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Intermittent fasting has become a popular tool to help your body stay in ketosis (or fat burning mode) longer by going several hours without eating.
The Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting
About 3 years ago, I started learning more about the keto diet and how eating super low carb (20 carbs a day or less) could have its health benefits.
But to be honest, I was very skeptical.
There was a lot of mixed information on the keto diet and intermittent fasting, but some studies really stood out to me and caught my attention that this was at least something I wanted to look further into myself.
At this point, I probably had 3-5 pounds that I wanted to lose, which I wasn’t too concerned about… but it would be nice to fit back into my favorite jeans.
The real benefits that I was interested in was better blood sugar control, less sugar cravings, all day energy, and the brain boosting benefits too. You can learn more about those in my keto webinar.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is going for a certain amount of time without food.
In the first book I read about using this as a reset tool – it mentioned doing it once a week – which is a great start! This can actually be something that you add into every day… just depending on your schedule.
Most commonly intermittent fasting is anywhere between 12-16 hours without food. What I’ve read is 12-14 is best for women.
Here are some of the basic benefits of using intermittent fasting:
1 – Lowered Insulin Levels
2 – Cellular Repair
3 – Protection against Diseases
4 – Longevity
5 – Weight Loss (especially belly fat – the most unhealthy kind!)
6 – Reduced Inflamation
7 – Good for your Heart
8 – Great for your Brain Health
How Did I Get Started
Modified Intermittent Fasting
I was already eating low carb (which is the way I normally ate since I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy). I would say less than 150 carbs per day, but nothing close to 20 carbs a day.
Whatever I did, I wanted to ease into it and really make simple lifestyle changes that would last longer than a few months.
What I learned was that I could get the same benefits of intermittent fasting if I kept my macros (the fat, protein, and carbs) at a certain level – and “fast” even longer by staying full.
One way to do this is to make sure that you only eat fat macros and avoid protein and carbohydrate macros.
I changed my coffee.
If you have been around me for any time at all you would know that I’m a coffee drinker… not just a causal coffee drinker though, I love drinking coffee.
I drink it in the morning.
I drink it in the afternoon.
I drink it in the evening.
I drink coffee. okay?
So, when I saw that I could get the benefits of intermittent fasting without having to change my routine much at all… I got really interested.
I changed my morning coffee.
Instead of drinking my regular cup of coffee. I started drinking keto coffee.
What I noticed first was that I was staying full longer than before, so I could delay lunch for hours before getting hungry. I also noticed that I was having less cravings and afternoon crashes than before.
Which for someone who has struggled with balancing my blood sugar before, this was all good things!
After about a month, I realized that my clothes were fitting better too – which was something I wasn’t really expecting since I wasn’t working out and really didn’t feel like I was “dieting” or changing much of anything.
What might your day look like?
Start your morning with Keto Coffee (This will curb your craving and give your body superfuel to burn fat right from the start!)
Drink a Green Superfood in the mid-morning (10-11 AM) to get all the vitamins and minerals you might need more of, plus it’s a natural energy boost!
Eat a Low Carb/High Fat lunch (or add a chocolate shake)
Eat a Low Carb/High Fat Dinner
(Don’t eat again until the next day – Your Fast starts after dinner)
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