Hello and welcome to the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

I'm your host Jen, a middle aged Michigan mama, wife and teacher who

in 2021 stumbled upon this crazy cool thing called intermittent fasting.

And before I knew it, I'd lost 46 pounds in four months and

gained an incredible lifestyle filled with complete food freedom.

If you're hungry for unique, no nonsense fasting tips that actually

work, you're in the right place.

So whether you're walking the dog, folding that last load of laundry, or

cruising to your nine to five, let's start fasting our way to freedom together.

Finding a fasting method that works just right for you can be a

little tricky, and quite honestly, it often takes some patience and

a little bit of trial and error.

When I first heard about intermittent fasting, I'll admit,

I was pretty clueless about it.

I'd heard that it could help with weight loss, and was also told

about these two so called magical intermittent fasting numbers.

16 and eight.

But that was it.

That is literally all I knew about intermittent fasting.

Now, the 16 8 method is definitely the most talked about method in

relation to intermittent fasting.

But after doing my research and digging for some answers, I quickly discovered

that intermittent fasting offered so much more than just one way of doing things.

So let's jump in and talk about seven of the most popular intermittent

fasting methods out there.

And since 16.

8 is the most popular and well known fasting method, it probably makes the

most sense to go ahead and start there.

So, fasting method number one.

The 16 8 method.

This type of fasting method does indeed involve a fasting period of 16

hours every day and an eating period that falls into an 8 hour window.

This is bad.

by far the most popular and well known intermittent fasting schedule.

Some people who fast using this method eat their three meals a day during this eight

hour period of time and the remaining 16 hours of the day is considered their

fasting window of time where they abstain from eating or consuming any calories.

And as I mentioned before, I originally thought that this method was the

sole option for fasting, since it was the only method I had heard about.

I needed, needed, needed to lose weight.

So when I first started intermittent fasting, I began following

the 16 8 fasting schedule.

I was fasting 16 hours each day, patiently waiting for the fat to just magically melt

off of my very chubby 45 year old body.

And Um, nope.

Unfortunately, this method did not work too well for me.

However, many, many people, my husband included, lose weight and reap many of

the benefits of fasting using this method.

That just wasn't the case for me.

The numbers 16 and 8 did not turn out to be my magical numbers.

So for me, I knew I needed to try something else.

Which brings us to fasting method number 2, the 18 6 method.

This intermittent fasting method is a specific fasting schedule where you

have a daily eating window of 6 hours.

followed by 18 hours of fasting.

During the six hour window of eating, you consume all of your

meals and snacks for the day.

Most people can fit two meals into this time schedule.

The idea is that this extended fasting period helps your body

burn stored fat for energy.

Many people find raging success with this method because when it

comes to weight loss, the 18 hour intermittent fast has gained attention

as an extremely effective approach.

Studies have shown that fat burning typically begins after approximately

12 hours of being in the fasted state.

However, fat burning really escalates between 16 and 24 hours with the power

hour being Our number 18 and I know for me, once I started fasting for 18 plus

hours, my weight loss results really started to take off fasting method.

Number three.

Oh, mad.

This intermittent fasting method, often referred to as

OMAD, stands for one meal a day.

It involves fasting all day, and then eating one larger meal a day, and possibly

a snack or a healthy dessert, usually within about a one to four hour period.

Sometimes OMAD gets lumped into what's called the 24 method, or you also might

hear it referred to as the Warrior Diet.

Again, it's about finding what works best for you.

For me, I found my absolute sweet spot with the OMAD method.

Once I made the switch to OMAD, I personally began to see weight

loss results very, very quickly.

It's considered one of the more strict fasting methods, but I seriously

love it, and that is because it truly makes my body feel at its best.

OMAD is the main method I use to lose 46 pounds in four months, and it's

also the method that I currently use mainly to maintain my weight loss.

Fasting method number four, 2MAD.

OMAD and TUMAD are similar approaches to time restricted eating.

However, instead of OMAD or just one meal a day, the term TUMAD

stands for two meals a day.

So the two man method allows for two main, sometimes fairly large, meals

within the eating window instead of the traditional three meals a

day most people eat all day long.

Since intermittent fasting is so flexible, the two main meals can

either be breakfast and lunch.

Or you may start with lunch being your first meal of the day, followed

by dinner several hours later as your second meal, whatever works best for you.

Sometimes 2MAD gets lumped into being basically the same thing

as the 16 8 or the 18 6 method.

And that is because realistically, one could fit two meals into a six hour

or an eight hour time period each day.

Although I follow the OMAD schedule throughout most of the week, I almost

always take a break and follow the 2MAD or 16 8 method on Sundays.

And I do this for a few different reasons.

One reason being, I go to my parents house every Sunday and enjoy opening

my eating window earlier so that I can eat with my family throughout the day.

And not only do I have a much better time.

longer eating window on Sunday, I also indulge in fun foods that I

normally wouldn't eat during the week.

The other reason I like to do this, uh, like to do Too Mad on Sundays,

Um, and have a longer eating window is because it mixes up my fasting

schedule and it keeps my body guessing.

I don't get stuck doing the same fasting routine over and over.

I've found that it really helps keep me satisfied.

It reduces my cravings.

And also it really helps to rev.

up my body's fat burning abilities, keeping my metabolism moving right along.

Fasting method number five is the 5 2 method.

This intermittent fasting method involves two full fasting days with five days

of regular eating during the week.

On the two days that you are fasting, you can completely fast.

or you can do what's called a modified fast.

And a modified fast is where you limit your calories and consume no more

than 400 to 500 calories for the day.

I personally, I'm not a huge fan of this method.

However, many people report having great success with it.

I don't do this method too often.

However, I have used the 5 2 method for a week or two Following

the return from a vacation where I did some serious indulging.

just as you should on vacation.

Um, and then after following the 5 2 schedule immediately after

getting back from my, vacation, I was able to get back to my pre

vacation weight very, very quickly.

I do, however, have an important 5 2 tip for you.

So should you decide to give this method a try, You should avoid full fasting on

two consecutive days, and this is because it has the potential to make you more

susceptible to experiencing negative side effects like extreme hunger, irritability,

and sometimes even dizziness and fatigue.

Fasting method number six.

the 4 3 method.

This intermittent fasting method is very similar to the 5 2 method, but

it's even more restrictive as it involves three full days of fasting

and four days of regular eating.

And of course, just like the 5 2 method, on the three days that you are fasting,

you can completely fast with zero calories or or you can do a modified

fast, uh, limiting your calorie intake to 400 to 500 calories for the day.

If I'm being completely honest with you, which I promise I always will be, but I

have actually never tried this method.

To me, this method feels way too restrictive.

I like to eat way too much for this plan to work for me.

Um, however, should you decide to give this method a try, please.

with caution.

And finally, fasting method number seven is the ADF method and ADF

stands for alternate day fasting.

And as the name suggests, this fasting method requires you to fast

on alternate days or every other day.

The alternate day fasting method is becoming more and more popular because so

many people are truly having such great weight loss success with this method.

I know that many people inside of my, uh, intermittent fasting Facebook

support group, they absolutely love this method and have seen amazing results.

I like to think of this method as the teeter totter or the up down method.

On down days, you are either completely fasting or you may choose to opt

for a slightly less intense fast.

This is often referred to as I don't really know if people, like, pronounce

it MADF, that would be kind of weird, but it's M A D F, or, um, what you would say,

Modified Alternate Day Fast, where you do not completely fast on your fasting days.

Instead, you restrict your calorie intake to just 500 calories.

Then on your non fasting days or your up days, you eat or refeed for several

hours, usually six to eight hours.

This is a difficult method to completely explain because there are so many

different versions and variations.

Personally, I've had very good success with using the different variations

of this method from time to time.

Um, I don't use it often, but from time to time I found that when I would

hit a weight loss stall or a plateau, switching to the alternate day fasting

method almost always helped me to break through my stall and get the scale

moving in the right direction again.

Alright, so there you have it, seven of the most popular

intermittent fasting methods.

And as I mentioned before, at the beginning of this episode,

intermittent fasting really is all about trial and error and finding

out what works best for your body.

lifestyle, schedule, and personal circumstances.

However, if you're brand new to fasting and you're looking for a suggestion as

to where to start, I highly recommend starting with the 16 8 method.

It's really kind of perfect for beginners.

Give it a few weeks and see how you do.

Then, if you feel like you want or need to start bumping up your fasting

window, just take things slow.

I've found a strategy that seems to work pretty well for people, and that

is to start with a 16 8 schedule.

Then extend your fasting window by 30 minutes.

every three to four days.

Repeat this process until you reach the fasting window that

you are most comfortable with.

All right, let's recap before we wrap up today.

Seven of the most popular intermittent fasting methods are number one, the 16 8

method, which involves 16 hours of fasting and eight hours of eating each day.

Method number two is the 18 6 method, which consists of 18 hours of fasting

and six hours of eating each day.

Number three is my personal favorite.

OMAD, which stands for One Meal a Day.

This is where you choose one main meal per day to enjoy, and maybe a few snacks to

fit into a one to four hour eating window.

Method number four.

is 2MAD, which stands for two meals a day.

Not quite as restrictive as OMAD.

With 2MAD, you can choose to eat breakfast and lunch and skip dinner or to eat

lunch and dinner and skip breakfast.

Method number five is the 5 2 method, which is five days of regular

eating and two full days of fasting.

Number six is the 4 3 method consisting of four days of regular eating.

and three full days of fasting.

And finally, method number seven is ADF, which stands for alternate day

fasting, where you do just that.

You eat one day and then you fast the next.

Thank you so much for listening and for choosing to spend part

of your day with me today.

Be sure to tune into my next episode where we will hear from Laura from

Pennsylvania and Who has experienced incredible health and weight loss

success with the OMAD fasting method.

Have a truly blessed and beautiful day, my fasting friends.

Bye bye.

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to this episode of the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

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the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month episodes will feature solo shows filled

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fun folks of all ages who've experienced incredible success

with intermittent fasting.

If you have questions or want more unique intermittent fasting health

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com.

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And as always, I hope you spend your day loving without fear and

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