A blog about intermittent fasting and much more
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The warrior diet is a type of intermittent fasting, inspired Have you ever heard the rumor that “we used to be healthier back in the day”, or that we “evolved to be hunters”? In recent years, the rapid popularity of the Paleo diet, and indeed …
Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is a type of intermittent fasting. The idea is to skip or heavily restrict eating every other day. In this way, you “alternate” the days you eat, hence the name!
The most popular way of doing ADF is the “Every other day diet” which was popularized by Dr. Krista Varady, who is a prominent researcher on alternate day fasting. 1, 2.
Another popular method is “modified alternate-day fasting” (MADF). In this modified diet, you can eat up to 500 calories on fasting days, which makes the fast a lot easier.
If you read this and thought that it sounded like a more extreme version of the 5:2 diet, you would be correct! Alternate day fasting is therefore considered an advanced form of intermittent fasting. We advise beginners who are interested in ADF to try out 5:2 first and then try out alternate day fasting if they enjoy it or have success with it.
ADF has a range of impacts on your health. In this part of the article, we have compiled a list of the most remarkable changes that practicing ADF can bring.
Alternate-day fasting is a type of intermittent fasting, and therefore comes with a range of positive benefits like:
We are going to go over these benefits in detail starting with.
If you decide to try out Alternate-day fasting wanting to lose weight, you can rest easy, because it has been proven scientifically proven to help. Studies have shown that overweight adults can expect to lose 3-8% of their body weight over a 2-12 week period. This amount of weight loss is roughly similar to the results you get from a caloric restriction diet.
In addition to losing weight in general, ADF is effective at reducing the amount of harmful belly fat that you have. Harmful belly fat is linked to an increased risk of type-2 diabetes, as well as reducing inflammation.
If you want to speed up the weight loss with ADF, then combining it with exercise can bring about greater results, faster.
Studies have shown ADF to be just as effective as calorie reduction, and just as safe. It might even come with some benefits, like increased reduction of belly fat over. Therefore ADF is a good alternative to those who prefer something other than traditional caloric reduction.
The reports of the changes to body composition when you perform ADF are mixed. The good news is, that all of them are positive – the questions often raised by scientists is: Is it more healthy, or comes with more benefits than traditional caloric reduction?
Studies that look into the amount of weight lost point to alternate-day fasting is just as effective as caloric reduction. 3 1
The same goes for studies that look into the retention of muscle mass, where caloric reduction and ADF having equal results.
Type-2 diabetes is all too common, with more than 34 million Americans living with it.
The key to managing the condition is healthy living, and this is where ADF can bring great benefits.
Alternate day fasting has shown to be effective in combatting type-2 diabetes. First off, losing weight is already a good way to improve the condition, but ADF brings other benefits as well.
One of the primary benefits is that ADF helps prevent falling insulin levels. Insulin spikes or throughs can lead to low energy, mood swings, or fatigue, and is one of the most distressing parts of having the condition.
It has been shown in some studies that ADF is more effective than caloric reduction at managing falling insulin levels. However, the evidence isn’t clear, as other studies disagree with this. 4
Even if there isn’t enough scientific evidence to declare ADF to be better than caloric restriction, it is still a safe and healthy choice.
Alternate day fasting is very beneficial to your heart. Practicing ADF can lead to a range of beneficial improvements in your body that help strengthen your most important muscle.
Many of the benefits to your heart are actually a result of the other benefits that we have discussed so far, but here are some of the pros that practicing ADF has on your heart.
The decreases in blood pressure, as well as the improved composition of cholesterol in your blood, is generally a result of reduced weight (Which ADF can help you to achieve)
Intermittent fasting, and therefore also ADF, have been shown to promote the production of Human Growth Hormone.
Human growth hormone is released by your pituitary glands, and it helps regulate a wide range of your bodily functions. Intermittent fasting, in particular 24-hour fasting, has been shown to increase the levels of HGH in the blood. x
This one benefit might be the most attractive part about ADF.
Have you ever cut down on calories, felt awful as a result, but then actually NOT lost much weight at all? If so, then you have probably had a case of adaptive thermogenesis, commonly known as “starvation mode”.
In starvation mode, your body preserves the energy that you actually want to lose. This results in you burning way fewer calories and is believed to happen as a natural defense mechanism against starving. 5
Here’s the good part: ADF does NOT seem to trigger starvation mode. In a 2016 study, researchers compared the change in resting metabolic rate in ADF and caloric restriction. The results showed a massive difference between the two, where caloric restriction showed a reduction in metabolic rate of 6%. ADF only decreased resting metabolic rate by 1%.
This change also persists, as the study contacted the participants again half a year later. Here the resting metabolic rate for the caloric restriction was 4,5% lower, and for ADF it was 1,8% lower.
What this means in practice, is that if you choose ADF over caloric restriction, you are much less likely to hit a “wall” in regards to your weight loss.
As we said at the start, if you want to try out Alternate-day fasting, we recommend starting with 5:2 first. This is because 5:2 has many similarities to Alternate-day fasting, with many of the same benefits as well. However, starting off with an easier version it will be easier to tell if this method of fasting is a good fit for you, and it might reduce potential side effects of fasting.
With that said, here is our guide to getting started with alternate-day fasting, the right way.
As an intermittent fast, there are no real rules for what you can and cannot eat on fasting, or non-fasting days. You can therefore eat whatever you like, but even so, we still recommend sticking to healthy foods, especially if your goal is to lose weight. We recommend high-protein, low-calorie foods.
To combat the hunger, while keeping the fast intact, you should consume low-carb or calorie-free drinks on fasting days. Drinks like: Coffee, tea, and water are all great and you can drink as much of them as you want.
Because you want to keep under the 500 calorie limit (for MADF), we have made some recommendations for meals you can eat:
Overall, ADF is a safe and beneficial form of dieting for most people. It can help you lose weight, and stay slim, as well as give you a range of positive health benefits.
However, ADF is not for all types of people. If you are in any of these categories Alternate-day fasting is NOT safe.
That said, for most people, ADF is a safe form of intermittent fasting, which studies have shown helps to decrease binge-eating, which can help people suffering from depression.
If you are in doubt, you should consult your local health care provider or physician.
The 5:2 diet is currently the most popular and well-known form of intermittent fasting. Also known as The fast diet, after the book of the same name that helped popularize the fast. 5:2 is a very beginner-friendly form of intermittent fasting, which offers many scientifically-backed …
There are many, many different types of intermittent fasting out there. So it is only natural to ask: What is the best intermittent fasting protocol? This is not an easy question to answer on your own, and because of this, we have written this article …
Intermittent fasting is healthy and safe for most people. However, there are a few potential side effects to watch out for. In this article, we discuss potential Intermittent fasting side effects and how you can overcome them.
When you start out fasting, the body can release large amounts of water and salt in a process known as diuresis. This is caused by the body getting used to fasting, and if it happens to you, it is important that you make up for the lost fluids.
If you don’t replace the lost fluids and electrolytes, your body can become dehydrated. This can lead to fatigue, headaches, and a score of other unpleasant side effects.
To stay hydrated, drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially if you are just starting out with intermittent fasting. You can check if you are dehydrated by watching the color of your urine. A dark or heavy yellow color can indicate dehydration. Ideally, it should be clear or pale.
All forms of intermittent fasting involve some change in your eating habits. Because of this, your body can react by becoming fatigued and having lower levels of energy.
Don’t worry – Fatigue and low energy are only temporary. This side effect happens as a result of your body telling you “I need energy now”. However, over time your body will adapt so that you are able to function just as well as when you don’t fast – and probably even better.
If you have been doing intermittent fasting for a few weeks and are still feeling hungry, we recommend trying a different type of intermittent fasting schedule.
This one is no surprise – When you fast, cravings and hunger are common when starting out. Hunger can be a sinister roadblock when you start out with intermittent fasting – you may feel weak or lethargic.
However, the good news is that multiple studies have shown that most people only experience hunger when they start out with intermittent fasting. Towards the 21 day mark, most people have adjusted, and don’t report extra hunger or cravings. Therefore if you are feeling hungry or have cravings, then try to wait it out. Your body will most likely adapt, and you will feel better overall.
One of the most natural responses to feeling hungry is to eat a lot. As a result, some people can actually end up overeating when their fasting periods end.
There is a biological reason for this, as your hormones and brain centers responsible for regulating hunger kick into overdrive when you fast. This can have the negative consequence of having you eat way more than you intend once you finally get to eat.
Of the many intermittent fasting side effects, this one is important to keep an eye on. It’s important to keep whatever medications or medical conditions you have in mind when you start intermittent fasting because they can have potential adverse effects. While most people can do intermittent fasting without any problems. The two major things to watch out for are diabetes and medication that has to be taken with food.
If you suffer from any of these or are otherwise worried, you should consult your doctor or physician before trying intermittent fasting.
This one is related to the hunger side effect. While many people report sleeping better when they do intermittent fasting, there are some who have trouble sleeping. Just like with many other things, you will slowly get used to your new eating habits, and the sleep disturbances will stop.
In a study, it was shown that intermittent fasting has no long-term effect on sleep. This means that most sleep disturbances are probably temporary.
Headaches are a common side effect of intermittent fasting. They are especially common when you just start out with intermittent fasting, and that is with good reason. This is because headaches are a common symptom to changes in your diet.
There can be numerous other causes of your headaches. Notably are caffeine and sugar withdrawal and dehydration. Those who consume less sugar or caffeine than they would before they started fasting actually get worse headaches.
Going on an intermittent fasting eating plan can also cause you to drink less water, which can lead to dehydration which can cause headaches. When you start out intermittent fasting, it is important to drink plenty of water, as water doesn’t break your fast. If you are still experiencing headaches a few weeks into your fast, you might have to look into other probable causes.
Brain fog can set in as a result of a variety of other symptoms you might experience when doing intermittent fasting. You might have trouble sleeping, feel hungry, or disorientated when you start out fasting.
That foggy, confused feeling is common when you start or return to intermittent fasting. Here are a few good tips that help with brain fog and might alleviate other side effects as well.
As with many other symptoms, brain fog usually occurs at the start of fasting and usually subsides after a few weeks.
The opposite problem of overeating is that some people can become malnourished when doing intermittent fasting.
The problem usually occurs if you don’t properly plan your fasting. While it is important to restrict your caloric intake during the fasting periods to experience the positive effects of intermittent fasting, it is equally important to get a healthy intake of calories when you are able to eat.
Therefore it is helpful to follow a structured diet plan, to make sure you get the right nutrition when you fast. High-quality nutrition can even be extra beneficial for intermittent fasting
One unfortunate side effect you might experience when doing intermittent fasting is bad breath. This usually occurs due to two things: Dehydration and a change in metabolism. When you are dehydrated, you tend to have less saliva, which can lead to unpleasant smells staying in the mouth instead of being washed away.
If you think you are dehydrated or have a parched throat, you can drink as much water as you want when you do fasting – it doesn’t break your fast.
The second cause is harder to get rid of. When you switch to intermittent fasting, your body performs ketosis, which is a healthy way of burning fat as fuel for your body. This has a number of positive effects, however, burning fat has ammonia as a by-product, which can cause a bad smell.
If you experience persistent bad breath, some breath-mints or chewing gum can save you. As long as they don’t contain any calories, you aren’t at risk of breaking your fast.
There are many potential intermittent fasting side effects. However, most of them are totally harmless. In addition, most side effects only happen as a result of switching to a fasting lifestyle, and will quickly disappear as your body gets used to IF.
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The Ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet, that has been getting a lot of attention recently.
The ketogenic diet allows you to eat delicious, high-fat foods like eggs or bacon while cutting sugars. This makes for a healthy and pleasant diet that can kick weight loss into overdrive.
A ketogenic diet is a combination of a very low carbohydrate intake, which is replaced by a high fat intake.
This reduction in easily digestible carbs like sugar or white bread, makes the body go into something called ketosis.
ketosis is a metabolic state, where the body becomes extremely proficient at burning fat. It does this by using chemicals called ketones. These are made in the liver under ketosis. The ketones are made by burning fat, and they are the energy that your body then uses instead of sugars.
If you go on the ketogenic diet it brings with it a lot of healthy changes for your body. These changes come about as a result of something called ketosis.
When your body is in ketosis, studies have shown that your blood sugar and insulin levels fall dramatically. This is a healthy thing for most anybody but can be especially beneficial if you suffer from diabetes. (1)
Other studies have shown that an increased level of ketones in the blood can actually help with certain cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.
The most popular way of doing a keto diet is the Standard ketogenic diet. This consists of 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates.(n) This ratio can be tweaked and customized to fit your needs, but should always be done with the help of a trained dietician or medical professional.
One way of doing this is to find out your maximum daily intake of carbs to reach ketosis. (2) This is different from person to person, but is usually around 20-50g of carbohydrates a day
Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body burns fat for energy, instead of sugars. Your body can undergo ketosis if you highly restrict your intake of sugars, essentially forcing your body to burn its deposits of fat.
In practice, this will only happen when sugars aren’t available. This is because sugar or carbohydrates are among the most easily digested foods.
Going on the Ketogenic diet sets up the perfect environment for your body to reach ketosis.
However, there are ways you can help the process along beside the ketogenic diet. For example, intermittent fasting helps. This is because intermittent fasting reduces your intake of food completely during certain timeframes. This leads your body to have to burn fat as sugars are quickly used by the body during fasts.
Starting on a ketogenic diet can seem like a daunting task, but in reality, it is really easy. Unlike with many other diets, you still have access to very tasty and filling foods.
Here are some of our tips to get a good start on a ketogenic diet:
The hardest thing about a ketogenic diet is avoiding high-carb foods. Many of the processed foods you find in supermarkets have a very high carbohydrate count. So when out shopping pays a little extra attention to what is often termed “energy” on the nutrient infobox. Other than that, going on a ketogenic diet should be an easy and healthy journey.
Foods to avoid:
On a keto diet, you want foods high in good fat and low in carbs.
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