Intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet are two of the most popular eating patterns worldwide. Despite the trending of new diets every year, these two maintain their popularity at the top of the list. Both diets lead to substantial weight loss and other health benefits that may reduce the risk of disease. For this reason, many people started to consider combining the two diets to optimize their effects and improve outcomes.
In this article, we will briefly define intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that divides your caloric intake into two periods:
- Eating-window
- Fasting-window
During the fasting window, you need to restrict your caloric intake (around 500 calories) or cut it altogether.
This diet comes with several fasting plans to fit the needs of everyone who’s trying to start fasting.
The most popular type of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 plan, which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating during the remaining of the day.
The reason behind the popularity of this fasting plan is the fact that we already fast for 8 hours during sleep. All you need to do is fast 4 hours before bedtime and an additional 4 hours after waking up.
Researchers believe that intermittent fasting is one of the most effective and safest diets to lose weight. However, we still don’t have a consensus about the best pattern of fasting.
What is the ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet is a type of high-fat, low-carb eating pattern that adjusts metabolism to burn fatty acids.
In general, carbohydrate intake is limited to 20–50 grams per day, which forces the body to rely on fatty acids instead of sugar to produce energy. Consequently, you will be in a metabolic state known as ketosis.
The ketogenic diet causes considerable weight loss during the first few weeks. Furthermore, dozens of research papers support the use of the keto diet to treat chronic ailments (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes).
When combined with intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet leads to substantial weight loss in a short period of time. However, you need to keep in mind that some of the weight you lose is composed of water. Therefore, you should keep your expectations realistic and maintain a healthy pace of weight loss (1–2 pounds per week).
Before adopting any of these diets, make sure to speak with your primary care physician or dietitian to avoid any complications related to nutritional deficiencies, severe caloric restrictions, and digestive problems.
Takeaway message
Intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet are great ways for weight loss in a timely manner.
Together, these two diets produce a synergistic effect that accelerates the process of weight loss and reduces the risk of several ailments.
Hopefully, this article managed to shed some light on the benefits of combining intermittent fasting with the ketogenic diet. However, if you still have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
