Intermittent fasting (IF) is having a seriously buzzy moment in the wellness world. Researchers and proponents say that various fasting techniques can help you live longer and ease symptoms of various health issues ranging from improving insulin sensitivity to helping to repair cells. But IF is *also* quickly becoming one of the trendiest ways to lose weight.
What is IF exactly? It centres around eating and fasting for specific periods, so you’re blocking out specific times when you do not consume food. “Intermittent fasting is when you allow yourself to eat only during a specified window of time each day,” Alissa Rumsey, dietitian and owner of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness, previously told Women’s Health . (So maybe you eat between noon and 8 p.m. every day, or eat super low-calorie a couple of days a week.)
There’s no “right” way to do IF, and many variations exist. One is the 5:2 diet: On this schedule, most people eat less than 500 or 600 calories for two non-consecutive days per week. (So, you might have a 500-calorie day on Tuesday and Thursday, and then eat normally on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.) With the 5:2 diet, you don’t need to eat certain foods—you just limit how much you eat during certain periods of time.
Another of the most popular variations is the 16:8 diet. “The 16:8 diet is where you eat for about eight hours of the day and then fast for the rest of the day,” Dana Hunnes, PhD, RD, a senior dietitian at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, previously told WH . Basically, during your 16-hour ‘fasting’ period, you limit yourself to black tea, coffee, or diet soda. Then, for the next eight hours, you can eat whatever you want (no calorie counting needed). That’s it. Lots of fans also blend IF with the keto diet.
The thing is, intermittent fasting involves periods of not eating (duh, you get that). So it’s not a great idea for everyone, such as pregnant women or people with a history of disordered eating. While weight loss can happen as a result of intermittent fasting for some, you should absolutely talk to your doctor about it first if you’re curious.
Want hard evidence of IF’s possible weight-loss effects? Just ask these 26 women below who tried IF (and some who paired it with keto!) and loved it—not to mention loved their weight-loss results.
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Face-to-face travel edition! I was eating hella carbs in Germany! Lots of pretzels, sandwiches, and sugary yogurts. Truth be told, my calorie consumption was very low for my size. Fast forward to Mexico, very few carbs and whereas I still have trouble somedays getting enough calories, I am eating WAY more and am enjoying my food quite a bit more. My goal is minimum 2k calories a day -you do NOT want to under-eat with any diet plan you’re on. With consistent restriction, your body will recalibrate to run efficiently on less calories. Initially it may give you results, but it will end up hurting you. Ask me sometime how I gained 120lbs in a year -extreme calorie restriction and weight training 6 days/week HURT me. All I did this time around was remove carbs and increase my calories. No gym. And guess what, the weight fell off -even when eating 2.5k-3k calories a day. I’m extremely lazy, so eating that much is hard for me, I’m happy around 2k calories/day. My shakes help pump up my OMADs with collagen and MCTs when needed. I used to live off beige food. I would literally eat crackers for dinner because I was too lazy to cook, cut up, and chew meat. I would swallow yogurts and applesauce because I was annoyed to have to eat and too lazy to chew. Now I want all the fatty steak -and hallelujah that one meal a day can be a good thing (it keeps your insulin levels from being elevated all day)! Any other lazy eaters out there? I know I’m redic, but hope I’m not alone ?If you have questions about my shakes, shoot me a message! . #omad #omaddiet #omadlifestyle #omadketo #omadmeal #intermittentfasting #intermittentfastingresults #fasting #fastingforweightloss #fastingtips #facetofacefriday #facetoface #transformations #carbface #ketoface #beforeandafterweightloss #ketogirl #bigandbeautiful #weightlosschallenge #weightloss #losingweightjourney #losingweightnaturally #ketoweightlosstransformation #ketoweightlossjourney #eatfattolosefat #eatfatlosefat #eatfatloseweight #ketobeforeandafter #ketowoe #losingpounds
A post shared by ⬇️150lbs Naturally in 1 YEAR!! (@ketokalamazoo) on Aug 16, 2019 at 11:52am PDT
View this post on Instagram
Face-to-face travel edition! I was eating hella carbs in Germany! Lots of pretzels, sandwiches, and sugary yogurts. Truth be told, my calorie consumption was very low for my size. Fast forward to Mexico, very few carbs and whereas I still have trouble somedays getting enough calories, I am eating WAY more and am enjoying my food quite a bit more. My goal is minimum 2k calories a day -you do NOT want to under-eat with any diet plan you’re on. With consistent restriction, your body will recalibrate to run efficiently on less calories. Initially it may give you results, but it will end up hurting you. Ask me sometime how I gained 120lbs in a year -extreme calorie restriction and weight training 6 days/week HURT me. All I did this time around was remove carbs and increase my calories. No gym. And guess what, the weight fell off -even when eating 2.5k-3k calories a day. I’m extremely lazy, so eating that much is hard for me, I’m happy around 2k calories/day. My shakes help pump up my OMADs with collagen and MCTs when needed. I used to live off beige food. I would literally eat crackers for dinner because I was too lazy to cook, cut up, and chew meat. I would swallow yogurts and applesauce because I was annoyed to have to eat and too lazy to chew. Now I want all the fatty steak -and hallelujah that one meal a day can be a good thing (it keeps your insulin levels from being elevated all day)! Any other lazy eaters out there? I know I’m redic, but hope I’m not alone ?If you have questions about my shakes, shoot me a message! . #omad #omaddiet #omadlifestyle #omadketo #omadmeal #intermittentfasting #intermittentfastingresults #fasting #fastingforweightloss #fastingtips #facetofacefriday #facetoface #transformations #carbface #ketoface #beforeandafterweightloss #ketogirl #bigandbeautiful #weightlosschallenge #weightloss #losingweightjourney #losingweightnaturally #ketoweightlosstransformation #ketoweightlossjourney #eatfattolosefat #eatfatlosefat #eatfatloseweight #ketobeforeandafter #ketowoe #losingpounds
A post shared by ⬇️150lbs Naturally in 1 YEAR!! (@ketokalamazoo) on Aug 16, 2019 at 11:52am PDT
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The transformation has to happen in YOUR MIND first. You see, that was key for me. We all know the steps to take to lose weight, feel better, gain more energy, etc. but transforming our minds to actually DO THOSE STEPS is the hard part. When I first saw the photo on the left taken 2 years ago, I thought, “Oh my goodness, look at my armpit fat! Look at my thunder thighs, my double chin!” There is only a 10 pound difference between these photos, yet the mental transformation is the REAL WINNER here. I still have those flaws, but I’ve learned to see the beauty behind them. The tiny muscles I’ve built in those arms, the tone in those thunder thighs, the more defined thinning of my jawline. It’s the simple realization I don’t hate my body anymore. I am proud of myself for committing to a ketogenic lifestyle for these past 14 months. For valuing myself enough to make a change. For taking a risk and sharing my journey vulnerably with you all. For learning to love myself as I am, armpit fat and all. Do you feel any of these things about yourself? I am not where I want to be, but I am living this journey out EVERY DAY and taking the steps necessary to achieve my goals. Let’s do that together, buns. ??
A post shared by Chrissy Petty | Keto (@keto_buns) on Aug 20, 2019 at 1:12pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
The transformation has to happen in YOUR MIND first. You see, that was key for me. We all know the steps to take to lose weight, feel better, gain more energy, etc. but transforming our minds to actually DO THOSE STEPS is the hard part. When I first saw the photo on the left taken 2 years ago, I thought, “Oh my goodness, look at my armpit fat! Look at my thunder thighs, my double chin!” There is only a 10 pound difference between these photos, yet the mental transformation is the REAL WINNER here. I still have those flaws, but I’ve learned to see the beauty behind them. The tiny muscles I’ve built in those arms, the tone in those thunder thighs, the more defined thinning of my jawline. It’s the simple realization I don’t hate my body anymore. I am proud of myself for committing to a ketogenic lifestyle for these past 14 months. For valuing myself enough to make a change. For taking a risk and sharing my journey vulnerably with you all. For learning to love myself as I am, armpit fat and all. Do you feel any of these things about yourself? I am not where I want to be, but I am living this journey out EVERY DAY and taking the steps necessary to achieve my goals. Let’s do that together, buns. ??
A post shared by Chrissy Petty | Keto (@keto_buns) on Aug 20, 2019 at 1:12pm PDT
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before and after. ✨✨✨ right after I got pregnant with my son I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism which is when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, then a little after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to get my thyroid removed. I gained so much weight within these 3 years after having my son and I honestly didn’t even notice how big I had got, it was all due to not having the right dose of medicine for my thyroid, stress, depression, lack of motivation, and everything was building up. I remember when I would cry and how sad and depressed I was when I would feel overly tired or lazy or like I wasn’t good enough, just seeing the scale go up and trying all these “diets” and nothing would work. I started doing keto and intermittent fasting on and off since April and managed to lose 30 lbs!! I have noticed a huge difference and it has been so hard but when I look at myself and can fit in the jeans I had before, I am proud! I am proud of myself, and let me tell you this wasn’t easy to post. I am still working to improve myself every single day, mentally and physically❤️❤️❤️ #keto #ketotransformation #ketogirl #ketojourney #ketomom #ketolife #intermittentfasting #lowcarbhighfat #beforeandafter #hypothyroidism #hypothyroidismweightloss #myweightloss #30poundsdown? #moretogo?
A post shared by maria larios ❁ (@marialarioss) on Aug 21, 2019 at 8:08pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
before and after. ✨✨✨ right after I got pregnant with my son I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism which is when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, then a little after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to get my thyroid removed. I gained so much weight within these 3 years after having my son and I honestly didn’t even notice how big I had got, it was all due to not having the right dose of medicine for my thyroid, stress, depression, lack of motivation, and everything was building up. I remember when I would cry and how sad and depressed I was when I would feel overly tired or lazy or like I wasn’t good enough, just seeing the scale go up and trying all these “diets” and nothing would work. I started doing keto and intermittent fasting on and off since April and managed to lose 30 lbs!! I have noticed a huge difference and it has been so hard but when I look at myself and can fit in the jeans I had before, I am proud! I am proud of myself, and let me tell you this wasn’t easy to post. I am still working to improve myself every single day, mentally and physically❤️❤️❤️ #keto #ketotransformation #ketogirl #ketojourney #ketomom #ketolife #intermittentfasting #lowcarbhighfat #beforeandafter #hypothyroidism #hypothyroidismweightloss #myweightloss #30poundsdown? #moretogo?
A post shared by maria larios ❁ (@marialarioss) on Aug 21, 2019 at 8:08pm PDT
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This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US.
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