Healthy Intermittent Fasting Plans for Weight loss

Intermittent fasting is a type of time restricted diet plan where you merely restrict your normal daily eating to a 6-8 hour window or time, without cutting calories. This 16 to 18 hours fasting window is crucial for your body to experience the fantastic health. When we don’t eat anything for this long period, your body changes several things to make the stored energy more accessible for use in day to day activities and lead to significant weight loss.

How much weight can you lose with intermittent fasting plans?

Intermittent fasting has experienced a recent surge in popularity and for a good reason. Not only does it improve overall health, but you can also lose weight.  When you’re fasting, your body will be forced to use its stored body fat for energy. Burning calories this way, instead of from the food you’re eating throughout the day, will help you not only lose weight but weight from any excess body fat you’re carrying. Fasting 16-20 hours a day can help you safely lose 2-3 pounds of fat every week.

The 16:8 Intermittent Fasting Plan

This refers to daily fasting 16 hours, leaving yourself 8-hour window for eating. For instance, many who follow the 16:8 plan establish their feeding window between noon and 8 pm. But you can move those start and stop times around however you like as long as you keep the duration the same. Schedule 3 days a week to fast.

The 24-Hour Fast

This plan has you fasting for 24 hours, but only once or twice a week. Some call this the 5:2 fast. The way many people follow this plan is by eating three meals on a particular day, then skipping breakfast and lunch the following day, but eating again at supper that day. This provides a 24-hour fast.

The 36-Hour Fast

This is precisely how it sounds. You simply refrain from eating one whole day. Thus the duration between supper on day 1 and breakfast on day 3 is about 36 hours.

Alternate Day Fasting

Alternate day fasting is a type of fasting that involves alternating between a day of fasting and a day of eating to satisfaction. It’s the most effective fasting method when it comes to weight loss as it allows you to cut your total calorie intake by up to 50% while also being able to eat without restriction on the nonfasting days.

A Day Per Week Fasting

One day per week fasting is the most popular style of intermittent fasting due to both its practicality and the success of Brad Pilon’s “Eat Stop Eat” book. While this style of fasting doesn’t lead to the same weight loss gains as alternate day fasting, it is believed to be a more fresh approach which allows you to cleanse your body without placing it under too much stress. It’s also a much more relaxed style of fasting to adopt as you get to choose your best day for fasting and enjoy six days of regular eating.

Nightly Fasting

Nightly fasting involves stopping eating a few hours before sleeping and extending the body’s natural fast that occurs during the night. Most people who follow a nightly fasting plan stop eating around five hours before the sleep, but you can extend or reduce this fasting window if you wish. Nightly fasting is another excellent option for beginners and one that requires only a minimal lifestyle change. Since the fast takes place in the hours leading up to sleep, it also has a positive impact on your sleep quality and helps you wake up feeling refreshed and well rested each morning.

The Transition

If you are currently eating 3 meals with snacks, start by cutting out snacks. After you have adjusted to that, try eating within a 10-hour window. And finally cut out another meal and push back the time frame of your first meal according to your fasting plan.

What can I eat while intermittent fasting?

Be mindful of what you decide to break or start your fast with. Choose fats if your goal is to lose fat, protein to gain muscle or bone broth for better health. Here are some popular choices:

Breakfast: Opt for a healthy smoothie that contains fruit, leafy greens, protein, ice, and water. Lunch: Have a good-sized salad with spinach or kale, chicken and healthy fat like avocado. Other healthy options can be eggs, bacon, avocado and tomatoes or steak, butter, and asparagus. If you like fish Salmon and roasted broccoli with olive oil can be a good choice.

Dinner: Strive to fill up half your plate with veggies, dividing the remaining half between protein and carbs. For example, you cloud have chicken, half a sweet potato, and a serving of broccoli.

Snack: Enjoy an apple and cheddar cheese or a slice of whole-grain bread with PB.

While you are fasting, eat a lot of veggies, lean meats, and water. Black coffee, water, and green tea are okay to consume during fast. Just be careful not to overload your cup of joe with cream and sugary sweeteners.

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