Intermittent Fasting Plan - Free IF Guide with PDF Download (2024)

FAQs

Is there a free intermittent fasting plan? ›

There are many free fasting apps available but the top fasting apps are Zero, Fastic, BodyFast, DoFasting, and Vora. If you're ready to start intermittent fasting and need an app to guide you, download any of these.

16/8 Protocol: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of feasting every day. 24-hour fast Protocol: 24 hours of fasting 1x-2x per week, eat normally otherwise.

A good option for beginners, then, is to fast for a set number of hours each day. This option allows you to start with fasting for around 12 hours a day, most of which you will be asleep. After you get more comfortable with 12-hour fasts, you can slowly lengthen the time of the fast.

The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, this involves an 8-hour eating period and a 16-hour fasting period. Some people do this by skipping breakfast, but you can also do the reverse and skip dinner or eat early. Eat-stop-eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice per week.

Free apps typically offer very limited features, but Simple stands out. It's our pick for the best free intermittent fasting app because it has everything you need to track fasting and nutrition without making you pay for premium features.

The bottom line. You can drink moderate amounts of black coffee during fasting periods, as it contains very few calories and is unlikely to break your fast. In fact, coffee may enhance the benefits of intermittent fasting, which include reduced inflammation and improved brain function.

16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours and have an 8-hour eating window daily. For example, you might fast from 8:00 pm to 12:00 pm the next day and eat between 12:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

Here's a simple checklist to follow for effective belly fat loss through intermittent fasting: Choose your fasting schedule: The 16/8 method (16 hours of fasting and an 8-hour eating window) is a popular choice.

Here are some of the changes that may happen in your body as a result of intermittent fasting: Insulin level: Your blood level of insulin drops significantly, which promotes fat burning. Human growth hormone (HGH) level: Your blood level of HGH may increase dramatically.

Does sleeping count as fasting? ›

So, does sleep count as fasting? Yes, it does. Depending on your intermittent fasting schedule, you can continue the fasting window overnight while you sleep. It can be a helpful strategy for those who find it difficult to restrict energy intake during waking hours and struggle to sustain long fasts.

Yes, You Can Consume Some Vitamins When Fasting

Some supplements, including water soluble vitamins, collagen, electrolytes and probiotics won't break your fast. However, any food that contains calories — such as gummy vitamins, bone broth or protein powder — will break your fast.

Keto is short for ketosis, the metabolic process that kicks in when your body runs out of glucose (its preferred energy source) and starts burning stored fat. Your body may go into ketosis after just 12 hours of not eating, which many people do overnight before they "break fast" with a morning meal.

Depending on your lifestyle and when you can manage to stop eating, the best hours for intermittent fasting include the 16/8 or 14/10 fasting periods. Intermittent fasting is hailed by many as the new mantra of weight loss, disease prevention, and reversal of aging.

Eat a normal, healthy diet one day and then completely fast or have one small meal the next day. Usually, the small meal is fewer than 500 calories. Eat a normal diet five days a week and fast two days per week. Eat normally but only within an eight-hour window each day.

Fasting for either 12 hours or 16 hours can promote fat burning. During a fast, the body depletes its stored glycogen and begins to rely on stored fat for energy. While both 12-hour and 16-hour fasting can promote fat burning, it's possible that a 16-hour fast may be more effective.

If you consistently stay active while following intermittent fasting, you can lose as much as 6-8 pounds per month. This estimation is shockingly high when you consider that all you have to do is not eat for select hours throughout the day.

If you've tried intermittent fasting but aren't losing weight, possible reasons why include overeating during your eating window and poor food choices. To help, you can try eating fewer calories, work on balancing your meals, or create a smaller or larger eating window.