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Intermittent Fasting 16:8 Strategy

Intermittent fasting can be done in many ways. Some prefer fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week, whereas other are usually inclined towards fasting for two days a week while eating on the rest of five days. Similarly, some people start seeing the improvements in their body when they go for intermittent fasting 16:8 strategy.

However, you would be surprised to know that most of the celebrities, media moguls, athletes, and social media influencer advance the idea of 16:8 intermittent fasting as it is not only the simplest and easiest method but it also protects from the serious ailments.

The intermittent fasting 16:8 strategy is also known by various other names, with the 8-hour diet and Lean gains protocol being the most notable one. In this technique, you make your decisions on a restricted time window and do not think whether you are hungry or full. However, this setup can prove to be counterproductive if you are not careful. Here, we have deciphered everything that you need to know about 16:8 fasting so that you can fully get the dividends of missing meals.

What Exactly Is the 16:8 Rule?

In this way of fasting, you fast for 14-16 hours daily while confining your eating schedule to 8-10 hours window. During your eating hours, you can eat twice or thrice. For example, if you finish your last meal at 9 p.m. and do not eat anything until 1 p.m. the next day, you are basically fasting for 16 hours. This method was recommended by the famous fitness expert Martin Berkhan as it is quite easy not to eat anything after dinner and then skipping breakfast the next day. Similarly, you also spend the major portion of fasting asleep.

For women, it is suggested that they should fast for 14-15 hours as they generally feel better with shorter fasts. If you are feeling extremely hungry during the fast, you can drink water or other healthy beverages to reduce the feeling of hunger.

16:8 Fasting Schedule

Firstly, you will have to select the eight hours during which you will be consuming all of your meals. People generally choose to eat between noon and nine o’ clock in the evening because in this way, they only have to skip their breakfast. Here are some appropriate eating windows for 16:8 intermittent fasting strategy:
11 am to 7 pm
12 pm to 8 pm
1 pm to 9 pm

It is crucial to use your mealtimes and sleeping patterns as a guide while implementing the 16:8 strategy. For example, if you feel extremely hungry at night before going to bed, you can choose the 1pm to 9 pm window so that you can get an evening snack. Here is a sample schedule that will help you to conveniently adopt 16:8 plan:

8:00 am Waking Up
8:30 am Drink black coffee/tea or lemon water
8:45 am Skipping morning breakfast
1:00 pm Lunch
4:00 pm snacks or light meal
7:00 pm Dinner
8:30 pm Snacks
9:00 pm Starting of the fast for 16 hours

Which Foods to Eat?

Fortunately, there are no hard and fat rules of food in intermittent fasting 16:8 strategy. Not only that, there is also no calorie restriction; implying that you would not be wasting your time monitoring the intake of carbs. Nonetheless, it is still critical to limit the consumption of junk and processed foods as they might not only increase your weight but also invite chronic heart ailments. Here, we have outlined some healthy food choices that will surge the positive effects of intermittent fasting:

Vegetables and fruits
Healthy fats, including seeds, avocados, coconuts, and olive oil
Protein rich diet, such as eggs, tofu, fish and poultry
Grains, rice, oats, and quinoa

What Really Happens When You Fast?

You are basically eating fewer meals when you fast, meaning that food consumption and the intake of calorie will be decreased. With the 16:8 fasting plan, you skip breakfast and do not eat for a certain period of time. Likewise, your body also strives to balance the hormone levels during fasting so that the fat stores can be made more accessible. Since your body is cut off from the major sources of energy, such as glycogen and glucose, it automatically starts burning fat as its main source of fuel.

Is the 16:8 Fasting Strategy Effective for Weight Loss?

According to a review article published in 2014, implementing the 16:8 fasting rule can reduce body weight by 3 to 8% over a couple of weeks. Similarly, the study also revealed that people who had adopted this technique had a 7% decrease in the waist circumference, indicating that they also lost belly fat. In another study, the researchers found that intermittent fasting caused less loss of muscle tissues when compared to the traditional dietary plans. The aforementioned studies certify that this fasting technique has great benefits for weight loss and other fat-related issues.

Other Health Benefits of 16:8 Strategy

Apart from weight loss, the intermittent fasting 16:8 strategy fasting can also prove to be instrumental in mitigating the symptoms of several heart-related diseases. In addition, it also boosts your metabolism and decreases the risks of diabetes. Here are some amazing benefits of 16:8 intermittent fasting that will compel you to start adopting this plan:
Heart Health: Fasting drastically reduces the risk factors that are linked to the heart-related diseases, including LDL cholesterol and inflammatory markers.

Increased Longevity: If you want to live longer, then fasting intermittently should be your best bet as it will increase your lifespan.

Repairing of Cells: Fasting invokes the process of autophagy, which removes the waste cells and repairs the morbid ones.

So, Should You also Try 16:8 Fasting?

It is ultimately a personal choice. If you are healthy and have sound sleeping patterns, you should definitely go for it to improve your overall health. However, you should be mindful of the riskier elements and should know how the fasting is linked to your food choices. Having said that, it would always be conducive to consult a registered dietician before embarking on your journey of intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting Diet Plans

Intermittent fasting is a way of eating in which you do not eat any food for a limited amount of time each day. Rather than limiting the calorie intake, intermittent fasting limits the time-window in which you can eat something. Though it is crucial when you eat, what you eat also has significant importance. During the times when you are allowed to eat, it is pivotal to focus on proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. If you also want to try intermittent fasting but don’t know what to eat and where to start, here is a breakdown of all the healthy intermittent fasting diet plans that you can adopt to become a master in your fasting game.

Basic Plan for Beginners

If you have never fasted in your life, it is better to first dip your toes into the fasting waters in order to maximise your chances of success. In the basic plan, you are allowed to eat anything from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. while fasting for the rest of 14 hours in 24-hour period. Most of your fasting time will be spent while you are asleep and you would not have to endure the hardship of staying hungry for so long. You can follow this pattern during the fasting hours:

8:00 AM: Breakfast
You can start your day with a smoothie as it is not only easily digestible but also tasty and healthy. However, it is recommended that you drink a green smoothie over a high-sugar fruit smoothie in a bid to keep the levels of blood-sugar stable.

12 PM: Lunch
For lunch, always try to consume protein-rich meals with vegetables and unprocessed. Thereafter, you can have sweet snacks at 2:30 PM to satiate your sweet tooth.

5:30 PM: Dinner
Nothing can beat the combination of salmon and vegetables at dinner. The green vegetables are an amazing source of antioxidants, whereas salmon is high in omega-4 fats. The nutrient density and taste of salmon is perfect for most people.

Meal Plan for Intermediate Fasting

It is one of the most adopted intermittent fasting diet plans. In this, you will be fasting for 18 hours and only eating between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. within a 24-hour period. You can practice this plan during the workweek as you will be spending the major portion of non-fasting days in office. Since you are skipping your breakfast, you can start your day with a cup of herbal tea or green tea. Most importantly, never forget to keep yourself hydrated by drinking enough water.

Now that your fasting time has increased by four hours, it is critical to include enough healthy fat in your first meal (at noon). A well sourced burger or any other item rich in the fat will work well. The amount of fats can be increased by dressing the burger with an avocado.

Thereafter, you can go for nuts and seeds around 2:30 PM. Soaking them beforehand would help in killing the enzymes like phytates that might cause digestive problems. At 6:00 p.m., you can have your dinner with protein rich diet to energise yourself.
12 PM: First meal of burger with avocado
2:30 PM: Soaked seeds and nuts
6:00 PM: Fish and vegetables
2-Day Meal Plan
While adopting this plan, you should eat continually for five days while restricting the calorie intake to 700 on the other two days. Make sure to consume healthy meats, vegetables, fats, and fruits on the non-fasting days in order to stimulate your body and structure the meals. Eating healthy diet will enable you to perform better on the days when you would be restricting your calorie intake.
On the two days of restriction, it is absolutely fine to have snacks or smaller meals throughout the day. In addition, you can also eat a moderate-size lunch and dinner to ensure that you are adhering to the minimal requirement of the calorie intake. You can even use some apps to track if you have consumed 700 calories.

The 5-2 Meal Plan for Advance Fasting

Though this plan is similar to the aforementioned 2-day plan, it is one of those intermittent fasting diet plans that the beginners should not even think of opting. In this, you will eat healthy diet five days a week and will eat nothing for two non-consecutive days of the same week. For example, you can fast on Tuesday and Saturday but eat vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats on the remaining five days.

It is imperative to talk to your doctor before going for this plan as it will be harmful for the people suffering from any medical condition. The fasting experts recommend that the coffee drinkers should continue their coffee intake during the fasts and people should also drink enough water to stay hydrated.

Monday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Tuesday: Fast
Wednesday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Thursday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Friday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Saturday: Fast
Sunday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat

Alternate-day Fasting

Though this plan is also not for beginners, its pattern is quite simple. You just don’t need to eat anything every other day, meaning that fasting after the gap of one day. On non-fasting days, you can consume healthy diet, including vegetables, fruits, fats and protein. Similarly, on the fasting days, you can go for herbal tea, coffee and water.

Monday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Tuesday: Fast
Wednesday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Thursday: Fast
Friday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat
Saturday: Fast
Sunday: Eat fruits, fat-rich diet, vegetables, and meat

Bottom Line
Each of the intermittent fasting diet plans mentioned above plans caters to the needs of different kinds of people. If you are a beginner, you should definitely not risk going for the advanced levels. Similarly, if you are aware of the complexities of intermittent fasting and have already experienced various plans, you can then try advance intermittent fasting. Most doctors recommend that you should try all the plans at least once to find which one is the most prolific for you.

Intermittent Fasting For Busy Mothers – Does It Work For Moms?

Intermittent fasting is a unique weight loss approach that comes with plenty of benefits. It requires you to choose eating and fasting windows of your choice and to stick to them until you reach your weight loss goal. In addition to weight loss, IF improves mood, controls blood pressure and blood sugar, removes cravings, and initiates cellular autophagy – a process which cleanses your body of damaged cells. Intermittent fasting for busy mothers is also a great way to improve their eating patterns.

For example, when you get into the habit of avoiding food for a specific time period, then snubbing snacks during that period becomes a lot easier.
Of course, you’ll need to check with your doctor to see if intermittent is safe for you. Here’s what you need to know about this excellent weight management approach.

How to get started?

The first rule to getting started with intermittent fasting is to take a slow start. As a beginner, your body can’t handle going 16-20 hours without eating. Moreover, as this fasting regime grows, the difficulty of sticking to the program increases and your temptation to quit without shedding extra pounds may also increase.
What you should do is to start with a 10-12 hour fast every other day. You can also increase the gap between days to lower the difficulty.
Once you get used to this routine, move to 14-16 hour fast and lower the gap between days. 16-hour fasting is extreme level intermittent fasting and doing this twice or 3 times a week is enough to quickly bring your weight down.
Also, if you find it difficult to cope with long fasting period, then IF lets you take drinks to keep your stomach occupied. Water, herbal tea, coffee, and black tea are the most popular drinks that make intermittent fasting for busy mothers simpler.

Which meals to skip?

While IF for beginners may allow you to have three meals a day, its advanced levels require you to skip meals. For example, in 16:8 fasting, you are required to skip at least one meal. However, a lot of mothers find it concerning that skipping meals will reduce their possibility of bonding over meals with young children.

You can deal with this aspect by skipping breakfast. The reason it works so well is that morning is generally the most rushed time of the day, which means your kids will hardly notice that you skipped breakfast. Not only this, you will have other two meals of the day to enjoy with family. On the other hand, if you skipped dinner or lunch, then it will definitely become noticeable to your family.
There are also IF approaches that don’t require you to skip meals every day. For example, alternate-day IF lets you eat three meals a day, then stops you from eating the next entire day.
You can apply this approach twice a week for it to really work. Also, make sure to fast on working days so that you can enjoy all the weekend meals with family. After all, it’s important to be part of the family during meal times.
What are the top types of intermittent fasting for busy mothers?
While there are plenty of IF techniques for different people, the following three work the best for busy mothers:

Alternate Day Fasting

This is a simple yet super effective technique for busy mothers. It requires you to do 24-hour fast 2 or 3 times per week, allowing you to have three normal meals for the remaining days.
A lot of busy mothers prefer this technique as it enables them to easily prepare meals without changing their busy schedules. Besides, it’s super effective for weight loss. So give it a try to see quick results.

Time Restricted IF

It’s a daily fasting approach which requires you to eat during a set window every day. The window is typically 6-8 hours long in which you take a fixed amount of calories to lose weight. According to scientists, eating earlier in the day is the best way to make this approach work.

In addition to weight loss, time restricted fasting offers the following benefits:
Improved blood sugar
Stable blood pressure
Stable insulin levels
The majority of busy mothers that apply this fasting approach eat between 10 am and 6 pm.

5:2 Fasting

In this type of fasting, you only take 25% of your regular calories and fast just twice a week. For the rest of the week, you eat normally, making sure that your calorie consumption is less than the amount of burned calories.
A lot of busy mothers struggle to keep up with this fasting approach as it involves calorie counting. However, it’s right up there with the other two techniques in terms of effectiveness.

It is said that famous TV host Jimmy Kimmel lost his weight using this approach. Give this method a try to see if it works for you.
What type of busy moms should avoid intermittent fasting?

There are a few types of busy mothers that shouldn’t fast intermittently.

These include:
Pregnant: Please avoid all forms of fasting during pregnancy.
Breast feeding moms: If you are breastfeeding, then intermittent fasting isn’t for you. Please wait until you finish breastfeeding before applying any weight loss techniques making sure to consult your doctor first.
Women with diabetes: While a lot of diabetes patients use intermittent fasting to control blood sugar, it’s important that you check with your doctor if you have diabetes. Fasting intermittently for diabetes patients requires a carefully crafted plan. Therefore, checking with a medical specialist is important first.

If you are already in good shape: It goes without saying that women that already have their weight under control don’t need fasting. Doing so could be counterproductive. Always consult a fitness / nutrition specialist beforehand.

Final Words
Intermittent fasting for busy mothers is a lot simpler with the right approach. So do some R&D to find what works for you, and don’t forget to check with your specialist before diving in. Good luck!

Intermittent Fasting For Busy Women – Lose Weight Quickly

If you are a working woman with a busy schedule, then losing fat via intermittent fasting is probably the last thing on your mind. This is because the stress that comes with working long hours makes it extremely tough to go lengthy periods without eating. Moreover, it leads you to making bad food choices that ultimately do more harm than good to your health. The good news is that there are several simple techniques of intermittent fasting for busy women to help them lose weight.

If done correctly, IF can be smooth as breeze, even for women with busy schedules. Below, we have discussed some useful tips to simplify intermittent fasting. Let’s dive in.

Choose Flexible Intermittent Fasting

Flexible IF is specifically designed for working women. Unlike traditional IF which requires you to take calories in the same eating window, flexible intermittent fasting gives you the freedom to change eating hours. This is particularly useful for women that have constantly changing work schedules.
Another good thing about flexible IF is that you can take drinks to stay hydrated even during the fasting period. This keeps you energized throughout the day and keeps weakness/dizziness at bay.

Plan Your Windows
Planning your windows on weekly basis can help you stay on track. The best time to do it is weekend or whenever you a little time. This saves you a lot of effort on working days, and prepares you mentally before heading into the fast.
As a result, you find it easy to stick to the program despite a busy schedule.

Prepare Meals Ahead Of Time
A lot of women with jam-packed schedules resort to fast food or processed food for lunch/dinner. While this may work for some women, those that are trying to lose weight must abstain from these food types.
Although it’s true that preparing food every day isn’t viable for working women, you always have the option to prepare meals ahead of time.
The good news is that you can find plenty of meal ideas online. Simply open Pinterest on your cell phone/laptop and search for crockpot meals. This platform is ideal for getting quick meal ideas for working women. By spending a few minutes in the relevant sections, you can find several easy-to-make meals for your IF program.

Once you have found those meals, prepare them ahead of time to avoid resorting to fast food.

Top Meal Choices For Busy Women Who Fast Intermittently

These are the top food choices for busy women who fast intermittently:
Grapes
Nuts and seeds
Raisins
Sandwiches or wraps
Beef jerky
Egg muffins
Beef and broccoli bowls
Almond flour pancakes
Whole pears
Boiled eggs
Oranges, apples, bananas
Sweet potato bowls
Carrot and cucumber slices

There are plenty of other dishes that you can find on the internet. The key is to make a list of several meals, and experiment with them to find out which one works the best for your busy schedule.

Drink a lot of water
Intermittent fasting for busy women was once considered an impossible weight loss approach, but its flexible version has completely changed this perception.
Of course, sticking with your new diet routine is going to be difficult at first. However, being persistent can help you achieve your weight loss goal quickly. What makes flexible IF easy to follow is the fact that you can drink water without limitations. Other calorie free drinks such as herbal tea, coffee, and green tea are also allowed during fasting period.
Another benefit of flexible IF is that it allows you to have a go at snacks.

However, we don’t recommend doing that as it could potentially put you off track. Besides, fasting means avoiding food throughout the window.
If you try to have a go at snacks, then it takes away the true purpose of fasting, which is to reduce calorie intake. However, you are still allowed to drink water to function properly.

In fact, some experts suggest that drinking plenty of water improves your metabolism which is the key to losing weight. In addition, it fills up your stomach to keep you from feeling starved.

Eat healthy at work

If your eating window and work happen to collide with each other, then make sure to eat healthy at work. Remember that after a long break from eating, your body requires a significant amount of calories to function properly. If you only take light food or unhealthy junk food, then your fasting will be counterproductive, leading you to experience several health issues, such as:
Low energy
Irritability
Bloating
Cravings
Headache, etc.

How to make flexible IF work for you?

Flexible IF is pretty much the same as traditional IF. The only difference is the varying eating windows and the freedom to drink extra water/calorie free beverages. Other than that, everything is almost the same.
Both approaches reduce weight by lowering your calorie intake. With that said, making flexible IF work is far easier than the traditional fasting approach.

For example, if you predominantly start very early, then waiting till noon to have your first meal can be extremely tough. But traditional fasting requires you to wait till noon to eat. But the good news is that flexible IF lets you have a snack here and there. However, you must detract these calories from the total count for it to work.

Besides, the freedom to rearrange the eating windows makes flexible IF extremely useful for women with fluctuating schedules. For example, if your work pattern changes every other day, then you can adjust your eating windows accordingly to fast intermittently.
Having this freedom makes it easier to stick to your fasting plan.

Final Words
Intermittent fasting for busy women is a lot easier if you go with this flexible approach. It simplifies eating and fasting for you despite a busy schedule. Plus, you get to enjoy a lot of healthy and delicious meals without putting in a lot of effort. So, give this weight loss approach a try and let us know how it went for you.

Intermittent Fasting For Over 30s – Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Intermittent fasting is an effective approach to lose weight. Unlike traditional diet plans which require you to drop certain foods, intermittent fasting is about switching between periods of eating and skipping meals. While this eating approach is completely safe for all age groups, this article particularly focuses on the effects of intermittent fasting for over 30s.
However, we’d like to tell you more about this unique weight management method before moving on.

Intermittent fasting is arguably the most flexible weight loss approach around. There are no hard and fast rules and you can even eat your favorite foods without developing fat. As someone in their 30s, all you need to do is create a fasting plan and stick to it. Now, this may be tough to do initially but it will massively help with your weight loss plans in the long run.

How does intermittent fasting work for people in their 30s?

First of all, you need to be healthy and well-nourished to start intermittent fasting. If you have a medical condition OR if you are taking medications for some reason, then check with your doctor to see if it’s safe for you.
Intermittent fasting can be done in several ways, with each way requiring you to switch between periods of eating and fasting. Lean gains is a common approach among people in their 30s trying to lose weight. In this method, you pick an 8-hour window for eating and fast for the rest of the day.
You may also choose alternate day fasting which requires you to fast every other day. The main idea here is to pick a schedule that you can follow comfortably.

The reason intermittent fasting for over 30s is so effective is that your body becomes deprived of food due to extended breaks from eating. As a result, it starts burning fats to stay energized. Now, this is exactly what you want if you’re trying to lose/manage weight.

On the other hand, normal eating plans make it impossible for you to lose weight. They require you to eat three times a day and if you’re not exercising, then your body will be getting a constant supply of calories without burning fat. This builds up fat stores in your body which ultimately leads to obesity or unwanted weight gains.

What foods are best suited for intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is more about how you eat, instead of what you eat. If you go 8 hours without eating, only to fill your eating hours with high calorie food, then you are unlikely to lose weight. If anything, you’ll gain more weight. This is because you are consuming more calories in your eating hours than you’re burning in your fasting hours.

To make intermittent fasting more effective, you should be smart with your food choices. Go with healthy food and make sure you’re burning more calories than you’re taking.
A lot of specialists recommend Mediterranean diet for intermittent fasters. This is a simple yet effective style of diet for weight management.
To make your diet Mediterranean, do the following:

Eat starchy foods (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes)
Add fruits and vegetables to your diet
Eat fish
Avoid meat
Add olive oil and other plant oils to your diet

Is intermittent fasting safe for over 30s?

As long as you don’t have a serious medical condition, intermittent fasting is safe for you. It’s the most effective approach to lose weight naturally and has absolutely no side effects. This is exactly why people from all age groups can do intermittent fasting without worrying about their health.
With that said, there are certain groups of people that should consult with their healthcare specialists before trying this approach. These include:
Pregnant women or breastfeeding moms
Children and teens
People with eating disorders
Diabetes patients

If you don’t belong to any of these categories, then intermittent fasting should be safe for you regardless of your age (always check with your doctor).

Things To Remember While Intermittent Fasting
When intermittent fasting, these are the things you should remember doing to make it effective:
Get Enough Sleep
While sleep has plenty of health benefits, getting enough of it while doing intermittent fasting is an ideal way to enhance its effectiveness. It makes sticking to the schedule simple because you spend most of your fasting hours sleeping.

For example, if you choose the night time for fasting and go to sleep at 10, then you won’t have to fight late night cravings. Rather, most of your time will be spent in bed, making it easier for you to stick to the fast.
Drink Coffee
One of the best things about intermittent fasting is that it lets you drink water or coffee during fasting hours. However, you must make sure to take only one shot of cream in your coffee. Going crazy with it is not recommended as it will increase your calorie intake.

Make an Easy-To-Follow Schedule
If you’re planning to lose weight via intermittent fasting, then it’s important to make an easy-to-follow schedule. If you do workout at 7 am and fast at 8 am, then it will become impossible for you to fast. This is because your body demands more food after a workout session to function properly.
If you start fasting right after a workout session, then it won’t get that food supply. This can result in headache, anxiety, nausea, and several other health problems.
Therefore, it’s important to make a schedule that is simple to follow.

Stay Consistent With Your Routine

Choose a fasting routine and stick to it. Whether you prefer Lean gains or Alternate Day Fasting, once you have picked a type, follow it consistently.
Getting into the routine may seem difficult at first, but once your body gets used to it, doing intermittent fasting will become an effortless task for you.
On the other hand, constantly diverting from the routine will make it hard to stick to your fast.

Final Words
Intermittent fasting for over 30s is completely safe. It’s a fun way to lose weight. You just need to make sure that you don’t have a medical condition before starting. If you do have medical condition, then check with our doctor to ensure healthy safety.

Intermittent Fasting For Over 50s – A Cool Way To Lose Weight

Intermittent fasting is an excellent way of losing fat. It is an act of limiting your calorie intake through cycles of eating and fasting. As an intermittent faster, not only you get your shape back but also gain self-discipline. This is because the will-power it takes to stick to its’ tricky meal plans can be difficult for the beginners. While it is a cool way to lose weight for youngsters, a lot of people ask whether intermittent fasting for over 50s is as effective as it is for young people.

In this article, we’ll examine different aspect to see whether people in their 50s should do IF or not. We’ll start by looking at the science behind intermittent fasting to give you its basic understanding. Let’s go.

Science Behind IF

As someone in their 50s, IF should be your top priority to lose weight. This is because it’s natural and has almost zero side effects on healthy individuals. Before getting into the science of IF on your body, we’ll discuss the effects of food you eat. When you eat normally, your body produces insulin which performs plenty of useful tasks to keep you functioning properly. For example, it extracts glucose from the carbohydrates in your food for later use. This glucose is stored as fat which results in unwanted weight gains.

What intermittent fasting does is reverse this effect. Instead of allowing glucose to become fat, it breaks down your cells, releasing the stored glucose as energy. This ultimately leads to weight loss. Not only that, your body produces Human Growth Hormone or HGH to replace the lost glucose. HGH is a useful component that performs many useful functions in your body, such as:

• Improving heart function
• Controlling muscle and bone growth
• Controlling body fluids
• Keeping a check on sugar and fat metabolism

In intermittent fasters, the rate of HGH production is 5x higher than regular eaters.

Best Techniques of Intermittent Fasting For Over 50s

While a variety of IF techniques are available for different age groups, these are the best ones for people over 50:

16:8 Intermittent Fasting

In this method, you set an eating window of 8 hours and fast for the remaining 16. Even in the eating window, you take limited amount of foods and beverages to control your calorie intake.

There are no limits on the number of fasting days. From once/twice a week to the entire week, deciding how many days you want to fast is entirely up to you.

16:8 is a popular fasting method for people in their 50s. It is extremely effective in weight loss and burns fat like no other. Besides, there are no strict rules. You can eat whatever you want in a limited amount and gain quick results with minimal effort (be sure to choose wholesome foods to gain maximum benefits).

Top Food Choices

These are the top food choices to lose weight with 16:8 method:

Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges

Vegetables: Tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, etc.

Protein rich foods: Fish, eggs, nuts, meat, etc. Whole grains: Rice, oats, etc.

Top Benefits

16:8 method has a long array of benefits, including:

Increased weight loss: Since 16:8 involves long periods of fasting, it boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight quickly.

Improved blood sugar control: This method has also been found to reduce your risk of diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels in your body.

Eat Stop Eat

Eat stop eat is another effective approach of intermittent fasting for over 50s. It requires you to pick two non-consecutive days a week to fast for a full 24-hour period. For the other five days, you can eat whatever you want. However, it’s important keep a check on your calorie intake for this approach to work. If you fast two days a week and eat recklessly for the rest of it, then you are highly unlikely to lose weight.

The best thing about this method is that even on fasting days, you are allowed to take calorie free drinks. Water is obviously the safest choice, but you can also drink green tea or coffee to stay hydrated.

Top Food Choices

There are two main diets to support eat stop eat approach: paleo and vegan.

Paleo diet includes:

• Fruits
• Nuts
• Fish
• Eggs
• Meat, etc.

Vegan diet includes:

• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Vegetables
• Raw fruit, etc.

Top Benefits

These are the top benefits of Eat Stop Eat approach:

Promotes Weight Loss: Eat Stop Eat is an ideal weight loss approach for people over 50s. It helps you lose weight by limiting your diet. Unlike 16:8 method which requires you to go 16 hours without eating, Eat Stop Eat requires you to eat twice a day to reduce your calorie intake, and ultimately weight.

Changes Metabolism: This approach produces certain metabolic changes in the body to help you lose weight. For example, it promotes ketosis – a process in which your body burns glucose and uses fat as an energy source. This sheds unwanted pound, which brings your weight down quickly.

Does intermittent fasting enhance lifespan?

Yes, intermittent fasting is known for improving longevity. If you are over 50 and want to add more years to your life, then intermittent fasting is the solution. Several studies show that intermittent fasting poses anti-ageing effects.

It improves your lifespan by initiating autophagy, a process in which your body cleans out broken cells and replaces them with fresh ones. Of course, this won’t make you immortal, but you will definitely add a few more healthy years to your life.

How to get started?

Starting intermittent fasting is always a difficult task. However, there are a few things you can do to stay focused. These include:

• Avoiding snacks at night. You can do so by training your mind to be okay with little periods of hunger.
• Taking rock salt as it tricks you into thinking that you’re not hungry.
• Avoiding supplements and allowing your body to do all the work naturally.

Final Words

Intermittent fasting for over 50s is a cool way to lose weight. It’s a simple practice with amazing results. Besides, it’s all natural. So give it a try and don’t forget to share your experience with us.

Intermittent Fasting: Tips to Lose Weight Quickly

Intermittent fasting is not just a hack that the fitness enthusiasts use to lose fat quickly while maintaining the enough muscle mass. Rather, it is a complete healthy lifestyle guided by the study of metabolism and human evolution. It forces our body to be more self-protective than it usually is. 

There are countless benefits of IF, with weight loss being the most instrumental one. People who are interested in knowing what is the best way to lose weight should go for IF because this technique has the potential to burn your calories and fat conveniently. Though exercise and other diet plans may also help you lose weight quickly, not everyone feels comfortable with the arduous gym workouts or strenuous exercises. On the other hand, IF can be tried by anyone because of unmatched flexibility it has to offer. 

Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work for Weight Loss? 

There are countless studies that prove that IF invokes several mechanisms that ultimately lead to the losing of weight. When you are restricting your meals to certain time window, you are basically decreasing the calories intake. This reduction in calories is the primary reason why you lose weight. 

Intermittent fasting also increases the levels of norepinephrine, a crucial hormone that boosts your metabolism. And with the increase in the metabolism, the calorie burning rate throughout the day also increases. The experts at Harvard University carried out several studies to ascertain the effectiveness of IF for weight loss. A comprehensive review of about 40 studies found that people had lost 7-11 pounds over 10 weeks of consistent IF. It undoubtedly proves that you should also go for IF in order to lose weight quickly. 

Important Tips of Doing IF to Lose Weight 

Intermittent fasting can be done in many ways. Some people like to prefer the 5:2 strategy, whereas others are comfortable with the 16:8 diet. Similarly, some notice significant changes in their body if they go for alternate day fasting. However, irrespective of the technique you are adopting for IF, there are some general tips that you must follow in order to stay healthy and lose your weight quickly. 

1. Increase the Protein Intake 

Do you really want to know what is the best way to lose weight? In order to balance satiety and muscle mass, it is imperative to consume diet that is rich in protein. An interesting study regarding IF found that people who had lost significant weight during the alternate day fasting for 12 months were all taking protein rich diet. Similarly, they also felt decreased hunger and increased fullness than the participants who didn’t lose weight. 

2. Eat Early in the Day 

You would be surprised to know that eating dinner late at night can prevent your body from losing weight as you sleep. There is a natural clock in our body that regulates when our bodies should be switching from carbs-burning mode to fat-burning mode. So, when you eat late, you will delay the time in which your body goes to fat-burning mode, thereby hindering the progress of weight loss. 

3. Get Rid of Added Sugars 

Consuming added sugars will not only lead to weight gain, it is also linked to the metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance. So, if you really want to lose weight quickly, you should eliminate them altogether. Instead of added sugars, you should consume low-carb and low-fat diet.

4. Prefer a Narrow Eating Window

If you are following the alternate fasting schedule where you are taking 600 calories on fasting days, try to eat all of those calories in one meal. Doing this will not only increase your metabolism but also provide you the several other advantages of time-restricted eating.

5. Keep Track of Your Water Intake 

It is recommended that you should be drinking 2 liters of water every day in order to stay healthy. However, when you are intermittent fasting, it is better to increase the water intake and keep its record. You can go for non-starchy fruits that contain water. You can also try cucumbers and oranges during lunch to increase the water intake. 

6. Exercise Regularly 

The effectiveness of exercise on your health goes far beyond weight. It will not only prevent you from gaining weight, it will also help to protect you from chronic diseases such and obesity and diabetes. In addition, it also strengthens your bones as you age. However, keep in mind that you should be exercising during the non-fasting hours only as it will not create the complications of dehydration and weakness in your body. 

Combination of IF with Keto 

The process of ketosis in your body would be invoked if you pair IF with ketogenic diet. Since this diet is low in carbs and rich in fats, it instantly kick-starts ketosis. Now you might be wondering what really the ketosis is? 

Ketosis is basically a metabolic state that compels your body to use fat instead of carbs as fuel. This process starts when your body feels the deficiency of glucose, a primary source of energy for the body. Therefore, combining IF with keto diet will not only start ketosis faster, it will also protect you from the side effects of this diet, including keto flu and fatigue. 

What You Should be Careful of? 

Though IF can be practiced safely by most individuals, it might not be as safe for everyone. You should be extremely cautious if you are a patient of diabetes or have some other medical conditions. Similarly, IF can also interfere with some medications. There are even some studies that indicate that IF is not effective for women as it might decrease fertility and create menstrual-cycle abnormalities in females. Therefore, you should first consult your physician if you are planning to embark on the fasting journey. 

Final Words 

Next time someone asks you what is the best way to lose weight, you can confidently advance the idea of intermittent fasting. Apart from burning your fat, it will also aid to protect you from chronic ailments and other health-related complications. 

Intermittent Fasting To Lose Weight – Yay or Nay?

Intermittent fasting is an age-old fat loss technique for overweight. It’s equally effective for all age groups and offers numerous health benefits. A lot of studies have been done on the effectiveness of intermittent fasting to lose weight, and all declare it as a safe approach of fasting.

In IF, you switch between periods of fasting and eating. Your fasting windows are typically longer than your eating windows, and even during the eating windows, you must eat less than your normal diet to bring your weight down.

The best thing about IF is that it doesn’t ask you to make a detailed count of calories. You simply skip one or two meals a day to keep your calorie consumption less than normal. Moreover, the fasting doesn’t need to be done on consecutive days. Just choose two or three nonconsecutive days a week to make IF really work for you.

Does IF really help you lose weight?

As mentioned earlier, intermittent fasting is an effective technique to lose weight. Under normal circumstances when you eat three meals a day, the enzymes in your body break down the food into molecules that eventually become part of your bloodstream. During the breaking down process, the carbohydrates in your food transform into sugar. This sugar is then used by cells in your body to perform different functions. However, the sugar needs insulin to enter cells and stay there.

The benefit of doing intermittent fasting is that it lowers your insulin levels. When you take extended breaks from eating, the amount of insulin in your body comes down. As a result, the cells in your body fail to find insulin required to absorb sugar. This leads them to releasing their already stored sugar as energy, which ultimately burns off fats and brings your weight down.

How to make intermittent fasting simpler?

Did you know, difficulty in sticking to the schedule is the primary reason people quit IF? It’s true that most of us aren’t used to going extended periods without eating. As a result, we end up opting out of IF even before it starts to show any effects. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. There are several approaches that make sticking to intermittent fasting smooth as breeze. These include:

IF is Like Forming a New Habit

Sticking to intermittent fasting to lose weight becomes a lot easier if you take it like learning a new habit. According to experts, changing your eating patterns requires the same mental effort as forming a new habit. The experts also say that your brain needs 66 days to get familiar with a big shift in your routine. So, by constantly reminding yourself that you are modifying your eating patterns, you can make IF a lot lighter on your mind as well as the body.

Be Flexible In Your Approach

Because you will be going long periods without eating, make sure that the last meal before your fast is a healthy one. Taking foods that are rich in protein and fibre keeps you energized for the most part of your fast.  Lentils, rice, eggs, fruit, and yogurt are few common examples of such foods.

Also, try to stay hydrated during your fasting period. Remember that just because you are fasting doesn’t mean you can’t drink anything. A cool thing about IF is that it lets you have a go at water and other calorie free drinks such as coffee, green tea, etc. to keep your stomach full. Breaking your fast early is also allowed if you can’t make it to the end. The key is to be flexible in your approach to make IF work for you.

Don’t Force Yourself into It

Fasting intermittently becomes a lot easier if you take pleasure in it. People that do it for fun can stick to it far longer than those that force themselves into it. Look at the positives that come with it such as weight loss, increased focus, self-discipline, etc. and overlook the negatives if any. Moreover, doing it on busy days is another effective way to divert your focus from fasting.

The majority of people that fast on busy days say that keeping their minds occupied simplifies IF for them. It shifts their focus away from hunger and moves time so rapidly that they hardly notice when the end of their fasting windows arrives.

How to make IF work for you?

These are the top ways to make intermittent fasting work for you:

• Replace sugars and refined grains with fruits and vegetables
• Avoid snacking between meals and nighttime
• Start your fast earlier in the day

Is it safe to fast intermittently?

A lot of people ask this question, and the answer is simple: intermittent fasting is safe for healthy people. But if you have a serious illness or are on temporary medications, then intermittent fasting can be harmful. However, you must consult with your doctor before deciding against it as they are the best person to tell whether IF is safe for you or not.

In general, doing intermittent fasting to lose weight is a smart idea. This is because a great deal of research has been done on this subject, and there is plenty of evidence suggesting that fasting for two to three days a week is effective to stay healthy. However, you must choose an eating plan that is sustainable and can work with your busy schedule.

According to experts, intermittent fasting works best when joined with healthy diet and lifestyle. While anyone can benefit from IF, this excellent weight loss approach is particularly useful for diabetes patients.  As we all know, high blood sugar level is one of the main reasons diabetes occurs. Intermittent fasting brings your blood sugar level down and keeps it under control for long periods. This ultimately results in a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, if you have a history of eating disorder, breastfeed a baby, or are pregnant, then intermittent fasting is not for unless advised by your doctor.

Conclusion. Intermittent fasting is a simple but effective technique to lose weight. If you love the idea of doing intermittent fasting to lose weight, then start by consulting with your doctor. They are the best person to tell whether you should do it or not. Good luck!

Losing Weight In Lockdown – Essential Tips For Beginners

As Covid-19 refuses to back down, the majority of us are at risk of bulking up due to easy access to food. If you are starting to see signs of unwanted fat on your body, then you should consider getting rid of it through intermittent fasting. In case you didn’t know, IF is a weight management program which makes losing weight in lockdown easier than ever.

With intermittent fasting, you have the freedom to pick eating and fasting windows of your choice. You also get to choose fasting days at your convenience. Below, we’ll discuss different tips to successfully fast intermittently during lockdown. By the time you are done reading this post, you’ll be a more familiar with IF.  

Avoid Snacks While Distracted

Distractions are part of everyone’s life. Whether you are working, watching TV or playing games on a cell phone, doing these activities will keep you distracted for long periods. As a result, you might be tempted to have a go at snacks.  And we don’t blame you as snacking while distracted is common for most people. However, don’t take this small habit as harmless. 

According to several studies, eating when preoccupied is one of the primary reasons for the onset of obesity. It leads you to consuming more calories than usual which ultimately builds up fats in your body. Therefore, try avoiding snacks while distracted for your IF plan to work smoothly.

Stay Away From Your Trigger Foods

Knowing your trigger foods and staying away from them is the key to avoid overeating. A lot of people that fail at intermittent fasting make the mistake of storing their trigger foods in the freezer. This makes it harder for them to fast intermittently.

Therefore, if you have a trigger food such as ice cream or burgers, then avoid keeping them in your freezer. Avoiding chips, candies, and cookies is also a good idea to keep temptations at bay. 

Once you have identified your trigger foods, try to replace them with fruits, peanut butter, hummus, etc. for healthy snacking. That way, you’ll not only eliminate unhealthy foods from your diet but losing weight in lockdown will also become easier for you.

Eat High Fiber Foods

Eating high fiber low calorie food is a great way to increase efficiency of your IF plan. Consuming high fiber foods in your eating windows can make you feel full for long periods and reduce your chances of overeating. 

These are the top examples of such foods:

• Onions
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Salad greens
• Tomato
• Turnip
• Broccoli
• Beans
• Low sodium broth, etc.

Eating any of these foods before your fast can help you feel full without overeating. Follow Your Calorie Plan. Make a calorie plan and stick to it. 

Sticking to your calorie plan is a must to lose weight during lockdown. A lot of people that fast intermittently don’t know how to keep track of the calories they consume. As a result, they end up gaining more weight despite fasting intermittently.

To keep your calorie consumption under control, avoid eating from containers. Eating food out of the bag or carton can lead you to consuming more calories than needed. Therefore, our advice for you is to take the same number of calories in every sitting.  There are plenty of measuring tools and devices you can use to figure out the right amount of calories for your weight loss plan.

Reduce Stress

You may be surprised to read this, but stress is one of the main reasons for overeating. Plenty of studies reveal that stressed people tend to eat more than normal people to overcome stress. Therefore, if you are trying to lose weight through intermittent fasting, it’s important to reduce stress in your daily life.

According to weight management experts, chronic stress increases cortisol in your body which ultimately results in increased hunger. Consequently, you may be tempted to binge eat which is against the spirit of intermittent fasting. There are several proven ways to reduce stress such as watching movies, listening to music, playing video games, gardening, dog walking, meditation, etc.

Keep a Food Diary

Keeping track of what you eat helps you overcome unhealthy eating habits. You can use a mobile app or traditional diary to make a list of what you eat. Several studies state that keeping a food diary is a great aid to lose weight, particularly when you’re fasting intermittently. Besides, it helps you identify emotional triggers and foods that may provoke binge eating.

Eat With Your Tribe

While doing 16-hour fast is a great way to lose weight, dining with friends that have similar food choices as yours is an excellent way to avoid overeating. You may not know it but the friends you eat with contribute more to your calorie intake than you realize.

Also, it’s a well-known fact that the majority of people’s health goals are influenced by their dining partners. We psychologically tend to eat same amount of food as our friends. Therefore, eating with friends that take the same number of calories as us naturally helps us avoid overeating.

Besides, you are more likely to order unhealthy junk food if your dining partner does so too. Thus, try eating with people that have similar food choices to develop healthy eating habits during lockdown.

Eat Protein Rich Foods

Eating protein rich foods is another excellent way to feel full throughout the fasting window. These are the top foods containing high amounts of protein:

• Eggs
• Lean meats
• Dairy products (yogurt, cheese, etc.)
• Fish and seafood
• Poultry
• Quinoa 
• Nuts and beans
• Lentils

These foods reduce the amount of ghrelin in your body. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger. By eating protein rich foods, you reduce the amount of hunger and ultimately your desire to overeat. As a result, you can go long periods without eating even during lockdown.

Final Words. So these were some essential tips on losing weight in lockdown. Please try them out and do your own research as well. You are likely to find more relevant information that way. Once you have gathered enough info,

Losing Weight Quickly And Safely

Obesity is a common problem nowadays. The popularity of junk food has caused millions of people around the world to gain unwanted pounds. And once you are bulked up, losing weight quickly and safely can be awfully difficult, particularly for first timers. However, if you’ve been there before, you will know that there are several methods to lose weight fast, including intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is a smart eating plan that is widely recommended by experts to lose weight. In this plan, you fast and eat meals at specific times in addition to performing physical activity to burn calories. Below we’ll discuss how you can use this plan to lose weight quickly and safely. 

How to lose weight fast with intermittent fasting?

Losing weight with intermittent fasting is simple: you create an eating and fasting plan where your calorie loss is higher than your calorie consumption. Here’s how to do it successfully:

Prepare Yourself Mentally

While losing weight fast is your priority, remember that every weight loss plan requires time and effort. Even the quickest weight management techniques need at least a couple months to help you get back in shape. Therefore, you need to mentally prepare yourself for a long-term commitment, even if your goal is to lose weight quickly.

Remember that you are going to make a lot of changes to your eating, sleeping, and workout routine. Therefore, being mentally prepared is necessary for your IF plan to work. Talk to a therapist if necessary to remove obstacles to your readiness.

Keep Your Motivation Alive

Staying motivated is one of the key factors required for sticking to the plan. If you find yourself lacking motivation, start remembering things that are important to you, such as your health, family, friends, fitness goals, etc. You can also make a list of what’s dear to you to keep your focus and motivation alive during the moments of temptation.

Keep Your Goals Realistic

Keeping your goals realistic is important to reach your desired fitness successfully. If your goal is to lose 5-10 pounds a week, then there’s 99% chance of failure. However, losing 1-2 pounds a week is not only possible but also simple to achieve. The more realistic your weight loss goals are, the easier it is to achieve them.

Exercise Regularly

While intermittent fasting itself is a great approach to burn calories, joining it with exercise speeds up the process of weight loss. Doing physical activities can burn off calories that survive through the fasting window. Besides, physical workout offers numerous other health benefits such as:

• Improved mood
• Improved muscle and joint strength
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reinforced cardiovascular system

Change Your Lifestyle

Lastly, you must think of your new habits as a way of life to successfully manage weight for long term. Remember that you are not doing all this hard work to look fit for a few months. You are doing this to look fit permanently. And permanent fitness requires permanent effort. So leave your old lifestyle in the past, and stick to the new one perpetually to gain long term benefits.

What are the best foods for losing weight quickly and safely?

Burning calories is the most important part of a weight loss plan. As mentioned earlier, if your daily calorie loss is more than your calorie consumption, then weight loss is certain. However, the speed of your weight loss depends on the gap between your calorie loss and consumption.  The bigger the gap, the faster the weight loss.

For example, if you consume 1,200 calories a day and burn 1000 calories/day, then your weight loss speed will be slower than someone who consumes 1,200 calories a day and burns 800/day.

To keep your calorie intake under control, try avoiding foods that are rich in starches, sugar, and fats such as whole grains, dairy products, etc. Instead, go with:

• Eggs
• Poultry
• Fruits and vegetables
• Fish
• Soy products, etc.

Also, drink a lot of water to stay hydrated during your fasting and workout sessions. Taking protein rich food is also a good idea to preserve your muscle and increase fat loss.

Here are some important food tips for your weight loss plan to work:

• Eat more vegetables
• Drink a lot of water
• Stay away from trigger foods
• Avoid snacking when busy
• Only eat at meal times
• Drink water, coffee, or tea during the fasting window to feel full

What are the best exercises to lose weight quickly?

Exercise, when combined with intermittent fasting can do wonders to make your weight loss plan a success. While IF alone is effective for gradual weight loss, joining it with an hour of moderate exercise can cut your weight rapidly.

Cardio is an acclaimed exercise for rapid weight loss. It poses no health risk and brings about quick fat burns. If cardio alone doesn’t yield desired effects, uniting it with strength training can speed up the weight loss process. Doing an hour’s session of cardio and strength training 4-5 times a week can burn most of your fat and constructs your desired shape.

While experts usually suggest moderate to deep workout, the true intensity of your workout depends on your fitness. If you haven’t hit the gym for a long period, then take a slow start and do light exercises. Wait for your form to improve and gradually increase the workout intensity to avoid injuries.

If you can’t do cardio, then do strength training at least twice a week for your weight loss plan to be effective. The reason we’re emphasizing on strength training is that it works all your major muscles and burns unwanted fat. Also, spend the time you save from cardio on brisk walk to make up for the lost calorie burns. Experts suggest that walking 15,000 steps briskly burns the same amount of calories as a 30-minute cardio session.

Morning and evening are the best times to do these exercises.

So these were some essential tips on losing weight quickly and safely. All are extremely simple and doable if you ask us. So, please try them out and share your experience with us in the comments below.