There are many ways to lose weight. One is a healthy eating rhythm – intermittent fasting, which has nothing to do with classic fasting. Unlike real fasting, you do actually eat.
What does intermittent fasting mean?
There are many ways to lose weight. One is a healthy eating rhythm – intermittent fasting, which has nothing to do with classic fasting. Unlike real fasting, you do actually eat, but at set times and intervals. You alternate between eating and not eating (food abstinence). Age-related diseases are reduced, you live longer and losing weight becomes easier!
Intermittent fasting means something like interrupted fasting. With this way of eating, food is taken in an alternating rhythm, with clearly defined periods of eating and abstinence. Because of its positive health effects, it's becoming increasingly popular in recreational and competitive sport.
How does intermittent fasting work?
There are no uniform rules. It's mainly about phases of normal eating followed by periods in which you eat nothing. If you stay disciplined and stick with it, you'll master the start – the biggest challenge. Begin with an easy protocol if your inner couch potato puts up too much resistance!
The best-known methods
The two basic variants are one fasting day per week or daily fasting periods.
Fasting days
Once a week there's a day on which you eat nothing; some people take two fasting days, for example Monday and Thursday. You must of course cover your fluid needs – on fasting days you may drink water and unsweetened tea. Once you've reached your target weight and your blood values have improved, you can use fasting days less often.
Daily fasting periods
Here you fast for 16, 18 or 20 hours a day. Since you don't have to go a whole day without solid food, this variant is much easier, especially for beginners. Eating windows are then 4, 6 or 8 hours a day. Still, be careful: avoid overeating and limit food to two meals. Example: a late breakfast at 11 am, dinner at 4 pm – then fast until 11 am the next day.
The rhythms at a glance
- Alternate Day Fasting (36/12) – fast for 36 hours, then eat for 12 hours (approx. three meals). Fasting and eating days alternate.
- Leangains (16/8) – fast for 16 hours, eat for 8 hours. The large eating window makes it well suited to beginners, and it's optimised for fitness and strength training.
- Warrior Diet (20/4) – fast for 20 hours, eat for 4 hours, usually in the early evening. Much tougher than 16/8.
- Eat Stop Eat (24/24) – fast for 24 hours once or twice a week, and eat mindfully and protein-rich the rest of the week.
- 5:2 diet – fast for 24 hours twice a week. Good for people who want to lose a lot of weight or train their hunger.
- Random approach – with an irregular daily routine, simply skip meals spontaneously. Important: eat after training and keep your diet balanced.
The Leangains rules
- Protein intake should be higher than carbohydrate intake
- Mainly carbohydrates on training days, fewer on rest days
- Ideally train shortly before the end of the fasting period
- The post-workout meal should contain plenty of calories
Which method is right for you?
First look at your own life. If you already have a lot of stress day to day, check whether it's the right time for this dietary change – otherwise your body may come under even more stress. Fasting is not recommended for pregnant women, women trying to conceive or breastfeeding mothers, as their bodies need enough nutrients.
Then think about your goals: weight loss, disciplined eating habits, less body fat or simply a health-oriented diet?
- 16/8 (Leangains): for beginners and fitness-oriented people, very easy to fit into everyday life
- 36/12, 20/4 and 24-hour methods: mainly for weight loss, require a lot of discipline and should only be done for short periods
- 5:2: a maximum of two fasting days per week is easy to build in
How do you cope with hunger?
The biggest problem is hunger, especially at the start. If you've eaten or drunk a lot of sweet things before, you'll get hungry quickly: blood sugar rises fast and drops again just as quickly. But don't worry – over time you learn to deal with hunger and tell hunger from appetite. Often drinking a lot is enough: unsweetened green or black tea works very well.
Conclusion
This exciting way of eating can also become a way of life and have a positive effect on psychological and physiological health. For beginners, the 16/8 method and the 5:2 diet are particularly suitable.
