Whether you’ve ever heard of intermittent fasting or not, one thing is for certain – It’s definitely the go-to concept that changes lives.
In case you want to know more about it or just need a step-by-step guide, this article is just what you need.
In this article, I will make sure that you will understand what is the intermittent fasting, how it works and how to “do it”.
Here’s the list of things you will find in this article:
- IF = Intermittent fasting – what is this?
- How does it work?
- Schedule and a meal plan.
So… what’s the intermittent fasting?
Intermittent Fasting
There are so many diet plans, restrictions and some random “just-born-rules” out there that help to lose weight.
Some of them are… let’s just say – not that healthy.
But intermittent fasting is definitely different.
First of all, it’s not about the diet…
Let me explain.
It’s not that much about what to it (I mean… of course, it still is about eating healthy, but that’s not a surprise, is it?).
It is more about when to it.
So the method is simple – You just choose times throughout your weekly schedule and split it in two – Time when you eat (the so-called fasting window) and time when you refrain from eating.
Pretty simple, isn’t it?
What’s The “Catch”?
Let’s put it this way…
Since it’s all about the schedule, there are millions of ways to do intermittent fasting.
But some schedule plans definitely work better than others.
Safe to say, 16-hour fast is one of the most popular fasting plans.
People around the works are giving it a chance and it rarely disappoints.
16-hour fasting sounds a bit confusing but let me explain:
The rules are simple:
You split a day into two parts – 8 hours of scheduled eating and 16 hours of fasting.
Here’s the thing.
Even though 16 hours sound like a lot for fasting, it’s not all that cruel.
Actually, approximately half of those hours are dedicated to sleep.
So we are left with 8 hours of scheduled meal plans and 8 hours of fasting, which doesn’t sound that bad anymore, does it?
How To Do It?
The most popular 8/16 fasting plan would be to skip the breakfast and completely cut out your meals a couple of hours before the bedtime.
My favorite benefit of the 8/16 fasting plan is that it is super flexible.
You can easily adjust your schedule to your lifestyle.
Just pick the 8-hour window during the day and limit your food intake to that time.
I hope that all of this information interested you just as much as it interested me back when I first heard about the intermittent fasting.
So when do you eat?
- Lunch
- Snack-time
- Dinner
In other words – No breakfast, no evening snacks.
And wait… I got more…
Below is the intermittent fasting schedule I tried just a couple of weeks ago.
Even though it was a bit tough to give up the regular breakfast routine, it was totally worth a try.
Let’s go to it:
Meal Plan For the “16/8 Intermittent Fasting”
So,
Let’s say you are waking up at 7 am.
In that case, your schedule will look like this:
- 7:00 am Wake up
- 7:30 am Lemon Water / Black Coffee / Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
- 8:00 am Skip Breakfast
- 12:00 pm Lunch
- 3:00 pm Snack
- 8:00 pm Dinner
- 9: 00 pm Fasting
Monday
- Lemon Water
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Avocado salad with chicken
- Snack #2: Apple and almond butter
- Meal #3: Turkey meatballs & tomato sauce
- Fasting
Tuesday
- Black Coffee
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Vegan chickpea salad
- Snack #2: Fruit of your choice
- Meal #3: Grilled salmon, vegetables, and quinoa
- Fasting
Wednesday
- Black Coffee
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Tuna avocado salad wrap
- Snack #2: Hummus and raw veggie sticks
- Meal #3: Asian fried “noodles”
- Fasting
Thursday
- Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Broccoli tofu salad
- Snack #2: Piece of dark chocolate
- Meal #3: Salmon kale salad
- Fasting
Friday
- Lemon Water
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Turkey Chili
- Snack #2: Carrots and hummus or guacamole
- Meal #3: Grilled chicken salad
- Fasting
Saturday
- Lemon Water
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Grilled salmon salad
- Snack #2: Dark chocolate bark
- Meal #3: Chicken tortilla soup
- Fasting
Sunday
- Black Coffee
- Skip Breakfast
- Meal #1: Sprouts, chicken, quinoa Buddha bowl
- Snack #2: Greek yogurt
- Meal #3: Teriyaki chicken with cauliflower rice
- Fasting
The original plan by Fitwirr
So, as you can see, it’s all about eating for 8 hours and not eating for another 16.
One of the most important tips you need to remember is – to be consistent.
In conclusion, I would like to say that in the highly likely case you decide to give any fasting method a try, this 16/8 fasting plan is definitely one of the best ways to start.
It helped so many people to lose weight and improve the overall health.
However, since this method involves fasting and a certain meal plan (which are both pretty healthy and normal), it is a good idea to double-check it with your doctor.
What do you think about intermittent fasting? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!