I love intermittent fasting because it’s awesome! That’s why I want to tell you all about it. I also got a lot of questions about this way of eating, and I hope I can help you out with this information. Especially because there are many unanswered questions about intermittent fasting, but no one really digs in. I also had a hard time finding good information myself. That’s why I’m sharing my findings with you to make it all a bit easier, let’s go!

It’s not a diet

Let’s get this straight first, intermittent fasting is not a diet. There’s no list of things you can or can’t eat. Intermittent fasting is a way of eating, mostly dominated by time and frequency. This way of eating does not need you to count calories, carbs or macros. I think this is exactly why it’s so useful to a lot of people. You don’t feel restricted because you can basically eat whatever you want. Although I do have some notes on that later on.

How does intermittent fasting work?

This way of eating sounds really good, doesn’t it? But how does it actually work when it comes to burning fat or losing weight, if it’s not a diet? Good question! Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight by not eating for a longer period of time. I’m not talking about days, I’m talking about hours. Most people have three big meals a day: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have two or three snack moments between meals. Yup, that’s a lot of eating moments. This means they’re constantly fueling their body with carbs, fats and protein.

They often eat too many carbs and carbs turn into fat when your body gets too much of it. And if you keep adding carbs you don’t need, you’ll keep getting fatter. Which basically means your body is storing fat as a source of energy for when you might not have enough of it in the future. Nowadays that never really happens, because food is everywhere, and we keep eating. Intermittent fasting helps you break the cycle of too many eating moments and eating too many carbs. This forces your body to actually use the fat on your body as fuel, because it’s not getting energy out of food, which helps you lose fat and weight.

Timetables and frequency

The most used timetable for intermittent fasting is 16 hours of no food and 8 hours of eating (16/8). This is my favorite timetable as well and this is how it works. I have my last meal before 8 pm at night and after that I chill or work out and sleep. This makes it easy for me to not eat because I’m busy or sleeping. At noon or 1 pm the next day I have my first meal, so about 16 hours of no eating have passed. I often have snack around three, have my dinner around six and have another snack around seven. And then I start fasting again until the next day.

But there are more timetables like the 5/2, meaning you eat normal for five days a week. And you fast for the two remaining days while restricting your calories. There’s also a 24-hour fast which some people use once or twice a week. Some people decide to fast every other day by eating nothing for the entire day or just a little. I’ve also heard about a warrior diet, where you eat one big meal a day and that’s it. This sounds like some religious related fasting methods where people eat nothing during the day and only eat after dark. There’re many options out there and there might be one that works for you.

You can’t eat everything

Intermittent fasting is a way of eating, dominated by timetables and frequency. Most people have two big meals a day and maybe one or two snacks. You skip breakfast which forces your body to use stored fat on your body as fuel, as it’s not getting fuel from food. So yes, this will often help people lose weight. This doesn’t mean you can eat everything you want. It is always a good idea to pick the healthiest option for your body. Make healthy choices when you do it, otherwise you’ll probably notice less or no benefits at all.

Eating an entire pizza as your first meal would be a bad idea. I would advise you to start off with soup, a sandwich, a salad, an omelet with some meat on the side or fruit with something crunchy. And although intermittent fasting isn’t a diet, it’s still wise to watch what your putting into your body. Keep an eye on the bad carbs, try to avoid those. Eat some more protein and vegetables to fuel your body with good carbs. This also helps you feel full and it will help reduce cravings. If you do intermittent fasting while you keep eating all the snacks you can find, you’ll probably won’t see the results you want.

How I use intermittent fasting

I personally do intermittent fasting with the 16/8 timetable every weekday. My weekends often start with a brunch around ten or eleven. I also listen to my body really well and I eat more when I’m on my period. I tend to not use intermittent fasting when my body is in this state, because it simply asks for more food. And who am I to refuse period cravings, haha! Intermittent fasting is a way of eating so if I feel my body isn’t having it, I just don’t do it for a while. For me intermittent fasting comes quite naturally since I’ve always had trouble eating breakfast.

I would always eat late around ten or eleven o’clock. Adding two more hours of not eating to implement intermittent fasting, doesn’t feel like a sacrifice to me. In other words, intermittent fasting comes natural to me. It also gave me peace of mind, because my days don’t start with worrying about my first meal anymore. I like combining this way of eating with the Keto diet. By watching my carb intake, it helps me lose weight much faster. I’ve been using this combination for about three months now and I love it!

Is intermittent fasting good for you?

This way of eating is a hype right now and I recommend not falling for hypes. I personally think it’s better to listen to your body and your doctor or dietician. Take a trip to the doctor to see how your body is doing and if this way of eating is right for you. Then check if it fits your natural way of eating. Do you hate eating breakfast too? Then intermittent fasting might be the ‘magic trick’ you’ve been looking for. Do you want to manage your bad eating habits and limit your unnecessary snack moments? This way of eating could really help you out.

If you’re also following the Keto diet like me, then intermittent fasting might make it a little easier. Mostly because you have one meal less to worry about. There’s one other thing that might make this way of eating interesting for you and that’s your mindset. Although it’s good to stay on top of what you put into your body, intermittent fasting doesn’t focus on restricting yourself like a diet. This can really help you with creating the right mindset around food. Since you’re not putting the focus on food, but on timetables and frequency. I know it really helped me and it might help you out too.

I hope my information and findings about intermittent fasting helped you out. Let me know if it did and what your experience with this way of eating is.

Love,

Kaya-Quintana

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