Do you want to know how to lose weight by fasting? Nowadays, people’s hectic daily routine has many adverse health effects, including obesity. Not everyone is obese, but many are overweight.
It makes them think of losing weight. Not everyone has time to go to the gym and exercise for hours to keep their body fit. That’s why people take more interest in diet plans to lose weight; Their most frequently asked question is do people lose weight by fasting?
How to Lose Weight By Fasting?
Losing weight by fasting is mainly termed intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting refers to eating patterns in which you usually eat for a time interval and don’t eat for another time interval. Tracking your calorie intake can be beneficial when fasting for weight loss.
Sometimes you eat small meals of less than 500 calories when you are not supposed to eat. However, circumstances are different as per the fasting approach you adopt.
Fasting helps you consume a few calories, resulting in weight loss with time. Not only that, fasting lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases as blood sugar and cholesterol remain low. Also, the risk of diabetes lowers down because of fasting.
There are many ways if you ask how to lose weight by fasting safely. I will discuss the following fasting methods in this article; they are famous for being very result oriented.
Time Restricted Eating
In time-restricted eating, you set time windows to eat and fast. The eating and fasting time can vary from person to person. You can choose the intervals according to your choice or your plan. The eating time in this plan can range from six to twelve hours a day.
The most popular forms of time-restricted eating are 16/8 or 14/10 plans. In the 16/8 plan, a person eats 8 hours daily and fasts for 16 hours.
Similarly, in the 14/10 plan, a person eats 10 hours daily and fasts for the next 14 hours. However, a person can drink no-calorie water to remain hydrated during fasting.
This type of fasting is easy. You don’t have to count calories for whatever you eat. You need only to follow the fasting hours, and that’s it.
The time window you choose to eat is also your choice. You can either skip breakfast and eat from noon till night. Or else, you can eat breakfast and continue eating till lunch and fast for the rest of the day.
While you eat for 8 hours or 10 hours a day, make sure to eat healthy food. If you eat snacks or junk food during your eating hours, it will never have a positive impact on you. Try to take a balanced diet that contains fruits, vegetables, grains, vitamins, protein, and healthy fats.
With the time-restricted eating method, a person may lose weight with time and experience a low risk of metabolic diseases. Also, it is beneficial for people with high blood pressure and prevents hypertension.
This approach maintains muscle mass and reduces the fat mass in the body, but this condition is not seen in females doing the time-restricted eating diet. However, I recommend consulting your healthcare provider if you have diabetes or any other serious ailment.
You may face many challenges if you are committed to the weight loss goal with time-restricted eating. You must regulate your food during eating windows and avoid eating unhealthy stuff. That will be more problematic when you attend social events.
Sticking to the schedule may feel hard with time, and irregular eating patterns can affect the results. Also, you will blame yourself for not meeting weight loss goals with time, as it is a slow process.
People around you will also try to demotivate you. Maybe your family will not be by your side, but stick to your goals, and you will surely achieve your weight loss target.
Twice-A-Week Method
The twice-a-week weight loss method is also known as the 5:2 method. In this method, you usually eat five days a week and consume low-calorie food for the remaining two days.
There are a few sets of rules in the 5:2 method. There should be one non-fasting day between the two fasting days. On fasting days, men can consume 600 calories per day, and women can consume 500 calories per day.
People prefer to separate their fasting days into 2-3 days intervals. For example, they fast on Sunday and then Wednesday. Or else they fast on Monday and then Thursday. However, you can set your schedule according to your lifestyle and routine.
Research indicates that results can be similar if you restrict daily calorie count or do the 5:2 method. However, the 5:2 method is easy as you have five cheat days weekly to eat your favorite food. But eating non-healthy food for five days will not result in weight loss with two days of restricted calorie consumption.
How Long Before You See Results From Fasting?
If you are concerned about how long it takes to lose weight by fasting with the 5:2 method, then be patient, this process is lengthy. If you don’t do it continuously, the benefit will reverse in days. Don’t make it troublesome to decide what to eat on fasting days.
Stress is not suitable for you. You can start the day with a small breakfast or eat as late as possible, maybe at lunchtime.
You can take three meals; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or else, you can take two meals, lunch and dinner. No matter how many meals you take, take care of the limited calorie count you can consume on the fasting day.
I suggest eating fiber, nutrition, and protein that make you feel full without eating much. Also, these meals are healthy. Besides, eat what you like; otherwise, you will stop doing the 5:2 method soon. Try to take vegetables, yogurt, boiled/baked egg, grilled fish, soups, tea, and black coffee. Make sure to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
On fasting days, you will experience extreme hunger sometimes. That hunger will urge you to eat beyond restrictions.
Try to keep yourself busy during such time; that hunger will soon fade away. After a few fasting days, it will be easy for you to tackle such situations. However, it is normal to feel low during fast days, don’t worry about it.
Fasting is not for everyone. Maybe it is not for you. So keep something to eat with you in case you get faint. If you remain continuously ill, consult your doctor and leave fasting if asked.
I suggest you try eating the healthy food mentioned above on the eating days to get fast weight loss results. One of the primary benefits of twice the week method besides weight loss is the improvement in insulin sensitivity of people on a diet, resulting in a low risk of diabetes.
Alternate Day Fasting
Alternate-day fasting means that you fast every other day. Some people observe complete fasting and avoid any solid food on the fasting day. In contrast, others consume 500-600 calories daily on fasting days.
It depends on the situation and how fast you want to lose weight. On non-fasting days, you are allowed to eat anything you want. That’s why people consume more food that’s not good.
If you ask how many days it takes to lose weight by intermittent fasting, the alternate-day fasting method is the fastest. That’s why it is unsuitable for beginners or people with medical conditions. It is challenging to continue alternate-day fasting for a long time if you don’t get desired results quickly.
Plan For Success When Fasting
If you are new to alternate-day fasting and have not done any fasting before, I suggest starting with a modified plan. Restrict your calorie count on fasting days and normally eat on non-fasting days.
After that, switch to low-calorie and high-protein food on non-fasting days and limit the calorie count to 500 calories on fasting days.
If everything goes smoothly, you can abstain from taking any calories on the fasting days. You can make exercise a part of your routine for faster weight loss results with alternate-day fasting. It will double the results, which means you will achieve your weight loss target in half the expected time.
I suggest taking low-calorie drinks such as water, coffee, and tea on fasting days. This way, you will keep your body hydrated.
Taking high-protein and low-calorie food is essential. Taking vegetables and soups will make you feel full without consuming many calories. Some other options are eggs, yogurt, grilled fish, salad with lean meat, or anything you like under 500 calories.
After you achieve your weight loss target and stop doing alternate-day fasting, there are low risks of weight regain. Also, it controls your eating behavior afterward. Besides weight loss, alternate-day fasting improves heart health and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes and depression symptoms.
Alternate-day fasting is good, but not for everyone. I recommend children, underweight people, pregnant and lactating women, and people with medical conditions not adopt alternate-day fasting. If you are such a person and still want to do it, consult your healthcare provider.
24 Hour Fast
If none of the above methods is of your interest and you still question how you can start fasting to lose weight, 24-hour fasting can be for you. In this method, you don’t eat anything for 24 hours.
I know going 24 hours without food sounds hard, but you can have no-calorie drinks like water and tea. You can do 24 hours fast once or twice a week. This method is also known as the eat-stop-eat method.
In a 24-hour fast, people do breakfast and don’t eat anything afterward; then they have breakfast the other morning. Some people start fast by doing lunch and end it with lunch the other day.
After the fast ends, people eat normally afterward. However, I recommend avoiding overconsumption of food after the fast ends; otherwise, you will not get the desired results.
Twenty-four hours is a long time not to eat anything. You may experience headaches and fatigue. In the initial days of fasting, you will experience these symptoms more. You will get used to it with time.
If you are new to fasting, I suggest not starting with the 24 hours fast. Try out the 16/8 or 14/10 plan first. When you get used to it and don’t experience adverse illness, turn towards the 24 hours fast.
When you fast for 24 hours, your body uses fat as energy. Resultantly, your body fat reduces. Your willpower should be strong before you start 24 hours fast to keep you up for a full day.
Besides weight loss, 24 hours of fasting has many health benefits. It improves your metabolism, which slows down as you age. Your immune system gets to rest for 24 hours as it doesn’t have to digest food for you. It recycles the old immune cells that the body no longer needs. After that, it performs better.
A full stomach reduces your productivity; when you are fasting, your productivity increases. Your blood pressure will remain normal if you fast for 24 hours. Also, there will be no blood inflammation and no risk of heart disease. Your insulin level also remains in balance with fasting. To your surprise, 24 hours of fasting is also an anti-aging therapy for your body.
For better results, take care of your food when the fast ends. Drink a lot of water and eat a small healthy meal full of nutrients. Eat your food slowly and chew it well. I recommend eating easy-to-chew food and avoiding experimenting with food your body does not accept well.
Conclusion | How to Lose Weight By Fasting?
I hope now you know how to lose weight by intermittent fasting. I have discussed the four most result-oriented ways. Choose the one more suitable for you. If you are new to fasting, don’t start with heavy fasting techniques.
In contrast, if you are used to fasting, exercise to boost the weight loss process. In addition to fasting, eat a healthy diet. I wish you the best of luck with any fasting method you adopt for weight loss!
This Article Discussed:
- How to lose weight by fasting safely
- How to lose weight with intermittent fasting methods
- How many days it takes to lose weight by intermittent fasting
- How long does it take to lose weight by fasting
- How can I start fasting to lose weight
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