Intermittent Fasting- How Much Weight Can You Lose In 3 Weeks?
How much weight can you lose in 3 weeks with intermittent fasting? Your body fat loss should be around 2 pounds per week depending on your age, starting weight, and activity level. This would lead to a 6 pound weight loss in 3 weeks. Not bad!
Your total weight loss over the course of 3 weeks may be a bit higher on the scale due to shedding water weight.
If you’ve tried to lose weight before, but without much success, then it might be time for a new strategy. Intermittent fasting (paired with a consistent exercise program) is your best strategy to achieve the weight loss results you want in just 3 weeks.
But there are so many different intermittent fasting diets out there, which one should you try?
The key is finding one that suits your lifestyle and schedule. This is important because you need to stick with plan. Remember, you only have 3 weeks!
There are several types of intermittent fasting plans, which you can read about here.
Keeping in mind you're trying fasting for the first time, and only have 3 weeks to hit your goal, I'm going to focus on one style here.
The 16/8 method is pretty easy to follow, and can easily fit into your lifestyle.
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The 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Diet Is Simple And Effective
The 16/8 intermittent fasting plan is one of the most popular types of fasting. The 16/8 method is followed by many people, but it's a relatively new approach that's recently been gaining popularity. My clients have found it simple and effective.
How the 16/8 intermittent fasting Diet works
The 16/8 method simply means you fast for 16 hours and then have an 8-hour eating window. This may be difficult for some people to stick to, but it can be very effective if done correctly.
During the 16-hour fasting period, you can only ingest noncaloric beverages. This means no coffee, tea, alcohol, or other drinks. You should also limit your intake of any calories that aren't from a meal to just water and unsweetened tea or coffee.
What should I eat during my feeding time?
If you're following the 16/8 intermittent fasting plan, then your 8-hour eating window will typically fall between 12 pm and 8 pm.
If you don't eat anything after your last meal at 8 p.m. and don't start eating again until noon the next day, you're technically fasting for 16 hours.
Many folks don't like to eat breakfast in the morning, so this plan fits like a glove.
There are a few important things to keep in mind when it comes to what you should eat during your feeding time:
1) Avoid anything high in sugar – Sugar is something that can spike your insulin levels which means less fat burning. Focus on protein-rich foods like eggs or chicken breast for breakfast so you have enough energy throughout the day.
For lunch and dinner stick with lean proteins like turkey burgers or grilled salmon; fat burning vegetables like kale salad or roasted broccoli; and healthy fat like avocado. 1/2 an avocado spread on your turkey burger is delicious and good for you!
2) Don't eat too much – Overeating regularly will prevent weight loss, because you'll be taking in more calories than your body can burn. To stay on track with the 16/8 intermittent fasting plan it's important that you don't overeat during your eating window.
You can read about portion control here.
3) Stay hydrated – Drinking water throughout the day will keep you from feeling sluggish and prevent overeating. Plus, drinking a lot of water can help to flush out any excess water weight that you might be carrying from not eating for 16 hours.
*Bonus tip: I like to drink bubbly water like La Croix or Aha. Carbonated beverages are great for suppressing your appetite during the day.
When Is The Best Time To Exercise While On An Intermittent Fasting Plan?
The best time to exercise is right before you break your fast.
When you’re fasting, your body is burning stored body fat for fuel. So if you exercise right before you break your fast, you’ll be burning even more body fat.
In addition, eating right after your workout will ensure you're getting the protein and other nutrients you need to recover from your workout.
For an extra workout boost, and to burn even more calories from body fat, try having some black coffee (no additions!), or green tea (again, no additions!).
Check out: Green Tea vs. Yerba Mate
Caffeine is a thermogenic, or heat-producing, chemical. It speeds up the metabolism as well. In addition, it frees up and mobilizes fatty acids for energy use, allowing fat burning to be doubly enhanced.
Researchers in Canada discovered that ingesting caffeine before a workout improved endurance, effort, and recovery while reducing fatigability.
The Second Best Time To Exercise Is Right Before Your Last Meal
If you don't like to work out while fasting, the next best option is to exercise right before your last meal of the day.
This may be easier for you if you don't like to feel hungry while you exercise. You'll have eaten earlier, so your blood sugar won't be too low. You may also have more energy to complete an intense workout.
Can you drink a non-caloric, caffeinated beverage before your workout? Absolutely!
What exercise do we recommend? A combination of weight training, bodyweight training, and cardio.
Your 3 Week Weight Loss Journey – Intermittent Fasting + Exercise
If you've been looking for a way to get rid of that stubborn, unwanted fat, try 16/8 intermittent fasting + exercise.
When intermittent fasting and exercising, your body fat loss should be anywhere between 1–2 pounds per week. This will give you a total body fat loss of around 6 pounds in 3 weeks. You may also be interesting in our article on losing 15 pounds in 3 months.
There are many different ways to do intermittent fasting, but they all have one thing in common – limiting calorie intake for a certain period of time every day or week.
Exercise with intermittent fasting has been shown to lead to faster and more effective results than fasting alone.
Check out: Is intermittent fasting good to lose weight before your wedding?
We wish you luck as you embark on your new journey!
Feel free to share this post with friends who might want some guidance on their journey towards healthier living!