Keto and Intermittent Fasting — How They Work, Benefits + Diet Plan
The fitness world is divided. Some favor exercising, others prefer dieting or fasting! Keto and intermittent fasting are two of the latest debate topics for health fanatics who claim one is better than the other.
Now, we don’t know which one is better. But, we think you should combine Keto and Intermittent fasting together and see the game-changing benefits for yourself!
Curious to know what happens when you combine the two health practices? Read till the end!
What Is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
Intermittent fasting is of many types. It is when you don’t consume any calories (food or drink) for a particular time period.
Unlike dieting, fasting focuses on when to eat – not what to eat.
The most famous type of IF is the 16:8 formula. In this, you fast for 16 hours in the day, and eat in the remaining 8. It follows all the rules of monk fasting but only for 16 hours at a time.
When you learn how to do intermittent fasting, you not only can reduce weight but also get rid of illnesses. All thanks to processes like autophagy (cell renewal) that take place when you fast for long.
For most, it’s the weight loss characteristic that attracts them to this fasting method. And why not? After all, research suggests that you can lose up to 11 pounds in 10 weeks by just having a late breakfast. (1)
Read More: What are Fasting Headaches?
How Does IF Work?
Intermittent fasting gives your body enough time to digest the last meal and use its energy for good. It gives your body time to heal itself before the next food item disturbs it with yet another chore of digestion.
During intermittent fasting, your bodies rely more heavily on fat energy stores. Thus, allowing them to burn more fat more quickly and effectively.
You see, glucose from carbs is our most direct fuel source. But when glucose isn’t available, we burn fat for energy.
When you practice intermittent fasting every day, your body burns fat every day while also using dying cells along the way. Thus, detoxifying and getting rid of waste from your body that may otherwise weaken your immunity.
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What Is The Keto Diet?
The Keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It’s best for people who find it difficult to fast or exercise for long periods but still wish to lose weight.
While weight loss is not the only keto diet benefit, there’s no denying it’s the most attractive one.
How Does Keto Work?
When your body doesn’t get enough carbs from food, it goes into the metabolic state of ketosis and starts burning its fat reserves. This produces ketones which act as an energy source alternative to glucose.
When following the keto diet, your body may have a tough time adjusting. You may experience issues like keto insomnia or keto diarrhea.
But hydrating properly and making slow changes to your diet will help you pass through the stage of keto flu symptoms and be able to enjoy the benefits.
Should You Combine Both Keto And Intermittent Fasting?
Yes!
And it’s not tough.
All you need to do is change the diet you consume during the 8 hours feeding period after you fast.
Instead of regular food, you can have foods you can eat on keto. And that won’t be difficult because high-fat food is more fulfilling. This diet reduces appetite which will help you fast for longer without craving food.
You can also start with a keto diet plan and slowly increase the gap (from 12 hours to 16) between your dinner and the next day’s breakfast with every passing day.
Health Benefits Of Combining Intermittent Fasting With A Keto Diet
Faster Weight Loss
The Keto diet helps your body get into ketosis where it burns fat for fuel. Intermittent fasting too helps burn fat for energy when you don’t eat any food (including carbs) for long. (2)
The weight-loss properties of each get enhanced when they are skillfully combined.
That’s right! While Keto tells your body to metabolize stored fat, Intermittent fasting increases the production of heat to burn that fat. Thus, proving themselves as established weight loss methods. (3)
Cell renewal
Intermittent fasting triggers a process called Autophagy. This is a cellular “spring cleaning” process. It helps keep tissues healthy by digesting old damaged cells and creating new healthy ones. (4)
When you combine intermittent fasting with a low-carb diet, you speed up the elimination of dying cells that were once affected due to glycation.
Glycation occurs when excess glucose is present in skin fibers. This reaction leads to adhesion between sugar molecules and the collagen and elastin proteins. These proteins are crucial for skin health. So, when glycation happens, the risk of skin aging increases. (5)
But thanks to low-carb meals in the keto diet, you can avoid glycation and use intermittent fasting to kill off the affected cells.
More Energy and Productivity
When you practice the keto diet alone, you may experience keto flu symptoms like keto diarrhea and fatigue. But the increased water intake during the fasting phase will help reduce the effect of keto flu.
If you use electrolyte water instead of regular purified water, your energy levels will stay high.
Keto flu symptoms will not bring your health down at the moment, so you will be able to focus on your work throughout the day instead of getting fed up with the side effects of the diet.
Diet Plan To Follow Keto Diet And Intermittent Fasting Together
There are many ways of practicing intermittent fasting. You can either skip your breakfast or your dinner. Or you can have an early breakfast and no lunch if dinner or breakfast is essential for you.
The easiest way probably would be to delay breakfast a little because many of us don’t feel hungry right after we wake up.
If that’s true for you, you can try the following diet plan after consulting your doctor. If you are diabetic, check out this diet plan we have for you.
Day 1
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto spinach-artichoke chicken
Day 2
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Sugar-free keto chocolate pudding
4:00 PM – Lunch: Chicken sausages
8:00 PM – Dinner: Lemon-garlic chicken
Day 3
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Keto burger buns
4:00 PM – Lunch: Cobb egg salad
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto beef tacos
Day 4
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Keto cinnamon rolls
4:00 PM – Lunch: Keto mac n cheese
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto chicken parmesan
Day 5
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Keto pumpkin bread
4:00 PM – Lunch: Tuna salad
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto fried chicken
Day 6
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Keto pancakes
4:00 PM – Lunch: Keto broccoli salad
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto BBQ ribs
Day 7
12:15 PM – Breakfast: Keto smoothie
4:00 PM – Lunch: Keto egg salad
8:00 PM – Dinner: Keto pepperoni pizza
Takeaway
Keto and intermittent fasting are both ancient practices that involve the same nutritional principles.
Keto removes the sugar that can harm cells while fueling new cells with energy-dense ketones. And intermittent fasting gives your body ample time to heal.
Both of them cure certain diseases, get rid of that excess fat, and make your relationship with food better.
It’s time you experience the best of both worlds – keto and intermittent fasting and get double goodness for your body!
Are you ready to try them together? If you have any doubts, share them in the comments below.
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