If you don’t want to “diet” and want to do intermittent fasting without keto while enjoying a balanced diet, you’re at the right place.
You’ve probably heard about the power of intermittent fasting for weight loss being shouted across the internet, and once you look into it, you keep reading about having to follow a ketogenic diet (keto) for optimal results.
But what if you want to get the benefits of intermittent fasting without having to follow a diet? Can you get the same benefits while eating a balanced and healthy diet?
Yes. You can. And in today’s post, you’ll learn how.
First, you should first consult a licensed medical physician before you jump into intermittent fasting. IF isn’t for everyone, and therefore, it’s something to discuss with a professional.
The purpose of this post is to give you a simplified answer on how to do intermittent fasting without keto; it is not to provide any professional/medical advice.
Can You Do Intermittent Fasting Without Keto?
You can absolutely do intermittent fasting without keto and enjoy the benefits most experience; from mental focus, more energy, better mood, less appetite, and better sleep.
The internet likes to complicate things. Experts like to complicate things. I’m just a mom of 3 that has practiced intermittent fasting for nearly 7 years and only followed a ketogenic diet (for medical reasons and doctor-supervised) for about 18 months.
The rest of the time, I have incorporated intermittent fasting into my lifestyle to gain food freedom: stop counting or restricting calories while enjoying a varied and healthy diet.
Can You Eat Anything While Intermittent Fasting & Still Lose Weight?
For optimal weight loss results, you should follow a balanced and healthy diet while intermittent fasting.
This means providing your body with adequate nutrition from each food group without depriving it of nutrients. After all, nutrients are the building blocks for better health, cellular repair, recovery, better sleep, and even weight loss.
While a lot of people restrict calories and shed pounds, eventually, the body will feel the deprivation and slow down the metabolism and require fewer calories to sustain itself.
A deprived body of both calories and nutrition will think it’s being starved and hang on to its fat stores for dear life -think plateaus.
For long-lasting results, it’s important to understand how many calories your body needs and feed it the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
To learn more about what to eat and drink while intermittent fasting, check out this post.
Intermittent Fasting without Keto – Results
A keto diet can be beneficial for some people to jumpstart their weight loss journey and the results vary for each individual.
After practicing intermittent fasting and following a keto diet for months and did not lose any weight, I can attest that the results are going to be very goal-specific.
After a week of consistent intermittent fasting, I noticed an increase in focus at work -especially in the morning. This also translated into more energy throughout the day which led to being in a better mood -almost like a chain of events.
In the evenings, after putting the kids to bed I was able to relax with a book and noticed better sleep patterns.
One reason people lose weight when following a keto diet is that they also restrict their caloric intake; and with that, the nutrition their bodies require. Probably a reason many gain the weight back.
How to Start Intermittent Fasting without Keto
The easiest way to start intermittent fasting without keto is to start today! It sounds simple, and it is. Here are my 4 steps to getting started:
1. Create an Intermittent Fasting Schedule
Intermittent fasting schedules can be as short as 12-hours fasting, a 12-hours eating window, and as long as a full-day fast. The most popular is the 16:8 fasting schedule.
2. Prioritize your Sleep
Sleep is one of the most underrated tools for health, weight loss, and emotional wellness. If you’re running low on energy and are not getting enough sleep, aim for a minimum of 7 hours per night. Otherwise, adding intermittent fasting to an already exhausted body will not help you achieve your goals. More on how to sleep better here.
3. Plan your Meals
If you want to stick with intermittent fasting long-term without a keto diet and give your body the nutrients it needs; you need to make a plan for the foods you want to eat.
Make sure to incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, grains, and legumes; all of which I incorporate for you in the meal plan included inside the Intermittent Fasting eBook‘s Meal Plan.
4. Start Today
The best part about intermittent fasting without following a ketogenic diet is that you can literally decide to start today! You don’t need to purchase vitamins and supplements, low-carb foods, or expensive ketone measuring sticks.
Need help getting started and want to learn how to make intermittent fasting work for you? I have everything you need inside a downloadable guide.
Intermittent Fasting 101
Recipes, a meal plan, plus everything you need to jumpstart your intermittent fasting journey!
Sandy says
So is eating breakfast at 10am best and then 1pm lunch then last meal at 5pm?
Laura Fuentes says
There isn’t a “schedule” per se as when is best according to the clock. You can eat all your food at once or spread it over your eating window. It’s about what works best for you.