How much fasting time do you need to start burning fat? 2 hours, 8 hours, 16 hours, or 24 hours? By understanding Mother Nature’s Plan, we can better appreciate how fasting works. One of her rules is that fat burning begins 12 hours after eating. Food is digested, converted to glucose, and absorbed by the blood. It takes the body about 12 hours to burn all available glucose. Once the available glucose is used, the body turns to fat reserves for energy. So, if we fast for 12 hours a day, will we lose weight? Fasting 12 hours a day will reduce the chance of further weight gain but probably not result in much weight loss.
Every person on earth is unique in spirit, mind, and physiology.
Therefore, we must all learn just how much fasting is right for each of us. The easiest way to do that is through trial and error. I find that fasting for 14 to 18 hours for 5 or 6 days a week and eating more whole foods results in an average weight loss of 1.8 pounds per month. I am older and have been obese for many years, so my insulin resistance is very high. Under this plan, I eat the foods I love and never really suffer feelings of deprivation or food cravings. I could lose weight faster by dieting harder, but I choose not to because I am really lazy.
I have a friend who fasts for 18 hours one day a week, then limits his food intake on the fasting day to less than 800 calories. He has lost 15 pounds over 18 months. When I first started fasting, I tried that approach, and I found I could get through the 18-hour fast but had real trouble restricting my eating window to under 800 calories. I could, however, easily do 18 hours of fasting every other day and eat a normal meal during my eating window.
The good news for younger, less insulin-resistant individuals is that weight loss may be much faster on this type of schedule. Trying different fasting schedules can help you determine what’s right for you. Fasting is not just a diet but a slow, steady, and comfortable lifestyle. Over time, it is just as effective for weight loss as the standard deprivation diet. I have done those, and I will never fall for that again — it’s a lifetime of IF for me. Intermittent Fasting rules!
Review
- How much fasting time do you need to start burning fat? 12 hours.
- Some folks need less fasting time and others more.
- We can all learn how much fasting is right for us through trial and error.
- Fasting is not a crash diet but a healthy lifestyle.
- Slow, steady, and comfortable is just as good as fast and painful.
Food for Thought – The “calories in – calories out” diet approach have led us to believe that zero-calorie soft drinks and artificial sweeteners are ok when dieting. They are not. They can stimulate insulin releases that resist fat burning and increase ghrelin, the hunger hormone.
Trouble Shooting – Wintertime, and you have been drinking too much coffee. When fasting, you can burn out on coffee. Try a cup of hot water. It may sound silly, but I have used this hack many times, and it is incredible how good a cup of hot water can taste.
Test your dietary knowledge – email me at Lovethisdietplan@gmail.com, and I will send you a complimentary set of 20 critical diet and fasting questions with answers.
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