There are many forms of intermittent fasting. There is the 5:2 diet where you eat normally five days per week and restrict your calories the other two days. There is alternate day fasting where you only consume calories every other day. There is another form where you don’t consume any calories one day per week. Then there is time restricted eating, where you only consume calories during a certain number of hours during the day (such as 6-10 hours).
Intermittent fasting is a tool that may, or may not, help you control calorie intake and avoid mindless eating. There seems to be a lot of variability to how meal timing affects individuals’ appetites. What works for one person may not work for you. The key is to experiment and find whether a type of intermittent fasting is a sustainable way for you to create a calorie deficit.
Just like there is no magic number of fat or carbs that automatically results in weight-loss, there is also no magic type of fasting that works for everyone. We all use a form of intermittent fasting as we do not eat while we are asleep. I usually don’t get hungry until about noon each day, and I stop eating by 10 pm. So, I have an eating window of 10 hours per day and fast for about 14 hours per day. I don’t tell people I practice intermittent fasting because this is my normal eating window. I am not purposely restricting it, except to the extent I try to avoid mindless snacking after 10:00 pm.
To summarize, intermittent fasting can be an effective tool for some people to control their appetite, eat more mindfully, and create a calorie deficit. But for this approach to be effective long-term, you need to utilize one or more of the Hidden Laws of Habit Change. And to create the calorie deficit without feeling hungry, it is best to eat a lot of whole fruit, vegetables, legumes, and intact whole grains.
In my next blog, I explain why some are afraid to change their diet, and often give up when they encounter their first set-back.
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Keith Herman is a certified nutrition coach, personal trainer, and estate planning attorney. He is an elected Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a former adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and winner of the Excellence in Writing Award from the American Bar Association.
Keith is the creator of the Health & Well-Being JournalTM, a daily accountability planner for optimizing your mind, body, and spirit, and tracking healthy behaviors.
He is also the author of Eat Like an Expert: How to Start Eating Healthy (and Stick to It), which combines the best of plant-based, Mediterranean, low-carb, and anti-inflammatory diets to create a customizable plan that delivers transformational results.
You can find more information about Keith at KeithAHerman.com
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