5 Intermittent Fasting Recipes For Fat Loss (2024)

FAQs

What is the best intermittent fasting to lose body fat? ›

A person needs to decide on and adhere to a 12-hour fasting window every day. According to some researchers, fasting for 10–16 hours can cause the body to turn its fat stores into energy, which releases ketones into the bloodstream. This should encourage weight loss.

Eat a normal, healthy diet one day and then completely fast or have one small meal the next day. Usually, the small meal is fewer than 500 calories. Eat a normal diet five days a week and fast two days per week. Eat normally but only within an eight-hour window each day.

5:2 diet: snacks

The official The Fast Diet website advises that 'fresh, raw ingredients like almonds, carrots, celery sticks, apple slices' make the perfect 5:2 diet snacks, but if you want to shake it up a bit you fit in everything from popcorn to ice cream sundaes.

Focusing on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choosing lean sources of protein, such as fish and low-fat dairy products. Limiting processed meats, as well as the saturated fat that's found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter.

Depending on your lifestyle and when you can manage to stop eating, the best hours for intermittent fasting include the 16/8 or 14/10 fasting periods. Intermittent fasting is hailed by many as the new mantra of weight loss, disease prevention, and reversal of aging.

Here's a simple checklist to follow for effective belly fat loss through intermittent fasting: Choose your fasting schedule: The 16/8 method (16 hours of fasting and an 8-hour eating window) is a popular choice. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water during your fasting periods to stay hydrated and aid digestion.

It's not a diet, so unless you have individual dietary restrictions, you can eat whatever you want within the eight-hour time frame. But the plan will work best for weight loss if you are already making smart, nutrient-rich choices, said NBC News health and nutrition editor Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph. D.

Make your first meal of the day all healthy protein (chicken, fish, meat, eggs) with no carbohydrates and your body will continue to burn body fat as if you have not eaten anything at all. 2 hours after your protein meal, have a light snack or two to hold you over for dinner.

What is the best thing to eat after a 16 hour fast? ›

Soups that contain protein and easily digestible carbs, such as lentils, tofu, or pasta, can gently break a fast. Avoid soups made with heavy cream or a large amount of high-fiber, raw vegetables. Vegetables. Cooked, soft, starchy vegetables like potatoes can be good food options when breaking a fast.

Foods rich in protein and fiber will fill you up, which is especially important on fasting days when you won't be eating as much. Some examples of protein and fiber rich foods include: chicken and lean meat, broccoli, milk, black beans, almonds, peanut butter, bananas and pasta. Don't over-indulge on non-fasting days.

Snacking on fruit and veg is a much healthier option, but diet and weight loss expert doctor Michael Mosley says there is one fruit you should leave out from your daily intake. According to the founder of the 5:2 diet, bananas are actually not as beneficial as you think, reports The Express.

If you're trying to lose weight, that means having no more than two to three snacks of approximately 100 calories each. If you're maintaining your weight, that means having approximately 200 calories per snack. Eating nutritious snacks can satisfy cravings for crunchy, sweet, or otherwise unhealthy fare.

The Research So Far. A systematic review of 40 studies found that intermittent fasting was effective for weight loss, with a typical loss of 7-11 pounds over 10 weeks. [2] There was much variability in the studies, ranging in size from 4 to 334 subjects, and followed from 2 to 104 weeks.

If you consistently stay active while following intermittent fasting, you can lose as much as 6-8 pounds per month. This estimation is shockingly high when you consider that all you have to do is not eat for select hours throughout the day.

Intermittent fasting is effective because it keeps my insulin level low during prolonged periods of daily fasting (18 hours or more). And with insulin low, especially if you eat right and exercise, you enter a fat-burning zone that is especially effective for reducing belly fat.

While both 12-hour and 16-hour fasting can promote fat burning, it's possible that a 16-hour fast may be more effective. This is because the longer fasting period may lead to a greater depletion of glycogen stores, which can trigger higher levels of fat burning.