Is It Healthy To Combine Intermittent Fasting With Keto?
The keto diet and intermittent fasting diet are currently the hottest trends in the diet and weight loss category. With both being backed by science, they’ve shown considerable results in maintaining weight and losing fat.
By this time, you must already know all about the keto diet. This high fat and low carb diet is one of the most difficult ones but is known to work wonders. And, intermittent fasting is a method of eating that requires you to fast for certain uninterrupted hours a day.
But, should you combine intermittent fasting with keto? Moreover, is it healthy to combine intermittent fasting with a keto diet? Here is your complete guide to both diets and everything you need to know about intermittent fasting with keto.
What is the Keto Diet?
In simple terms, the Ketogenic or keto diet is a high-fat and low-carb diet. The ketogenic diet involves reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. Drastically reducing your carb intake puts your body through a stage called the ketosis phase. In the ketosis phase, the body’s metabolism becomes extremely efficient for burning fat and even speeds the process of fat burning. The ketosis stage also turns fat into ketones in the liver which supplies energy to the brain.
Ketogenic diets have proven to be incredibly effective for losing weight along with reducing blood sugar and insulin levels. This has added to the popularity of the keto diet and has made it one of the most popular weight-loss diets in the history of weight loss.
The main goal of the keto diet is to eat meals that are 60 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 30 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates. Regular staples of an effective keto diet include healthy fats like avocado along with meat and dairy products. A person on a keto diet should avoid foods like starchy vegetables like potatoes and beans, anything that contains sugar, and any kind of pasta or bread. There is also a vegetarian version of the ketogenic diet that relies heavily on sources like olive and coconut oil, nuts, avocado, and dairy products.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting isn’t really a “diet”, it is more like a pattern of eating where you restrict foods and sweetened beverages for an uninterrupted period of time every day. And, then you can eat during the remaining hours. The Intermittent fasting period usually follows a 16:8 ratio, where you fast for 16 hours a day and can eat only in the 8 hour period.
There are many variations of intermittent fasting, including the Warrior diet or the 5:2 method. Intermittent fasting has shown to have amazing effects on the body when it comes to boosting your metabolism and aiding weight loss. Intermittent fasting can also reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, and improve brain function along with energy levels.
Benefits of Practicing Intermittent Fasting with Keto
Before we dive into the topic of whether it is healthy to combine intermittent fasting with keto diet, let us explore the potential benefits of both these trends.
If you commit to the keto diet and supplement it with the intermittent fasting routine, it may have the following benefits:
1. Intermittent Fasting and Keto may contribute to greater fat loss
Combining both these diet trends, that is intermittent fasting with keto may cause you to lose more weight than committing to just one. Since intermittent fasting boosts your metabolism by promoting natural thermogenesis (heat production), your body will start utilizing its own stubborn fat stores.
Besides, intermittent fasting preserves muscle mass during the fat loss process. Thus, when you lose weight, you won’t lose muscle. Instead, you will shed fat. It also improves energy levels so you won’t feel famished for the rest of the day. Another underestimated benefit of intermittent fasting with keto is that it reduces hunger and promotes fullness. This sends your body into a state of a natural calorie deficit and may aid weight loss.
2. Intermittent Fasting and keto may smooth your body’s path to ketosis
Following a ketogenic diet helps your body to reach the stage of ketosis. And, intermittent fasting can help your body to reach the ketosis stage faster than the ketogenic diet alone.
This happens because, while fasting, your body maintains its energy balance by shifting its primary fuel source from carbs to fat. When you fast, your insulin and glycogen stores levels start to decrease causing your body to burn fat for fuel. Thus, following intermittent fasting with keto may jumpstart the ketosis phase.
Is it healthy to combine Intermittent Fasting with Keto
Combining intermittent fasting with keto diet is safe for most people. And, it’s not much difficult to combine both if you have already committed to the ketogenic diet. In that sense, the intermittent fasting method of eating can be combined with any diet because it simply points out the number of hours you have to fast and hours you can eat. However, if you have a history of eating disorders, it’s best to steer clear of intermittent fasting with keto.
Also, people with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain heart diseases should consult a doctor before trying out intermittent fasting with keto. It is also important to note that this might not work for everyone. Even though intermittent fasting is a quick tool to reach ketosis, it isn’t necessary to do so. Some people find it extremely difficult and exhausting to combine intermittent fasting with a ketogenic diet and have complained of adverse reactions. Such adverse reactions include over-eating on cheat days, irritability throughout the day, and fatigue.
And, if you do choose to combine intermittent fasting with keto, remember to take it easy and let your body ease into it naturally. Therefore, is it healthy to combine intermittent fasting with keto diet? Yes, but it must be done carefully. If you feel famished or fatigued, you should drop either if not both.
Also Read: 5 Mistakes In Intermittent Fasting
Is It Healthy To Combine Intermittent Fasting With Keto?
The keto diet and intermittent fasting diet are currently the hottest trends in the diet and weight loss category. With both being backed by science, they’ve shown considerable results in maintaining weight and losing fat.
By this time, you must already know all about the keto diet. This high fat and low carb diet is one of the most difficult ones but is known to work wonders. And, intermittent fasting is a method of eating that requires you to fast for certain uninterrupted hours a day.
But, should you combine intermittent fasting with keto? Moreover, is it healthy to combine intermittent fasting with a keto diet? Here is your complete guide to both diets and everything you need to know about intermittent fasting with keto.
What is the Keto Diet?
In simple terms, the Ketogenic or keto diet is a high-fat and low-carb diet. The ketogenic diet involves reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. Drastically reducing your carb intake puts your body through a stage called the ketosis phase. In the ketosis phase, the body’s metabolism becomes extremely efficient for burning fat and even speeds the process of fat burning. The ketosis stage also turns fat into ketones in the liver which supplies energy to the brain.
Ketogenic diets have proven to be incredibly effective for losing weight along with reducing blood sugar and insulin levels. This has added to the popularity of the keto diet and has made it one of the most popular weight-loss diets in the history of weight loss.
The main goal of the keto diet is to eat meals that are 60 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 30 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates. Regular staples of an effective keto diet include healthy fats like avocado along with meat and dairy products. A person on a keto diet should avoid foods like starchy vegetables like potatoes and beans, anything that contains sugar, and any kind of pasta or bread. There is also a vegetarian version of the ketogenic diet that relies heavily on sources like olive and coconut oil, nuts, avocado, and dairy products.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting isn’t really a “diet”, it is more like a pattern of eating where you restrict foods and sweetened beverages for an uninterrupted period of time every day. And, then you can eat during the remaining hours. The Intermittent fasting period usually follows a 16:8 ratio, where you fast for 16 hours a day and can eat only in the 8 hour period.
There are many variations of intermittent fasting, including the Warrior diet or the 5:2 method. Intermittent fasting has shown to have amazing effects on the body when it comes to boosting your metabolism and aiding weight loss. Intermittent fasting can also reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, and improve brain function along with energy levels.
Benefits of Practicing Intermittent Fasting with Keto
Before we dive into the topic of whether it is healthy to combine intermittent fasting with keto diet, let us explore the potential benefits of both these trends.
If you commit to the keto diet and supplement it with the intermittent fasting routine, it may have the following benefits:
1. Intermittent Fasting and Keto may contribute to greater fat loss
Combining both these diet trends, that is intermittent fasting with keto may cause you to lose more weight than committing to just one. Since intermittent fasting boosts your metabolism by promoting natural thermogenesis (heat production), your body will start utilizing its own stubborn fat stores.
Besides, intermittent fasting preserves muscle mass during the fat loss process. Thus, when you lose weight, you won’t lose muscle. Instead, you will shed fat. It also improves energy levels so you won’t feel famished for the rest of the day. Another underestimated benefit of intermittent fasting with keto is that it reduces hunger and promotes fullness. This sends your body into a state of a natural calorie deficit and may aid weight loss.
2. Intermittent Fasting and keto may smooth your body’s path to ketosis
Following a ketogenic diet helps your body to reach the stage of ketosis. And, intermittent fasting can help your body to reach the ketosis stage faster than the ketogenic diet alone.
This happens because, while fasting, your body maintains its energy balance by shifting its primary fuel source from carbs to fat. When you fast, your insulin and glycogen stores levels start to decrease causing your body to burn fat for fuel. Thus, following intermittent fasting with keto may jumpstart the ketosis phase.
Is it healthy to combine Intermittent Fasting with Keto
Combining intermittent fasting with keto diet is safe for most people. And, it’s not much difficult to combine both if you have already committed to the ketogenic diet. In that sense, the intermittent fasting method of eating can be combined with any diet because it simply points out the number of hours you have to fast and hours you can eat. However, if you have a history of eating disorders, it’s best to steer clear of intermittent fasting with keto.
Also, people with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain heart diseases should consult a doctor before trying out intermittent fasting with keto. It is also important to note that this might not work for everyone. Even though intermittent fasting is a quick tool to reach ketosis, it isn’t necessary to do so. Some people find it extremely difficult and exhausting to combine intermittent fasting with a ketogenic diet and have complained of adverse reactions. Such adverse reactions include over-eating on cheat days, irritability throughout the day, and fatigue.
And, if you do choose to combine intermittent fasting with keto, remember to take it easy and let your body ease into it naturally. Therefore, is it healthy to combine intermittent fasting with keto diet? Yes, but it must be done carefully. If you feel famished or fatigued, you should drop either if not both.
Also Read: 5 Mistakes In Intermittent Fasting