Which is the best fasting diet for weight loss?
What if I tell you that the key to a better, healthier life could be as simple as eating less? Then imagine, what the best fasting diet for weight loss can do for you!
A diet where you only eat during a limited time window each day is sweeping across the nation. How does it work exactly, and what would this mean for your lifestyle? What are its benefits? Read on to find out more!
Overall best fasting diet for weight loss: intermittent fasting
The most popular and best fasting diet for weight loss these days is intermittent fasting, which focuses on when rather than what you eat.
Intermittent fasting is the best fasting diet for weight loss that focuses on restricting what you eat for short periods, alternating with longer intervals where you can have any type of food in moderation.
The best part? You’ll still get to enjoy tasty foods like pizza!
How does Intermittent fasting works?
When you eat, your body releases insulin after consuming a certain amount of calories, and this insulin release makes you store fat for later use.
When you go without food for many hours, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat called metabolic switching.
This is one of the reasons that most people who are intermittent fasters tend to see weight loss quickly. That is why, IF is known to be the best fasting diet for weight loss.
What’s good than that? You’ll burn off excess body fat, and you can still eat food!
Intermittent fasting increases the duration of time when your body burns through your last consumed calories and begins burning fat.
Top 6 best fasting diet for weight Loss
There are many ways to do intermittent fasting. Every method can be effective, but you just have to figure out what is best for you and what will be easy to stick with.
16:8 Method
16:8 is the most popular and best fasting diet for weight loss. This method involves 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating.
You can start eating your meals at any time during these eight hours. It is flexible for most people. Popularized by Fitness guru Martin Berkhan, this method is also known as the Leangains protocol.
How to do 16:18 IF?
To do this effectively, divide your eating window into 2-3 meals. To make it as simple as possible, don’t eat anything after dinner and skip breakfast.
If you eat your last meal at 7 p.m., don’t eat until 1 p.m next day. This makes up 16-hours of fasting.
This may be a hard adjustment for those who get hungry in the morning and prefer breakfast. However, many people, who are breakfast skippers, instinctively eat this way easily.
You can drink water, coffee, or other zero-calorie beverages during the fasting window to cut down on hunger.
It is essential you primarily eat healthy food during your eating window. This method won’t work if you eat lots of processed foods or consume excessive amounts of calories.
5:2 Method
The 5:2 fasting diet, as it is popularly known, involves eating normally for five days per week and restricting your intake to 500 calories on two non-consecutive days.
You might be surprised to learn that most people can stick with this type of plan. You will likely lose weight faster than the 16:8 method because you fast for 24-hours during the week. You will lose about 1 pound a week with this plan.
Eat normally and still consume fewer calories by creating a calorie deficit between your two fasting days. You can do so by replacing time spent sitting in front of the television or computer and take walks instead.
Michael Mosley, a British journalist, popularized this diet, often called the “Fast Diet.”
How to do 5:2 IF?
On the two fasting days, women should limit the calorie intake to 500, whereas men should eat 600 calories.
To simplify, divide 500 and 600 calories into 2 small meals of 250 carries each for women and 300 calories for men.
The 5:2 diet or the “Fast Diet” helps lose weight.
Eat Stop Eat Method
Eat Stop Eat is a type of intermittent fasting that involves eating normally during the week and restricting your intake for 24 hours per week or twice a week. You can choose any day, but Sunday is recommended by the creator Brad Pilon.
How to do an Eat-Stop-Eat fasting diet?
Fasting from Lunch one day to Lunch the next day means a full 24-hour fast. You can also fast from breakfast to breakfast or dinner to dinner— the result will be the same.
You can only drink beverages that contain no calories during the fast, such as water, coffee, tea, etc. Solid foods are forbidden.
To maintain a healthy weight, you should stick with your regular diet during your feeding window.
One of the downsides of the Eat Stop Eat method is that fasting for 24 hours can be challenging. However, it’s possible to work your way up from shorter fasts like 14–16 hours.
Alternate-day fasting
Alternate-day fasting involves fasting every either day. You eat regular food on one day and fast or consume 500 calories on the other day.
Intermittent calorie restriction (ICR) is another way to achieve this goal. You should consume 20% fewer calories compared to your daily needs. You can do this by reducing your portion sizes or not eating carbs on a day-to-day basis.
A study found that alternate-day fasting isn’t as effective for weight loss or maintenance as a standard calorie-deficit diet.
I would not recommend it for beginners because it is very restrictive due to the full-day fast.
The Warrior Diet
The warrior diet, created by Ori Hofmaker, involves eating small meals containing raw vegetables and fruits during the day and eating one large meal at night.
How to do a warrior diet?
You fast all day and eat at night within a 4-hour feasting window to do a warrior diet.
As far as food choices are concerned, they are quite similar to those of the Paleo diet, i.e., wholesome and unprocessed foods.
Impromptu meal skip
This method is as simple as it says. You don’t have to follow a structured plan to reap its benefits.
Simply skip a meal or two from time to time, i.e., when you don’t feel like eating or have a busy schedule and can’t cook.
However, some people eat every few hours so that they don’t get hungry. If they get hungry, they might go into starvation mode, which causes them to lose muscle.
Some can endure long periods of hunger and go an entire day (or two!) and be just fine. You know your body best–consider what will work for you.
How to do an Impromptu meal skip?
If you aren’t hungry for breakfast, skip it and eat a healthy lunch and dinner instead. Or, do a short fast if you’re on the go and can’t find anything healthy to eat.
Skipping meals often when you feel like it is an impromptu intermittent fast.
No matter which method of intermittent fasting you try, make sure you eat well balanced and healthy during the non-fasting periods.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
As with most diets, intermittent fasting offers an array of benefits. These benefits can include weight loss, reduced appetite, belly fat loss, and improved focus on concentrating on other activities.
Decreases Inflammation
You may notice that your resting heart rate goes down due to decreased inflammation, blood pressure, and risk for diabetes.
Lowers Cholesterol
Intermittent fasting helps lower your cholesterol levels, allowing you to decrease your risk of heart disease, which is great!
Better skin & Lowers Stress
Another benefit of IF is better skin. Intermittent fasting lowers your stress and anxiety. You’ll see a boost in mental clarity as well.
Say goodbye to heartburn & bloating
Intermittent fasting results in less heartburn and bloating. It lowers other digestive problems such as constipation. As a result, you feel a lot lighter because you don’t eat junk food and focus on maintaining a healthy and whole diet.
In the long run, your health improves overall in the process, which is always a positive thing!
Limitations of intermittent fasting and how to overcome them
Intermittent fasting is a powerful remedy for weight loss, but it has its limitations.
To overcome these limitations, you need to follow intermittent fast correctly:
- Don’t overeat during the feeding periods.
- Don’t consume too many calories overnight, and just let them accumulate as fat storage.
- Be careful not to eat too many carbs.
- Be conscious about what you eat during the first couple of hours after breaking your fast. It should be healthy and wholesome.
- Don’t mix intermittent fasting with extreme exercise that can put too much risk on your health.
- Pair intermittent fasting with a healthy diet and the right workout program for maximum results.
- Avoid consuming sodas, high sugar drinks, and a lot of caffeine.
- Drink a lot of water and healthy teas such as green tea, matcha tea, etc.
- Opt for healthy fat choices such as olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, and eggs.
This is what you need to know about how to start an intermittent fast for weight loss to maximize its effectiveness.
So how can you lift yourself above the plateau of intermittent fasting weight loss?
The answer lies in the hormones that control your metabolism, namely leptin, thyroid hormone, insulin, and others.
You need to learn everything about fat loss hormones to maximize the weight loss effects of intermittent fasting.
Did you know that some foods can hinder fat loss?
Some foods like alcohol, sugar, and gluten can hinder your fat loss.
Avoid consuming them during your fasts, and make sure that you have a diet rich in proteins, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
In this way, you’ll be able to achieve:
1- Mental clarity
2- Stronger immune system
3- Increased energy levels throughout the day
4- Better digestion
5- Weight loss and muscle gain
6- Better sleep at night, etc.
FAQs about Intermittent fasting
I noticed that you were asking for some FAQs about intermittent fasting, and I’ve put together a list of the most common.
Can you drink coffee while on an intermittent fasting diet?
It is recommended that people partaking in an intermittent fasting diet stay away from caffeinated beverages and sodas such as Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc. It is better to consume tea options such as green, matcha, rooibos, and herbal tea to replace these drinks.
How much water should I be drinking when I’m doing an intermittent fasting routine?
Consistent with other weight loss routines, it is important to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day with intermittent fasting. This helps with digestion and maintaining healthy hydration levels in the body.
How long should I stay on a fasting diet?
Intermittent fasting is recommended for people who have more than 20 pounds to lose or want to maintain their weight. If you only have 15 lbs. or less, it is recommended that you go with another method of fat loss such as low-carb diets or CICO (calories in and calories out) until you reach your ideal weight.
As soon as you reach your ideal weight, you can start doing intermittent fasts to keep the new pounds off and improve your overall health.
Should I work out? What should I eat after my workout session?
Yes, working out while intermittent fasting diet is very important. Avoid doing intense workouts at the start. The ideal choice is a 30-minute session of cardio or weight lifting.
Which foods should I avoid during my intermittent fasting routine?
Avoid sugary beverages such as juice, soda, etc., high carb foods such as pasta, rice, cereals, starchy veggies like potatoes and yams, dairy products such as high-fat milk, unhealthy oils, and fats sweets like sweets, donuts, and pastries.
If I am trying to conceive, can I be on an intermittent fasting diet?
Yes! This goes with any other type of weight loss diet plan for women. There is no reason to discontinue it if you’re trying to conceive.
However, during your periods of fasting, make sure that the meals are very satiating because feeling hungry during this time can hinder conceiving or cause you not to ovulate.
How do I know if my body is ready for intermittent fasts?
Your body has an innate timing system that lets you know when it is time for a change. When you feel exhausted and uninterested in any work that needs to be done, then it’s best to stop eating for a while. Of course, you should take a day off after 2 or 3 weeks of fasting. This will help your body stay fresh and active.
What are the side effects I might experience when fasting?
Fasting boosts energy levels, lowers inflammation in the body, and improves cognitive function, among many positive side effects.
However, it can also cause headaches and dizziness if not done properly for a few days in a row. If this happens, drink more water (at least 8 glasses per day), eat enough food (yes – even when fasting), and avoid overloading on stimulants such as caffeine.
What can I do to avoid hunger while doing an intermittent fast?
Hunger is the number one reason why people abandon their diet routine. To avoid this, make sure that you eat more healthy fats and protein in your meals. This will help fill you up faster than carbohydrates as carbs would quickly burn out in your system due to a fasted state.
If I am sensitive to caffeine, should I avoid coffee?
Coffee is fine and recommended as long as it does not disrupt your sleep. The average amount per day is 3 cups, but this varies from person to person.
Caffeine can still be helpful even if you do intermittent fasting because it has positive effects on weight loss in people who drink up to 5 cups per day.
How does intermittent fasting help with losing weight?
In our daily lives, we tend to eat much more than necessary throughout the day. Eating than required leads our bodies to accumulate unnecessary extra pounds that make us feel uncomfortable and prone to other harmful diseases associated with obesity.
While on an intermittent fasting diet, you eat less but a larger amount at one time. As a result, you don’t overeat by limiting snacking, which is commonly responsible for gaining unwanted fats.
What can I do to speed up the process?
To help your body burn fat faster, you need to move around and exercise. You should take at least a 30-minute walk or do weight training.
Last but not least, to help the body get accustomed to fasting, you need to start slowly. A sudden change in fasting or diet pattern can lead your body into shock and cause it to retain water, which may cause you to gain weight.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting (intermittent energy restriction or intermittent calorie restriction) is an umbrella term for various eating protocols that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting over a defined period.
Intermittent fasting methods have been in use as a way to lose weight since the early 1900s.
As with other dieting methods, it may not be appropriate for everyone, especially those who are underweight or suffering from eating disorders.
Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight. When done properly, it can lead to weight loss without hunger. It also has many other benefits, including increased mental clarity, improved memory, and more!
Be careful if you have any underlying health conditions. Always discuss with your health care provider before making a change in your dieting habits.
If you decide to give intermittent fasting a try, keep in mind that the quality of the food choices on this diet is imperative. It’s impossible to overindulge in junk food and expect these types of diets to help you lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below!
