Although I try to take care of my diet all year round, there is a time when it seems mission impossible: Christmas. And look, I try, but in the end, between company dinners, friends, family celebrations and all the delicious things around the house, passing me is inevitable. But I have found the "antidote": the 16: 8 intermittent fasting diet. We told you a few months ago and I have tried it and I guarantee that this Christmas you will enjoy the celebrations and maintain your weight, you will even lose weight.
Intermittent Fasting Diet: Why Does It Work?
In this way of eating, the important thing is not what you eat, but when you eat it. It is about alternating 8 hours in which you eat and 16 in which you fast, which usually include the hours you sleep, and in which you can have infusions, black coffee and vegetable broth. By fasting you not only lose weight because you reduce calories, but you also make your body draw energy from its own reserves.
Two types of fasting
First you have to choose which time slot is the best for you. It is very good for me to have breakfast at 10.30 and have dinner before 18.30. Some people prefer to have breakfast at 12.30pm and dinner before 8.30pm. Observe the way you eat and choose your schedule, keeping in mind that it is something that you can vary and adapt to your life and commitments. And that's where the great advantage of this diet lies: its adaptability. So I encourage you to try it these holidays. But first let me tell you its drawbacks. This diet cannot be done by everyone. If you have type 2 diabetes, low blood pressure, or high uric acid, your doctor should do medical supervision while you're doing it. If you want to lose more than 10 kilos, better go to a nutritionist,And do not do it if you are underweight (a BMI of less than 20), are pregnant or breastfeeding or have suffered from an eating disorder.
How is the intermittent fasting diet
They have 2 or 3 main meals, and sometimes a small snack if it is very difficult to control hunger. For example, if you are a morning person, you can have a full breakfast, a snack at noon, and a snack. On the previous page, we give you sample menus. And if your option is later in the afternoon, on the next page you also have menu ideas.
Fasting is useless if during the hours you can eat you do not eat well. Ideally, follow the guidelines of the Harvard plate, in which half of the plate is greens and vegetables; a quarter, meat, fish or vegetables; and the other quarter, potatoes, bread, rice or pasta.
Will I go hungry with intermittent fasting?
One of the most scary things is that this diet awakens a ferocious appetite that pushes you to finish with everything you have in the fridge or to get up to your eyebrows in polvorones. Relax, based on my experience and especially on all the studies that support this diet, I will tell you that when you enter the hours when you can eat, you do not throw yourself into the refrigerator. On the contrary, you savor each bite more and even indulge yourself.
So that you do not have a voracious appetite in the hours of fasting, the most important thing is to eat very nutritious meals in the 8 hours in which you eat. But if, even so, you feel like eating during fasting, remember that hunger is like a wave: it comes, rises, falls and goes. That is, it is not a feeling that grows and grows. When you feel hungry, have an infusion, a black coffee or a vegetable broth. There comes a time when your body gets used to it and you feel great. I go on this diet for even long periods several times a year, and hunger has never been an obstacle.
Intermittent fasting at Christmas
I recommend that you start this diet before Christmas. Ideally, December 1, so your body gets used to it. Adapt the meal / fast schedule when you have commitments. When the big family parties arrive, forget about the diet and enjoy to the fullest (without losing your head). Between holidays, continue intermittent fasting. If you are going to do it, weigh yourself and measure yourself on day 1 (or when you start) and do it again on January 8. You'll see what a surprise!
Do you join the Facebook group of La Tribu CLARA and we do it together?
If you want to try this diet you don't have to do it alone, do it with us! You can join our private Facebook group, the Clara Tribe, and there you will find other readers who will join in on this diet. In the Clara Tribe you can share your doubts, achievements, recipes, ideas … every day and together with other readers. Cheer up!
What will I get from the Christmas fast?
Well, you are going to compensate for the excesses of Christmas, you are going to lose weight and you are going to lose fat for a double reason: on the one hand, when you start fasting your body will first burn the glycogen stores for energy, but then it will begin to burn the reserves of fat from your body. Additionally, fasting releases human growth hormone (HGH), which will further increase the burning of your fat stores. This hormone also helps to maintain muscle mass, which does not happen if you eat a hypocaloric diet.
And on top of that, you will want to move more. In the latest study on this diet it was found that it increases the desire to exercise. What are you waiting to try it?
The 3 keys to fasting at Christmas
- Choose. Don't start celebrating on December 1. Reserve yourself to overdo it 3-4 times and do it well, enjoying yourself to the fullest and without regrets.
- Fast On the days you don't overdo it, follow the intermittent fasting diet.
- Moderation. If you have a lot of commitments, try to control yourself and keep fasting before and after.
What foods break intermittent fasting?
The eternal question. Does a splash of milk in coffee break the fast? There is no scientific evidence yet to say exactly how many calories they take out of the body from fasting. For this reason, I recommend that you be strict and drink infusions and black coffee (with cinnamon if you want) and homemade broths (vegetables, water and a pinch of salt). You can also chew sugar-free gum, which will help you control hunger. Of course, you can drink water, but no juices or soft drinks, not even light, zero, etc.
