Which Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan is Ideal for You?

The term “intermittent fasting” refers to two different things: Fasting from food and water for a specific time window during the day and eating within a certain hour period every day. Intermittent fasting (IF) does not mean skipping meals. It just means eating at regular intervals throughout the day. The most common intermittent fasting diet plan is 16/8, where you fast for 16 hours and then eat for 8 hours. Other variations include 12/12 or 20/4.

The benefits of IF are many: it can help you lose weight, improve your health, increase energy levels, boost metabolism, reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and even make you smarter.

Some consider other types of a calorie restricted diets (e.g. the 5-2 diet) as a form of IF. However, in most instances, intermittent fasting refers to time-restricted eating. When choosing the right type of intermittent fasting diet plan for you, you should consider several factors such as:

• Your Goal: Whether you do intermittent fasting for weight loss, gain endurance or both.
• Planned Outcome: Difference between target and current weight.
• Duration: Timing and duration of your eating window.
• Health: Your health status.
  
  

Finding the Right Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan

Now let’s look at each of these.

1. If you do intermittent fasting to lose weight, doing it more frequently (e.g. minimum 4 times/week) would certainly be more advantageous. If you are otherwise healthy and have normal weight, twice weekly intermittent fasting diet plan would be sufficient. In our opinion, every adult individual should aim for at least 2 days of intermittent fasting per week.
2. If there is a big difference between your target and current weight together with a lot of abdominal fat, it would be better to do IF as long and as frequently as possible initially until reaching the healthy weight range (e.g. everday or 6 six days of the week, 16-8 intermittent fasting diet plan). Then you can be more flexible.
3. Studies clearly show that the earlier the eating window is, the more effective intermittent fasting diet plan is. Thus, for example intermittent fasting with an eating window between 11 am and 5 pm would be better than an intermittent fasting scheme of 2 pm to 8 pm. Furthermore, intermittent fasting involving 18 hours of fasting may be more effective than shorter fasting in terms of autophagy and fat burning. But don’t worry, people generally gain tolerance to fasting very easily. Start somewhere at around 14 hours of fasting and gradually increase the duration.
4. If you plan to do intermittent fasting and have major medical conditions (e.g. uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, metabolic or hormonal disorders, recent surgery, eating disorders etc.) you should first consult with a specialist who has experience in intermittent fasting. Having one or more of these conditions does not necessarily mean that you cannot do IF, just that you may need guidance.

Conclusion:

The basic premise behind the intermittent fasting diet is that eating less often than usual can help people lose weight. This is because when we eat fewer calories, we burn more calories throughout the day. However, there are many different types of IF diets. That’s why knowing what works for you is essential before jumping on board with an intermittent fasting diet plan.

If you’re looking to lose weight and get healthy, then it’s time to start thinking about what you should be doing differently in your life. The good news is that there are many ways to make changes to your lifestyle that can improve your health and lead to better overall wellness. If you want to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle, download wannawell app for free.