Last Updated on April 13, 2022 by Latrice
I want to make this keto intermittent fasting guide as straight up and as simple as possible.
This ultimate, simple guide to keto intermittent fasting for weight loss is meant to help you quickly understand the basics and put it to work.
I lost 45 lbs with keto intermittent fasting and I think this fat-burning combination is the bee’s knees.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this guide:
- Why keto intermittent fasting will change your life
- What is intermittent fasting exactly and why does keto make it so easy
- The most important factors in keto intermittent fasting
- How to start keto intermittent fasting without self-torture
- Popular intermittent fasting windows and effectiveness
- How to choose the best intermittent fasting schedule FOR YOU
- How to actually survive keto intermittent fasting
- What to eat while keto intermittent fasting for weight loss
- Mistakes you should avoid while keto intermittent fasting
- Takeaways
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Why keto intermittent fasting will change your life
Keto turns you into a fat burner while intermittent fasting extends that fat burning.
The way keto works is it removes carbs from your diet, lowers the amount of glucose available for energy to your body, and forces the body to start burning body fat instead.
The word “keto” is short for ketogenic which is a metabolic state where ketones are produced by the liver. Ketones are used by your brain for energy while your fat is burned for your other functions.
Once you are adapted, you are a fat burner. Being a fat burner means having a more sustainable energy source which then means having an appetite that acts right and cravings that are no more.
Other benefits of keto intermittent fasting besides appetite and craving control include anti-aging, cancer prevention, better brain health, clearer skin, muscle retention and growth, and giving your haters something else to hate on you about. 🙂
Keto intermittent fasting will have people wondering how you can melt so quickly while they’ve been dealing with their pound-a-week weight loss.
Pound a week? Ha! Try 3 to 5 pounds a week. I’ve lost 8 pounds in a week when I first started out.
Additional reading:
- Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss: How I lost 45-lbs in 4 months the easy way
- Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Week 1 Results: 4-lbs down and 1 inch off the waist
- Intermittent fasting weight loss results for July 2019: week 1, 8-lbs lost
Now, let’s get into what is intermittent fasting exactly, what it isn’t, and why keto makes it so easy.
What is intermittent fasting exactly and why does keto make it so easy
Intermittent fasting is when you don’t eat. “Duh,” right? Well, it really is that simple so try not to overcomplicate this way of eating.
Which reminds me. Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it is a way of eating. A lifestyle for meal timing where you choose a block of time to eat and a block of time to not eat.
And some people do intermittent fast on other diets besides keto, but what makes keto so damn helpful is the diet’s ability to regulate appetite, cut cravings, keep your blood sugar in check, and decrease hunger.
All the things you need to intermittent fast comfortably without ripping someone’s head off. Yea, you have to go without sweet potatoes and bananas for some time, but the benefits are super worth it.
I went from eating 6 times a day because I was genuinely a hungry woman to eating 1 to 2 times a day COMFORTABLY. I have to stress COMFORTABLY.
I’ve tried intermittent fasting on other diets and went through all the classic, yucky sugar withdrawal, insulin resistance symptoms.
My head hurt, I was moody, I felt weak, I felt jittery, and for damn sure didn’t have the energy to workout.
With keto intermittent fasting, I’ve felt so comfortable with not eating that I’ve forgotten to eat. I actually had to ask myself why did my stomach feel a little weird.
Keto gets your body to a state where going without food for 16 to 20 hours is a walk in the park. It makes burning your body fat for fuel super easy to handle.
Still with ya girl? Alright, let’s get into what you need to remember…
The most important factors in keto intermittent fasting
This is going to be a shocker.
It’s self-discipline and consistency. Crazy right?
In order for keto intermittent fasting to really work its juju on your weight loss goals, you’re going to have to be self-disciplined and as consistent as possible.
Otherwise, your body will struggle with adapting to keto, turning you into a fat burner, and comfortably intermittent fasting.
You’ll struggle with getting through your fasting windows, have one hell of a time with cravings, and intermittent fasting will be a pain in the ass to put it frankly.
I’ve gotten emails from women that wonder why they can’t get through their fasting windows while sharing with me that they also struggle with cheats.
Yup, it’s the cheat meal girlfriend. Gotta let that nibbling (or full-on cheat day) go.
It might take you some time to get disciplined, but be persistent and consider your keto intermittent fasting journey a practice that you get better at with time.
Keto intermittent fasting does not have to be an all-or-nothing routine where if you blew it, you can screw it. Give yourself time to get better with time.
Additional reading:
- “How to Build Self-Discipline” – Weight Loss & Mindset
- How to change your mindset for weight loss
- How to create a self-care routine that’ll make healthy habits easy to stick to
- 15 healthy habits that make weight loss super simple
- 5 life organization tips for achieving weight loss, health, and wellness goals
Next, let’s talk transitioning for better progress.
How to start without torturing yourself
Unless you’re into that type of thing… Just kidding.
Keto intermittent fasting is better to get into through transitioning than with nose-diving. You nose dive into this thing and you can anticipate your body giving you the drag of a lifetime.
I’m talking about headaches, mood swings, stomach pains, jitteriness, low energy, obsessive thinking about food, and potential binge eating if you give in.
These symptoms make keto intermittent fasting way too challenging to stick to and achieve your weight loss goals with.
The best method is to start by eliminating all highly processed foods from your diet, eating all real foods, and limiting yourself to 3 meals a day.
Do this for about a week. Then begin going into the keto diet. Eat a keto diet for another week or two.
Once you feel that your appetite is in check, start getting rid of your first meal or your last meal for the day.
And use shorter fasting windows when first starting. You improve your chances of sticking with this if you start where it is most comfortable for you.
I’ve put together this Quick Weight Loss Keto Intermittent Fasting bundle to help you transition. It includes a short meal plan and food list that’ll help you get started quickly.
Additional reading:
- How to become fat-adapted to burn fat without torturing yourself with sugar withdrawals
- Intermittent fasting – 5 simple tips for painlessly getting started
- 20 Keto meal prep ideas for starting intermittent fasting
On to fasting windows…
Popular intermittent fasting schedules and effectiveness
Alright… so you’ve got your 12/12, 16/8, 20/4 and OMAD methods.
You can also try 5:2 and eating every other day, but these methods involve you going days without eating (or eating very low calories) instead of hours.
The 12/12 method
This is when you eat within a 12-hour window and then fast for 12 hours. It is a lighter version of intermittent fasting lots of people do anyway when they sleep.
12/12 is great for just starting out and easing yourself into the intermittent fasting lifestyle. It’ll help you get used to deliberately practicing fasting and eating windows while getting your body used to going without.
The 16/8 method
This is a popular method that many people see great results using. The protocol is usually to skip breakfast and then eat between 12 pm and 8 pm.
I personally skip dinner instead of breakfast as there is evidence that going to bed on an empty stomach benefits the circadian rhythm. And doing most of your fasting in your sleep can help too.
The 20/4 method
Much more intense, you’ll fast for 20 hours a day and then eat all your calories within 4 hours.
This is a more intense method that should be used when you’re keto-adapted and adapted to practicing intermittent fasting.
It’s also good to use if you reach a weight loss plateau with 16/8 fasting and want to try a longer fasting window.
The OMAD method
This is the most intense of all daily intermittent fasting methods. You eat your one meal for the day and then don’t eat again until the following day.
What I’ve found is my appetite tells me to quit eating by disappearing mid-meal. Although I didn’t finish all my food, I still had enough energy to workout and didn’t feel hungry later in the day.
With this method, you’ll have to learn how to get enough calories in your meal, but you really don’t have to worry if you can’t finish your food.
When I asked a few experienced keto intermittent fasters about this, they shared it was normal and I don’t have to force-feed myself the rest of my food.
Next, let’s talk specifics on how to choose the best method FOR YOU…
How to choose the best schedule FOR YOU
The best thing you can do for your keto intermittent fasting journey is to work with where you’re at.
Don’t choose the longest method because you’re looking for the quickest weight loss. I mean, you can, but you increase your chances of suffering unnecessarily and giving up.
Start with where you’re at by considering how long you’ve been eating clean and what your day looks like.
If you’re fresh off the Standard American diet and new to keto, go with the 12/12 intermittent fasting method. If you’re more adapted, go with 16/8 and work yourself up to doing 20/4 or OMAD if you like.
Longer intermittent fasting schedules aren’t necessary for good results. Consistency is. Go with an intermittent fasting schedule you can be most consistent with.
Also, consider what your day looks like.
If you like to eat lunch at work and dinner with your family, you’re going to want to choose an intermittent fasting schedule that is long enough to fit in lunch at work and dinner with family.
If you workout, consider breaking your fast within a few hours or less of your workout to counter the increased appetite that oftentimes comes with exercise.
Choose an intermittent fasting method that works best with your lifestyle and what you’re most comfortable with.
So, how do you actually survive keto intermittent fasting?
Additional reading:
How to actually survive keto intermittent fasting
Besides making sure you choose the best keto intermittent fasting schedule for you, you’re going to want to handle other areas of your life where you might be triggered to eat when you plan not to.
If you have a habit of eating in the evenings while you watch tv, remove snacks from your home if you can or do something else besides watching tv.
Handle your triggers and habits that cause you to eat. Do this by paying attention to these things. Keeping a journal can help.
Try getting into hobbies that don’t allow you to eat. Go for walks, get into yoga, shoot hoops, knit something, decorate your planner, paint, take your children to the park or library… anything that’ll distract you.
You’ll also want to make sure you’re eating enough calories, removing temptations where you can, and drinking enough water.
Oh, and listening to motivational success stories on YouTube can also help you survive until you are adapted.
At some point, keto intermittent fasting will be easy for you to do.
So, what to eat…
What to eat while keto intermittent fasting for weight loss
Animal fats | tallow, leaf lard, chicken fat, duck fat, pure lard, goose fat, boar lard, ghee, goat milk ghee, butter, lamb tallow
Animal proteins | beef, lamb, boar, duck, goat, pork, fish, shellfish, organ meats, eggs
Grass-fed dairy | Note: some experience stalled weight loss at some point with dairy. If you do, remove it.
Raw nuts and raw nut butters | Nuts and nut butters tend to have more carbs so make sure to use portion control. If you find that you overdo it with the nuts, cut them out.
Low-carb vegetables and fruits | Cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, kale, radishes, avocado, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
Limit or skip | keto-friendly flours and keto packaged foods
Eating a keto diet of real foods will keep this routine simple and help you better measure your macros if you’re looking to do so.
Additional reading:
- 33 healthy real foods I avoided to lose 45 pounds
- 8 keto diet meal ideas for weight loss that helped me lose 45 pounds
- 15 Grab-n-Go Keto Breakfast Recipes That are Deliciously Guilt-Free
- 31 easy keto breakfast recipes you can make ahead that aren’t eggs
- 10 simple paleo breakfast recipes for weight loss
- 10+ keto meal prep cookbooks for weight loss people are loving
- 10 Keto Recipes That Make Awesome Weight Loss Dinners
- How to write a keto diet meal plan in 3 simple steps
Next…Let’s get into mistakes to avoid.
Mistakes to avoid
A few of these I’ve already talked about.
Don’t make the mistake of choosing a keto intermittent fasting schedule that doesn’t work for you. This will decrease your chances of success.
Don’t make the mistake of eating too much food. Yes, although you’re fasting, calories do matter, but it’s actually pretty hard to overeat when you’re on plan.
Don’t make the mistake of eating dairy and nuts if your weight loss stalls. What I’ve noticed is dairy and nuts has stalled my weight loss and others as well. If you are eating dairy and nuts and notice stalled weight loss, cut these out.
Don’t make the mistake of eating too many packaged keto foods and artificial sweeteners. These foods can also trigger overeating and the artificial sweeteners trigger an insulin response in many.
Don’t make the mistake of having an inconsistent intermittent fasting schedule. Having an inconsistent intermittent fasting schedule will make it hard to adapt and will shorten your fasting windows when you don’t mean to.
Don’t make the mistake of exercising too hard too soon. Exercise increases appetite and if you’re not fat-adapted, your body might struggle to give you enough energy for your workout. Exercise when you can handle it.
And lastly, don’t make the mistake of neglecting other lifestyle choices. Make sure you get enough sleep, practice stress management, get a healthy amount of sun, limit (or quit) smoking marijuana, quit drinking alcohol, and focus on living your best life.
Takeaways
Keto intermittent fasting is a great fat-burning combination because keto prepares your body for fat burning while intermittent fasting extends that fat burning.
The most important factors for keto intermittent fasting is self-discipline and consistency. This allows you to adapt and see great results.
Transition to intermittent fasting instead of going all-in fresh off the standard American diet. This improves your likeliness of sticking with the lifestyle by decreasing symptoms.
Make sure you choose an intermittent fasting schedule that works best for you. Starting with a shorter intermittent fasting schedule if you’re new to all this will improve discipline. As you get more adapted, you can use a more intense intermittent fasting schedule.
Take care of your lifestyle as well, manage your triggers, and get rid of as many temptations as possible. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat enough food, drink water, get sun, manage stress and take good care of yourself.
Lastly, avoid common mistakes keto intermittent fasters make so you can have the best results.
How are you feeling about keto intermittent fasting? Let me know in the comments!
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Hi! I'm Latrice
