We all know that being overweight or obese is unhealthy. Being overweight or obese is among the major causes of death across the United States. But losing weight isn't always easy. For example, it can be difficult to drop a few pounds when eating healthier and exercising. But with a little help from friends, a new way of dieting called intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and gain muscle much more quickly than you ever thought possible.
Research shows that intermittent fasting – frequent fasts that last 12 hours or less – can help you lose weight, gain muscle, and improve your health in various ways. But before you start planning your next fast, you might want to read this article to discover how to do it safely and get the best results.
Why need to lose weight?
It's hard to lose weight when you're overweight or obese because you have more muscle than you need, and fat cells have more energy. Plus, the extra muscle you have means you have to work harder to gain the same amount of weight back than when you're in a healthy weight range. While dietary changes are helpful, you can also try doing workouts that target your extra muscle and make it easier to lose weight.
How to fast for weight loss?
The web has several ways to deal with this. You can try doing it "DDL style," where you limit food to just one meal per day. Or you can do it "don't eat" style, where you don't eat for 24 hours. The choice is yours. If you do a "DDL style" fast, you're trying to use the same eating method but with fewer food calories per day. It is possible to schedule your meals ahead by eating smaller portions and eating less frequently.
To make a "don't eat" style diet, you're also encouraged to not eat for 24 hours after a meal. This will help your body overcome all digestive concerns that could lead to a weight increase. There are many variants of intermittent fasting, including an end-of-day time limitation. The basic concept is that you don't eat anything for the time specified, and then you "fast" – meaning your body doesn't process any food for 24 hours. This could be beneficial or bad, based on the goals you're trying to achieve.
When is the best time to fast for weight loss?
You can start a weight loss fast at any time, and in fact, you might be more likely to lose weight in the first few days after your period ends. However, you're likely to lose more weight during your heaviest days, so you might be better off starting this process closer to your heaviest weight. While you're at it, you might as well start your weight loss journey slowly so you don't accidentally overshoot your ideal body weight.
How to gain muscle with a weight loss fast?
If you're only eating certain foods during your weight loss fast, you're likely to gain weight, even if you're not hungry. You're not absorbing as much nutrition from your diet during a weight loss fast, so you're likely to gain energy from solution and water retention.
For example, when you don't eat for 24 hours, you're likely to drink more water and consume more sugar. This means it is more likely to put on weight. Instead, you can gain muscle and lose weight simultaneously by pairing a weight loss fast with resistance training. Doing so will help you lose weight while increasing your muscle mass and feel strong and motivated to continue your diet.
How to improve your health with a weight loss fast?
Alongside dropping weight, you can quickly enhance your health by completing the weight loss process. This is because your body is going through a lot of change, and you're encouraging it to work hard by depriving yourself of certain foods. Your health may be impaired by long-term factors such as poor diet and lack of exercise, so the sooner you start working on improving it, the better.
Improve your health by making a weight loss fast:
Lose weight: The best time to lose weight is during your "fatty" stage in your menstrual cycle. The gas and cholesterol that builds up in your tummy during this time can be released into the atmosphere and cause cancer.
Improve your cholesterol: Cholesterol is important for the structure of your body cells and necessary for good health. It is also needed for making good energy in your cells. So, when you lose weight, your body needs more energy, releasing less cholesterol in the blood.
Aids in lowering blood pressure: You have less pressure in your blood vessels when you have more energy. Your blood vessels have less pressure and are less likely to break, lowering your blood pressure.
Improve your skin quality: When you have less body fat (and calories), your skin is more likely to retain its natural oils and go back to being skin-bladdered and moisturized.
Lose weight and gain muscle simultaneously: You lose weight because your muscles and fat are beneficiaries of the caloric-free dietary restriction.
The benefits of losing weight
Although you can gain muscle with a weight loss fast, doing so is not for the faint of heart. It's a powerful way to lose weight, and it's typically done by athletes who want to compete at their best.
Here are the benefits of losing weight:
You'll feel great: While you're dieting, you'll feel hungry, so you'll want to plan ahead and have a snack 30 minutes before you begin your fast. You may even want to have a snack every two hours while on a diet. But, you don't need to eat every food item you see.
Your metabolism will slow down: If you lose weight slowly, your metabolism will slow down, losing less body fat.
You'll become more flexible: Because your physical condition will be much better than when you were at your peak weight, you'll be more likely to take risks and try new exercises.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a diet approach that involves restricting your food intake to a certain time of day. You'll usually eat your main meals and snacks during the day, but you'll drastically reduce the number of calories you consume at night.
Here are the main ingredients of an intermittent fasting diet:
- Low fat: You don't want to go overboard, as you want to keep your body fat low. Meat is high in fat and calories, and fish is extremely healthy, but eating excessive amounts could cause weight gain.
- Moderate protein: 1-2 grams of protein per day is ideal, but more is better. Lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, and vegetables are good.
- Avocado is a healthy fat: It can be eaten as is or mix it with almond butter and peanut butter.
- Fruits: You want to eat fruit while on an intermittent fasting diet. You can eat the whole tree or eat the fruit and vegetables together.
- Nuts: You can eat plain or with a bit of peanut butter.
- Oils: You can mix olive oil, walnuts, and avocado in a salad.
- Soups: You can eat a bowl of soup for lunch every day.
The benefits of intermittent fasting
You won't feel hungry while on an intermittent fasting diet because you're not eating enough calories - Your body burns excess calories even while you sleep. If you eat while you're asleep, your body doesn't get the chance to process and use up the calories you consumed.
You'll lose weight: The quickest way to shed pounds is to decrease the number of calories you consume by skipping meals. You could lose up to 2 pounds per week by doing this.
Your health will improve: Your liver and cardiovascular system will benefit from the lowered body fat percentage. Your immune system will be boosted, too.
Your mood will be better: You will be great when you're in mild starvation. You are less likely to eat unhealthily and more likely to control your intake.
The advantages of intermittent fasting
On the plus side, here are some of the advantages of intermittent fasting:
Boosts Your Mood: Your mood will be high as you fast. This will make it easier to complete the day without taking breaks due to sadness or hunger.
Gain Muscle: One of the most amazing things about intermittent fasting is that it helps you gain muscle.
Boosts Your Health: Long-term fasting is not recommended, but short-term fasting is good. It can help improve insulin production and thereby help control blood sugar.
Keeps You energy efficient: With so many hours in a day when you don't eat, you'll be more likely to stay alert and full of life while trying to lose weight.
How to Lose Weight While Intermittently Fasting To lose weight while intermittent fasting, you'll have to find a healthy balance between your daily fasts.
For example, you can fast for 12 hours one day and then eat for the other 11 hours. You can also mix fasting with days when you don't do exercises, such as during your lunch break or downtime at noon.
Here are some things you can do to keep your weight under control while on a 12-hour fast:
Get enough protein: Since muscle is metabolized during a fast, you'll lose weight while building muscle.
Maintain your intake of good fats: Fats are essential for your health, but they play a smaller role in the diet during a fast than protein does.
Drink your morning coffee: Coffee is a diuretic beverage, so you'll likely want to drink your coffee during your fast.
How to Diet and Exercise While Intermittent Fasting To make the most out of your diet while dieting, you should have a plan.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Diet: It's important to diet while on a diet to ensure you're getting the most out of every calorie. You can cut back on your calories to a specified limit while on a diet by eating at home or with a friend. Or you can try out intermittent fasting.
Exercise: Most people think of exercise when dieting, but you have to do both to lose weight. You're adding enough calories to keep your body from filling out.
Start Intermittent Fasting To start intermittent fasting, you have to be willing to try something new.
Here are 4 simple steps to follow to start intermittent fasting:
- Make a food list: First, you'll have to decide what you eat. This is vital because it can help determine your meal plan.
- Plan your eating schedule: Once you've laid out your eating plan, it's time to plan your workout schedule. You should always do exercises that tone and strengthen your muscles, not just your stomach. If you're on a time-crunched schedule, try to fit in a workout at the same time every day.
- Forget about the clock: Some people find it helpful to forget about time while on a diet. While you shouldn't be abstaining from food to lose weight, you should try to forget about time while on a diet. You're essentially training your brain to associate time with hunger and satiety when you do this.
- Drink your morning coffee: This may sound silly, but you have to drink your morning coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant that helps you feel more alert and full.
The secret of intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a diet method that requires you to fast for short periods (typically 12 hours) and then eat a large meal (typically 2-3 hours after fasting) between those periods. While there are many ways to do intermittent fasting, the idea is that you'll lose weight and/or significantly improve your health by fasting for long periods. Theoretically, there are many possibilities about the benefits of intermittent fasting to aid in losing weight and building muscle. Improved overall health and well-being are the primary reason; however, many other motives are.
The drawbacks of intermittent fasting
Before trying out the intermittent fasting approach, there are a few things to consider. To name a few, your appetite will be much higher while on a fast than during a normal diet. This can be a drawback because you'll likely want to eat more while on a fast than you'd like to maintain a healthy weight. Also, you'll likely have bad breath and grumpiness while on a fast because your stomach will be empty. You'll want to drink plenty of water and keep your hydration level topped off while on a fast.
As you'll see, there are many benefits to intermittent fasting. One way to lose weight and gain muscle quickly is to use intermittent fasting. The more muscle you've in your body, the lower the amount of fat you'll store and the more muscles you'll be able to use. This means you'll be able to burn more calories and have a harder time gaining weight in the future because you won't be storing as much fat. Additionally, research shows that intermittent fasting people have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart disease, and metabolic diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease. If you're looking to learn more about this approach to diet, take a look at our intermittent fasting tips to shed weight.