Intermittent Fasting: A Complete Guide for Beginner

One of the most popular fitness trends, intermittent fasting, is claimed to reduce weight and show effective results within a few days. This kind of fasting which is more than just a diet does not focus on what you eat but rather pays attention to when you eat. 

Its benefits are linked to better cognitive functioning, heart health, weight loss, digestion, and fat loss. So if you are also planning to try this popular trend, then this guide can be very helpful. It will explain all the various types, benefits, and steps to follow an intermittent diet:

Understanding Intermittent Fasting 

An eating pattern known as intermittent fasting alternates between times of eating and fasting. Various civilizations and faiths have been engaging in it for centuries, such as Islam’s Ramadan and Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism’s fasting customs.

Your body experiences a number of physiological changes while you fast. These modifications enhance insulin sensitivity, optimize hormone levels, and initiate autophagy, the body’s process of eliminating damaged cells and regenerating new ones.

Intermittent fasting is flexible, which makes it sustainable for long-term health and wellness, in contrast to dieting, which frequently limits meal choices.

Types of Intermittent Fasting 

To understand intermittent fasting in more detail, let’s understand how it is classified into various types:

The 16/8 method

Also known as lean gains protocol, 16/8 is one popular method in which you have an eating window of 8 hours while fasting for the rest 16 hours. A method usually suggested for beginners. Generally in this method your eating window starts from 12 pm in the noon and ends by 8 pm in the night while you need to fast from 8 pm till 12 pm the next morning. 

Note : An easy to follow method, ideal for beginners. 

5:2 Diet 

In this type of intermittent fasting, you can have full meals for 5 days a week while need to give your body a little rest by reducing the calorie count to almost 500 to 600 calories on two consecutive days. 

Note: Ideal for those who prefer structured calorie restriction without daily fasting.

Alternate day fasting

With this approach, a day of regular eating alternates with a day of fasting. On fasting days, you have to limit your calories intake to only 500 calories. Note : Ideal for those who seek rapid weight loss and better metabolic health.

Eat- Stop- Eat: 

This method involves a fast of 24 hours once or twice a week. This means you can eat 5 to 6 days a week while needing to fast for 1 to 2 days depending upon your health and lifestyle. 

Note: Ideal for experienced fasters who can handle long fasting periods. 

Warrior Diet

This entails eating within a 4-hour window, usually in the evening, and fasting for 20 hours. It emphasizes eating raw and whole foods.

Note :Ideal for those who indulge in high intensity workouts and like to have larger meals. 

One Meal a Day (OMAD)

In OMAD, you fast for the other twenty-three hours and eat all of your daily calories in one meal within a one-hour window.

Note : Ideal for those who are comfortable with extreme fasting and want quick weight loss. 

A Step By Step Guide To Start Intermittent Fasting 

Step 1: Choose the type of fasting you want to involve in. The method should be selected based upon your schedule and lifestyle. For beginners, a general 16/8 method is recommended. 

Step 2 : Decide the eating window that suits your lifestyle and routine. Only go for those window that can generously follow. Common choices in 16/8 intermittent fasting method involve:

• 10 AM – 6 PM
• 12 PM – 8 PM
• 2 PM – 10 PM

Step 3: Have nutrient dense meals

Try to indulge in food which are rich in nutrient, vitamins, proteins and good fat. Also, totally cut down your processed food and have food which gives you energy and strength. 

In your meals try to prioritize:

• Proteins which can be included in lentils, eggs, tofu, chicken, and paneer. 
• Complex carbs, which include whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. 
• Healthy fats which include nuts, avocado and olive oil.
  

Step 4 : Stay hydrated throughout the day 

You need to stay hydrated through out your fasting period. Maximize your intake of water while also including other liquids like herbal teas, black coffees, lemon water ,and more to stay hydrated. 

Step 5: Extend your fasting period 

Start with the beginner intermittent fasting method and then gradually extend it further to 14 to 16 hours as per the body’s demands. 

Step 7 : Monitor your progress.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting 

Recent studies have found that Intermittent fasting may prove beneficial for your weight management and overall health. So let’s understand about them in detail:

• Weight loss: Indulging in intermittent fasting can definitely help you loose stubborn weight as it reduces the calorie intake. Also, the boosted metabolism helps reduce body fat as well without affecting muscle mass. 
• Improved Insulin sensitivity: Intermittent fasting very smartly reduces insulin resistance which helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. It can also protect you from type 2 diabetes and improve your body’s sensitivity towards Insulin. 
• Hormonal Balance : Fasting also helps balance the hormones while aiding muscle growth and tissue repair. It’s a blessing for people with PCOD or PCOS problems they should choose their eating window with the advice of the doctor. 
• Heart Health: As intermittent fasting aids in insulin sentivity and increase metabolism, the cholesterol also lowers and the blood pressure also normalizes. And as the body gets cured with these following problems like diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol, heart health gets improved while reduces the risk of other heart diseases. 
• Brain Health : Not just weight loss, Intermittent fasting also helps in improving brain health as it increases derived neurotropic factors, which ultimately increases the memory and focus reducing the risk of problems like Alzheimer’s. It also leads to the growth of new nerve cells. 
• Anti – Aging and cell repair : During fasting, your body undergoes autophagy which removes damaged cells while regenerates new ones which acts as a anti aging process and promotes longevity. 
• Inflammation: Fasting also eliminates types of inflammation from the body which otherwise welcomes chronic disease. Hence, fasting can indirectly save you from many chronic diseases. 

A Simple Intermittent Diet Plan: For Beginners with Simple Eating Window (12 pm – 8 pm)

Tip: You should hydrated through out the day through lots of water, green tea, black teas and herbal teas. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Intermittent Fasting 

• Being disciplined is a good thing, but being over rigid is not necessary. You need to adjust your eating hours according to your body’s needs. 
• Dehydration can cause you harm beyond your thoughts, it can lead to severe headaches and fatigue. Hence staying hydrated is very essential. 
• Always ensure the meals you are having in your eating window are balanced. It should have an adequate amount of carbs, proteins, and vitamins that your body requires. 
• Do not overeat during your eating window, stay away from processed and junk food. 
• Please note that weight loss takes time, hence, do not expect instant results and loose motivation if it does not go that way.

The Takeaway

So, if you are looking for some lifestyle changes, intermittent fasting can definitely help you with it. It can become that valuable tool to improve your health giving you an effective and long lasting results. Its very safe to use strategy and is generally very safe for most of the people.