Burn that stubborn fat and make yourself look toned. Grow Lean Muscles and Get stronger. If you're goal is to loose fat and you're looking for a diet Plan to loose fat, then you've come to the right place.
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In this blog, we're gonna talk about a fat loss diet that actually works.
We're gonna talk about Intermittent Diet. It's one of the most popular diet right now which everyone is hopping on.
Must read: 99 Low Carb Snacks Recipes
What are the rules for intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a way in which you train your brain to eat for a particular period of time and then not it for another period of time.
And, even when you do eat, you've got to count your calories and then eat.
16/8 rule is the most popular rule for Intermittent Fasting. It says that you eat for 8 hours and then you fast for 16 hours.
But, during the fasting window you're allowed to take water along with any non-caloric beverages such as black coffee or black tea.
You can repeat this cycle for as long as you want.
But eating junk food for 8 hours and fasting for another 16 hours will do you more harm than any good.
So, here comes the question. What to Eat?
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What to eat during intermittent fasting 16/8
Always choose High protein and High Fiber Meals over meals loaded with Unhealthy Saturated Fats and Unhealthy Carbs.
But, did I explain you what is Unhealthy Saturated Fats? When you hear the word "Saturated Fats" think of these food items:
- Cakes
- Biscuits
- Fatty Meats
- Chocolate with added sugar
- bacon
- sausages
- cured meat like salami, chorizo, and pancetta
- cheese
And, these are the basic things which you have to AVOID at all costs. Sugar being TOP on the list.
Must read: 30 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes Perfect for Beginners
Now Carbs or Carbohydrates always gets a bad rep in the diet world. As a result, people who are new to this, are beginners like you, gets worried and it hits you like a state of anxiety where you feel like "you cannot eat anything" as a result you deprive yourself of food and this worsens your Mental Health.
To save you from this. I have explained it through an infographic image below.
Choosing a time frame
Pick your 8 hour window and make sure you limit your food intake to that time.
Popular 16/8 time windows are:
- 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. (my favorite)
- 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Food Lists and Meals to Plan
To get the most out of any diet plan it's important to stick to a particular diet and making sure you are consuming Whole Foods and nutritious foods.
- Fruits - Go for berries like blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. Banana can be a good calorie dense fruit. Avoid apples and Pomegranate. You can take peaches, plum, or Pears. Grapefruit and Oranges are also good.
- Veggies - Choose green veggies like broccoli, beans, green bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and etc.
- Whole Grains - Like quinoa, oats, buckwheat, barley.
- Healthy Fats - Like Almonds, Walnuts, Olive Oil, Whole Eggs, and Avocados.
- Protein - Cottage Cheese, Paneer, Lean Chicken Breast, Egg whites, Soy Beans, Fish.
Is intermittent fasting 12 or 16 hours?
Intermittent Fasting is 16 hours. But, as a beginner if 16 hours seem too rigid of a fasting interval for you then you can go for a 12 hour window.
But, remember - diet requires mental strength and mental strength can only come from strong will power.
So, you gotta be sure that you really really want to lose weight and lose fat or else you might give up in the process and that's not gonna help you.
What are the best hours for intermittent fasting?
Intermittent Fasting has kept this thing open for you. You choose your best hours for Intermittent Fasting. A 12 PM to 8 PM window is my favorite. You can go for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. if that suits you.
Make sure you're choosing a time slot where you're comfortable eating.
How should intermittent fasting be done?
Intermittent Fasting should always be done at least twice or thrice a week. That's the best way to get into this diet form. Especially when you're a beginner and this diet feels too hard for you to even get onboarded with.
But, the days when you're not intermittent fasting, you can't eat junk food.
Ideally your daily calorie count shouldn't exceed more than 1000 or 1100 calories.
And, you've also got to back that up with HIIT workout along with 35-45 minutes of slow cardio.
Don't ignore strength training. Strength training is not limited to body builders. Strength training will help you grow lean muscles that'll help you lose weight and also build a good physique.
Can I intermittent fast every day?
Yes. You definitely can Intermittent Fast every day. But, a word of caution: - It requires tremendous mental strength and will power to give it a go. And, if you have that, then don't stop yourself from achieving what you want. Give it your best shot and go through the mile.
Why am I not losing weight on 16:8 fasting?
This is what typically happens with almost everyone. There may be several factors because of which you are not losing weight.
- You're overeating during the 8 hour time window.
- You're not having enough fiber and protein.
- May be you're only having carbs.
- Maybe you're not supporting your diet with a healthy workout routine which includes 45 minutes of cardio.
What are the side effects of intermittent fasting?
Side effects of Intermittent fasting are not something to be worried about. These are common side effects which happens with the best of us.
- Feeling Hungry All the time - This is gonna happen. A lot. You're gonna feel like having this and that.
- Feeling depressed and Sad - This used to happen with me a LOT. You See, I was a person who used to hide his emotions behind food. Whenever I was upset or sad, I would order food online or buy a takeaway. That excitement relieved me of my stress no matter how momentary it was. And, when I boarded on this wagon of dieting - my mind would be filled with negative thoughts, anxiety, and I would be so depressed, sad, and worried.
- Losing it on other people - When you're on a diet, you naturally become upset and angry. And, there are chances that you'll lose your cool and lose it on other people.
- Loss of Sleep - Since you're gonna change your schedule, sleep is going to be a major problem for you. But, don't worry, Hang in there. It's gonna work out on its own.
Can I drink milk during intermittent fasting?
I am lactose intolerant so I naturally avoid milk. But NO. It's best to avoid milk during intermittent fasting. Milk is dense in calorie and therefore milk might make you put on some weight on the scale rather than help you loose it.
How to lose 2kg in a week with intermittent fasting?
I lost 2kgs per week when I was dieting. But, I wasn't on Intermittent fasting. I was on a low calorie diet and was on deficit.
- To lose 2 kgs per week you'll have to give up sugar completely. That's the first rule.
- Second - to lose 2 kgs in a week, You have to go on a walk on a fasted state for at least 45 minutes. It need not be too fast. It can be as slow as your body allows. But, a 45-minute cardio session - outdoors or indoors or in the gym especially when you're in a fasted state is a MUST.
- To lose 2kgs body weight in a week you'll have to eat less calories than you burn. This might sound as a bummer to you. But, it is true. Suppose you burn 500 calories in your fasting cardio session of 45-minutes. Now you gotta burn another 500 calories doing strength training or Zumba dance or any other outdoor activities. This adds up to a total of 1000 calories lost in a day. Now you can afford to eat at least 800-900 calories in your day. This creates "caloric deficit" in your body.
- You'll have to sleep for at least 8 hours every single night. Rest well, recover your muscles and go at it again the next morning.
Does intermittent fasting work without exercise?
NO. It doesn't work like that. The ideal goal of Intermittent fasting is to lose weight. And what is weight? It's a total mass of your muscles + fat stored in your body + water + bones.
Now you can't do anything about the weight of your bones. Nor can you do anything about the water weight in your body.
But, when you create a "caloric deficit" in your body through intermittent fasting and working out or doing cardio in a fasted state, you basically BURN your Fat and use it for the production of energy.
As a result you see a significant drop on the weighing scale.
