Intermittent fasting has become an immensely popular dieting strategy. Although it may seem like another diet fad, there are several reasons why skipping meals can be so helpful for many of us.
The first (and biggest for most) is that intermittent fasting can help you bust through weight loss plateaus. Down to those last couple of pounds, or been stuck at the same number for weeks? Give this a try.
The other reasons are for the sheer health benefits of fasting. Better metabolic adaptions, improved muscle growth and synthesis, and improved responses to post workout meals when you work out. Even longer life spans have been shown in worms – yeah, I know it’s only worms, but still!
It’s also shown to boost mental clarity and give more focus during the day.
And this is just a brief overview of what the research on fasting has found. For an in-depth look at the benefits of intermittent fasting, you can head over to the more scientific post I did on it over here.
On the other hand, If you are looking for a meal plan, shopping list, and other practical strategies that’ll help you experience the benefits of the keto diet and fasting at the same time, continue reading below.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of consuming calories and avoiding calories (i.e., feeding and fasting). There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating windows and fasting windows.
Most people incorporate intermittent fasting by simply extending their overnight fast (i.e., the period of time between dinner and their first meal the next day). The most popular form of intermittent fasting is known as the 16/8 method, whereas the person will fast for 16 hours of the day and consume all of their calories during the remaining 8 hours.
Other common intermittent fasting strategies include skipping both breakfast and lunch (for a 21-hour fast) or alternate day fasting (24-hour fasting and feeding windows).
Despite what you may think, intermittent fasting is relatively easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast. Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning while your body is adapting to your new feeding times.
In general, intermittent fasting is a safe and effective dieting strategy that can help us reach our body composition goals. Many keto dieters (including myself) incorporate 16-21 hour fasts into our schedule almost every day as a way to help us achieve and sustain our goals.
With that being said, you don’t need to skip breakfast to maximize your keto diet results. Intermittent fasting is not essential, it just another tool in the health optimization toolbox that will be a staple for some and useless for others.
Should You Add Intermittent Fasting to Your Keto Diet?
Intermittent fasting has become wildly popular over the past few years. Well-known doctors and researchers swear by it.
However, intermittent fasting isn’t the magic bullet for health and weight loss that many make it out to be. Most of the benefits that we get from restricting our eating window can be explained by being in a calorie deficit.
While intermittent fasting, it is much easier for us to maintain a calorie deficit, which results in weight loss and improved metabolic function. This is arguably the main reason why skipping meals can be so effective for enhancing many aspects of our health.
With that being said, intermittent fasting can provide us with benefits that extend beyond a calorie deficit because fasting stimulates autophagy and ketone production. We take a closer look at how these two processes enhance our health in this article.
So, what does all of this mean for you? It depends on your lifestyle preferences and the results you are already getting for your diet.
Some keto dieters, for example, are already experiencing amazing results, so I generally suggest that they stick with what they are doing and only use intermittent fasting if they need to a plateau-busting strategy.
Conversely, other keto dieters simply feel best when they skip a meal or two, so they would do best with an intermittent fasting schedule that mimics their energy needs.
Regardless of what you decide to do, you will be able to get the results you want, with or without intermittent fasting. This is because the most important variable that determines your body composition is not how long you fast, but how much of each macronutrient you are eating.
Finding Your Macros
Although you can figure out how much you need to eat through trial and error, the quickest and simplest way is by using our keto calculator.
Simply fill it out with your personal information and click “calculate” for an estimate of how much you need to eat to meet your goals. If you have any questions, just click the “i” icon or scroll to the bottom of the keto calculator web page for the answer.
Once you have your personalized calculations, we recommend tracking your calorie, fat, protein, and carb consumption at first. This gives you a better idea of what you need to eat to reach your body composition goals without continually having to guess and hope for the best.
To help you track your macro intake, try using a food tracking app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer. We put together a comprehensive step by step guide on how to use these apps for keto to make the tracking process much easier for you. (Click here to access the guide.)
Now, keep in mind that you might need to eat a decent amount of calories at each meal while you incorporate intermittent fasting into your diet plan.
You might need to eat 1,000 calories or more at one sitting, and as you extend your fasting window, you will have to increase your meal size. To help you adapt to this change, our intermittent fasting meal plan starts with a longer feeding window.
Daily Overview
Breakfast – Ketoproof Coffee
A mixture of oil, fat, and coffee to keep you fueled for the day. Here’s the recipe for Keto Coffee. (Not a fan of coffee? Try having our Iced Ketoproof Green Tea instead.)
So, why drink Ketoproof Coffee? It gets your metabolism off to a great start, giving you a hunger-suppressing energy boost without having to consume as many calories as you normally would for breakfast.
The medium chain triglycerides and caffeine in the coffee will help increase your ketone levels, and the fats will help satiate you while giving you a ton of energy. You can’t go wrong!
Now, keep in mind that we are loading up with fats here. This means that consuming Ketoproof Coffee will technically break your fast. However, as long as the only calories you are getting are from fat, you will reap most (if not all) of the benefits of intermittent fasting.
If you want to do a true fast, then you must not consume any calories at all during your fasting window. In other words, you would have to drink black coffee instead of Ketoproof Coffee. However, I doubt there is a significant difference between the two, so do whatever works best for you.
During week 3 of this meal plan, we will keeping the fat away from our coffee, so if you’d rather ease into a longer fasting window over the next few weeks, then just stick following to the plan as is.
In either case, you will not be taking in any protein in the morning. You will need to keep this in mind as you plan your dinner, making sure you get enough protein.
Lunch – Water, Tea, & Black Coffee
It doesn’t really matter what you drink as long as it doesn’t have fats/protein/carbs in it. Caffeinated is fine, but keep in mind that too much caffeine later in the day will interfere with your sleep quality in such a way that your health and dieting progress will suffer.
While I am intermittent fasting, I aim to drink just over a gallon of water a day (or 4 liters to be more precise) and drink most of it in between my “breakfast” and my eating window.
As your kidneys get used to processing the water, and your bladder gets used to the increase in the amount of water you’re intaking – you won’t have to go to the bathroom as much. I know it can be troublesome for the first two weeks to drink that much water, but it’s extremely good for you to do so, especially while you are adapting to keto.
Dinner – Follow Meal Plan Below
Add cheese/butter/dressings/oils to bulk calories, if needed. We also must get that protein that our bodies need (and we haven’t had for the entire day). Think lean meat or fish here. Chicken is great because it’s high in protein and not too high in fat.
Wait, wait, wait, but I thought this diet was high fat? Yes, it is – but we can get the fat from other sources. Don’t you worry! Fats are very easy to add in, but protein is not as easy.
We can get fats from plenty of side items, sauces, dressings, and even straight from the spoon. If you need extra fats, just add more cheese, add a knob of butter, or make a side salad and dress it with a high-fat dressing and some olive oil.
Snacks? No Snacks!
No snacking! Well, you can snack, but try to stay away from it as much as you can. You want your body to stay in a fasting state until the beginning of your eating window. If you’re snacking, then you will interrupt the process.
That being said, you can snack on some nuts if you feel like you absolutely have to. If you do end up taking a handful of nuts, make sure that it’s only once and not throughout the entire day.
Intermittent Fasting Keto Diet Meal Plan
Now, we are ready to dive into the meal plan.
I’ve put together the meal plan for weeks 1 and 2. I think most people would enjoy this type of food, so that’s why I picked it. Not to mention, there are some of my favorites here.
If you’re strapped for time, you can always make all of this food on the weekend, shove it into Tupperware containers, and put them in the freezer.
The MOST IMPORTANT part of this is to eat your food and have variety. When you don’t have variety, you start to get bored, and your mind wonders to other…sweet sweet places. That’s what we don’t want!
This is a general meal plan, not intended for exact use. You need to do some work here (sorry!) by calculating the amount of calories, fat, and protein you need per day, and breaking it apart into what you should be eating. Remember that every day (for the first two weeks), you’ll be drinking Ketoproof Coffee for breakfast, so that takes away about 500-600 calories from your daily calorie intake and makes it easier for you to meet your fat needs.
Day 1 and Day 6: Buffalo Chicken Crust Pizza
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Day 2 and Day 5: Chorizo Cheddar Meatballs
Serve with a side salad or a side-dish of your favorite low-carb vegetables. I usually recommend trying to eat leafy greens where possible.
Day 3: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bombs
If you find that you’re still hungry, add in a serving of your favorite low-carb vegetable.
Day 4: Sweet & Sour Chicken
Serve this with a side of Cauliflower Fried Rice
Day 7: Eggceptional Sausage Keto Frittata
Serve with a side salad or leftver low-carb vegetables.
Week 2 we will repeat the exact same thing as we had during week 1. If you have more leftovers of one recipe than another, feel free to sub out the planned meal for something you actually have.
Adjustments for Weeks 3 & 4
Now that you’ve had a chance to adapt to a pseudo-fast, we are going to start being more aggressive with our fasting window here. We’ll turn it into a 21/3 or an 18/6 fasting protocol.
What do these numbers mean? 21/3 means 21 hours of fasting and 3 hours of eating, and 18/6 means 18 hours of fasting and 6 hours of eating.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean you’ll be eating for 3 or 6 hours nonstop, but it is your “window” of opportunity to get all of your daily calories in. If you’re not the best at eating a lot of food in 1 sitting, choose the 6-hour window.
Breakfast
We’re going to stop drinking Ketoproof Coffee for breakfast, and only be eating one meal per day. Instead of having your normal Ketoproof Coffee, just settle with a black coffee (or tea) with nothing else added. Anything with calories is not permitted if you want to implement a true fast.
Lunch
Lunch is going to be the same way as before. Tea, coffee, water, or whatever zero carb/fat/protein drink you want. Stay hydrated as you have been.
Remember, no snacking! We need to get more strict here, and your metabolism should have started to get used to your fasting schedule. Try to avoid your snacking at all costs, creating a fasting environment for your body. This will allow you to get the most out of your fast.
Dinner
When dinner time rolls around, you have a few choices. You can start breaking your meals into dinner and dessert. This is what I normally do.
Sometimes when I eat too much protein and fats, I just can’t force myself to eat more. However, as you know, hitting our calorie needs is important. This is when keto desserts will save the day. (Sweet is easier to eat.)
You can also keep your meals exactly the same, just increase the portion sizes. That way you’re getting the needed calories but not having to do extra work.
If you choose to take the dinner and dessert route, keep your macros in mind. Pick sweets that are high in fats if your dinner is high in protein. Conversely, pick sweets that are high in protein if your dinner is high in fats. Be smart about it, and always keep your macros in mind.
What about the meal plan? Well, it’s the same as last week. Just this time you’ll have to be eating more. You can keep your meals exactly the same, and then add some things for your dessert to make up for not drinking the Ketoproof Coffee.
If you need more fats, just like before you can add oils, dressings, cheese, butter, or whatever you need to in order to get to your macros.
Desserts are finicky things, and I don’t like making choices for people because usually with sweets everyone has their own special tastes. To help you find keto desserts that you’ll love, follow this link to our keto recipe page.
Keto Shopping List for the Meal Plan
This shopping list is for two weeks’ worth of food. The ingredients listed is enough to make the full 2 weeks and some leftovers.
This food list is based on the above meal plan. However, keep in mind that you need to be aware that depending on your needed calories, you will need to make more or less food. I give a round estimate of how much I personally make.
Most of the recipes I list are pretty savable. You can freeze leftovers and use them in the following week when we turn the fasting into a more intense approach. Alternatively, you can refrigerate them for a couple of days and have them later in the week.
Meat
- 3 lb. Ground Beef
- 5 Chorizo Sausages
- 2 Italian Sausages
- 2 lbs. Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 2 lbs. Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 12 Slices Bacon
- 22 Large Eggs
Fats
- 15 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
- 2 Tbsp. Sour Cream
- 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 15 Tbsp. Organic Coconut Oil
- 18 Tbsp. Grass Fed Unsalted Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
If you prefer another fat, you can choose it over the ones I use.
Cheese
- 2 Cups Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
- 4 Cups Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese
- 6 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Full-Fat Ricotta
Vegetables
- 1 Medium Green Pepper
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 Head Cauliflower
- 10 Ounces Frozen Spinach
- 2 Cups Tomato Sauce
- 2 Small Scallions
- 2 Stalks (12 g) of Green Onion
- 2 Stalks of Celery
- 4-6 Servings of Your Favorite Low-Carb Vegetable(s)
Extras
- 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 Cup Erythritol
- 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar
- 14 Cups Coffee
- 1 Bag of Pork Rinds
- 4 Tbsp. Sugar-Free Ketchup
- 6 Tbsp. Frank’s Red Hot Original
- 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
Go for the pork rinds that are light and airy. We’ll be grinding these up and you want nice light consistency, not hard and dense.
Grinding your own coffee beans usually yields a better cup of coffee, so try to get some nice organic coffee in your diet.
Spices
- 3 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
- 5 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp. Chili Powder
- 2 tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Ginger
- 2 tsp. Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper
You’re welcome to add more spices to your food, cayenne pepper, more salt and pepper, or paprika.
I do realize that you can’t go to the store and buy only two teaspoons of chili powder or a 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. You have to decide what will be right for you, and maybe you’ll end up buying a bit more than you need. But don’t worry, you can always use the leftovers later on!
Now, keep in mind that this is solely for the single dishes we will be having. You’ll need to make sides, such as steamed broccoli with a cheese sauce or a side salad. Choose the vegetables as you wish, and consider what keto sauces, condiments, or dressings you could have with the vegetables.
Ideas: creamed spinach, butter roasted asparagus, butter fried green beans, broccoli with cheese sauce, cauliflower with cheese sauce, or a light salad with heavy dressing.
What’s Next? Intermittent Fasting & Keto after the Meal Plan
After you’ve tried our meal plan, take a moment to assess how it went.
- How did you feel while you were fasting? Were you struggling to make it to your next meal while fantasizing about food or were you able to stay focused throughout the day?
- Does intermittent fasting fit with your schedule and lifestyle better than eating meals throughout the day?
- Is an intermittent fasting schedule a better strategy for you to sustain weight loss than what you were doing before?
Your answers to these questions will provide you with enough info to determine whether or not intermittent fasting is a good dietary strategy for you.
Some people just can’t put up with fasting and need to have evenly spaced meals throughout the day, while others experience more energy and focus when they don’t have breakfast.
Some keto dieters are able to get incredible results when they use intermittent fasting while others feel worse and don’t experience much of a benefit at all.
If you think that intermittent fasting isn’t right for you, then there’s no need to force it. Just by maintaining a calorie deficit and following the keto diet, you can experience most of the benefits that you would get from intermittent fasting anyway. Follow whatever meal schedule works best for you, and use the principles in our “How to Lose Weight on the Keto Diet” article to guide you in the right direction.
On the other hand, for those of you who, like me, find it much easier to lose weight, stay on track, and maintain energy while intermittent fasting, your next step is to figure out what fasting window works best for you and your schedule. I personally stick to a 16-18 hour fasting window with two meals during my feeding window, while others have no problem waiting until dinner.
You can also do a pseudo-intermittent fast by drinking Ketoproof Coffee in the morning and waiting until dinner time to meet your remaining macro needs.
In general, as long as you are getting relatively close to meeting your macros on a daily basis, you will be able to achieve the results you want (for the most part). How long you fast on a daily basis only plays a minor role in the results you get, so it is up to you to determine what fasting schedule works best for you.
Whether you decide to continue using intermittent fasting or not, here are some resources that will help you get the results you want:
- How to Lose Weight on the Keto Diet
- How to Break Through Weight Loss Plateaus (with and without intermittent fasting)
- Hundreds of Delicious Keto Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert (so you don’t have to eat all of the same meals from our meal plan over and over again)
- Intermittent Fasting on a Keto Diet (for more info on intermittent fasting)
thank you for your information. Very much appreciated. 🙂
You’re very welcome! If you ever want to know more, feel free to send me an e-mail requesting an article to write. I try to keep on top of everything. Best of luck in 2014 and Happy New Year!
I am starting on this today. My only issue is that the shopping list is not comprehensive with regards to the selected recipes. For example- the sweet and sour chicken calls for “reduced sugar ketchup, erythritol, rice vinegar, soy sauce” etc.
Christina,
You’re totally right about that and I am really sorry. When I put together the list I didn’t include the sweet and sour chicken or the cauliflower fried rice. I’ve updated the list to be comprehensive now – again, sorry! If you need to sub out the Erythritol for another sweetener – it’s totally doable.
No need to apologize. 🙂 It’s still an incredibly helpful article, and I really appreciate the time and effort you put into writing it.
As long as it helps at least 1 person in reaching their goal, I’m happy to oblige. 🙂
I don’t eat meat or poultry but do eat dairy, cheese, fish, and shellfish. For the diet you are describing, are there weekly meal plans like your 7 day plan,written up for people who don’t? I do so much better with something written re. what I can eat every meal/day.
Thanks for all the good info.
Teri,
As of this moment I don’t have any diet plans for specialized diets or anything like that.
Nice infos and great detailed plan.
I’m just wondering wheteher eating all you protein in such a small window (like 115 protein in 4 hours in my case) won’t kick you out of ketosis.
Thanks
Giuseppi, I’ve never had a problem consuming all my protein in a small window – long as you aren’t over-consuming on it, I think you’d be fine!
Ty Craig
I’ll try that way and keep you posted.
Cool, I’ll be around waiting!
Do you see any problem with skipping lunch longterm instead of just one week? I’d like to do bpc and your egg frittatas for breakfast (7am) and then nothing but water until dinner (6pm). Is 11 hours enough? Do I have to give up breakfast? I can handle no lunch but not eating all day just sounds dreadful…lol I do like my food!
No, I don’t. You normally go into a fasted state after 12 hours, so if you want to reap the benefits of IF, then you’ll have to keep that in mind. I used to do the same thing (eat breakfast, skip lunch) 🙂
I’m not sure if I can fast so many hours during the day. How does this sound: Dinner at 6pm……sleep…….BPC at 7 am……workout…then lunch and dinner between 10 am and 6 pm. Are the benefits the same if fasting during sleep hours? And will the BPC interrupt the fasting state? Thanks.
Yes, BPC will interrupt the fasting state but that sounds about fine to me, honestly. But, if you feel like it’s not helping you out any, don’t do it!
Cool! Thanks again. Man, you’re quick! 😉
Good morning! I am starting IF tomorrow. I work out in the morning 8AM run then about 11.30AM I lift light weights. QUESTION…should I drink my BPC at 6AM when I wake up? Then fast after that? Then eat dinner around 7? I feel a little lost – sorry for the corny question
Gena, you can do that. IF is more for convenience than anything so you can make the schedule.
Hi This site just looks wonderful. Thankyou for spending so much time helping everyone out. My question is. …. Do you use a food log at all and if so which one? I am lookng at a few but finding it hard to add my macros in.
I did the keto diet about 2 years back and lost my weight but sadly the sugar industry has gained power over me again and i need to get back to Keto and stay there. I cook everything from scratch ad find it hard working out the calories etc.
Rebecca, you can use MyFitnessPal or Fatsecret to track all your stuff. Those are the 2 main ones.
Hi Craig, Thought i should just drop in and say thanks for the advice. I joined myfitnesspal and have already lost 11lbs following the keto diet and all your advice. Thanks so much, i have more to go but your macro calculator has been great for me . Keep up the good work please.x
Sure thing! Glad to hear Rebecca!
Hi,
Why do we have to give up the bullet proof coffee? The bullet proof website says we still get the benefits of fasting with it. I have grown to love it and it helps with crazy cravings and I am satifisfied later with my meal.
thank you
Tracey, you aren’t really fasting if you have it. The fasting state normally happens 12-13 hours after meals, so if you break a fast with bulletproof coffee, then you aren’t technically fasting.
Hi Craig,
After doing weeks 3 & 4 do you start over again with week 1?
I noticed you said that the way you eat is to have 2 cups of BP coffee and then not eat again until dinner at 9 pm. Do you do weeks 3 & 4 yourself? What is the added benefit of not doing the BP coffee?
Thank you so much for all of your articles. I also really appreciate that when I purchased your book and emailed you with a question you responded yourself and really quickly.
Thank you,
Lisa
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for the kind words! Nowadays I just fast – no BPC in the morning or anything, I just wait until night to eat. It’s just because it plays better into my schedule and it makes me feel better overall. It’s not necessary to do if it’s not convenient for you or if your body just can’t adjust to it. In the meal plan I say as much – if you can’t do it, you can return to the same type of plan as week 1 and 2. The same applies here. If you want to, it’s convenient for you, and it’s working for you – then you can fast. If it’s not, then eat 😛
Hi Craig,
I was wondering if I have been fasting properly. What I’ve been doing is eating every two hours to get in all my calories from 10am-4pm (fix first meal at 9:45am to eat at 10am, fix last meal at 3:45pm to eat before 4pm). I eat about 4 meals that are split into about 400 calories so I can reach about 1,500 calories before 4:00pm. Am I doing this right? It feels so wrong, haha. I feel really full.
I’ve been eating good foods like greek yogurt, vegetables, and chicken, but I’m apprehensive because it’s so frequent.
Deja,
Just make sure you’re getting your fats into your diet. But yes, you are fasting – the fasting state will happen normally about 12 hours of having no food and you’re going 18 hours which is just fine 🙂
How long will it take me to loose 20 pounds? Can I do this in 6 weeks if I am very careful and exercise with the diet? I want to surprise my husband and am going to order both your cookbooks. I also want to understand the flour that you are using, is it carb free?
Lisa,
I don’t know how much weight you have to lose, 20 pounds for someone that’s 500 pounds is a lot different than 20 pounds for someone that’s 160 pounds. So for the average person (180-220) range, 20 pounds is going to be a lot to lose in 6 weeks, even with exercise included. I’d think some 12-15 pounds is more likely, but 20 pounds might be pushing it. It’s all about healthy weight loss.
The flour I use does have carbs, but it’s only a pretty small amount, so it’s pretty good to use for this diet as it has plenty of fats in also.
Hi Craig… First, a big THANK YOU for dedicating so much time and effort into helping others with the keto journey. This website is the best resource around. It is incredibly organized & simple to follow. I love it! 🙂
Now, here is my question. I have hit a plateau & considering I.F to break out of it. How long do you suggest I do it? Is there a minimum amount of time that it needs to be observed in order to be effective & permanent?
Also, is there a risk of regaining the weight when going back to a non-fasted keto diet?
Sorry, that was more than 1 question actually? Any insights you can offer is greatly appreciated.
Hey and thanks Coumba. What I suggest you do is if you’re stalling – take a look into all of your other macros and make sure they’re on point before you start doing IF. IF -CAN- help a plateau, but it doesn’t always do it if something else is going wrong in your diet.
If you do do IF, you could do it for as long as you’d like – a week, 2 weeks, forever, it doesn’t matter too much. I do it almost daily, but there is not “minimum” amount of time you have to do it for. There shouldn’t be a risk of gaining weight after doing IF because you should still be feeding your body ample amounts of food and energy during this period.
Hope that helps!
Wow… That was fast. Thank you so much!! And yes, it helps a lot. I had a feeling I wasn’t doing something right with my macros because I am not eating much on most days (1,300 cal) but if I eat anymore than that, I gain weight. This actually leads me to one more question. What’s more important in consuming the calories: the percentages by macros or the actual grams? Not sure if that question makes sense but with all this stuff, I get confused on what to actually track. Thanks again!!! 🙂
Sure thing. The grams make the biggest difference because if you think about it – the grams add up to the calories. For example if you look at 1g of fat – this is 9 calories. If you look at 1g of protein or 1g of carbohydrate – this is 4 calories. Each gram of “nutrient” has a caloric value assigned to it based off of lab studies and breakdowns of energy.
Understood. Thanks again. You rock!!!
Sure thing! If you want to, you can also join a community of keto-ers on the forums here: //www.ruled.me/forum/
Hi Craig
first of all i love what you do iam Amsterdam Netherlands and my friends and i we all love your site.
We al ordrd you ketofide e-book and the rule book.
Nou i have done de keto dieet and lost 16 kg in 4 months. But now i have gain 2 kg again because of vacation and not able too cook so i have eaten lots of carbs. Now i have start to keto for few weeks but i dont lose wait anymore.
So i want to do the fasting method. But i dont know wich one to do the fat fasting of intermiient fasting.
I lookt a little bit the same but whats the difference between tose two fasting methods?
i now weight 66 kg and i am 1.71 m tall my goal is 60kg.
Hope you can advise me
thanks and keep up the good work.
Fat fast is when you restrict your calories and have most of your calories from fat – used as a “speed boost” to get into or back into keto.
Intermittent Fasting shouldn’t be used to lose weight. It does have some health benefits and some energy benefits (for most – some people don’t like it), but it won’t really help you lose extra weight. Also, during IF, you don’t restrict calories like on a fat fast.
I would suggest you just go back to regular keto eating and stick with it 🙂
Thank you very much tomorrow i will start my keto lifestyle again.
Sounds good – I wish you the best 🙂
“Intermittent Fasting shouldn’t be used to lose weight.”
I respectfully disagree. For many of us with weight problems the combination of keto and IF is the key to getting control over obesity. i find this the perfect combination, and it has allowed me to regain balance, health, and well-being.
I would be surprised if anyone with extra pounds did not lose weight on keto plus IF.
Digby,
All the studies I saw about non-calorie restricting IF said that it didn’t really have much of a factor on weight loss. Keto in itself is great for weight loss so I’m sure people can lose weight with just keto, but if you are doing keto + IF and still eating to your macros, then the amount of weight you lose will be negligible compared to just regular keto.
I have been eating strictly keto for overvtwo years, but losing very slowly, though restricting intake, and logging every bite. I am middle-aged which might be a factor. I just know that for me the 24hour IF every day has enabled more weight loss, while eating the same number of calories as before. I expect as a general rule you are correct, but there is a spectrum in all these concerns, so people experience varabilty. I would not want to discourage anyone who has my type metabolism from trying what might work.
Oh for sure. There’s definitely different things that works for different people when it comes to losing weight, and I’m glad to hear it’s working for you. I was doing IF for many months and it was going great…until something shifted and I was really hungry again in the morning. So I stopped doing IF pretty recently and feel better off of it again. You definitely have to find what works for you.
I want to confirm I’m doing this correctly. So, I wake up at 5am and train from 530 to 630, come home and drink a coffee with 2 T of heavy cream, then don’t eat til 11am at which I have 4 meals (11, 130, 430, and 630) and then fast from 7pm til the next day. Is this appropriate? I figure it’s a 16/8 ratio.
Troy, that sounds about right. I would probably just cut out the 2 tbsp. heavy cream from the coffee to be honest, though.
Ok perfect and if I do a carb refeed, with all my macros calculated of course, should I continue using the same 16/8 ratio even on that day or should carbs hit my body soon after my fasted workout in the morning?
Yeah you could use the same fasting schedule even when you’re carb loading. After your carb load you definitely want to be fasting when you do your work out to make sure you start using that glycogen up.
hi, okay I have used the calculator and got my macros and calories and am ready to go except after telling me how to this it goes straight into meal plans, I am still not sure how to start my IF. do I start with an eight hour window of eating or a six hour window? and does it matter what times I work out if I am going to do weight training compared to what time I eat my two meals?
Robyn,
You don’t have to do IF at all if you don’t want to. It’s totally up to you and on your own accord. I do it because I enjoyed the mental alertness I got from it, but there’s really no weight loss benefit to doing IF. You can start however you’d like to – with a 12 hour window and dial it down. With a 9, 8, or 6 hour window – make it work for you before worrying about dialing into specifics 😉
Hi Craig, great post as usual! maybe this is a stupid question, but I was wondering if I should consider the hours I’m asleep as part of my fasting time? I’m guessing yes, but it doesn’t hurt to ask… 🙂
Hey Veronica – yes, you do count the time you sleep as a fasting time 🙂
I’m perfectly able to fast after my 6 pm dinner until 6 pm the next day drinking just black coffee for breakfast and lunch I think because I’m keto/fat adapted. I have a large stomach from a lifetime of over eating so I have no problem hitting my macros in one meal. So basically I can fast 24 hours, eat and repeat over and over. Do you see any problems with cramming all of my macros and nutrition into one meal a day? Like could it accidently force my body to react negatively like kicking myself out of ketosis or raising my blood sugars even though I eat 20 or less carbs a day? Could there be other negative effects? So far I’ve had no issues and am losing weight as expected on the short term. I’m a male, 223 pounds, looking to drop about 60 pounds of fat and maintain for a lifetime. I’m 34 years old, healthy, but was on the verge of diabetes, that’s why I switched to high fat low carb eating a month ago and it’s been a breeze. So far so good, I’m down from 238 to 223 (15 lbs) and haven’t had any blood sugar problems.
Hi there, i am very confused I’ve started low carb 3 days ago, and I want to make sure that I maximise my weight loss so I’ve found myself on this page. I’ve calculated my macros using the calculator and it’s saying for I should be eating 211g of fat, 74g of protein, and 20g of carbs and 2276 calories. I’m asking whether the amount of fat It says I should be consuming is too high? I am quite heavy I weigh 16 stone, and would like to lose 5 stone. Any advice would be appreciated. I understand it is high fat low carb but that seems a massive amount. Also, should I quit Diet Coke as I read aspartame has net carbs in? Thank you ☺
Do you do a lot of exercise? The macros sound like it. And if that’s the case, you do need to give your body enough energy (and your appetite should allow for it). It sounds a bit low in protein, though if you’re doing any sort of lifting.
I’d recommend trying to switch to water if possible. Always hit your protein – but if you’re not hungry, don’t force yourself to eat the fat.
Hi Craig, I am confused about fasting. My daily calorie intake is 1,440, so I still need to eat 1,440 calories after I break the fast? any information will be very helpful. Thank you very much.
Yes, that’s correct. You can eat it within a 6-8 hour window (so you can make a few meals and eat them all within that time frame).
Hi, I am currently doing intermittent fasting. I usually just sip on coffee/tea until 11am when it is my “time” to eat. However, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so I have to take my pill first thing in the in the morning on an empty stomach (before coffee/tea). Does taking my medication break my fast? Thank you!
Hi Andrea, I personally wouldn’t count it because its not a meal and it’s important for your health. But you could also try moving your fasting window around so that it doesn’t conflict with your medication schedule. 🙂
Hi there! I am a newbie to the keto lifestyle. I just completed day 1 of a full keto breakfast, lunch and dinner. I wanted to do this for about two weeks then begin IF for faster weight loss (its summer time)! I like the plan you have that includes 4 weeks. I was wondering what do you do after the 4 weeks are over? Go back to eating regular keto? Is it safe to just IF 16/8 for like as long as possible? I live a pretty busy lifestyle and I think I could make the 16/8 IF keto fast a lifestyle thing, is that healthy?
Hey Alexsandra,
After the 4 weeks are up, just continue keto eating and using IF. 16/8 is healthy and can be done every day if you’d like.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Hi there when are you supposed to eat breakfast and dinner? What are good times? I been doing 12pm and 730 (to finish by 8) but the coffee takes me about 3 hours to finish (too hot in my mug!) but I get up pretty early around 530 am and find my myself more tired than I’ve ever been! Even after the coffee at lunch. Last week before I started fasting I only had 1 cup and it was in the morning and I had great energy the entire day! Help!!! What can I do to get more energy should I change the time schedule for the fasting idk!
Hey Alexsandra,
For you, I’d recommend having black coffee in the morning (with 1-2 tbs of MCT oil added if the coffee doesn’t provide you with enough energy) and see how long you can extend your fasting window.
Ideally, try to last until dinner and have a big meal then, but if you need a mid-afternoon keto snack, then you can do that as well.
However, what’s most important to remember is that the key to weight loss is not long you can fast. What matters most is that you maintain a calorie deficit. If you can do this, then you will lose weight, regardless if you fast for 16, 18, or 21 hours.
Does that make sense? If you have any questions, please let me know.
Hello, Craig!
I know its a few years later, buuuuttt……! So, I have been Keto-ing for about 9 months now. I have been wanting to start really weight training. I swim laps for an hour 5 times a week every morning. I have been doing some machine weights 5 times a week. Usually 3 sets of 8 reps (weight is enough to make rep 8 a struggle) and cardio 3 -4 times a week. I would like to know, how IF works with weight training? Timing your protien intakes is important here or not? I still have fat to lose, so I am using a deficit of 30%. But I am working out, so I set the protien to 1 g. To make this effective for me, can you help explain if I am doing this wrong or how to tweak it to make me not lose muscle, but keep losing fat? My usual routine is, get up – prepare and drink bpc (1 scoop isopure pdr, 1 tbs coconut oil, 2 tbs hvy cr) Swim for an hr. from 9-5, graze on lunch and dinner macros till finished. cardo/weights for 1.5-2 hrs, go to bed. Thank you for all your help!
Hey Silke Wolf,
As long as you are meeting your protein needs every day, you should be able to maintain/gain muscle mass. Try putting 1.2 g into the calculator and eating that much protein. Once you hit your weight loss goal, you can dial your protein intake down a bit (put 1 g into the calculator) and your calories up a bit (click the “Maintain” circle).
Does that make sense? If you have any follow up questions, please let me know.
Hello, I’m a little confused by your meal plan for weeks 1 &2 and exactly how they differ from weeks 3 & 4 except the Keto coffee being taken away. So I would be skipping lunch for weeks 1 & 2 and for weeks 3 & 4 skipping breakfast and lunch? I just want to make sure I’m getting it right.
How do you feel about taking ketoade or sodium/vitamins during the fasting period? And how about sweeteners like stevia found In some electrolyte drinks? Would it be okay?
A general rule of thumb to get the most out of fasting is to avoid any calorie-containing foods or drinks. That being said, a few calories here and there won’t keep you from experiencing the benefits of fasting either.
Sodium (and other electrolytes), vitamins, and stevia are fine.
So I’ve been fasting for about a month now and everyday I get diahrea as soon as I start eating it lasts all day, until the next day. Then I eat, the process repeats. I eat all my calories in one meal. Sometimes I eat all my calories within 4 hours. Sometimes I fast 16 hours, 20 hours. But I change my eatting times a lot. Any advice?
A few questions come to mind:
– how much fiber and low carb vegetables are you eating? (Because fiber and vegetables can help bulk up your stool)
– if you lengthen your eating window and have two meals rather than one, does the diarrhea stop? (Because having a ton of fat in one meal might be the issue)
– are you taking MCT oil or magnesium citrate? (Both are common keto supplements that can cause diarrhea when taken in higher doses)
I’m confused. I followed the recipes and meal plans and gained 4 lbs??? What am I doing wrong?
Hey Alisha,
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you personalize your macronutrient intake based on your goals?
I think so. I used the keto calculator to tell me how many calories etc to consume. I’m trying again and recording everything eaten. I still have faith in this diet. Hopefully this week will be better.
Before you give it another try, I recommend reading through our guide to weight loss stalls:
https://www.ruled.me/ketoge…
It’ll help you understand what may be going on and provide some other practical strategies that may be more helpful for you.
If you have any further questions, let me know.
I’m confused about when to have the keto coffee? If my eating window is 9a-5p, do I have the coffee at 9a or do I have it during my “fasting window”? Then do I wait to eat again before 5p? I’ve been doing keto for about 3 months and have only lost 5 lbs and am really struggling to stay or even get into ketosis….so I wanted to incorporate this into my routine to hopefully help me meet my goals. Thank you! Trish
Hey Trish,
As a warm-up to IF, you can drink ketoproof coffee before your feeding window starts for the first two weeks. Though this isn’t technically a “fast,” it helps your body transition into intermittent fasting while getting most of the benefits
In weeks 3 and 4 (and after that), we recommend having your coffee black (nothing added) if you are drinking it during your fasting window.
Does this clear up the confusion? If you have any further questions, let me know 🙂
I just signed up today with Ruled.me Keto Academy. My personality is I want to dive right in but I’ve read so many different things about Keto and still trying to get a little more clarity. I had Keto Academy determine my “profile macros.” Glad they could figure this out because I haven’t been able to figure this out. What I am wanting to do in order to get a jump start on my weight loss is to eat during an 8 hr window of time 11:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. During that time I would drink a cup of Brodo Broth for morning followed by keto lunch and dinner. Does this sound reasonable and if not please provide guidance.
Welcome! You can definitely do that in the meal planner. You can set your ‘Personalization’ settings to not include breakfast and then it would just give you a lunch and dinner to follow along with. Your eating window sounds great, too. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an e-mail to [email protected] 🙂