How Many Calories Should I Eat While Fasting? Fasting is not just a part of Ramadan. Many people do it on a regular basis as a spiritual practice, or get creative to reset their habits and live healthier lives. Even if you are not fasting, there are good reasons to do it from time to time. Here are some of the best ways to fast
Don’t leave the “How Many Calories To Eat” question unanswered. It’s a common concern, and I’m here to help! In this guide you’ll learn not only how many calories to eat during intermittent fasting, but how to calculate it as well. Fasting has numerous health benefits and can even have many medical benefits. Fasting or abstinence from food could be advantageous and even therapeutic to the human body, while it may possibly help bring your body back to prime condition.
How Many Calories Should I Eat While Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.
It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them.
In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.
Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.
Fasting has been a practice throughout human evolution. Ancient hunter-gatherers didn’t have supermarkets, refrigerators or food available year-round. Sometimes they couldn’t find anything to eat.
As a result, humans evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time.
In fact, fasting from time to time is more natural than always eating 3–4 (or more) meals per day.
Fasting is also often done for religious or spiritual reasons, including in Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.
Different types of fasting
While there are many different forms of fasting, people can choose the method that best suits their needs. Some examples of fasting methods are below.
Complete alternate day fasting
This form of fasting involves alternating fasting days with eating days.
During fasting days, people will tend to avoid consuming food and drink that contains energy or calories.
On eating days, they can consume as much calorie-containing food and beverages as necessary.
Modified fasting
This form of fasting involves alternate days of fasting and eating.
On fasting days, people will typically only consume 20–25% of their calorie needs and consume as many calories as they need on eating days.
A popular version of this form of fasting is the 5:2 diet.
People who follow this diet fast for two nonconsecutive days per week.
Time-restricted eating
Intermittent fasting involves restricting the window in which a person can eat to a few hours per day.
For example, some people may have an eating window of between 12–6 p.m. and fast outside of these hours.
Ramadan fasting
Ramadan is a holy month that people following Islam celebrate. During Ramadan, individuals may fast between dawn and sunset.
A common dietary practice of Ramadan fasting is to consume a large meal after sunset and then a lighter meal before dawn.
Other religious fasts
People who follow other religions may take part in specific fasts.
For example, people following the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may not consume food or drink for extended periods.
Others who follow the Seventh-day Adventist Church may have their last meal in the afternoon and fast until the next morning.
How to begin intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is not a diet — it is a timed approach to eating. Unlike many other dietary plans, intermittent fasting does not specify which foods to eat or avoid. Intermittent fasting may be beneficial for health and weight management but is not suitable for everyone.
Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and periods of fasting. At first, people may find it difficult to eat during a short window of time each day or to alternate between days of eating and not eating.
This article offers tips on the best way to begin fasting, including identifying personal goals, planning meals, and establishing calorie needs.
Intermittent fasting is a popular method that people use to:
- simplify their life
- lose weight
- improve their overall health and well-being, such as by minimizing the effects of aging
Though fasting is generally safe for most healthy, well-nourished people, it may not be appropriate for individuals who have any medical conditions. For those who may be able to safely fast according to their doctor, the following tips aim to help make the experience as easy and successful as possible.
1. Identify personal goals
Typically, a person who starts intermittent fasting has a goal in mind. It may be to lose weight, improve overall health, or improve metabolic health. A person’s ultimate goal will help them determine the most suitable fasting method and work out how many calories and nutrients they need to consume.
2. Pick the method
A person may try multiple potential methods when fasting for health reasons. They should pick a plan that suits their preferences and that they think they can stick to.
A few of the more popular fasting plans are:
- periodic fasting
- time-restricted eating
- alternate-day fasting
Typically, a person should stick with one fasting method for a month or longer to see whether it works for them before trying a different method. Anyone who has a medical condition should consult a healthcare professional before beginning any fasting method. Fasting is not a safe option for some people.
When deciding on a method, a person should remember that they do not need to eat a certain amount or type of food or avoid certain foods altogether. A person can eat what they want when following an intermittent fasting plan.
However, to reach health and weight management goals, it is a good idea to follow a balanced, high protein, high fiber, vegetable-rich diet during the eating periods.
Eating only foods that lack beneficial nutrients during eating periods can hinder health progress. It is also extremely important to drink lots of water or other no-calorie beverages throughout fasting periods.
Periodic fasting
This structure involves fasting within specific time periods, such as twice per week, as with the Eat Stop Eat plan and the 5:2 method.
Eat Stop Eat
Brad Pilon developed Eat Stop Eat, a fasting method that involves eating nothing for 24 hours twice a week. It does not matter on which days a person fasts or even when they begin. The only restriction is that fasting must last for 24 hours and occur on nonconsecutive days.
People who do not eat for 24 hours will likely become very hungry. Eat Stop Eat may not be the best method for people who are unfamiliar with fasting. A person should consult a doctor or registered dietitian before starting a fasting plan like this one.
5:2 method
A person on the 5:2 method eats 500–600 calories 2 days each week, on either consecutive or nonconsecutive days, depending on the specific plan.
List of what foods and drinks to eat to break a fast
Dates
People often break their fast during Ramadan sweet foods, such as dates, before eating a main meal that may be high in carbohydrates.
Food and drink with low glycemic load
Consuming food low in glycemic load may make people feel full for longer and provide a gentle way to break a fast.
Food and drink that are low in glycemic load include:
- rolled or steel-cut oats
- nonstarchy vegetables
- milk
- sweet potatoes
- most fruits
High protein food and drink
High protein foods and beverages may help with satiety, allowing someone to feel full without eating so much that they shock their digestive system after a period without food.
High protein foods include:
- nuts, such as almonds
- nut butter, such as peanut, cashew, and almond
- dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt
- poultry, including chicken and turkey
- lean meats
- fish, including salmon and cod
How many calories to eat during intermittent fasting
Thinking about trying the 16/8 diet? Read this article to learn how many calories you should be eating.
Curious to know how many calories you should be eating while on the 16/8 diet? Read this article to get some answers!
The 16/8 intermittent fasting diet is probably the most popular form of fasting. This is because it’s one of the easiest to make a habit since it is practiced daily and because it has one of the largest eating windows.
But the question many people have is how many calories to eat during intermittent fasting 16/8?
This is a good question and we’ll do our best to explain how many calories to eat in order to achieve your health and weight loss goals.
The 16/8 Diet
First, let’s briefly describe what the 16/8 intermittent fasting diet is.
This diet means that individuals will eat for 8 hours of the day and fast for the remaining 16 hours. For most people, this means that they will simply skip breakfast or eat a later breakfast with their eating timeframe being around 12pm-8pm.
What’s important to know about this routine is that you need to be consistent with your eating window in order for it to work. This means that you shouldn’t eat from 12pm-8pm one day and then 7am-3pm the next.
Calories
It seems like many people these days are afraid of calories, so let us make one thing clear – your body NEEDS calories. Calories serve to give our body energy to function.
We should practice being mindful of the number of calories we eat but we also should not fear them and recognize that our bodies do need them.
How many calories to eat during 16/8
Now, knowing how many calories to eat during intermittent fasting 16/8 can be a little tricky because it is going to depend on your sex, age, height, weight, and activity level.
If you need help calculating this, there are many websites available that can help you like this one here. If you have additional questions, you may want to consult your primary care physician or a registered dietitian (RD).
Regardless of you trying the 16/8 for weight loss or to improve your overall health, we recommend you don’t decrease your caloric intake to an amount below what your body needs. The reason for this is that you can still lose weight through intermittent fasting and because entering into a calorie deficit for too long can have some negative health consequences.
To elaborate, restricting calories can cause you to lose muscle mass. This will reflect a lower number when you step on the scale, but this isn’t good news. Losing muscle mass can hurt your weight loss goals long-term because muscles burn a lot of calories. This means that the less muscle mass you have, the fewer calories you are going to burn each day…this also means you will need to eat less calories each day, which becomes difficult to sustain long-term.
Another reason to not decrease your caloric intake is because when you do this for a long time, your body learns to adapt. This means that your body will actually conserve energy and burn less calories each day. This is why people often plateau when they cut calories.
Fasting Burns Fat
Despite you not decreasing your calories, you can still expect to lose some unwanted body fat while keeping your muscle mass with the 16/8 diet.
Fasting actually “trains” your body to use more of its stored fat for energy as opposed to our stored sugar (glucose), so decreasing your calories isn’t necessary.
Studies also show that if you maintain your calories, you can still obtain all of the numerous health benefits associated with fasting like lowering entering a state of autophagy, decreasing blood glucose levels, and more
Health Benefits Of Fasting
1. Promotes Blood Sugar Control by Reducing Insulin Resistance
Several studies have found that fasting may improve blood sugar control, which could be especially useful for those at risk of diabetes.
In fact, one study in 10 people with type 2 diabetes showed that short-term intermittent fasting significantly decreased blood sugar levels
Meanwhile, another review found that both intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting were as effective as limiting calorie intake at reducing insulin resistance
Decreasing insulin resistance can increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin, allowing it to transport glucose from your bloodstream to your cells more efficiently.
Coupled with the potential blood sugar-lowering effects of fasting, this could help keep your blood sugar steady, preventing spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels.
Keep in mind though that some studies have found that fasting may impact blood sugar levels differently for men and women.
For instance, one small, three-week study showed that practicing alternate-day fasting impaired blood sugar control in women but had no effect in men
Summary Intermittent fasting
and alternate-day fasting could help decrease blood sugar levels and reduce
insulin resistance but may affect men and women differently.
2. Promotes Better Health by Fighting Inflammation
While acute inflammation is a normal immune process used to help fight off infections, chronic inflammation can have serious consequences for your health.
Research shows that inflammation may be involved in the development of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis
Some studies have found that fasting can help decrease levels of inflammation and help promote better health.
One study in 50 healthy adults showed that intermittent fasting for one month significantly decreased levels of inflammatory markers
Another small study discovered the same effect when people fasted for 12 hours a day for one month
What’s more, one animal study found that following a very low-calorie diet to mimic the effects of fasting reduced levels of inflammation and was beneficial in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, a chronic inflammatory condition
Summary Some studies have found
that fasting could decrease several markers of inflammation and may be useful
in treating inflammatory conditions, such as multiple sclerosis.
3. May Enhance Heart Health by Improving Blood Pressure, Triglycerides and Cholesterol Levels
Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death around the world, accounting for an estimated 31.5% of deaths globally
Switching up your diet and lifestyle is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Some research has found that incorporating fasting into your routine may be especially beneficial when it comes to heart health.
One small study revealed that eight weeks of alternate-day fasting reduced levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and blood triglycerides by 25% and 32% respectively
Another study in 110 obese adults showed that fasting for three weeks under medical supervision significantly decreased blood pressure, as well as levels of blood triglycerides, total cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol
In addition, one study in 4,629 people associated fasting with a lower risk of coronary artery disease, as well as a significantly lower risk of diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart disease
Summary Fasting has been
associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and may help lower blood
pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol levels.
4. May Boost Brain Function and Prevent Neurodegenerative Disorders
Though research is mostly limited to animal research, several studies have found that fasting could have a powerful effect on brain health.
One study in mice showed that practicing intermittent fasting for 11 months improved both brain function and brain structure
Other animal studies have reported that fasting could protect brain health and increase the generation of nerve cells to help enhance cognitive function
Because fasting may also help relieve inflammation, it could also aid in preventing neurodegenerative disorders.
In particular, studies in animals suggest that fasting may protect against and improve outcomes for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s
However, more studies are needed to evaluate the effects of fasting on brain function in humans.
Summary Animal studies show
that fasting could improve brain function, increase nerve cell synthesis and
protect against neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and
Parkinson’s.
5. Aids Weight Loss by Limiting Calorie Intake and Boosting Metabolism
Many dieters pick up fasting looking for a quick and easy way to drop a few pounds.
Theoretically, abstaining from all or certain foods and beverages should decrease your overall calorie intake, which could lead to increased weight loss over time.
Some research has also found that short-term fasting may boost metabolism by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which could enhance weight loss
In fact, one review showed that whole-day fasting could reduce body weight by up to 9% and significantly decrease body fat over 12–24 weeks
Another review found that intermittent fasting over 3–12 weeks was as effective in inducing weight loss as continuous calorie restriction and decreased body weight and fat mass by up to 8% and 16% respectively
In addition, fasting was found to be more effective than calorie restriction at increasing fat loss while simultaneously preserving muscle tissue
Summary Fasting may increase
metabolism and help preserve muscle tissue to reduce body weight and body fat.