We all know that healthy eating is essential, especially as we reach middle age, say over the age of 50, and want to maintain our vitality and stay as active as possible for as long as possible. Well, that means controlling your weight and staying on top of your health. Some diets you see trending on Social Media, like paleo and keto, aren’t exactly the easiest to implement, right? There are many restrictions that come with these types of diets. So instead of changing what you eat, why not try adjusting when you eat? It is that simple
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting is an eating approach that focuses on when you eat, rather than what you eat. Instead of grazing throughout the day, you establish designated windows for eating and fasting. During your eating window, you can enjoy meals and snacks (ideally in moderation), while the fasting period is reserved for abstaining from food.
Importantly, Intermittent Fasting isn’t a traditional diet—it doesn’t prescribe specific foods to include or avoid. It’s simply a shift in your eating schedule, designed to help regulate your body’s rhythms and potentially support various health goals.
How do I start?
You have many options in how to start with Intermittent Fasting, but here are the three methods that I recommend for beginners.
The 12:12 Method
This is perhaps the easiest and simplest way to do Intermittent Fasting. From the name itself, you can eat for 12 hours a day, and fast for the next 12 hours. If you go to bed at 10:00 PM, you should stop eating at 8:00 PM. That’s when your 12-hour fast starts. In this case, you will have to delay your first meal to 8:00 AM. Easy peasy, right?
The 16:8 Method
The same goes for this method, except you are fasting for 16 hours a day, leaving 8 hours for eating. Simply put, you only have 8 hours to consume all the food your body needs and wants for the day. In the example above, you will have to move your first meal of the day to 12 noon with this method. So you are basically skipping breakfast and we’ve all done that before! The best part is that you can always decide on the exact time frame that works for you. Your eating period can be from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM or from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
The 5:2 Method
This method is quite different from the two above. Instead of hours, we’re talking about days. But it’s not as hard as you think. Basically, you have 5 days when you can eat normally. But on the 2 remaining days, you are to restrict yourself to no more than 500 calories each day. You can choose when your fasting days are, depending on your schedule, as long as they’re not back-to-back.
Is it suitable for me?
Intermittent Fasting as a weight-loss strategy has been around for years, and scientists and nutrition experts agree that intermittent fasting can make sense for certain individuals. Please check with your healthcare provider or nutritionist before starting any routine.
Here’s how it works: When we eat, the food we take in is broken down into molecules. In particular, carbohydrates are converted to sugars, which leads to an increase in insulin levels. Insulin signals our body to burn the converted sugars for energy. The idea of Intermittent Fasting as a weight-loss approach is to allow our insulin levels to go down for hours to release the stored sugars in our fat cells for energy. And this only happens when we don’t eat for a certain period of time.
A 2020 study shows that Intermittent Fasting in older women results in positive changes in body composition, with as much as a body fat reduction in a short amount of time, implementing the 16:8 method.
IMPORTANT: For those who have diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions, it’s best to consult a doctor before trying out any of the methods mentioned. Your doctor can also help you decide on which method is the most suitable for you.
Still interested and want to try it?
One important note is that during fasting periods, you are allowed to drink non-caloric beverages like water, tea, and black coffee. This will help reduce the hunger pangs that can occur, especially for longer fasting periods. To make things even easier, a simple meal plan that you can actually follow is a must-have. Stick to the meals you normally eat and just plan out when you are going to eat them. However, it’s best to incorporate healthier foods, especially protein and fiber-rich products, and reduce junk food to have better results.
What I recommend
I recommend starting with the easiest method to allow your body to transition to your new eating pattern. As you feel more comfortable, you can adjust your fasting period to more than 12 hours. In the end, the method you choose doesn’t matter as long as it’s working for you, and you can easily implement it.
For more information, check out THE MADE DIET COURSE or theMADE DIET. It’s the perfect guide to health, nutrition, fitness, and weight loss with Intermittent Fasting.
