The term “Intermittent Fasting” is everywhere these days, and not without a good reason. Celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Jenifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Terry Crews, and many others swear by Intermittent Fasting.

At first, fasting may seem scary, but the truth is that Intermittent Fasting is the hottest trend these days for losing weight while holding as much muscle as possible.

Meal plans for Intermittent Fasting help you take this one step further by creating a lifestyle for you where it provides you with many other potential health benefits. It is easy for someone who has never fasted before.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is also known as the fast diet, involves alternating cycles of eating and fasting to achieve health and weight loss benefits. There Is a common misconception about Intermittent Fasting that it is a diet. It is not a diet but a dieting pattern that people observe, each with their own goal.

Intermittent Fasting does not tell you what to eat and what not to eat, but it does tell you When to eat. During the eating period, you can eat whatever you want, but during the fasting period, you can only consume drinks with ZERO calories which include: water, black coffee, tea without milk and sugar, apple cider vinegar, and other non-caloric beverages.

Different Types of Intermittent Fasting

If you are interested in giving Intermittent Fasting a try, you will be pleased to know that there are multiple ways to approach it.

Here are the few most-followed types of Intermittent Fasting plans for you to consider:

1. The 12 Hours Fast: Also known as the 12/12 method, is one of the easiest types of Intermittent Fasting and is perfect for beginners.

In this method, you fast for 12 hours and eat all your meals within the next 12 hours window. For instance, if you have a last meal at 8 pm then you would not eat anything until 8 am. Many of us have a craving for late-night snacks or having tea or coffee after waking up, you must control your urges.

2. The 16/8 Method: This method is similar to the 12/12 method. But in this method, you eat all your meals within an 8-hour timeframe and fast for the remaining 16 hours. One way to follow this method easily is to skip breakfast.

3. The 20/4 Method: This method is also similar to the 12/12 method. In this method, the intermittent fasting starts to get intense as you eat all your meals within the 4-hour timeframe and fast for the remaining 20 hours.

4. Alternate Day Fasting: Alternate Day Fasting is where you a one fast day and one feed day alternatively. On feed day you can eat whatever you want, but on a fast day, you consume only 25 % of your normal calorie intake. On a fast day, you have to eat only protein, vegetables, and healthy foods and avoid sugar and starch.

5. Eat-Stop-Eat: This is the most intense and challenging Intermittent Fasting method. In this method, for one or two days each week, you have to fast for a full 24 hours.

6. 5/2 Moderate Fast: In this method, for 5 days of the week you can eat anything you want, but for the other 2 days you can eat only 500 to 600 calories.

Benefits of Meal Plans for Intermittent Fasting

If meal plans for Intermittent Fasting are followed consistently, it can provide you with many health benefits. Numerous studies and researches have been done to highlight the benefits of Intermittent Fasting. Some of the benefits are:

1. Helps to Lose Weight – A study by Obesity Journal has evidenced that Intermittent Fasting can help you to lose weight. It lowers your appetite, improves your metabolism. This is a fat burning fasting, having no negative effect on the energy level.

2. Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes – Type 2 diabetes is getting quite common these days especially among people aging 35 years and above. The main reason for developing diabetes is being overweight or obese. Research has shown that intermittent fasting decreases blood glucose and insulin levels in those who are at risk. Also, drop-in insulin levels further facilitate fat burning, and at the same time increasing levels of a hormone that supports muscle gain.

3. Improves Your Brain Health – Intermittent Fasting could also reduce the risk of many neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and strokes.

4. Increase Your Cardiovascular Health – Year by year, heart disease fatalities are on the rise in the UK. Intermittent Fasting can be beneficial for your heart. It helps to improve several risk factors by lowering total LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers within the circulatory system.

5. Increases Your Lifespan – Intermittent Fasting could help you to achieve waste removal and complete cellular repair, which in turn activates the molecules and genes that promote longevity and disease prevention. Many studies have also found that Intermittent Fasting can reduce Oxidative Stress which is a key component in chronic diseases and aging.

Read “Importance of Meal Plans and a Balanced Diet”

Which Meal Plans for Intermittent Fasting is best for you?

It is important to remember that there are various Intermittent Fasting Diet Meal Plans, each comes with their own benefits. So, choosing which interment fasting diet is best for you can be a hard decision especially if you are a beginner. There are a few main things that you should, and you must take into consideration before taking any decision.

If you are a beginner and you already are not used to depriving yourself of food, then following one of the advanced plans like the 5/2 Moderate Fast is a bad idea. Instead, consider going for one of the easier plans like the 12-hour fast or 16:8  Method.

At Reubens Gourmet Meal Plan, we have a team of qualified nutritionists to find the best plan for you. We take the work out of meal preparation by delivering a variety of meals straight to your door and makes it easy for you to stick with your diet goal.

Get in touch with us to find the healthy meal plan for intermittent fasting for you and begin your healthy journey with us.