Intermittent Fasting - Most Asked Questions

You guys often ask me how I have kept my shape for years with 3 cesarean deliveries. I am trying to share my knowledge and experience with you in order to be a source of inspiration and hope for you and to touch your lives.

As a chemist with an interest in healthy eating, I became a food producer after becoming a mother, producing products with clean ingredients. And now I am with you, having completed my healthy nutrition coach training, in order to help you with additional food recommendations and more.

There are many versions of intermittent fasting, as I mentioned in my article where I basically explained intermittent fasting (for those who have not read the article, you can click here) . Basically all of them are the same. To activate fat burning by starving the body for certain periods.

Not every version will fit perfectly on everyone's body. For this reason, you can try and find the best one for your lifestyle and metabolism. Sometimes, the body's understanding of the fat burning mode may take different times in different bodies. For this reason, we need to maintain every diet we do patiently and properly. Do not rush for results, because there is no oil that can stand against your will. Sooner or later success will be with you.

Now, before answering the questions that come heavily from Instagram, I would like to give a very short summary about what is intermittent fasting and its most common version.

Intermittent fasting is a diet based on keeping the body hungry for a certain period of time. To me, it's a way of life. Forget all the diets you've seen, because they are the most viable and sustainable of diets. He spends certain times of the day by eating and certain times of being hungry. Hours of eating are called the "feeding window", and the hours of fasting are called the "hunger window".

• 12/12 (12 hours fasting, 12 hours feeding): It is generally applied as 3 or 2 meals without snacks.
• 14/10 (14 hours of fasting, 10 hours of feeding): It is applied as 2 meals without a snack or with a snack.
• 16/8 (16 hours fasting, 8 hours feeding): It is applied as 2 meals without a snack or with a snack.
• 18/6 (18 hours of fasting, 6 hours of feeding): It is applied as a diet without a snack or 2 meals with a snack.
• 24/1 (24 hours fasting, 1 meal feeding): It is a type of nutrition for 1 meal a day. By applying once or twice a week, it is frequently applied as 16/8 on other days of the week.

After briefly mentioning intermittent fasting again, I would like to answer the questions you asked on Instagram.

Question 1) Do you have snacks while practicing intermittent fasting?

In intermittent fasting, having snacks and not having snacks are the methods used, but it would be more accurate if possible not to have snacks. I don't have snacks in my daily routine.

Question 2) What would you recommend to people who will just start intermittent fasting and have trouble staying hungry?

You can start with the 12/12 and 1 snack I mentioned above. You can gradually shorten your feeding window and extend your hunger window. If you eat by reducing carbohydrates, it will be easier to prolong your hunger period.

Question 3) Are there any foods that you pay special attention to while practicing intermittent fasting?

I pay attention to a diet that is low in carbohydrates, high in protein and healthy fats, rich in vegetables, additive-free, sugar-free and healthy as much as possible. In this way, my weight loss accelerates and I gain a healthier body. But I invite people who cannot compromise on their harmful diet to have a healthy diet first. If this is not possible, I still recommend intermittent fasting. Even if you are eating fast food or harmful things, you will definitely see the benefits of intermittent fasting.

Question 4) Is it appropriate to eat a single meal (eg, a single meal at 18.00) in intermittent fasting?

Of course it is appropriate. It is one of the most frequently applied versions. I wouldn't directly recommend this version. If you have experience of religiously fasting or intermittent fasting, you can more or less guess whether you can fast for 24 hours.

Please do not forget to consume plenty of water during hunger, especially in the summer months. The earlier we set the clock, the better.

Question 5) I practice intermittent fasting, but why can't I lose weight?

Every diet may not always have the same effect on every body. Please give your body time to understand what you are doing. Things are basically two-armed,

• Reduce or cut out carbohydrates altogether.
• Shorten your hunger window.

Question 6) Is intermittent fasting a healthy practice?

Intermittent fasting is an absolutely safe and healthy method. Intermittent fasting strengthens the immune system, speeds up metabolism, and reduces inflammation in the body. It is a very important weapon in the treatment of chronic diseases. The body's self-repair system is so enormous… All we have to do is not eat foods that will keep the body busy all the time. Let's let it go and see how well our great system works.

I would also like to state that I got rid of a few chronic diseases in this process.

Question 7) Do the muscles melt when fasting for a long time?

This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood information circulating in the market. After fasting for a while, for example, for 16 hours, the edema in the muscles decreases somewhat, and some people think that this is muscle wasting. It is necessary to starve for weeks in order for the body to finish carbohydrates and switch to burning fat, and when there is no fat left to burn, it will switch to muscles. (Death fast etc.) This is not possible in the versions I mentioned above. If we think that the most muscular state of human beings is the cave period in which they are hunted once a day or even once in 2 days, I think it is impossible to believe in the muscles that melt when hungry.

Question 8) What is the hunger window? What are the drinks that are free in the fasting window?

Intermittent fasting is the period of fasting during the day. Unsweetened tea, unsweetened herbal tea, milk-free cream-free unsweetened coffee, unsweetened plain soda, naturally flavored waters with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks (if you do not eat lemon) are free.

There are many people who ask about ayran and alcohol. Buttermilk, milk and alcoholic beverages are forbidden in the hunger window as they have calories.

Question 9) Can I lose weight by eating everything unlimited in the nutrition window?

That would be sabotaging the diet. Of course, there are those who claim to lose weight this way. I'm not saying it can't be given. Of course it can be given. I have to admit, I used it for a while. I don't think it works for everyone. Let's take care of healthy and adequate nutrition as much as possible. We can do this on some special days and holidays, but it shouldn't be our routine.

Question 10) Can pregnant and breastfeeding women do intermittent fasting?

The 12/12 system is often recommended for pregnant and lactating women. You can do 12 hours of fasting and 12 hours of nutrition as 3 main meals without any snacks, provided that you consult your doctor.

Question 11) Can I make the hours I want my feeding/hunger window?

There is a circadian rhythm in the human body that we should not disturb too much. So we have a biological clock according to the sunrise and sunset. We must choose our hours without damaging it too much. The earlier we choose, the better.