Intermittent fasting (IF) alternates periods of eating with long periods of not eating (fasting). Are you considering incorporating fasting into your lifestyle, but wonder what a typical day while practicing IF looks like? Since there are different methods of IF, there is no “typical day” of IF, but this should help illustrate what your days would look like on two of the more popular plans: the 16:8 (Leangains) Method and the 5:2 Fast Diet.
The great part about IF is that you can incorporate it no matter how you typically eat. If you follow a low-carb diet, you can continue to eat that way. Just limit your intake to the times you are supposed to eat.
16:8 Method (a.k.a. Leangains Method) Typical Day
In this method, you spend 16 hours fasting and have an 8-hour “eating window.” Since you do this every day, it is relatively easy to follow.
From the time you awake to 12:00 PM: Consume nothing but water, black tea, black coffee
12:00 PM: Meal #1 (for example: Eggs, cheese, vegetables, meat)
3:00 PM: Snack #1 (for example: Fresh fruit and nuts)
5:00 PM: Snack #2 (for example: Greek yogurt dip and vegetables)
7:30 PM: Meal #2 (for example: Meat or fish, vegetables, whole grains)
8:00 PM to 12:00 PM the next day: Consume nothing but water
5:2 Method (a.k.a. The Fast Diet) Typical Day
In this method, you eat normally 5 days a week and eat 25% of your usual calories on 2 days of the week. For a man, this is usually about 600 calories, and for a woman, it is about 500 calories. The calories should be divided up equally between 2 meals on the “fasting” day.
From the time you awake to 12:00 PM: Consume nothing but water, black tea, black coffee
12:00 PM: Meal #1 (250–300 calories, for example: Eggs, vegetables, meat)
6:00 PM: Meal #2 (250–300 calories, for example: Meat or fish and vegetables)
6:00 PM until you awake the next day: Consume nothing but water.
The next day: Eat as you normally would.
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