What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting

Do I need to incorporate intermittent fasting into my diet in order to continue losing weight?  Not necessarily-but I can’t promise that after reading about the incredible benefits that you won’t want to!

So what exactly is all of the hype over intermittent fasting?  Well, for starters, intermittent fasting can accelerate weight loss (need I say more?), enhance protection from disease, and improve brain health.

With all of the information we have access to, sometimes I find myself confused when different experts are contradicting each other…in my case, I’ve been told that the more frequently you eat, the faster your metabolism will be, and if you “starve” yourself, you risk messing with your metabolism. 

Whenever we’re in doubt, we like to turn to our favorite, trusted keto experts.  Dr. Berg explains that all intermittent fasting really is, is the frequency of eating and not eating.  Simple, right?

Fasting Windows

Let’s discuss the different ways to approach intermittent fasting.  When you decide to start incorporating intermittent fasting into your diet, you will hear people talk about their “fasting window.”  You’re probably wondering what we mean by “windows”—the most common  intermittent fasting windows include:

*16-8 (meaning you will be fasting for 16 hours and you have a 8 hour window to eat)

*18-6 (meaning you will be fasting for 18 hours and you have a 6 hour window to eat)

*20-4 (meaning you will be fasting for 20 hours and have a 4 hour window to eat)

Alternatively, some people incorporate fasting into their lifestyle by fasting for a full 24-72 hours.  Is anyone familiar with the saying, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat?”  Well, I don’t particularly like that phrase, however, you get the point—There is more than one way to incorporate intermittent fasting into your diet.  Listen to your body—decide which method you feel is right for you.  If you have any health issues, it’s certainly a good idea to run this by with your physician, because, after all, we’re living a ketogenic lifestyle to improve our health, not hinder it!

Another interesting point to mention—did you know that based on your fasting goals, there are certain things you should eat/drink when you break a fast?! Yes!.  An incredibly informative video by Thomas DeLauer covers this in detail (we’ll post the link to the video below).

You shouldn’t expect to wake up tomorrow and be able to have one meal a day (OMAD) and feel completely comfortable doing this for the rest of your life.  With that being said, if you are used to having three meals a day and snacking in between, it’s actually a good idea to go easy on yourself and gradually reach your desired goals if you want fasting to be sustainable (there are, of course, plenty of people who dive right in and have one meal a day, however, gradually transitioning made it much more pleasant for me).

Dr. Perlmuter, a neurologist, based out of Naples, Florida, has a wonderful website I stumbled across recently.  Dr. Perlmuter says that fasting is actually a great way to conquer the psychological fear we face that we may “starve.”  Dr. Perlmuter also says “Even with all these important benefits, some may be reluctant to try fasting due to the outdated belief that it lowers metabolism and forces the body into starvation mode, causing it to hang on to fat. But in fact, the opposite is true. A regular schedule of intermittent fasting can actually accelerate and enhance weight loss.”

Now, for a list of things you can expect from intermittent fasting:

• Improves memory & brain health (insert excited emoji here!)
• Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease
• Boosts immune system
• Reduces risk of chronic health conditions
• Lowers bad cholesterol
• Increase in energy
• Increase weight-loss
• Helps to keep weight off long term

We will leave you with this—If you like to challenge yourself, not only is fasting great for your physical health, but your mental health as well (psychological).  We have been doing keto now for quite some time, and from our experience experimenting, the weeks where we are very strict with our fasting, we notice significantly faster weight loss without feeling like you have to deprive yourself!  Remember how important your macros are, and be sure to get in your proper vitamins and nutrients.  If you have a keto app, let that app be your best friend and secret weapon! It will help to hold yourself accountable! 

If you have tried intermittent fasting and would like to share your experience with us, send over an email to possibly be featured on our website testimonials!

If you are interested in more information on how intermittent fasting can work for you. We are more than happy to advise you and get you started. Feel free to email me at ketointhecountry01@gmail.com