6 Essential Intermittent Fasting Rules

Intermittent fasting involves time-restricted periods of eating and fasting. This practice can help achieve significant weight loss, promote balanced blood sugar regulation, and improve insulin resistance.

Discover six essential intermittent fasting rules and learn how to get started.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves cycling between time-restricted eating and fasting periods. 

There are various intermittent fasting schedules, including:

• A 16:8 intermittent fasting diet consists of a 16-hour fasting period followed by an eight-hour eating window.

• Alternate-day fasting involves alternating between days of consuming either no calories or reducing intake to around 600 calories and days of regular eating.

• The 5:2 fasting approach allows normal eating five days a week while restricting food intake to between 500 and 600 calories on two non-consecutive days each week.

• Prolonged fasting protocols typically involve extended periods of complete fasting, lasting anywhere from 24 to 72 hours or more. 

There are many other variations of intermittent fasting, such as the warrior diet and the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) approach. However, due to its simplicity and extensively researched health benefits, the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan is one of the most popular methods.

Watch the video below to learn about crucial intermittent fasting rules.

6 Essential Intermittent Fasting Rules

Intermittent fasting can be challenging for beginners, especially those used to grazing or snacking throughout the day. 

Fortunately, implementing certain key habits can help ensure a smooth transition into caloric restriction and increase your chances of long-term success.

Here are six must-know intermittent fasting rules.

1. Don’t eat unless hungry

Eating when you’re not hungry, such as out of habit or boredom, leads to constant blood sugar fluctuations. 

As insulin lowers the circulating glucose in your blood, hunger is stimulated to raise blood sugar levels, creating a cycle of hunger and snacking. 

When practicing intermittent fasting, your blood sugar and insulin will stabilize, allowing you to extend the time between meals more easily.

A study published in Obesity found that intermittent fasting suppressed ghrelin, a hunger hormone that stimulates appetite. The researchers also found increased peptide YY (PYY) levels in response to caloric restriction, which is linked to better satiety regulation after a meal.

2. Incorporate fasting-friendly supplements 

Intermittent fasting can increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially if you aren’t following a nutrient-dense diet. Incorporating supplements into your fasting routine can support your well-being during periods of caloric restriction. 

“It’s important to maintain optimal levels of electrolytes, B vitamins, trace minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids while fasting,” explains Dr. Berg. “Taking fasting-friendly supplements supports the body’s nutrient levels without breaking your fast.”

Nutrient-dense wheatgrass juice powders without fiber and sugar-free electrolyte powders are excellent options to ensure adequate nutrient intake without interfering with the body’s natural fasting state. 

However, it’s crucial to avoid supplements that can raise blood sugar and break your fast, such as protein powders, branch-chain amino acids (BCAA), and bone broth. 

3. Refeed slowly for longer fasts

After an extended fast lasting more than 24 hours, it's crucial to reintroduce food gradually with small, easily digestible options such as a boiled egg, a small salad, or a cup of soup. 

Eating large volumes of rich and hard-to-digest foods after a prolonged fast can lead to bloating, nausea, and, in severe cases, refeeding syndrome. 

This condition is characterized by a dangerous shift in the body’s electrolyte levels, which can lead to serious complications such as heart arrhythmias, muscle weakness, and neurological issues.

4. Follow a nutritious ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat eating plan with profound health benefits by shifting the body into fat-burning mode. 

This dietary pattern is an excellent addition to an intermittent fasting plan as it enhances fat metabolism, supports sustained energy levels, and helps maintain ketosis more effectively.

A study published in Cureus found that intermittent fasting combined with a ketogenic diet significantly improved glycemic control and reduced body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes.

However, it’s crucial to follow a nutritious high-fat diet such as Healthy Keto®, focusing on nutrient-rich whole foods to ensure adequate nutrient intake and promote optimal energy levels during fasting periods. 

5. Drink fasting teas

Fasting-friendly teas, such as unsweetened green, ginger, and cinnamon tea, may help reduce cravings while fasting. 

For example, green tea contains epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG), a powerful plant compound that has been found to support blood sugar regulation and naturally suppress appetite.

A study published in Nutrients found that “EGCG could modulate appetite by slowing down gastric emptying and increasing secretion of anorectic hormones.”

Black coffee and bulletproof coffee won’t break a fast and can safely be consumed during periods of caloric restriction. 

Bulletproof coffee is enriched with butter and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), offering health-promoting fatty acids that can help curb hunger and extend fasting periods. 

6. Eat enough healthy fats

Consuming plenty of healthy fats, such as avocados, olives, olive oil, eggs, and fatty meats during your eating window, offers ample energy and can help you extend your fasts. 

This is likely because fats digest slowly and have a longer gastric emptying time, leading to prolonged satiety compared to quickly digested carbohydrates and sugars.

Why do intermittent fasting? 

There are various impressive benefits of intermittent fasting, including significant improvements in various chronic diseases, as well as enhancing overall well-being.

The most noticeable benefit of intermittent fasting is its ability to help you lose weight, which many believe is due to the fact that you consume fewer calories. 

However, intermittent fasting also offers significant metabolic benefits, including improved cellular health, enhanced fat-burning, and more efficient energy utilization, all of which support effective weight management. 

Promoting a healthy weight also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other obesity-related conditions. This explains why intermittent fasting is an excellent strategy to support a healthy body. 

Intermittent fasting also helps stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, offering significant hormonal and metabolic benefits, including improved insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance has been linked to several conditions, including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), diabetes, hypertension, and excessive abdominal fat or belly fat.

Additionally, prolonged fasting has impressive rejuvenating and anti-aging effects as it triggers a crucial cellular repair process known as autophagy. 

Autophagy recycles and removes damaged proteins, cellular organelles, and pathogens that can disrupt cell functions and are associated with premature aging, impaired energy metabolism, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. 

How to get started

The most common mistake when intermittent fasting is starting too quickly, expecting to fast for long periods without letting the body adjust to utilizing body fat as a primary fuel source. 

Starting slowly with an intermittent fasting pattern gradually introduces metabolic and hormonal changes, allowing your cells to adapt to fat-burning and improving overall metabolic efficiency.

For beginners, a 14-hour fast followed by a ten-hour eating window is recommended. 

As you adjust to fasting, you may find you can go longer without feeling hungry. At this point, most people can skip breakfast and reduce their meals from three to two. 

From there, you can gradually minimize your eating periods to a 16:8 fasting pattern, which most people achieve within a few weeks to a month.

Eliminating snacking is also vital for maximizing the effects of intermittent fasting. Snacking during fasting counteracts the health benefits of continuous calorie restriction by breaking your fast. 

In addition, fasting can lead to temporary dehydration and electrolyte imbalances due to the metabolic changes triggered by fat burning. 

Staying hydrated and replenishing minerals with a sugar-free electrolyte powder during fasting periods is crucial to support energy levels and minimize the risk of fasting-related side effects. 

Who shouldn’t do intermittent fasting

While intermittent fasting is generally considered safe for healthy adults, those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a history of disordered eating should avoid fasting.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers require additional nutrients to support fetal development and reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies and associated health issues. 

Individuals with histories of eating disorders, such as binge eating, bulimia, or anorexia, should also avoid restrictive eating patterns, which may trigger relapses. 

In addition, it’s recommended to discuss intermittent fasting with a healthcare provider, especially if you are taking prescription medications or have underlying health issues. 

Key takeaways

Intermittent fasting has profound benefits, including weight loss, enhanced glycemic control, and improved metabolic health. 

Following a few essential intermittent fasting rules, such as only eating when hungry, promoting optimal nutrient levels, incorporating fasting teas, and combining caloric restriction with Healthy Keto, can help transition smoothly and maximize the health advantages of caloric restriction. 

FAQ

1. What are the top intermittent fasting rules?

Avoiding snacking, supporting the body’s nutrient levels, incorporating fasting teas, and refeeding slowly after prolonged fasts help minimize the risk of fasting-related side effects and maximize the benefits of caloric restriction. 

Additionally, following a nutritious high-fat diet such as Healthy Keto® in addition to fasting is an excellent strategy to promote weight loss, enhance insulin sensitivity, and improve overall metabolic health. 

2. What is allowed during intermittent fasting?

Water, low-calorie beverages, black coffee, and herbal teas are permitted during intermittent fasting. 

In addition, pure fat, such as grass-fed butter or medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, is also allowed, as it won’t impact blood sugar or insulin levels, thereby maintaining the body’s natural fasting state. 

3. Is it better to fast for 12 or 16 hours?

While fasting for 12 hours offers benefits, extending the fast to 16 hours can significantly boost the body's fat-burning capabilities and is linked to more pronounced metabolic improvements.

4. What should I avoid during intermittent fasting?

During fasting, it's crucial to avoid calorie-dense foods containing proteins and carbohydrates, as these can raise blood sugar levels and trigger insulin release, which disrupts the fasting state.

5. What drinks can I have while doing intermittent fasting?

Water and low-calorie beverages, such as black coffee and tea, can be consumed while fasting as long as they don’t contain creamers or sugary sweeteners such as sugar, honey, or syrup.

Sources

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.22518 

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9708052/ 

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115961/