I believe in thoroughly enjoying life and enjoying delicious foods, but I'm also passionate about maintaining a lean, muscular physique. Avantika Gujarati Fonts. These two pursuits, if you've never personally tried juggling them before, can be extremely difficult to balance.

That's why I've been following an (IF) eating plan full time for a while. With IF, you can eat the foods you want—within reason, of course—and still possess a shredded physique. But I'm not just now hopping on the IF bandwagon; I've been a proponent of it for many years. In fact, more than a decade ago, researchers from Yale University School of Medicine alongside a team at the University of Copenhagen explored fasting and fat loss, and their positive results in the lab have helped in my own pursuit of a lean physique ever since! If, like me, you're interested in living lean while enjoying some of your favorite foods along the way, IF may be exactly what you've been looking for.

To help you decide, I'm going to answer some common questions about IF and offer some useful tips so you can get the most out of. What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Jim Stoppani, PhD, has your answers. Some useful tips so you can get the most out of your fasting program. What Is Intermittent. Pounding down a bunch.

Intermittent fasting is simply the practice of going an extended period of time taking in zero calories—basically drinking only plain water and either black coffee or tea. Many variations of IF exist, but my preferred method involves fasting for 16 hours, then eating all of my food during an eight-hour window commonly called the 'feeding window.' This type of IF is often called '16:8' fasting. Does Sleeping At Night Count As Hours Toward The Fast? Yes, it does. So, for example, if you have a protein shake right before bed, then wake up eight hours later, you're already eight hours into your fast with only eight more to reach your goal of 16.

If you have a protein shake right before bed, then wake up eight hours later, you're already eight hours into your fast with only eight more to reach your goal of 16. What Should I Eat Or Drink While Intermittent Fasting? Obviously, you don't eat anything or consume any calories during your fasting hours—simply put, don't eat any food or shakes. Water, of course, is perfectly fine. Other than that, opt for zero-calorie, unsweetened beverages.

My personal favorites include black coffee—with no milk, cream, sugar, butter (for you fans), or in it—and plain, unsweetened teas like black tea or green tea. When it comes to calorie-free drinks with (like flavored waters and diet soda), there's a bit of uncertainty. There's some evidence to show that some artificial sweeteners cause an insulin response, which would then blunt your ability to burn fat and contradict the point of being in a fasted state, but that's up for debate in the scientific community.

Wharfedale Crystal 40 Manual. To be on the safe side, I recommend not drinking artificially sweetened beverages during a fast. If you're absolutely dying for something other than water or plain coffee or tea during the last few hours of a fast, opt for a sparkling water that's very lightly flavored with something like natural lime. Do I Need To Cram A Day's Worth Of Meals Into Eight Hours? Regarding the 'feeding window,' (AKA the joyous time during which you get to eat) you want to reach the same calorie and totals as you were before—provided you were already on a solid diet plan that corresponded to your goals, of course.