Lose Weight with Intermittent Fasting Using The 16/8 Method vs Warrior Method vs Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Method ... and 2 more
Edited by Donna, Eng
5 Methods:
Lose pounds and inches with Intermittent Fasting.
Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight by limiting you to a period of time during which you can eat and another period during which you are only allowed liquids. The average weight loss using this method is between one and two pounds a week, which is considered to be a healthy rate, because you do not lose muscle.
Intermittent fasting works because:
- It is less of a diet and more of a pattern of eating that can be sustained easily by most people over the long term
- It is an eating protocol that allows you to still enjoy some foods you love and this also helps you stay on the regimen of eating a limited calorie diet for longer
- This is a very simple diet that does not require much calorie counting or avoidance of foods and most people find it quite easy to adapt to
- You can modify this diet to stay within a limited calorie count that you consume during the window of time that you have to eat
- It limits the total calories that you eat every day, thus facilitating weight loss because you are taking in less energy than you are expending
- Not eating for long periods of time allows your body to go through a brief detoxification process, which may trigger you body to shed fat and water weight
- When you don't eat, fasting decreases your insulin levels drastically, forcing your body to burn fat instead of storing the carbs that you consume as fat
- Fasting causes your body to produce more Human Growth Hormone (HGH), in fact, as much as five times as it normally would thus encouraging muscle building and a reduction of fat
- When it feels it is deprived by food, your nervous system sends a chemical called norepinephrine to your fat cells, which breaks down body fat in to fatty acids so that they can be burned for energy
- Fasting for 48 hours or less can boost your metabolism between 3.6% and 14%, which in turn helps you shed water weight and the pounds
- The combination of the decrease of insulin production, the increase of human growth hormone and the release of norepinephrine helps your body access the fat stored in your cells so it can be used for fuel
- As you are limited to the amount of hours you can eat in a day, you will make wiser food choices that will provide you with the most nutrition possible
Method 1: Using The 16/8 Method
You can lose two pounds a week on the 16/8 intermittent Fasting Meithod.
This type of intermittent fasting is also sometimes called the Lean Gains Diet. With this method, your goal is to eat two meals for eight hours during a 24-hour period and then avoid eating anything at all for an 18-hour period. This method can result in a weight loss of at least two pounds a week.
- 1This could be any time-frame that is suitable for you. It could be from 6 am to 2 pm, noon to 8 pm, or two to eight pm. People usually choose their eating hours according to what hours they work or when they need energy. Be advised that most people seem to lose the most weight if they can wait until noon to eat and then not eat anything after 8 pm at night.Choose an eight-hour period during the day when you will be able to have a meal.
For best results, avoid eating anything at night. - 2Do not use milk, nut milks, sugar or artificial sweeteners in your drinks. Avoid drinking coffee or tea with caffeine just before bed.Drink only water, black coffee and tea during the fasting periods.
You are only allowed to drink blakc coffee on this diet. - 3If you have a weight loss goal that you or your doctor or dietitian has set for you, then try to stick to that calorie intake during the eight hours.Try not to eat more than 1500 calories during your allowed eating period of eight hours.
Method 2: Using The Warrior Method
The Warrior Method entails fasting for twenty hours.
In this particular regimen, you fast for twenty hours and then you eat for our hours. This type of fasting is thought to increase your natural adrenalin levels, speed up your metabolism and also help stimulate fat burning. This is the method that is thought to provoke the most weight loss because it speeds up the absorption of glucose for utilization as fuel in the body.
- 1Only drink water, coffee or tea, without milk, sugar or sweetener during this time.On Monday at 8 am, eat until noon and then fast until 8 am on Wednesday.
Going to bed without dinner is part of this intermittent fasting regimen. - 2Make sure that the meals that you consume are wholesome, organic and as healthy for you as possible so that you are able to subsist on just fluids for the next twenty hours.On Wednesday at 8 am eat until noon and then fast again until 8 am on Friday.
Make sure that the foods that you do eat are wholesome, high protein and filling. - 3If you find the fasting difficult consider eating foods that are very high in fiber during the window of four hours that you do have the opportunity to eat.On Friday, keep fasting until noon, and then fast again until 8 am on Sunday.
Eating high fibre foods can help tide you over until your next opportunity to eat. - 4Some people may find that they become constipated on this diet, especially if they are not eating enough fiber in their four hour window period, in which case be sure to take flax seed or Metamucil as a supplement.Repeat this cycle every week until you have lost the desired amount of weight.
Method 3: Using The Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Method
Alternate day intermittent fasting entails fasting on alternating days throughout the week. This allows you to fast consistently while at the same time eating at least one big meal every day.
- 1When fasting you are allowed only coffee, tea or water with no cream or milk, sugar or sweeteners.On Monday, eat from 8 am to 8 pm and then fast over night and all the next day until 8 pm on Tuesday.
Green tea is recommended because it is not consumed with sugar or cream.
2
On Wednesday, eat from 8 am to 8 pm and then fast overnight again until 8 pm on Thursday
. 
You re only allowed p;ain fluids until your next meal.
3
From 8 pm on Thursday you can eat according to your diet until 8 pm on Friday
. 
Stay away from gatherings and restaurants where you might be tempted to break your fasting period.
4
From 8 pm on Friday, fast until Saturday at 8 pm
. 
If your hands are busy with a hobby like knitting, it is impossible to snack.
5
On Sunday would be allowed to eat from 8 am until 8 pm at night
. 
Meditation can help you stick to your diet.
6
You would then be able to repeat this cycle every day and every week
. Method 4: Using The Eat-Stop-Eat Method
The Eat=Stop=Eat Method means eating no food at all for 24 hours.
With this method you are fasting two days a week for 24 hours in a row and eating as you normally would the rest of the week. This method can result in a weight loss of about two pounds a week.
- 1It makes the most sense to fast for 24 hours on your days off or on the weekend when you might not being doing anything. Maintaining a fast for 48 hours during which nothing is consumed is just too difficult for most people to maintain.Choose which days are best for you to fast, but do not choose two consecutive days in a row.
Do relaxing things that require a minimum of committment on fasting days. - 2You are not allowed cream, sweeteners or sugars. You can add lemon or lime slices to your water to make the fast a little more interesting. Drink as much water as you can handle and make sure that you are near a bathroom, as you may experience the need to eliminate more frequently.Drink only vapor distilled water, teas and black coffee on your fasting days.
A lemon slice can add a bit of interest to drinking water all day. - 3You will simply not have the energy to exercise or engage in any vigorous activities such as housework.Plan to sleep a lot while on a 24-hour fasting day.
Be prepared to nap frequently when you areon this diet. - 4Stress triggers can trigger a binge-eating episode. Stay off social media sites like Facebook if that causes you to feel emotional and eat.On fasting days, stay away from stressful physical or emotional situations.
Method 5: Using The 5:2 Diet Method
A 500 calorie meal.
This is a intermittent fasting diet that is not as severe as other types as it only entails limiting your calories for two days of the week and eating normally for the rest of the week. This variation is ideal if you are fine with a slower rate of weight loss and for those who have lower blood sugar and cannot go without eating for a full 24-hour period. It is, in essence a modification of the Eat-Stop-Eat Method described above, that utilizes calorie reduction rather than fasting. This method can result in a weight loss of about a pound a week.
- 1For most people this is the weekend or on their days off. The days you choose can be two consecutive 24-hour periods or you can choose two separate days.Choose which days are best for you to live on a calorie-restricted diet.
Choose a day off, when you are not so busy, to fast. - 2One of the simplest ways to handle this is to simply eat two meals on those two days instead of three and then eat three meals a day the rest of the week.On the two days that you choose, eat 500 calories less than you normally would each day.
Tips and Tricks
Check with your doctor before intermittent dieting to make sure it is the right dieting approach for you.
- Check with your doctor before embarking on any type of intermittent fasting program as some health conditions require eating small amounts or day and some people need to take food with their medication
- Take a quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement every day to make sure that you are well nourished during the hours or days when you are fasting
- If you plan to work out, take six grams of essential amino acids beforehand to help you maintain your stamina
- Drinking as much vapor distilled water as you can during the fasting period to help your system cleanse and detox
- In some cases, casting for more than 48 hours might slow down your metabolism
- If you are a body builder that is trying to lose weight, intermittent fasting is recommended because the weight loss is all fat and not muscle, as can occur with full-on fasting
- This diet works best I you eat whole, single ingredient foods, rather than stews or pastas with several ingredients and a lot of starchy sauces
- Counting your calories every day can prevent you from binge eating or giving into cravings during the hours that you do eat
- Try to maintain the discipline to stick with the eating protocol that you have assigned to yourself and avoid slipping up by eating in the middle of night or sliding off of your diet by eating at a restaurant
- Get as much rest as possible during the hours when you are not eating to avoid
- Indulging in a steam bath or sauna can help you sweat out toxins and facilitate further weight loss by helping you to shed water
- Some people find it easier to fast by keeping their hands business, knitting or painting or by immersing themselves in a hobby they really enjoy
- Avoid grocery shopping while on your fasting hours as that makes it easier for you to succumb to temptation
- A regular program of daily meditation may help you ward off hunger pangs and any emotional distress
- Lifestyle changes can be difficult and it is important to remember to be patient as you begin the program and stick with it, even if you find the fasting part difficult to master at first
- If you do slip up and eat during non-eating hours, simply continue with your plan as if the mistake had not happened and you will still get your results
- Some people may find that they actually gain weight during this diet and if that is true for you then it means that you are not eating enough calories, carbs and fat during your eating window and should make an effort to eat a little more
- To avoid losing muscle on this diet consume at least half a pound of carbohydrates per pound of body weight during the period you are allowed to eat.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
