How many calories should you eat with Intermittent Fasting?
If you’re doing intermittent fasting for weight loss or for its health benefits, make sure you don’t make some of these common mistakes.
In this article, you will learn how many calories to eat during intermittent fasting so that you can achieve your goals.
The following information applies to all intermittent fasting schedules , including the most popular: 16:8 fasting .
The purpose of this article is to simplify information on the subject of intermittent fasting and caloric intake; it is not to provide any medical/professional advice.
HOW MANY CALORIES DURING INTERMITTENT FASTING
The best part of intermittent fasting is that it’s easy to incorporate into our daily routines, there’s no need to buy special foods, and it’s easy to start fasting.
Intermittent fasting only restricts when to eat, it does not restrict how much to eat or what to eat . The latter two are based on dietary needs and personal goals.
Many people do intermittent fasting to help lose weight; however, fasting or not, restricting too many calories (too much of a caloric deficit) can actually have the opposite effect.
Sometimes the problem is not knowing what to eat or wondering which foods break the fast . Remember that during your fasting period, you can only drink calorie-free beverages and not eat.
You should eat the number of calories your body needs for your health and to support your goals. I’ll keep explaining below.
HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD I EAT?
The number of calories consumed in a day during intermittent fasting will depend on the person’s age and activity level.
These calories can vary from day to day, so a total daily amount can be calculated using a simple tool called a calorie calculator.
The calorie base is the number of calories the body needs to survive (perform its minimal functions), and the recommended is the average calorie recommendation based on activity.
CALORIE RESTRICTION VS INTERMITTENT FASTING
Calorie restriction is when a person reduces the amount of food and drink they consume in a day below what their body needs (what they need in a day).
Intermittent fasting refers to restricting when you can consume your daily calories by creating an “eating window . ”
Although intermittent fasting does not require you to reduce the amount of calories you eat and drink in a day, the truth is that many people do not eat enough calories during their meal period, therefore they end up starving the body of calories.
Another mistake made by fasting keto dieters is eating low-calorie sweet breakfasts because they feel deprived of their favorite foods.
If you do intermittent fasting and wonder how many calories I should consume, I’ll keep explaining.
It’s important to eat enough calories during intermittent fasting so that your body doesn’t think it’s being deprived of food and nutrition, which can often backfire by making you think you’re going into starvation mode (going through prolonged hunger).
When you don’t eat enough calories for a long period of time, your body will adapt and slow down your metabolism. This means that little by little you will need less calories and this can be very frustrating for someone trying to lose weight because little by little you will lose less or stop losing weight.
To make sure you’re eating enough calories, it’s important to make an intermittent fasting meal plan with allowed foods with both nutrition and health goals in mind.
HOW MANY CALORIES DO YOU BURN DURING INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Intermittent fasting works by extending the period in which your body has burned the calories consumed during your last meal and begins to burn fat.
It doesn’t matter if you fast for 16 or 12 hours, the number of calories you burn fasting depends on your age, your activity level, and your health.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T EAT ENOUGH?
Not getting enough calories in the eating window is very common, especially among people who are fasting for 16 hours . With a smaller 8-hour eating window, many people are “too busy to eat” or don’t plan their meals so they can get adequate nutrition.
It is normal to wonder how many calories should I consume on intermittent fasting 16/8, since this fasting schedule is the most common. Remember to calculate what your body needs and keep track of what you eat.
Note: This also applies to people who are doing 12-hour intermittent fasting .
In the short term, nothing happens. In the long term, insufficient nutrition or eating low-quality foods that do not provide the body with all the micro and macro nutrients it needs – this often happens when people follow a ketogenic diet and fast at the same time – is not good for the body. and unfortunately, instead of feeling the positive benefits of fasting, they have less energy and are unable to lose weight.
If weight loss was the primary goal of intermittent fasting, not eating enough food will slow down your body’s metabolic rate, causing your metabolism to slow down and require less energy (calories) to function.
Understanding the rules of intermittent fasting , when to eat, and when to fast is important, but just as important is understanding how to eat an overall balanced and nutritious diet so your body can function properly and achieve your health goals.
