Need a Fasting Tracker? Good! These apps are the best thing out there to keep you in line and on track to reaching all of your weight loss or fitness goals!
Intermittent Fasting over the years has become a hot lifestyle trend since so many people find it easy to do. Just eat sensibly what you want, during a certain set of hours. No crazy dieting. And no feelings of starvation.
However, this technique will take a little more preparation and some good ol’ know-how. In this article we are going to cover everything you need to know. From apps to fasting times, treats like soda and even weight watchers. If you’re ready, let’s do this baby!
Fasting Tracker Best Apps AND How to Do Intermittent Fasting Right
Okay, before we breakdown Intermittent Fasting in extreme detail. Let’s talk about getting you a Fasting Tracker. Why should you use one?
Well, when it comes to losing unwanted pounds or maintaining a desired weight; I think we all can attest that it takes a strong focus and consistent regiment. You MUST stay on yourself.
Some of us have an easy time being strict with ourselves. Others of us struggle immensely (Lol). Which is why downloading a Fasting Tracker app to help you be successful with fasting can be the best thing you ever do. Here is a little cheat of some of the more popular ones:
Fasting Tracker Apps People Love:
- SIMPLE Intermittent Fasting App
- FASTIENT
- BODYFAST
- FEMOMETER FASTING
- VORA
- ZERO CALORIES Intermittent Fasting App
- LIFE FASTING TRACKER
A Fasting Tracker app will help you do a bunch things. Take a personalized approach in: Meal Tracking, Calorie Control, Personal Coaching and more. Each app is different, and each one offers various features. Some will even have you take a short quiz in order to help you truly design an individual plan. Therefore, if you are serious about learning how to fast right, get an app to expertly guide you, provide insights and promote accountability.
Intermittent Fasting 101 -Not a Diet, A Controlled Eating Strategy
Intermittent Fasting is NOT a diet. Forget any lie, myth, or any other things in general you have read; because most people have this form of consumption all wrong. Therefore, what are the differences?
In a nutshell, you simply have to look at and examine the way dieting and fasting are structured. You see dieting restricts what types of foods or how much of them you eat. For instance, some choose to cut out all sugar, meat or carbs. While others may decide to skip out on certain food items that personally make them bloat or gain weight.
Whatever they choose to omit; the point is that they are cutting out particular food groups or restricting them. That is dieting when you really boil it all down. You are restricting how you normally eat in hopes of losing unwanted fat. So then what is intermittent fasting?
“IF” (intermittent fasting) is more of a strategy that is utilized to help a person control their eating habits. When engaging in the IF strategy a person is not necessarily restricting foods, but time.
By making the window of food consumption smaller that means less time you are eating during the day. In turn, the less time you are eating; the less calories you are likely to consume. Make sense?
So then, this means that if you are fasting your eating is broken up into various windows. You have your feeding window (the time during the day that you eat food). Also, your fasting window (when you consume no calories or food).
My Fasting Plan -All You Have to Do and Will Be Doing Daily
What happens during these two blocks of time? Let’s start with the fun part… eating (LOL)! In the Feeding window you can eat pretty normally. You are allowed take in protein, vegetables, carbs, fats and fruits. Yet, once the feeding window has come to an end; you must be willing to put the fork down.
The hard part of Intermittent Fasting, is of course, the fasting. It takes a little bit of will power, but if you can do it; you may find it to be an easier method for controlling your weight.
During the Fasting window you literally consume ZERO calories or food. However, you can consume zero calorie drinks. So water, coffee and tea are still up for grabs and will most likely become your fasting friends.
While there has been proof through studies that Intermittent Fasting could improve growth hormone production as well as metabolism. It is still very much up for debate. Therefore, if IF works for you, your lifestyle and most importantly your schedule then go for it.
Intermittent Fasting Plan for Women -Best Times for Fasting
You may be wondering how to break up your time. How much time should be devoted to Feeding. Plus, how much should go towards Fasting.
Well, truthfully your schedule should play into it. For example, someone who works the night shift probably wouldn’t be on the same eating schedule as someone who works during the daytime.
A good rule of thumb is to basically wait about 5 hours after you have woken up to start eating. So if you got up at 6 in the morning you would begin eating at 11. Therefore, when do you stop consuming food?
It is recommended to stop eating around 3 hours before your bedtime. So if you tend to go to bed around 10, you should stop winding down eating around 7 in the evening. The goal should be to work towards 16/8 split. Fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8 hours.
Nonetheless, that is something to work up to. Start off with a 14/10 split. After that becomes a habit and easier to do, then start making your Feeding window smaller.
Fasting for 14 Hours
This daily habit has been shown to help people not only lose body weight; but improvements have been seen in belly fat and feeling more energetic! Great news!
So how does one go about breaking up there food time schedule? Well, if you want to do a fast for 14 hours this means that you should eat for 10 hours, then fast for the other 14. Easy.
Moreover, many find this schedule easier to stick when it comes to other fasting time selections. So then, if you are new to fasting this might be a good fit for you. Of course, you will have to try it out; because remember, it is all about finding the time slot that works best for you and your daily life activities.
Some tips for breaking your 14 Hour Fast are:
- Break the fast with a light breakfast. Try a liquid meal (smoothie/shake) or soft food like oatmeal or eggs.
- If you are breaking your fast post an intense workout, be sure to include protein in your meal.
- Avoid processed foods like the Black Plague.
- Remember to resist the urge to pig out and eat fast. Really enjoy your meal and eat slowly.
- Use a Fasting Tracker -These Fasting Tracker apps will help especially if you are a first timer or if you need help building a consistent schedule
Intermittent Fasting and Weight Watchers -The Popular Support to Fast Tracker Apps and Fasting
Can Intermittent Fasting and Weight Watchers work together? Most definitely. The iconic weight loss company has their specific formula for helping women lose a ton. However, they well understand that a healthy lifestyle is not a “one size fits all approach.”
The Weight Watchers global director of nutrition, Zoe Grittiths, shed some helpful light onto this subject. Zoe states,
“We don’t recommend any approach to eating that is overly-restrictive; but for some members, limiting eating to certain times of the day can be a helpful behavioral strategy. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to adopting a healthier pattern of eating. What’s important is finding foods you enjoy and establishing an eating pattern you can live on for the long term. One that doesn’t leave you feeling overly hungry, which can lead to overeating and feelings of restriction that are unsustainable.
Developing a healthier pattern of eating and achieving sustainable weight loss is not about quick fixes. If restricting the times of the day that you eat fits with your family; fits with your lifestyle and doesn’t leave you feeling restricted. In other words, is something that you feel that you could love with for the long term, then it may be a helpful strategy.”
So is fasting something you can see yourself doing for years to come? If you can strongly answer yes, then as Zoe mentioned; intermittent fasting might just be the right weight loss solution for you!
If you feel like it is and you also love using Weight Watchers, then read on for some helpful tips from WW to make fasting and Weight Watchers work in the right way.
Weight Watchers and Intermittent Fasting -Tips On How to Utilize and Combine These Strategies Correctly
What does Weight Watchers suggest when it comes to combining their more than 60 years of scientifically proven weight loss strategies with intermittent fasting? The health company says to consider a 16:8 approach. Where you eat for eight hour window, then fast for the other 16 hours of the day.
Some other things when it comes to food choices that WW recommends are:
- Including Foods from a variety of food groups (this not only makes sure you get all of the necessary nutrients for the day, but will also help you beat food boredom).
- Eat Regularly (start and stop at the same time each day, use a Fast Tracker to help you).
- Don’t drink your calories, consume them (eating will always give you more “fullness” than downing a liquid meal).
- Eat Slowly (this will lead to sustained increases in fullness and reductions in hunger).
- Make Food Choices That Will Fill You Up (staying full, means less temptation to snack during your “fast” time).
Eating complex carbs like oatmeal can help impact satiety. Also, be sure to get plenty of protein. Protein rich foods literally alter hormones that regulate how we feel when it comes to appetite and satiety. Some examples of protein would be:
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- one cup of cooked lentils
Also, eat nuts, greek yogurt, brothy soup, eggs, non-starchy veggies and avocado to help get nice and full. Fasting can help you to reach and maintain your weight goals. But even with the help of Weight Watchers it is important to think ahead and select food options that will encourage you to fill up and not have to break your fast.
Intermittent Fasting Acne: Is it True… Does Intermittent Fasting Clear Skin?
Pimples, bumps, acne, whatever you want to call it, is a total pain in the butt (lol). They show up at all the wrong times, and just make life the pits. However, you may be happy to learn that intermittent fasting can actually IMPROVE acne! How?
Well it does this through what’s known as regulation as well as detoxification. What is that? Detoxification is the removal of toxic substances from the body.
When insulin levels are high your hormones can go totally haywire. They receive the unfortunate cue to produce a ton more sebum due to the stress hormone, cortisol. An overload of sebum can clog your pores and cause a breakout of acne. Not good.
So the name of the game here is regulating cortisol levels, reducing excessive sebum production and detoxing yourself. Therefore, how does fasting help your skin in this case? Simple… caloric restriction aka fasting can help to suppress pro-inflammatory proteins and reduce subum levels. In some studies, fasting reduced sebum levels by a whopping 40%!
Moreover, Fasting can do much in the way of regulating blood glucose levels. Regulating your blood sugar not only helps your mood (reducing your need for a Snickers Mrs. Hangry lol); but regulation can keep skin from becoming too dry or causing collagen damage.
All in all, researchers believe not only can intermittent fasting help reduce your acne, but also improve skin tone and texture! So if you are wanting to clear your skin, resolve inflammation, along with a host of other skin issues; then your healthy journey with intermittent diet could just be the key!
Chewing Gum While Fasting -The Good, The Bad or Perhaps Ugly?
Okay… so you won’t be eating throughout most of the day. This is an entirely new realm for a lot of people. We grow up being taught to eat three meals (and at times snacks) throughout the day.
With fasting this no longer what you do. Some many look for options to help them stick to their restricted diet schedules. As mentioned a large amount of people choose to download a Fasting Tracker for support and weight management. Another option is chewing gum.
However, many wonder if the sugar in gum affects “the fast.” Well, according to one study published by Healthline; chewing gum for 30 minutes did not affect the insulin levels of participants who were fasting. Moreover, other studies have been conducted also confirming that may not actually break your fast because of blood sugar or insulin levels.
Nevertheless, if you are still worried about chewing gum, it may be best to opt for the sugar-free version instead. POPSUGAR approached a real doctor to get his thoughts. Dr. Fung revealed,
“Yes, sweeteners can certainly produce an insulin response, but generally for gum; the effect is so small that there is likely no problem from it. So yes, technically it does break the fast, but no, it usually doesn’t matter.”
HOWEVER, the real issue here, is that everyone handles sugar free candy differently. There are those who will secrete insulin in response to calorie-free sweeteners. Thus, breaking their fast. To know where you stand, you would literally need to test your blood glucose levels everyday to see what’s up.
Extended Fasting for Weight Loss – What is Autophagy? The Benefits and the Science
What in the world is autophagy? One of the hottest new buzzwords in health and nutrition is leaving a few of us sort of confused. Well, grab your electronic notepads because today we are going to set the record straight by giving a quick overview of what it is exactly and discuss a few of its benefits.
To fast or not to fast? That is a major diet question that has been debated for a number of years; and is a key component of autophagy. Many women swear by it, not only for weight control, but claim it also helps to achieve greater physical as well as mental efficiency.
While eating absolutely nothing is very dangerous. Intermittent fasting is becoming more and more popular. Nevertheless, it is of note that fasting is NOT where you go all day without eating anything.
When it comes to intermittent fasting many women and men choose two days a week to eat only between 500-600 calories on those selected days. Therefore, it is more about a reduction of calorie intake on certain days of the week.
Furthermore, there’s also time restricted fasting. This is where all calories are eaten up until a certain time. For instance, eating may end at around 5 or 6 p.m. then once again resume the following morning at 7 a.m. These types of fastings help dieters to manage their cravings and put them on the road to long-term successful weight loss. Now that we have all of that information out the way let’s connect all the dots.
Fasting for Weight Loss -Making Autophagy Work for You!
Okay, so by now you may be thinking… I thought we were talking about the subject of autophagy? How does all of this information relate to each other? Autophagy has a direct connection to fasting.
Well, one of the major benefits of fasting is that it increases autophagy. If you look it up you will come to find that autophagy is the breakdown of old, junky cells in our body; to be be used as fuel since there is a lack of fuel (food) coming in. Get it now?
For illustrative purposes, think of it like having a bonfire. Next to that bonfire you have a pile of scrap wood pieces as well as old furniture. You now have two choices. You have the choice of cutting down a tree and chopping up the wood for the fire (eating). Or you can choose to use up some of this old wood/furniture lying around (body fat, junky protein and bad cells).
As one can see, most of us would rather use up the junky stuff because it’s better for the environment and still will help achieve the same end goal. The same is true with fasting and autophagy. Doing it can be beneficial and still help to achieve the lifestyle goal of weight control. Basically, you get to help take out the “trash” in your body while also having an avenue to maintain a trimmer physique.
Intermittent Fasting Protein Shake
As mentioned, protein is your best friend when you are losing weight. It not only will help you build quality muscle (by the way, muscle burns more calories than fat, so you do want muscle); but it will help boost metabolism and keep you feeling fuller longer. Therefore, getting enough protein everyday can help you stay on the right fitness, health and weight loss path.
When should consume protein during the day? Is there a peak time? This is a hot topic and quite debatable. Some say during your workout, others after. Yet, plenty of research shows that it boils down to the amount of protein that you consume per day, period; when it comes to gaining muscle mass. Therefore, it comes down to preference. Many get a big boost by having protein after their workout, but you must find what works for you.
Do you know a simple protein shake to make? No problem, try this!
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup of ice cubes
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup
- 1 scoop of protein powder
Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and enjoy! You may also toss in some frozen fruit, nut butter, vanilla or cinnamon, spinach/kale or cacao powder for even more delicious flavor.
Intermittent Fasting Diet Soda -No Fasting Tracker Needed!
It is always nice to have a treat to enjoy even when you are trying to lose weight or shape up. One treat people always LOVE and have a difficult time giving up is soda. It’s just fizzy, sugary goodness that can be quite addictive.
Is there an option that could work as a good soda replacement? Yes! Next, time you want a soda, instead of Coke, Pepsi or Sprite reach for a can of La Croix. People love this drink because it contains:
- Zero Calories
- No Sweeteners
- And Absolutely No Sodium
Perfect right? Plus, this sparkling beverage contains natural essence of flavors like Peach-Pear. Nevertheless, if you still would like a little more “taste.” Try mixing up your own La Croix with a little bit of your favorite juice! We have tried this and it is wonderful. Enjoy!
Fasting for 18 Hours -Extreme or Helpful?
Fasting for 18 hours is one of the most difficult fasts that you can do. It is a grueling schedule that basically boils down to you getting around two full meals in a day. Also, some health professionals believe that you could potentially put your body in starvation mode; causing your body to actually hold onto fat! Not good.
This would completely defeat the purpose of having a fasting tracker app, watching your diet and what you eat or working out. If you can’t lose the fat, then you can’t see results.
Nevertheless, some still do see great results eating for 6 hours total and fasting for 18 hours. As we have stressed throughout this article, if it works for you, do it! This is your life, so live accordingly.
Some good things to eat during an 18 hour fast are:
- Vegetables
- Dried Fruits
- Soups
- Healthy Nuts
- Fermented Foods
- Beans
- Eggs
- Zero Calorie Beverages (i.e. coffee, water or tea)
- Lean Meats
The key is not to overindulge or pig out since you know you will only be eating for 6 hours. You still want to eat sensibly. Nonetheless, the reason why even bodybuilders fast is because it helps to lose fat quickly while still maintaining muscle mass.
With the 18 hour fast you can experience this too. By hour 12, your body enters the metabolic state well known as ketosis; this where your body starts to break down and burn fat! By hour 18 you have switched to fat burning mode and are generating significant ketones and can accelerate ketone production further with heart-pumping exercise.
This is what makes 18 hour fasting so attractive. Is it for you? Well, if you can do so healthily, consistently and not sacrifice any quality of life, then this fast option might just be up your alley.
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