The intermittent fasting diet has become very popular, because it works.. It is a great alternative for when for example you have been on a low calorie diet for a while but suddenly you are no longer losing weight or size.
The characteristic of this diet is that it involves a significant calorie decrease. For this reason, although it is a highly recommended diet, it is advisable to consult a doctor before trying it if you suffer from cardiovascular or metabolic diseases.
How to follow the intermittent fasting diet?
Intermittent fasting is very effective, but it is not for everyone. As we have already mentioned, people with some kind of chronic disease should see a doctor before doing it, and those who do it must be careful in balancing fasting and intake.
There are two main types of intermittent fasting diet. Both consist of suspending the intake of any food for some period of time and eating almost anything (without binge eating). and eating almost anything (without binge eating or excess sugars or fats) for another period of hours. We explain here how to carry them out.
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1. 16/8 intermittent diet
The intermittent diet 16/8 is the most used of this type of diet. It is also known as “Leangains“. This diet consists of fasting for 16 hours and eating for the remaining 8 hours. The fasting contemplates the usual sleeping hours plus a few more hours, which could correspond to breakfast, meaning that you could have your first meal at noon and eat naturally until 8 pm, where you would start fasting again.
According to people who have opted for an intermittent fasting diet, the opinion seems to be that this is the simplest and that is why it is the best known.This prolonged, intermittent fasting causes the body to deplete its energy reserves during the time there is no food intake.. This is directly reflected in a loss of fat and therefore weight and height. This is the “magic” behind intermittent fasting.
For this diet to work, certain recommendations must be followed so that health is not affected. First of all, special care must be taken in the foods you eat. Remember that it is not it is not a question of abusing the quantities, but above all, to take care that they areIt is also important to be prepared for times of low fat and low calorie foods. You should also be prepared for the moments of hunger and fatigue that occur during the fasting period.
During the 8 hours in which food can be eaten, remember to keep in mind that most of the food should be fruits and vegetables. However, do not forget protein should not be forgotten, it isIt is advisable that it is a moderate amount and that most of them are white meat or fish and minimize the consumption of red meat. Carbohydrates should also occupy only a quarter of the plate.
On the other hand, during the 16 hours of fasting, some symptoms such as fatigue or excessive hunger may occur.. Most people say that hunger ends up not being noticed after a while, but if this is not the case, you can choose to drink something like tea or coffee without sugar. Of course, natural water is a must. During the first days of fasting, physical activity should be reduced and gradually restored.
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5:2 diet
The 5:2 intermittent fasting diet is a little more complex.. In this case the way in which fasting is carried out is different and could be more bearable for some people. It consists in reducing the intake to a maximum of 600 calories for two days.. The rest of the days the diet is normal, as long as a balanced and healthy diet is followed.
The two days in which the caloric intake is reduced do not have to be consecutive. This helps a lot not to despair and end up abandoning the intermittent fasting diet. Although it is not a fast as such, the caloric decrease is important and helps the body to burn its fat reserves by not having a high and constant intake of calories. However, care must be taken with the food that will be eaten the rest of the days.
An example of a 5:2 diet could be to choose Tuesdays and Thursdays for the days when the caloric intake will be very low.. If the food for that day is prepared in advance, it will be more practical to carry it out. Plan a very low calorie, but equally healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. In this case, vegetables and some fruits will be a great ally because they help to feel satiety with a really low caloric intake.
In addition, during these days we must completely forget about any kind of juice or sugary drinks. Natural water is the best ally, although throughout the day you could drink tea or coffee with a little sweetener, preferably a sugar substitute. It is necessary to prepare a snack for mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Either fruit or nuts are an excellent option.
The rest of the days you have to keep under control what you eat. Do not relax too much and trust that you have two days of low caloric intake.. It is important to remember that it is not about compensating for the fasting days, you simply have to enjoy that you can eat more, but never forget that the plate should be full of fruits and vegetables, with carbohydrates and proteins in a proportion of a quarter.
This intermittent fasting diet works even better if accompanied by an exercise routine. It is mainly advised to do cardio exercises, but actually any physical activity goes very well with this diet to promote weight loss. However, exercise should be suspended, especially if it is very heavy, during the days of fasting or calorie reduction.