Find out How Many Calories During Intermittent Fasting You Should Eat And Still Lose Weight According To Dietitians

How Many Calories During Intermittent Fasting You Should Eat

How Many Calories During Intermittent Fasting You Should Eat

Updated on 4/23/2024
Martin AlvarezBy Martin Alvarez
Nutritionist/Dietitian Professional Guide
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    In this article, we will talk about how many calories during intermittent fasting you should eat and still lose weight? When you can become acclimated to going for long periods without eating, intermittent fasting (IF) seems an excellent method for losing weight and keeping it off. There are other health advantages as well, including enhanced digestion, an increase in energy, and a reduction in insulin resistance. When you go without food for an extended length of time, your body increases the synthesis of growth hormones, making it easier to lose weight and put on muscle. Although intermittent fasting may be carried out in various ways, its fundamental principles remain unchanged. These principles include alternating times of eating and fasting throughout the day.

    But what do you choose to consume when you are allowed to feed? It is essential to understand that intermittent fasting is defined merely by when one eats meals rather than how many calories one consumes. Julie Upton, MS, RD, told POPSUGAR that there are no restrictions regarding how much you should eat while not fasting. "There is no rule," she said. “The fasting phase was incorporated into the diet so that it would produce the calorie deficit necessary for you to be able to lose weight,”

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    healthy food

    Kristen Mancinelli, MS, RDN, author of the book Jump Start Ketosis: Intermittent Fasting for Burning Fat and Losing Weight, has said that she does not instruct her clients to watch the number of calories that they consume. Instead, she encourages them to keep eating until they are complete. Because people who follow the 16:8 (Leangains) plan typically only eat two meals per day, they will naturally consume fewer calories. This is because once they have acclimated to the fasting period, they tend not to get hungry outside their feeding window. This allows them to consume fewer calories without even realizing it.

    On the other hand, many believe that participating in intermittent fasting gives them carte blanche to throw caution to the wind and consume as much food as they choose. If you want to lose weight, one of the most important things you can do is pay attention to how many calories you take daily. For instance, you can't expect to lose weight if you fast for 16 hours, consume 5,000 calories during your eight-hour eating window, and still want to reduce your overall body fat percentage.

    healthy food

    healthy food

    According to what Kristen told POPSUGAR, "For all intents and purposes, calorie requirements will stay the same as with any other diet plan." However, these needs will vary depending on a person's frame size, gender, beginning weight, target weight, and activity level. Use the following calculation to determine your calorie intake to meet your weight loss goals. Just keep in mind that you shouldn't go lower than 1,200 calories each day. It is possible that the only exception to this rule would be if you were following a 5:2 approach, in which you usually eat for five days of the week (for example, 2,000 calories a day) and then fast for two days of the week, in which you consume just 20 to 25 percent of your usual caloric intake (so 400 to 500 calories). You do not need to eat in a calorie deficit on the days you are feeding; those 2,000 calories, combined with the other two fasting days in the week, should still yield weight loss results. Even though you might be trying to lose weight, you do not have to eat in a calorie deficit on the days you feed yourself. This results in a reduction in calories consumed each day on average throughout the week.

    During your meal window, regardless of whether you are following the 16:8, the 5:2, or another intermittent fasting method, you should continue consuming unprocessed and whole foods. The health benefits of intermittent fasting can be achieved by following a diet high in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains while limiting the amount of sugar and processed carbohydrates you consume. Having a treat now and again is perfectly OK; nevertheless, you should determine their contribution to your diet to no more than 20 percent. Your body will eventually adjust to this eating style, and it will begin to seek nutritious food of its own.

    healthy food

    healthy food

    "People are shocked that they don't gorge themselves on their meal days or during their eating window after they've been fasting for a long," Kristen said. "After all, they haven't been eating for quite some time." "One of the things that you learn to pay attention to and react to as a result of intermittent fasting is how your body communicates for hunger and fullness. Therefore, practitioners can react to their body's natural signals rather than calculating calories; this is a liberating concept!"
    Now, do you know how many calories during intermittent fasting you should eat and still lose weight?