Intermittent fasting for Weight loss: Should you miss your breakfast or dinner? | The Times of India (2024)

FAQs

Intermittent fasting for Weight loss: Should you miss your breakfast or dinner? | The Times of India? ›

In the case of Intermittent fasting, skipping your dinner is better and easier. You can have your dinner either early or have a heavy snack and can begin your fasting. Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight.

“Biologically, this makes sense, as skipping breakfast is known to affect glucose and lipid control, as well as insulin levels,” said co-author Anna Palomar Cros. The research also found that eating dinner after 10pm increased the risk further, while eating about five times a day was linked to lower disease incidence.

Bottom line: skipping meals rarely results in weight loss for the long term and it can negatively impact your metabolism. So, consider waking a few minutes earlier to fit in a quick breakfast before your busy day gets away from you.

This method follows a 16:8 or 14:10 schedule, in which you fast for 16 or 14 hours a day and have an 8- or 10-hour eating window, respectively. Schedule: There are no restrictions on when you need to have your fasting hours begin or end. However, it is important to be consistent with what you choose.

However, most studies have found no weight-loss benefit to skipping breakfast. On the contrary, there's good evidence that eating breakfast can make a positive contribution to nutrient intake, including dietary fibre which may help with weight control.

People who follow intermittent fasting either skip their breakfast or dinner, but experts say if the choice is between breakfast or dinner, one should choose to skip the latter.

A 2023 review of research found that the 16/8 method and 16/8 combined with restricting calories were effective strategies for weight control in adults with overweight or obesity. An eating window starting before noon led to greater weight loss than one that began after noon.

In the case of Intermittent fasting, skipping your dinner is better and easier. You can have your dinner either early or have a heavy snack and can begin your fasting. Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight.

Eat a High-Protein Breakfast

Another perk of protein: Your body uses more calories to break it down than it uses for carbs or fat. Go for protein-rich breakfasts, such as an egg and turkey sausage on whole wheat toast or a Greek yogurt smoothie with peanut butter and berries.

Some people regularly avoid breakfast in hopes of losing weight, but it may instead hinder weight loss by affecting healthy metabolism. “Without breakfast, the body goes looking for energy elsewhere, pulling reserves from our fat and muscle tissue. This requires energy to do!

How do I maximize weight loss with intermittent fasting? ›

The rules for this diet are simple. A person needs to decide on and adhere to a 12-hour fasting window every day. According to some researchers, fasting for 10–16 hours can cause the body to turn its fat stores into energy, which releases ketones into the bloodstream. This should encourage weight loss.

“For quicker and more profound weight loss, the alternate day fasting plan is arguably the most effective. A less-extreme and thus easier-to-adopt approach is the 16:8 model.

With 16/8 intermittent fasting, you restrict your food intake to an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours. This practice may support weight loss, improve blood sugar, and increase longevity.

With intermittent fasting, breakfast is not only optional, it's discouraged. The most common method is a 16-hour overnight fast, followed by an 8-hour eating window. Yet, nutrition professionals have long suggested that breakfast is critical.

Another intermittent fasting plan, known as the 5:2 approach, involves eating regularly five days a week. For the other two days, you limit yourself to one 500–600 calorie meal. An example would be if you chose to eat normally on every day of the week except Mondays and Thursdays, which would be your one-meal days.

In the case of Intermittent fasting, skipping your dinner is better and easier. You can have your dinner either early or have a heavy snack and can begin your fasting. Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight.

But what some experts like about intermittent fasting is that it allows for a range of different foods to be eaten — and enjoyed. Sharing good, nutritious food with others and savoring the mealtime experience adds satisfaction and supports good health.

Research Highlights: Eating less overall and fewer large meals may be a more effective weight management strategy than restricting meals to a narrow time window, such as intermittent fasting, according to a study that analyzed the electronic health records of about 550 adults who were followed for six years.

It involves an 8-hour window for food consumption and fasting for 16 hours. Potential benefits may include weight loss, fat loss, and a reduction in the risk of some diseases. People doing 16:8 intermittent fasting should focus on eating high fiber whole foods and staying hydrated throughout the day.