Losing weight with intermittent fasting

You want to lose a few kilos but don't feel like a strict diet? Then intermittent fasting could be right for you.

Intermittent fasting is a simple method that lets you shed excess kilos without deprivation and without frustration, maintain your target weight, and improve your overall health along the way.

In this blog post you'll learn how intermittent fasting works and why this way of eating can save you money on expensive anti-ageing creams in the future.

Better control of your calorie intake with intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting isn't a crash diet that has you losing 3 kilos quickly, only to gain back double afterwards. Intermittent fasting is a method for losing weight that lets excess kilos melt away slowly but steadily.

A particularly well-known and simple variant of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 method, which is especially suited to fasting beginners and often fits into everyday life better than other variants. With 16:8 fasting, you eat within an 8-hour window. For the remaining 16 hours of the day, for example from 6pm to 10am the next day, you eat nothing.

By only eating within a certain time window, it becomes easier to reduce your calorie intake. Watching your calorie intake is especially important if you want to lose weight. Because only when you eat fewer calories than you burn in a day (meaning you're in a calorie deficit) will you actually lose weight.

Ideal for fasting beginners: the 18:6 diet

Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for many different fasting variants. Fundamentally, there are two different approaches: fasting by the hour within a day, and fasting by the day within a week.

Besides the 16:8 method, there are many other fasting methods that lead to weight-loss success, such as the 18:6 and 20:4 principles or the 5:2 diet. With the 5:2 diet, you fast for two days each week, which can lead to faster weight loss. Of course, you can arrange the phase sequence however you like. Choose a fasting method you feel comfortable with.

You obviously don't have to jump straight into a 16-hour fasting period on day one, you can also extend your fasting window gradually, for example by one hour each day. That way you slowly get your body used to the change and fasting will become easier for you. If you set your goals too high, frustration can quickly set in and you'll lose your motivation to continue.

How 16:8 fasting helps you lose weight

Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight for two reasons:

1. Changing your metabolism: Intermittent fasting improves your metabolism, so your body uses both carbohydrates and fatty acids for energy. Your body learns to draw on stored energy reserves and burn fat. This lets your body weight regulate naturally, without your metabolism slowing down and you feeling drained. If you eat frequently, this process can't kick in and your fat burning is held back.
2. Activating the body's own self-healing and recovery processes: By abstaining from food during the fasting phase, you give your body and its cells a break from energy metabolism. This sets a cleanup mechanism in motion, in which damaged cells are repaired or removed. Cell function improves, which boosts your overall health and can even slow down the ageing process. Goodbye, expensive anti-wrinkle creams!

Intermittent fasting doesn't just help with weight loss, it also offers you many other health benefits:

• Strengthens your immune system
• Lowers cholesterol and blood pressure
• Your sugar metabolism recovers while fasting, and insulin release is reduced
• Improved concentration
• Better sleep
• Better digestion
• More vitality
• More balance and performance capability

With intermittent fasting, what you eat is what matters most

You can only lose weight with the 16:8 diet if you're in a calorie deficit and don't binge unrestrained during your eating window. It's important to eat normal portions and not too much, otherwise you won't lose weight.

Efficient weight loss and activating your self-healing processes work best when you eat and drink

• fibre-rich and vitamin-rich food like fruit and vegetables,
• protein-rich foods like legumes and tofu,
• complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and whole-grain products,
• healthy fats from avocados, nuts and seeds, and
• plenty of water and unsweetened tea (coffee in moderation is of course also allowed)

During intermittent fasting, avoid

• Fast food
• Ready meals
• Sugary foods
• Alcohol
• Soft drinks

Intermittent fasting is good for most people. However, this way of eating isn't suitable if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have low blood pressure, metabolic disorders or chronic illnesses, you should consult a doctor before starting to fast.

Losing weight with intermittent fasting is faster with exercise

For effective weight loss, you should always combine a diet change with exercise. If you do regular cardio and strength training, you can optimally support your body in burning calories during intermittent fasting, and reach a calorie deficit more easily than without exercise.

In virtual personal training I support you with tailored training and nutrition plans on your way to your target weight. In personal training, I accompany you from my 360-degree studio via HD live stream. In online training you're never left on your own, and I'll inspire you to keep at it and give your best.

Correct exercise execution and implementing your diet change happen through regular, weekly live sessions over a 12-week period. Consistency and discipline are the sure path to success! Sign up now for a free 30-minute consultation.