A PRACTICAL LOOK AT INTERMITTENT FASTING: WHAT TO EAT & WHEN

In a previous blog post, THE SIMPLE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING I explain what intermittent fasting (IF) is and whilst more research is needed to confirm the physiological effects/benefits of IF on humans, I highlight some of the more simple benefits of IF that perhaps, do not require the same level research to confirm. I would recommend clicking the link above to read this post first in order to fully understand and make sense of the information below.

So, now you’ve read THE SIMPLE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING , the IF protocol I use and have described to you may sound fairly simple, no food intake for 16 hours, eat for eat hours. But what does that actually look like and how on earth do you make a whole days worth of food fit into eight hours? Below I have given you two working examples of what I would eat and when I would eat it when utilising the 16 hour fast IF protocol. The first is a breakdown of what I’d eat on a non-training day and the second what I’d eat on a training day.

Important to note, these are only examples of what I have eaten on two individual days whilst IF. It is not a rigid meal plan and certainly has flexibility. The hours I have eaten and fasted within are by no means, set in stone and can be altered to suit you and your lifestyle best. For example, you can make your first meal of the day earlier by eating your last meal of the previous day earlier and vice versa. Likewise, the food choices will be dictated by the amount of calories and subsequent macros you are aiming to hit each day which in turn, should be determined by your body composition and performance goals. As you will see, I still organise my days into lower carbohydrate with higher fat on non-training days and higher carbohydrate and lower fat on training days, with a minimum protein requirement I ensure to hit everyday within the 8 or so hour feeding window. Use these examples to help organise your own eating schedules, that best suit your busy days and fit in comfortably around your work, training and life.

NON-TRAINING DAY FOOD INTAKE

TRAINING DAY FOOD INTAKE