Intermittent Fasting For Dummies

Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RDN, FAND, LDN is an internationally recognized expert on fitness, nutrition, and health. She is a registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist. She has published three books on the prevention of heart disease and numerous articles in reputable scientific journals.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started with Intermittent Fasting 5Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Intermittent Fasting, Just the Basics 7Defining Exactly What Intermittent Fasting is (and Isn’t) 8Recognizing the nuts and bolts of intermittent fasting 9Delving deeper into how intermittent fasting works 10Considering Your Intermittent Fasting Options 12Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions 15Taking the First Steps of Change 16Chapter 2: Assessing Your Goals 19Understanding What a Healthy Weight Range is for You 20Taking a self-inventory 20Considering your reasons for weight loss 21Setting your weekly SMART goals 22Calculating Your Healthy Weight Range 25Making friends with the scale 25Guesstimating accurately 26Using your Body Mass Index to see whether you’re overweight 27Gauging your inches to link your weight and health 29Determining what a healthy percentage of body fat is for you 31Chapter 3: Verifying Calories As Your Last Resort 33Examining How Your Intermittent Fasting Plan is Going 34Explaining calorie surplus and deficit 34Studying Calories 101 36Balancing your equation 36Calculating Your Ideal Calorie Range 37Curbing your calories in 37Expending your calories out 38Following the 80:20 rule 42Trying just one more time 43Chapter 4: Understanding the Link Between Weight and Health 45Discovering What the Scientists Know about Being Overweight 46Enumerating the numerous health risks of being overweight 46Seeing why where you store your fat matters 53Beating the Odds of Inheriting the Fat Genes 55Part 2: Grasping the Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting 57Chapter 5: Navigating the Science of Intermittent Fasting 59Discerning What The Scientists Know about Intermittent Fasting 60How intermittent fasting affects your cells and hormones 61Flipping your metabolic switch 62Understanding Why Intermittent Fasting Works 63Illuminating the three metabolic states 64Examining the important role of ketones 65Discovering the facts on fat 66Revving up your metabolic rate 67Circling the Circadian Rhythm Connection 67Chapter 6: Identifying the Health Benefits to Intermittent Fasting 69Comprehending Why Intermittent Fasting is a Powerful Weight-Loss Tool 70Creating a sustainable calorie deficit 70Losing the fat and gaining muscle 71Seeing how intermittent fasting targets belly fat 73Discovering the Numerous Health Benefits to the Body 74Outlining the diseases/disorders affected 75Considering the mechanics behind the results 78Realizing the positive effects on the brain 79Identifying the benefits for longevity 79Renewing your body with autophagy 80Chapter 7: Determining Whether Intermittent Fasting is Right for You 81Getting Permission from Your Personal Doctor 82Know your numbers 82Give it time 83Throwing a Big Red Flag — Warnings for Diabetics 84Assessing type 1 and type 2 diabetes 85Focusing on the risks 86Recognizing Who Shouldn’t Intermittent Fast 87Surveying the Eating Disorder Silent Epidemic 89Restricting Children from Intermittent Fasting 90Part 3: Evaluating the Most Popular Intermittent Fasting Plans 91Chapter 8: Knowing What to Eat During Your Fasting and Feasting Times 93Keeping Your Goals 93Fasting goal — Deplete your glucose stores 94Feasting goal — Consume healthful foods 94What You Can Eat When You’re Fasting 94Drinking your way through your intermittent fast 95Loving black coffee 96What You Can Eat When You’re Feasting 99Knowing what to eat: Some quick tips 99Why eating a plant-based diet is smart 99Weighing Keto and Intermittent Fasting — Not a Healthy Combination 100Understanding why the Keto Diet and intermittent fasting don’t mix 101What’s wrong about keto: What you shouldn’t and should be eating 102Chapter 9: Trying the 16:8 Time-Restricted Intermittent Fasting Plan 105Clarifying What Time-Restricted Intermittent Fasting is 106Trying the 16:8 time-restricted plan 106Seeing why the 16:8 plan is easy 107Losing the fat and keeping the muscle 108Recognizing how much is too much 109Visualizing a Time-Restricted Fasting Plan — A Sample 1-Week Calendar 110Chapter 10: Enlisting the Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan 111Describing What The Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan is 111Eyeing the Pros and Cons to the Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan 113Exercising during Your Warrior Intermittent Fast 114Visualizing a Warrior Intermittent Fast — A Sample 1-Week Calendar 115Chapter 11: Attempting the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 117Explaining the Different Versions of Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plans 117Understanding the Science of the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 118Benefiting from the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 120Exercising during Your Alternate Day Intermittent Fast 121Eyeing an Alternate Day Intermittent Fast — A Sample 1-Week Calendar 122Chapter 12: Applying the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 123Shedding Light on the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 123Examining the Science of the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 124Exercising during Your 5:2 Intermittent Fast 125Visualizing a 5:2 Intermittent Fast — A Sample 1-Week Calendar 126Chapter 13: Starting the Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fasting Plan 127Perusing the Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fasting Plan 127Examining the pros and cons 128Seeing what the research says 129Visualizing an Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fast— A Sample 1-Week Calendar 130Part 4: Customizing Your Complete Intermittent Fasting Plan 131Chapter 14: Combining Daily Exercise with Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 133Capturing What You Need to Know about Intermittent Fasting and Exercise 134Transforming Your Body with Cardiovascular Conditioning 136Recognizing common cardio 136Mapping out when and how 137Paying attention to your body 138Healing Your Body with Strength Training 139Slowing down aging 139Building muscle: No magic, just hard work 140Planning when and how 141Destressing with Mindful Exercise 143Eyeing the many benefits of yoga 143Recognizing the art of rhythmic breathing 144Chapter 15: Paying Attention to Possible Speed Bumps When Intermittent Fasting 145Handling Hunger Fears 146Curbing Those Cravings 146Igniting Your Energy 148Heading Off Headaches 149Dealing With Scheduling Issues 150Finding Your Stress Relievers 151Chapter 16: Changing Your Connection with Food 155Assessing Your Relationship with Food 155Determining what kind of eater you are 156Taking control of emotional eating behaviors 157Breaking Your Behavior Chain 158Rearranging your food environment 159Changing unhealthy eating behaviors 160Getting a handle on your hunger 161Diving into Mindful Eating 162Practicing mindful eating techniques 162Reviewing the habits of healthy eaters 163Part 5: Intermittent Fasting Made Easy: Eating, Shopping, and Cooking 165Chapter 17: Adding the Mediterranean Diet to Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 167Incorporating the Mediterranean Diet into Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 168Grasping the Laws on Lean Protein 170Eat more plant and fish protein 171For vegans and vegetarians: Focus on plant protein 172Add healthy fish protein 172Making Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Your Main Fat 173Keeping Those Grains Whole 174Powering Up with Plants 178Chapter 18: Going Grocery Shopping, Healthfully 181Finding Your Way around the Supermarket 182Shopping with a plan 182Analyzing where everything is located in the supermarket 183Organizing your shopping cart 184Favoring farmers’ markets 185Knowing How to Read Labels 186Sizing up the ingredient list 189Searching for sugar 189Slashing the sodium 191Rating the frozen meals 192Going organic 193Chapter 19: Stocking Your Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry with Nutrition 195Organizing a Healthy Refrigerator 196Putting things in place 196Establishing a well-stocked freezer 197Arranging a Healthy Pantry 198Capitalizing on categories 199Knowing what and where to store food 200Chapter 20: Making Cooking at Home a Delicious Habit 203Simplifying Your Cooking and Your Life 204Cookware 204Utensils 205Tools and gadgets 206Boning Up on the Healthiest Cooking Techniques 208Microwave cooking 209Roasting and baking 209Boiling 209Grilling 209Sautéing and stir-frying 210Steaming 210Utilizing Additional Tips And Tricks to Maximize Nutrient Retention 211Chapter 21: Starting Your Healthy Recipe Collection 213Serving Up Appetizers for Intermittent Fasting 214Savoring Salads, Soups, and Sandwiches 219Planning Plant-Based Entrees for Intermittent Fasting 229Fishing for Seafood Entrees 235Making Mediterranean Side Dishes for Intermittent Fasting 239Diving into Desserts and Snacks for Intermittent Fasting 245Chapter 22: Creating Your 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Recipes 253Making 500-Calorie Meals for Women 254Creating 600-Calorie Meals for Men 260Part 6: Using Tools for Success 267Chapter 23: Tracking Your Intermittent Fasting Progress 269Journaling for Success 270Graphing Your Progress 271Monitoring your SMART goals 273Chapter 24: Getting Support during Your Intermittent Fast 277Getting Help from a Professional 277Enlisting Friends and Family 279Dealing with Setbacks 280Part 7: The Part of Tens 283Chapter 25: Ten Myths about Intermittent Fasting Debunked 285Intermittent Fasting Puts Your Body Into Starvation Mode 285Skipping Breakfast Makes You Fat 286Intermittent Fasting Slows Metabolism and Frequent Meals Boost It 286Eating Three Meals a Day is Better for Your Health 287You Need to Eat Protein Every Three Hours to Gain Muscle 287Intermittent Fasting Makes You Lose Muscle 287Intermittent Fasting Triggers Excessive Hunger and Makes You Overeat 288Intermittent Fasting is Harmful to the Brain 289Intermittent Fasting Causes Dangerous Drops in Blood Sugar 289Intermittent Fasting is Too Hard 290Chapter 26: Ten Healthiest Superfoods to Include When Intermittent Fasting 291Black Coffee 292Spinach 292Quinoa 293Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) 293Black Beans 293Beets 294Nuts and Seeds 294Broccoli 295Blackberries 295Lentils 296Index 297