Wednesday , February 28 2024
Intermittent Fasting And Keto

Intermittent Fasting And Keto: Is It Advisable To Combine The Two?

Fasting can help achieve therapeutic ketosis and accelerate weight loss on a keto diet, in addition to offering numerous health advantages.

Intermittent fasting is an intentional approach to eating that alternates between periods of eating and non-eating. Because there’s no specific diet required to practice intermittent fasting, anyone can adopt this lifestyle change and incorporate it into any eating plan.

Intermittent fasting can help accelerate weight loss and metabolism, reduce feelings of hunger and satiety, enhance mental clarity and brain health, as well as increasing metabolic flexibility by decreasing your daily food consumption.

However, be mindful that fasting can produce unpleasant side effects in some individuals – including irritability, headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Before making fasting part of your lifestyle plan, if you have medical conditions, it is wise to consult your physician first.

If you are planning to follow intermittent fasting with the keto diet and want to know whether it is right for you, keep reading. 

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a type of eating pattern that includes eating normally and then fasting for a specific time period. It does not constitute a diet but more so an eating plan tailored specifically to meet individual lifestyle and need requirements.

One of the main advantages of intermittent fasting is increasing your body’s ability to use fat stores as energy rather than carbohydrates for fuel, leading to weight loss.

Intermittent fasting comes in many different forms, from daily 16-hour fasts alternate-day fasting, and whole-day fasting. No matter which one you try first, start slowly and build up your tolerance to fasting until it becomes part of your regular lifestyle. Read more about intermittent fasting in this article here.

What Is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that causes ketosis, i.e., the production of ketones by breaking down fatty acids by the liver leading to weight loss. While initially designed as an epilepsy treatment solution, more recently, it has also been demonstrated to aid weight reduction.

A standard keto diet typically consists of 70-80% fats, 10-20% proteins, and 5-10% carbohydrates. This includes foods such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and high-fat dairy products.

On average, it will take your body about 72 hours to start burning fat instead of carbs, and you can enter ketosis by eating less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily.

Should You Combine Keto and Intermittent Fasting?

Both keto and intermittent fasting have demonstrated significant health advantages on their own. However, combining the two strategies could produce the optimal results.

Research shows that both keto and intermittent fasting can help with weight loss. They have also been proven to enhance insulin sensitivity and decrease cholesterol levels – two benefits useful in treating various health conditions.

For most people, combining the keto diet with intermittent fasting is safe. However, these diets have their own side-effects, can combine them may not be suitable for everyone. 

For example, people with certain health conditions or eating disorders must avoid these diets. Apart from that, the diet is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women. 

Side effects of keto and intermittent diet include, keto flu, fatigue, digestive problems, weakness, lethargy, dehydration, headache, etc. So, before you decide to combine the two, consult a doctor for advice. 

Potential Benefits of Practicing Keto and Intermittent Fasting Together

The Keto diet and intermittent fasting are two of the hottest health trends today, offering numerous potential health benefits for your body. These are two extreme forms of diet that are highly restrictive and may lead to plenty of side effects. However, there are also some potential benefits if practicing these diets together. Here are a few of them:

May Smooth Your Path To Ketosis

While keto and intermittent fasting don’t need to go hand in hand. Doing both together may offer additional advantages that you might enjoy. A keto diet forces your body to switch its fuel source from glucose to burning fat as its primary fuel source, leading to weight loss and improved heart health. Intermittent fasting also helps your body to enter into ketosis. So, by following both diets together, you can smoothly pave your path to ketosis for weight loss. For optimal success when combining keto and intermittent fasting (IF), ensure you follow a meal plan designed to increase ketone production while providing ample nutrition.

May Lead To More Fat Loss

The Keto diet and intermittent fasting both can provide potential weight loss, increased energy, and metabolic improvements. These diets have been shown to enhance metabolic flexibility. Enabling your body to switch between burning carbohydrates (via glucose) and fats as needed for fuel when required. Adopting this approach allows you to keep your calories and nutrients within an appropriate range for an entire day. Thereby helping you feel full for longer and leading to more fat loss. 

Helps With Weight Loss

Keto and intermittent fasting can help you shed unwanted weight through various means. Reducing caloric intake could contribute to weight loss. Ketogenic diets also offer another important advantage – staying full for longer. This can be especially beneficial when trying to lose weight. However, both diets can have negative consequences, so it is better to consult a professional.  

Improved Mental Health

Studies have demonstrated the positive influence of the keto diet on mental health. Consuming a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates reduces symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. The ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting have also been demonstrated to boost GABA, the brain neurotransmitter responsible for sleep, stress management, and mood regulation. 

Heart Health

Intermittent fasting  significantly improves heart health. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated its efficacy against diabetes, cholesterol levels, and even depression. A ketogenic diet lowers your blood pressure and blood triglycerides.

Conclusion

An intermittent fasting keto approach offers an effective weight loss solution with proven scientific support. It has been successfully used by thousands to successfully reduce body fat while simultaneously increasing energy levels, mental clarity, and improving mood. Both the keto diet and intermittent fasting encourage ketosis, in which your body’s fuel source shifts from carbohydrates to fat. However, these diets are restrictive and should only be followed under the guidance of a registered dietician or nutritionist. 

Check Also

Horse Lungs Vs Human Lungs

Horse Lungs Vs Human Lungs: How Do They Compare?

Are you curious about how horse lungs vs human lungs compare? If so, then you …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *