How To Start Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting seems to be all the rage lately and is often used alongside the ketogenic diet to help promote optimal fat burning and increased energy levels. However, many people practice this form of fasting whether they follow the keto diet or not. So, what is it? Let’s dive into what intermittent fasting is, the benefits, and some tips on how you can add this fasting style into your diet.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting involves alternating between periods of fasting and eating. It’s all about when you should eat as opposed to what you should eat. There are a couple of different ways to practice intermittent fasting. (1)
- The 16/8 Method: One of the easiest ways is to just extend the time you are fasting while you sleep. So, maybe you skip breakfast and then make your first meal lunch around 12 PM, and then have your last meal of the day by 8 PM. This would mean that you are technically in a fasted state for 16 hours of the day. Not only is this easiest way to fast, but it is also the most popular form of intermittent fasting, and great for those who are just starting out.
- Eat-Stop-Eat: This type of intermittent fasting involves not eating anything for a 24 hour period (from dinner-dinner the next day) one to two days out of the week.
- The 5:2 Diet: For two days out of the week, you will only consume 500-600 calories total for the day.
What are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
While you may think intermittent fasting would be difficult to do and would leave you feeling “hangry” a combination of hungry and downright angry, that’s actually not the case! Many people notice an increase in energy after you get over the initial hump of getting used to the fasting periods.
In addition to increased energy, intermittent fasting is most commonly used to helps with metabolic health and even weight loss.
Here are some of the other benefits of practicing intermittent fasting.
- Support fat burning.
- Lower blood sugar levels
- May protect against certain chronic disease, and animal studies have even found it to help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. (2)
- Support the nervous system. (3)
These are just some of the reasons someone may decide to practice some form of intermittent fasting regularly, and many people find it even adds some extra benefit when following a ketogenic diet.
Benefits of Combining Intermittent Fasting & Keto
If you are following a keto diet, and are struggling to reach ketosis, intermittent fasting may be able to help give your body that push it needs. When you fast, your body is going to need to pull energy from somewhere, and when there is no glucose available, your body will start to maintain its energy levels by using fat for fuel. This is exactly what you want when following a keto diet, so combining IF (intermittent fasting) with a keto diet approach may be pretty beneficial, especially early on in the keto days.
Not only that but if you are looking to lose weight and burn fat, combining the two may help boost your body’s ability to burn fat more efficiently. Intermittent fasting helps to boost metabolism and can help your body burn fat, so you may find that it becomes easier to lose weight when you add IF to your ketogenic diet.
How to Get Started
So, if you’re interested in giving this a go, we recommend staring with the easiest way to practice intermittent fasting which is the 16/8 rule. Be sure your last meal of the day is enjoyed by 8 PM, and then skip breakfast, and have your first meal of the day be at 12 PM, just in time for lunch.
If you find that you’re hungry as your body gets used to this way of eating, the good news is that you are allowed to enjoy water, coffee, and tea during the fasting period. And, as an added boost to help support metabolism and fat burning, you can supercharge your coffee with the addition of collagen protein and MCT oil.
Coffee, collagen, and MCT oil may be the trifecta you need to give your body that fat burning boost it needs, and to support energy levels through the fasting hours.
Here’s how to supercharge your morning cup of coffee to include during your intermittent fasting hours.
Intermittent Fasting Fat Burning Coffee
Ingredients:
- Freshly brewed black coffee (chill to make an iced version)
- 1 scoop of Peptipro Collagen powder
- 1 Tbsp. Phat Performance MCT Oil
Pour your morning cup of coffee into your favourite mug and add the collagen protein and MCT oil. Mix, sip and enjoy!
Keep This in Mind Before Starting Intermittent Fasting
As with any other diet, be sure to speak with your doctor before trying intermittent fasting, and realise that this may not be best for everyone. Pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, those who are chronically ill or underweight should not try intermittent fasting.
The Bottom Line
Intermittent fasting is becoming more well-known and practiced among those who are looking to boost their overall health by supporting optimal fat burning, a faster metabolism, and supporting better blood sugar balance, higher energy levels and improved overall health. Give it a try to see what it can do for your health, but don’t give up if you feel extremely hungry the first couple of days. Remember, that it will take a little bit of an adjustments period, but the more your body gets used to this way of eating, the better you will feel. It may just become your secret weapon for supercharging your weight loss efforts and overall health.
