Why Intermittent Fasting Is So Much Easier on The Keto Diet

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Intermittent fasting is a wonderful way to shed extra weight, but it is especially easy whenever it’s paired with the keto diet. Here’s why!

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Why Intermittent Fasting Is So Much Easier on The Keto Diet

I was first introduced to the idea of intermittent fasting whenever I hired a health coach after I had Blake and it honestly sounded crazy to me at the time. I was just getting used to everything about the keto diet (here’s a great guide for beginners!) and whenever she told me that there was something called “intermittent fasting” where people would fast for 16 hours and then only eat during the remaining 8 hours, my mind was kinda blown. I put the idea on the backburner, adjusted to the keto lifestyle and didn’t think about it again until I talked to my mom who said my brother had been doing it and lost a ton of weight.

Hmmm, I thought. At that point, intermittent fasting sounded pretty interesting.

Now, my little bro was not doing this in conjunction with the keto diet. He was seriously eating shit during those 8 hours and was losing weight, so I figured I could do this and really make an impact on my body.

First, what exactly is intermittent fasting and why is it awesome?

Intermittent fasting, also referred to as IF, is a way of eating that doesn’t focus at all on what you eat like most diets, but when you eat. The most common way to do this is how I mentioned earlier, by eating only 8 hours per day and fasting 16 hours. Some people will fast for 24 hours and then cycle off of fasting for 24 hours. It really depends on your preference and what works for your body.

Whenever you fast, your body adjusts its hormones to make stored body fat more accessible. Basically, your body will start burning more fat. This is why so many people are starting this with the goal of weight loss, however, according to Healthline, there are even bigger benefits such as “reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It may also help you live longer.”

And lastly, it simplifies your life, which is something that I’m also searching for more of. I only have to think about eating 2 meals a day and 1-2 snacks.

Why is intermittent fasting so great with keto?

One of the many benefits of living the keto lifestyle is that you can go longer periods of time without eating because fat fills you up much more than carbohydrates will. When I’m not on keto and go more than 4 hours without eating, not only do I get hangry, but I get extremely bloated, too. None of that happens while I’m on keto. Paired with intermittent fasting, it really just flows together seamlessly because you can just go and go and not feel like you’re starving, or even hungry at all. It really is a win/win situation. Now whenever I go off of the keto diet, sticking with intermittent fasting is much more of a challenge for me because those hunger pains come back and are not fun.

And one last bonus little tidbit about intermittent fasting that my health coach shared with me: anything under 50 calories won’t break your fast. For instance, I absolutely can’t start my day without coffee. In fact, my coffee is a part of what I plan into my eating every day when I’m doing keto because I use 1 tbsp of heavy cream in it (5 grams of fat and 50 calories) to get my day off to a high-fat start. So you can still have your cup of coffee each morning, just don’t go overboard with the cream!

Looking for more keto advice? I’ve got you covered!

Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? I would love to hear your thoughts! Does it sound scary or completely attainable? I know that you will see so many wonderful benefits as soon as you get started.

XOXO,

Allison