The passing of the Memorial Day holiday marks the unofficial start of summer. That means that soon, temperatures will be sizzling and people will be spending more time outdoors.
As opposed to wintertime, when we hibernate with multiple layers of clothing, in the summer, our physiques are on display. Whether it’s to look good for other people or to improve your self-confidence, by combining two popular diet trends—intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet—you can easily slim down for summer.
How to Combine Intermittent Fasting and Keto Diet
The following is a step by step guide on how to combine both intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet:
Step 1: Finish eating your dinner by 7 p.m. No matter how tempted you are to eat a late-night snack, do not give into temptation! Realize that what you’re experiencing is not true hunger. Rather, it’s your brain’s inability to receive the message from a hormone in your body called leptin. Even if you eat a huge dinner, if you are leptin resistant, your brain gets tricked into thinking that you’re hungry.
Remember, you’re not starving, even if you’re hungry. Drink a tall glass of water or herbal tea if you feel hungry. The liquid will gently expand in your stomach and may help to reduce or eliminate the craving. Avoid diet soda or anything else with artificial sweeteners as they trick the brain into desiring real sugar.
Step 2: When you wake up in the morning, drink 8-16 oz of water. Buy a trace mineral supplement. Add a dropper full of trace minerals to your water. The minerals will help keep your energy levels up. An alternative to trace mineral drops is cream of tartar powder contains minerals and is calorie-free.
Step 3: Wait at least until 8 a.m. to have anything with calories. To experience the benefits of intermittent fasting (lower blood sugar and insulin, weight loss, lower inflammation, etc), you’ll want to fast for at least 12 hours. Try to eventually work your way up to 14-16 hours without having anything with calories.
Step 4: Break your fast not with a big breakfast but with a ketogenic-friendly drink. If you’re a coffee drinker, add almond creamer, a little grass-fed butter and the following anti-inflammatory spices: ginger, turmeric, black pepper (which helps your body absorb the turmeric), a pinch of cayenne pepper, cinnamon.
To taste, add a zero-calorie natural sweetener such as Monk Fruit. Combine all the ingredients in a blender for a foamy, latte-like drink. If you prefer tea, use Miracle Matcha white tea powder.
Step 5: Eat a ketogenic-friendly brunch - approximately an hour or two after you drink your coffee or tea, then you can have your first meal. If you’re done eating dinner by 8 p.m. and then wait until 11 a.m. or later for your first meal, you should notice positive, slimming results within a couple weeks.
Adding creamer and grass-fed butter to your coffee or tea should help you avoid feeling hungry until it’s meal time. For a keto-friendly brunch have eggs or an omelette with avocado, spinach, asparagus, and organic nitrate/nitrite-free bacon (or other humanely-raised animal protein).
Step 6: Try going 5-6 hours until you eat again. If you feel hungry, try eating more during brunch. If you need to have a small snack, eat some olives and/or a single serving of fruit (e.g. one apple, a handful of berries) and a handful of some nuts and seeds.
Step 7: Eat a keto-friendly big dinner. On the ketogenic diet, you’ll want to eat mostly natural fat and slash the number of net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) per day down to 50 grams. That means instead of having regular pasta, eat keto-friendly Miracle Noodles.
One downfall of the keto diet is not eating enough vegetables. This is because vegetables are technically carbohydrates. But make sure with dinner you eat at least a few servings of fiber-rich, low-starch vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, leeks, bok choy, etc.
And don’t forget to eat plenty of natural fat: drizzle your food with olive oil, cook the vegetables in avocado oil. For dessert, eat some walnuts or other filling natural food that contains plenty of healthy fats. Use this keto recipe guide for plenty of other ideas.
Keep in mind that for some people, coconut oil, which is considered a healthy fat in the keto community, may be unhealthy. Make sure you monitor your cholesterol levels periodically. You can also request an APOE test from your doctor to see if you have this genetic trait that makes you more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis.
Step 8: Make sure you’re pleasantly full. Not bloated and stuffed, but satisfied. Remember to drink some herbal tea a couple hours before bedtime to prevent cravings. (Sorry, no honey allowed to sweeten the tea; but you can use Monk Fruit or stevia.)
Step 9: Enjoy your new slimmer you!
