Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight because you reduce the calories you consume during the day. We tell you how to do it in a healthy way.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Fasting, we fast every day, from the moment we go to bed until we take the "de-fasting" which, as the name says, is nothing more than breaking the fast. The intermittent fasting diet is based on extending the fast for a certain period of hours or days as doing so can have health benefits and weight loss.
There are two main types of intermittent fasting: daily and weekly. That is, fasting a few hours each day or making a very large calorie reduction two days a week.
In this article that we have made with the advice and supervision of the nutritionist Isabel Beltrán, we will focus on how to do the intermittent fasting 16/8.
How to Do Intermittent Fasting?
In the case of daily fasting, you have to fast every day for 16 hours and you can eat during the following 8 hours. That is why it is one of the simplest weight loss diets. You just have to divide your day in two slots: one of 8 hours in which you eat and another of 16 hours in which you fast. For example, if you have your first meal at 12 o'clock, you have until 8 o'clock in the evening to eat. This means a reduction of 300-500 kcal per day because you usually eat less and this is the option that we propose.
Normally the 16 hours of fasting include the hours of sleep so it is easier than you think.
To make it easier for you (and to lose weight), we are going to propose two options of the 16/8 fasting diet, so that you can choose the one that best suits your habits and tastes. The first one is for mornings and the second one for afternoons. The diets we give you are elaborated by the nutritionist Isabel Beltrán.
Observe your way of eating and choose your schedule, taking into account that it is something that you can vary and adapt to your life and commitments. And therein lies the great advantage of the intermittent fasting diet: its adaptability. This diet adapts to your life and not the other way around, and that is one of the keys why this diet works.
What Are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
- Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight because the calories consumed during the day are reduced and because during fasting the body draws energy from its reserves.
- Intermittent fasting has a preventive effect on type 2 diabetes. In fact, according to a study published in the journal BMJ Case Reports fasting may help lower blood sugar.
- Improvement of processes related to inflammation.
What Can Be Taken During Intermittent Fasting?
During the 16 hours that your fast will last you can drink:
- Water
- Coffee without sugar (you can add cinnamon).
- Tea
- Infusions
- Home-made vegetable broth - onion, leek, carrot, cabbage, celery, parsnip... with a pinch of salt and, if you like, with peppercorns or cloves.
- A sugar-free chewing gum can help you reduce your appetite.
Do not consume sugar, sweeteners, alcohol, milk, vegetable drinks, juices or soft drinks, not even light, zero, etc. ... And nothing containing calories.
And What Can Be Taken in the 8 Hours in Which You Can Eat?
Fasting is useless if during the hours when you can eat you do not eat well. The ideal is to follow the guidelines of the plate method developed by Harvard University, in which half of the plate is vegetables; a quarter, meat, fish or legumes; and the second quarter, potatoes, bread, rice or pasta.
- Ideally, half of your plate should be made up of vegetables and leave proteins and carbohydrates as accompaniments. For dessert, fruit or yogurt. And whenever possible, avoid processed and precooked foods.
How Many Meals Do You Eat Per Day?
There are usually 2 or 3 main meals, and sometimes a small snack if it is very difficult to control hunger. For example, if you are a morning person, you can have a complete breakfast, a midday snack and a snack-dinner. Below we propose complete menus for a week if your option is for mornings and the same if your option is more for afternoons.
What Can Break the Fast and What Can't?
There is still no scientific evidence to say exactly how many calories you get out of fasting. Therefore, we recommend you to be strict and drink herbal teas and black coffee (with cinnamon if you want) and homemade broths (vegetables, water and a pinch of salt). You can also chew sugarless gum, which will help you to control hunger. But avoid, as we said before, juices, soft drinks, alcohol, milk, vegetable drinks...
Intermittent Fasting Diet 16/8: Morning Option
If you are one of those who like to have an early and strong breakfast, this is the option that you will like. You will eat from 10 am to 6 pm; the remaining time, you will fast.
- 8 h You can have coffee, tea or infusion.
- 10 am Breakfast
- 14 h Lunch
- 18 h Snack/Dinner
- 21 h If you are hungry, you can drink vegetable broth or some herbal tea.
Intermittent Fasting Diet 16/8: Evening Option
If you can't stand going to bed hungry, you will like this meal pattern better.
- 10 h You can have coffee, tea or herbal tea.
- 12 noon Brunch
- 16 h Snack
- 8 p.m. Dinner
- 22 h If you are hungry, you can drink vegetable broth or some herbal tea.
How Many Days Can You Do Intermittent Fasting?
Until you are at your weight. After that, the ideal is to continue with a healthy and balanced diet and a schedule as close as possible to this one. Of course, you can indulge yourself and introduce free meals from time to time.
How to Control Hunger During Intermittent Fasting?
One of the scariest things is that this diet awakens a fierce appetite that pushes you to finish everything you have in the fridge. Calm down, based on our experience and especially in all the studies that support this diet, we will tell you that when you enter the hours when you can eat you do not throw yourself unleashed to the fridge. On the contrary, you savor more each bite and, even, you recreate yourself.
So that you don't have a voracious appetite during fasting hours, the most important thing is to eat very nutritious meals during the 8 hours in which you eat. But if, even so, during fasting you feel like eating, remember that hunger is like a wave: it comes, goes up, goes down and goes away. So, not a feeling that grows and grows.
When you feel hungry, drink a tea, a black coffee or a vegetable broth. Eventually your body gets used to it and you feel great. Of course, when you eat you have to try that your dishes are very complete, nutritious and satiating.
Before Doing the Intermittent Fasting Diet
- If you want to lose more than 5 kilos, better consult a specialist to assess your nutritional and metabolic status with a test that includes a blood test.
- If you have type 2 diabetes, low blood pressure or high uric acid, your doctor should perform frequent monitoring.
- Do not do it if you are underweight (BMI below 20). In addition, it is not recommended for those who suffer from chronic diseases or metabolic disorders, such as diseases affecting the liver, kidney, hypoglycemia, nor in case of pregnancy or breastfeeding.