Nowadays, intermittent fasting has become a health trend that actually works. It’s perfectly claimed to cause weight loss very easily, improve metabolic health, and perhaps even extend a healthy lifespan. Effective benefits of intermittent fasting and what about intermittent fasting women.
As you know intermittent fasting (IF) is currently world’s one of the most and famous health and fitness trends. How to follow the best intermittent fasting for weight loss.
People are using intermittent fasting diet plans to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles and live a fit and fine life. There is an effective diet plan and Intermittent fasting for women which is really effective.
There are many effective methods of this eating pattern that exist.
Every method can be very effective, but figuring out which one works best depends on the individual.
What Is 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan?
16/8 intermittent fasting, which people sometimes call the 16:8 diet, 16:8 plan or intermittent fasting diet plan, is a popular type of fasting. People who follow intermittent eating plans will fast for 16 hours a day. Then consume all of their calories during the remaining 8 hours.
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Recently 16/8 intermittent fasting is one of the most popular, famous styles of fasting. Proponents claim that it’s an easy, convenient, and perfectly sustainable way to lose weight very fast and improve overall health.
This article exactly reviews 16/8 intermittent fasting diet plan, how it works and whether it’s right for you.
Cycle of 18:8 fasting plan
16/8 intermittent fasting plan perfectly involves limiting consumption of foods and calorie-containing beverages to a set window of 8 hours in a single day. And abstaining from eating foods for the remaining 16 hours.
This cycle can be repeated as frequently as you like and as you get more effect — from just once or twice per week to every day, depending on your personal preference.
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Intermittent Fasting for Women
Intermittent fasting women: Intermittent Fasting diet and its plan may affect men and women differently. There is some perfect evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for some women as it is for men. To reduce any exact dverse effects, women should take a proper mild approach to fasting: shorter fasts and fewer fasting days.
Best Types of Intermittent Fasting for Women
When it directly comes to dieting, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. This also applies to intermittent fasting.
Generally speaking, women should take a more easy and relaxed approach to fasting than men.
This may include actually shorter fasting periods, fewer fasting days and/or consuming a small number of calories on the fasting days.
Here are some of the effective and best types of intermittent fasting for women:
- Crescendo Intermittent Fasting Method: Fasting 12–16 hours for two to three days a week. Fasting days should be nonconsecutive and spaced evenly across the week (for example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
- Eat-stop-eat (also called the 24-hour protocol): A 24-hour full fast once or twice a week (maximum of two times a week for women). Start with 14–16 hour fasts and gradually build up.
- The 5:2 Diet (also called “The Fast Diet”): Restrict calories to 25% of your usual intake (about 500 calories) for two days a week and eat “normally” the other five days. Allow one day between fasting days.
- Modified Alternate-Day Intermittent Fasting: Fasting every other day but eating “normally” on non-fasting days. You are allowed to consume 20–25% of your usual calorie intake (about 500 calories) on a fasting day.
- The 16/8 Method (also called the “Leangains method”): Fasting for 16 hours a day and eating all calories within an eight-hour window. Women are advised to start with 14-hour fasts and eventually build up to 16 hours.
Whichever you choose, it is still really important to eat properly and eat well during the non-fasting periods. If you eat a large amount of unhealthy, processed food and calorie-dense foods during the non-fasting periods, you may not exactly experience the same weight loss and health benefits.
At the end of the day, the best and perfect approach is one that you can properly tolerate and perfectly sustain in the long-term, and which does not result in any negative health consequences.
Thus, there are many different ways for women to do intermittent fasting. Some of the best and effective methods include the 5:2 diet, modified alternate-day fasting and the crescendo method.
Benefits of 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
Benefits of intermittent fasting, Suggested benefits of the 16:8 plan include:
- Weight loss perfectly very fast and fat loss
- Perfectly prevention of type 2 diabetes
- Improve blood sugar
- Boost brain function
- Increase longevity
- Other obesity-associated conditions
Health benefits of intermittent fasting
Can intermittent fasting really improve your health and fitness? Losing weight and being physically active, fit, and fine, perfectly help lower your risk of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, sleep apnea and some types of cancer. For these diseases, intermittent fasting seems to be about as beneficial as any other type of regular diet that perfectly reduces overall calories.
Some evidence-based research suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial and easy to follow than other diets for reducing inflammation and improving conditions associated with inflammation, such as:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke
It’s very important to note that intermittent fasting can have unpleasant side effects, but they usually go away within a month. Side effects may include:
- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Headaches
Actually, intermittent fasting is safe for many people who follow it properly, but it’s not for everyone. Skipping meals may not be the best or proper way to manage your weight if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have kidney stones, gastroesophageal reflux, diabetes, major health problems or other medical problems, talk with your physician or doctor before starting intermittent fasting.
There are many other health benefits of intermittent fasting
- Weight Loss
- Reduced Blood Pressure
- Reduced Inflammation
- Lower Cholesterol
- Better Outcomes for Stroke Survivors
- Boosted Brain Function
- Cancer Protection
- Increased Cell Turnover
- Reduced Insulin Resistance
- Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Issues
- Increased Longevity
- A Better Night’s Sleep
How to do it
The easiest and best way to follow the 16:8 diet or intermittent fasting diet plan is to choose a 16-hour fasting window that includes the time that a person spends sleeping.
Recent trends of intermittent fasting, some experts actually give perfect advice. According to experts, finishing food consumption in the early evening, as metabolism slows down after this time. However, this is actually not feasible for everyone.
Hence, some people may not be able to consume their evening meal until 7 p.m. or later. Even so, it is best and perfect to avoid food for 2–3 hours before bed.
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Choose one of the best following 8-hour eating windows:
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- noon to 8 p.m.
Within this above time frame, people can eat their meals and snacks at convenient times. Eating regularly is very important to prevent blood sugar peaks and dips and to avoid excessive hunger.
Thus, some people may need to experiment to find the best eating window and mealtimes for their lifestyle.
What can you drink or eat during intermittent fasting?
Water, coffee, and other without calories of zero-calorie beverages are allowed during the fast, but no solid foods are permitted in intermittent fasting. If you’re doing this to lose weight, it’s really very important that you eat normally during the eating periods. So, you should eat the same amount of food as if you hadn’t been fasting at all.
Study: Fasting is ‘nothing special’ for weight loss. Experts disagree
Should people who really like intermittent fasting be put off by the findings?
Intermittent fasting is the go-to weight-loss plan for many of us, so a new study exactly suggesting it’s less effective than other traditional diets and comes with some real health drawbacks may seem concerning.
But finally, experts who study intermittent fasting cautioned against misinterpreting the exact results and perfectly sticking with the approach if it works for you.
First, the findings: A randomized controlled trial found participants who actually fasted on alternate days lost less weight than those who simply ate less every day — even when both groups finally ended up restricting the same amount of calories overall, according to the study perfectly published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
People in the fasting group also perfectly lost more muscle mass and less body fat than the traditional dieters, likely because they really moved less throughout the day, researchers found. So, reducing physical activity and exercise may be the body’s subconscious response to fasting, they noted.
The findings exactly suggest intermittent fasting is “no magic bullet” and there’s absolutely nothing special about it compared to a standard diet.
Still, it’s really important to note that both eating approaches led to perfect weight loss.
Actually, the study was not totally designed to work out which diet is best, but rather to understand fasting better.
Anyone who actually finds fasting appealing does not, therefore, finally need to switch to another diet, but should consider what really effects fasting may and may not have.
The findings:
The study involved 36 “lean healthy” adults who actually were first perfectly monitored for a month to gauge their typical diet and exercise habits. They ate about 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day at baseline and were then randomly divided into three groups:
Group 1 represented a traditional diet. Participants ate 25% fewer calories every day than their baseline diet.
Group 2 represented alternate day fasting. Participants ate nothing one day, then consumed 150% of their baseline diet the next.
Group 3 also properly represented alternate day fasting, but without a net calorie deficit. Participants ate nothing one day, then consumed 200% of their baseline diet the next.
The first two groups finally reduced the same amount of calories overall, but in different ways. The third group actually didn’t reduce overall calories at all since participants ate twice as much on their “feast” days.
So finally, after three weeks of these regimens, the people actually doing a traditional diet lost about 4.2 pounds — most of it fat. Those who are doing alternate fasting lost 3.5 pounds — half of its fat and half muscle mass. The people in group 3 actually didn’t lose a significant amount of weight. Researchers finally found no exact evidence of fasting-specific effects on metabolic or heart health.
The loss of muscle mass actually wouldn’t be immediately noticeable or harmful for most people, but preserving lean tissue is really important for long-term functionality and health, especially as we get older. Staying active is most important to keep muscle mass, as is consuming enough energy, particularly protein.
‘Nobody does alternate day fasting like this’
Critics finally pointed out the study involved lean adults who don’t lose weight quickly and very easily in the first place. They also noted that the actual study didn’t reflect real-life conditions because the fasting participants were properly instructed to eat too much on their “feast days.”
Nobody does alternate day fasting like this, said a person who has been studying alternate day fasting for 15 years.
Nobody force-feeds themselves 150% of their needs… actually No one is ever going to eat like 4,000 calories every other day and then fast. It’s actually a little weird.
Previous studies have shown alternate day fasting works because actually people don’t binge on their “feast days” in real life and eat only about 10% more than usual, so they really can’t make up for the lack of calories from their fasting days and lose weight properly.
Most people actually wouldn’t eat 50% more than usual if left to their own devices, noting the study participants still lost weight regularly even when prescribed to consume those extra calories.
Previous research has also perfectly shown traditional diets and alternate-day fasting produces similar quick weight loss, body composition changes — including muscle mass loss properly — and metabolic benefits.
Can you gain muscle with intermittent fasting?
Actually, intermittent fasting is not best option for muscle gain. This may be because the time-restricted eating group actually consumed very less protein than the normal diet group.
In order to grow muscle or gain muscle, you must eat more calories than you burn, have enough protein in your body to build new muscle tissue and have a sufficient regular exercise stimulus to cause growth.
Intermittent fasting could make it really difficult to get enough calories to build new muscle or grow muscle, especially if you are eating nutrient-dense foods that quickly fill you up easily.
Intermittent fasting actually requires you to eat very less or fewer calories and eat less frequently than a normal diet. Because of this reason, you may have problem or trouble getting enough calories and protein to grow or build muscle. Overall, this may not be the best diet or not best fasting for muscle gain. But still there is a hope, let’s see how can you gain muscle with intermittent fasting.
How To Gain Muscle While Intermittent Fasting
How does intermittent fasting maximize muscle growth? If you really want to perfectly increase your muscles while fasting intermittently, you might want to combine proper resistance training, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions, and lifting weights. You may also want to consume fresh foods high in good-quality protein and low in sugar and enough fat during the window you have for eating.
Intermittent fasting is perfectly designed for weight loss and as you all know intermittent fasting is a popular choice for losing weight. Research shows that weight loss is not easy and it is typical while you are intermittently fasting, and some studies show you can also perfectly maintain or build muscle.
Together, this recipe really helps you build more muscle, grow muscles, recover faster, and maintain your gains. Aim to properly complete at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise while in your fasted state, including:
- Running
- Jogging
- Walking
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Kickboxing
If fast running or jogging is painful or uncomfortable on your joints, try a low-impact aerobic exercise like riding a bicycle or elliptical instead. Researchers perfectly found just 25 to 40 minutes of low-impact aerobic exercise can really help preserve muscle and lubricate the joints during weight loss. But most importantly, include basic weight-lifting without missing into your routine if you’re aiming to grow muscle and bulk up.
Is Intermittent Fasting Great Option for Weight Loss?
Intermittent fasting is a really great option for quick weight loss, but it’s not actually better than calorie restriction — both produce similar benefits, so you just have to properly figure out which really works better for you.
The actual popularity of intermittent fasting is that it requires no knowledge about nutrition and no need to perfectly count calories — people only need to know actually how to read their watch.
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16:8 Intermittent fasting is a very famous and popular form of intermittent fasting. Potential benefits include weight loss perfectly and easily, loss of unwanted fat, and a reduction in the risk of some diseases in the body.
Eat a fresh and healthy diet during your eating period and drink calorie-free beverages like water or unsweetened teas and coffee.
There are actually different types of intermittent fasting. Some people like the alternate day approach — eating nothing or very little one day, then normally the next and regularly repeating that pattern — because it lets them have a “day off” from dieting. Any quick weight loss and health gains will be more perfect evident if the fasting is alternated with healthy eating and combined with an active lifestyle.
The less strict 5:2 intermittent plan calls for two non-consecutive fasting days a week. Strict time-restricted feeding, or 16:8, calls for people to perfectly consume all their calories during an eight-hour window and fast for the rest of the day.
Alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 intermittent plan generally result in about twice as much weight loss as time-restricted feeding.
Summary
So, keep on doing (fasting) if it really works for you. I wouldn’t be put off by these findings because they really don’t represent what people actually do during these diets. Now you know the exact benefits of intermittent fasting and how intermittent fasting works etc…
Finally, at last, the plan is not right for everyone. Individuals who wish to follow the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet should really speak to their doctor or dietitian if they have any concerns or underlying health conditions.
FAQs
Water, coffee, and other without calories of zero-calorie beverages are allowed during the fast, but no solid foods are permitted in intermittent fasting. If you’re doing this to lose weight, it’s really very important that you eat normally during the eating periods. So, you should eat the same amount of food as if you hadn’t been fasting at all.
Experts suggest that a person needs to perfectly follow the basic rules for at least 10 weeks to witness some positive results. Following the diet perfectly and properly for this period of time will really help you shed 3 to 5 kilos of weight (depending on your BMR).
Intermittent fasting may make you feel sick for some period of time. It’s actually depending on the length of the fasting period, people may experience headaches, lethargy, crankiness, and constipation sometimes.
To reduce body weight very fast, this fasting can really help lower cholesterol, improve glucose control, perfectly reduce liver fat and improve blood pressure. Intermittent fasting increases endurance, better motor coordination, and improved sleep.
“Intermittent fasting” actually gives the full freedom to enjoy chocolate, and the flavonoids in dark chocolate are perfectly linked to anti-inflammatory benefits for brain and cardiovascular health.
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