish your dinner at 6:00 p.m. And don't eat until noon the following day you've achieved an 18-6 window.
If you hear people using numbers to describe their fasting habits the first number is the number of fasting hours and the second number is the number of eating hours.
For instance, if someone says they're eating window is 19:5 that means they have 19 hours of fasting and five hours of eating.
You also don't have to practice every day you can
Try it once a week or a few times a week to see how it feels to adjust your schedule listen to your body and if it's working for you keep it up or try adding another day or two.
The key thing to consider is that our bodies can only take in a certain amount of food at one time.
So creating stricter guidelines around when we eat creates a built-in limit on our calorie intake.
People who struggle with overeating or mindless snacking often find this very helpful during fasting periods our bodies begin to break down stored fat for energy.
When we're in ketosis our body already mimics a fasting state because of the absence of glucose in our bloodstream.
Whenever you're fasting don't forget that you'll likely need to eat some extra fat once you break the fast in order to hit your daily macros.
Beyond weight-loss, there are other proven benefits of fasting.
Yoshinori ohsumi who won the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine in 2016 discovered that fasting can trigger autophagy a process where non-essential parts like damaged proteins are recycled in invading microorganisms and toxic compounds are removed.
It's basically like your cells are getting nice deep autophagy is an important factor in stopping the aging process, reversing disease and preventing cancer.
When we eat three or more meals a day and fulfill our calorie needs even with the healthiest of foods our cells can still get backed up with non-essential proteins and toxic compounds to give cells a chance to clean themselves without other functions distracting them.
We must give our bodies a break from feeding through fasting this fasting process will not only activate autophagy in your cells it will also increase your ketones much faster than if you were just eating a standard ketogenic diet.
If you combine intermittent fasting with activities like walking cycling or lifting weights you can raise your ketone levels and increase autophagy more than you would with intermittent fasting alone.
Many people who practice intermittent fasting also experience heightened mental clarity because fat is considered one of the most energy-efficient fuels for your body to run on and your brain consumes a lot of energy.
Once your body is keto-adapted your brain can effectively run on ketones which are derived from the fat breakdown in the liver.
Intermittent fasting only amplifies this effect if you maintain a daily or frequent fitness regimen you might be concerned about how fasting will affect the way you feel pre and post-workout.
Not to worry many studies have proven that intermittent fasting while training can result in higher metabolic adaptations improve muscle synthesis and improve response to post-workout meals.
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Here's what a free Intermittent fasting plan/routine might look like:
On Day 1 at Evening you eat a ketogenic dinner as usual and those are the last calories you consume that day
On day 2 morning within 30 minutes of waking up head out for a long walk, you can drink a moderate amount of coffee or tea not too much as it can cause mineral excretion which you need to be aware of during fasting.
On the walk, you bring along a liter of water with a little bit of added unrefined salt. That morning you walk for three to four hours this is a long time so plan some phone calls, queue up some podcasts or find something else to keep you productive during that time.
This long walk will use up your glycogen stores and force your body more quickly into deep ketosis the quicker you get into ketosis the less time you spend feeling drained.
If you can't set aside this much time one alternative is doing 45 to 60 minutes of high-intensity interval training exercises.
After the walk, if you feel lethargic consume a bit of MCT or coconut oil. MCT oil will break your fast but your ketones production is going to increase.
Since I am an avid lover of fresh cream I will go for bulletproof coffee.
On Day 3 morning you wake up if you feel light-headed or lethargic then break your fast.
If you don't feel anything weird the proceed with your fast or consider going for another extended walk.
Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Don't forget to add a bit of unrefined table salt to each 1-liter bottle.
Day 4 evening breaks the fast with your favorite keto meal or meal according to your macros.
This is just one way to incorporate a three day fast into your schedule.
Can't make it for the full three days?
Smaller periods of intermittent fasting can still yield big results.
Are you struggling with Intermittent fasting or Weight loss? Then I can help you. Check out: Weight loss challenge
