Is Fat loss with fat fast possible? Fat fasting is a short-term diet technique that involves eating 80 to 90% high-fat with little to no carbs for 3-5 days—forcing your body into a metabolic state called “ketosis,” where it burns fat instead of carbs for energy.
While Fat Fasting hasn’t gone unheard of in the fitness world, there are still skeptics who may argue that committing yourself to a fat fast may come with dire consequences to your health. However, some also claim that it is an effective way to help you lose weight quickly.
So which is which? Can fat fasting be the answer to your belly-busting problems? Join me as we get down to the concept of fasting, how it works, and determine if fat fasting is an effective and quick weight loss solution.
Table of Contents
What is Fat Fasting?
Fasting in the fitness world involves the arbitrary restriction of eating in a brief period to help your body lose a couple of extra pounds quickly. Once you physically abstain from eating, biological changes in your body tend to occur.
Fasting, low-carb intake, and periods of starvation all cumulatively contribute to triggering this process. While the time it would take to achieve ketosis varies, people who follow a high-fat, low-carb diet such as a Ketogenic diet can reach this state between 2-6 days. ( 2 )
Sources have indicated that short-term fasts can increase your metabolic rate by up to 14 percent. This can help you burn more calories throughout the day.
Who is Fat Fasting Right For?
It is not advisable for many people to try a fat fast without knowing their bodies, especially for many people with diabetes or taking hypoglycemic drugs. Such a diet plan may also increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
So who can try it?
People who pick-up on doing this diet method are typically the ones who are experienced with a ketogenic diet and mainly for people who also want to break a weight loss plateau.
If you’re on a plateau looking to break through the weight loss plateau quickly, maybe you should try fat fasting. But remember, Long-term caloric restriction can disrupt your metabolic rate and hormonal function, and it is impossible to meet your nutrition goals.
Are Fat Fasts Healthy and Safe?
The primary purpose of fat fasting is to limit calorie intake, and it burns carbohydrates in your body quickly. Besides, it will burn more body fat due to the calorie deficit and deficient insulin levels.
However, as Palinski-Wade says, there is no way to lose weight without risk. It can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar, blood pressure and weight, and for some people with heart disease and diabetes, the best thing to do before fat fasting is to ask your doctor and avoid doing this diet without medical supervision.
High-fat diets such as ketogenic diets have undoubtedly been shown to aid in weight loss. However, a fat fast is typically lower in carbs and protein than the typical keto diet. To maintain a healthy body, you should provide the right balance of macros and essential nutrients needed to keep you in top health.
Which makes the prospect of a long-term fat fast a big no-no.
While some claim that doing a fat fast can help you lose weight quickly, there’s still not enough evidence that clears the possible risks associated with this method for the long-term.
Simply by looking at the ratio of fat to calories and carbs that is required for this protocol. It’s apparent how a long-term fat fast can lead to nutrient deficiencies, which is the last thing you’d want out of your goal to lose weight.
If you are determined to do fat fasting, it’s best to keep it within 2-5 days, as the protocol says. After all, you can see significant improvements to your health with this short-term fast. You can banish your weight loss plateau and give your metabolism the boost it needs to aid you in your weight loss journey.
In addition,you can try Intermittent Fasting.
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that revolves around periods between eating and fasting. It doesn’t get particular to “what” food you eat but as to “when” you should eat.
This type of fasting method is by far the most popular and widely done by plenty of people who are trying to lose weight and many have found success in doing so. The standard intermittent fasting method involves break periods from eating anything at all during fasting days.
Difference Between Fat Fasting & Keto Diet
There may seem a thin line of difference between the two diet methods. The only difference they have is in terms of the percentage of their fat, carb, and calorie intake.
When it comes to fat fasting, your diet strictly adheres to a calorie intake of 1000-1200 calories per day, with 80-90 percent of it coming from fat. On the other hand, the standard keto diet has a significantly lower percentage of fat intake and calories. It’s more like a short-term keto diet; however, some nutritionists argue that it is not an ideal solution for sustainable weight loss.
How Does Fat Fasting Burn Body Fat?
Maintaining a minimal calorie deficit is essential for weight loss. Thus, having low-calorie, very low-carb diet aid in the process of fat loss. As we have explained earlier, diminishing both and focusing on a high-fat diet helps your body achieve the state of ketosis faster and simultaneously burn more fat.
When you’re already following a keto diet, you may find this 5-day protocol increases your ketone levels since you significantly burn more fat to meet your body’s need for energy.
A fat fast can also help your body decrease a significant amount of water weight. This occurs due to the diminishing of carb stores in your body that also leads to the loss of water.
How to Get Started on a Fat Fast Diet
When you’re about to get into this method, you have to keep in mind that a high-fat diet in your fat fast equals greasy bacon and fries.
Both of which are incredibly high in calories and saturated fat. It’s crucial to keep in mind that you have to keep your calorie deficit between 1000-1200 calories per day, with 80-90 percent of it coming from fat.
A fat fast diet includes foods that consist of natural fat and lower in carbs and calories. Healthy fats from natural sources such as avocado, nuts, and even eggs, to name a few. It’s best to avoid sugary foods or high carb foods like white bread during the process.
Down below are a few more tips to keep in mind during a fat fast:
Tips for a Fat Fast to Getting Healthy Weight
Don’t Leave Physical Activity Behind
Just because you are fasting doesn’t mean you have to leave it to your diet and call it a day. While it may seem daunting at first to execute fat burning exercises while your body is changing, doing a couple of workouts can help trigger your body into the state of ketosis that will help you lose weight.
Switch up Your Workout Routine
Sometimes a weight loss plateau can be aided by adding effective workout routines. Both strength training and cardio exercises can kickstart your heart rate and do wonders in helping your body’s ability to burn more fat.
A meta-analysis with sources of over 30 studies on fitness activities for weight loss finds that people who did HIIT exercises lost about 28 percent more body weight compared to those who did longer or moderate-intensity forms of workouts.
A personal trainer from Los Angeles named Jill Penfold also indicated that running on an incline instead of a flat surface increases the total calories burned by up to 50 percent.
Watch Your Eating Habits
Changing your eating pattern, diet, and workout routine alone isn’t enough to sustain an effective weight loss; you have to watch your eating habits as well to see if there’s anything you can improve.
For example, most people tend to eat while watching tv or streaming online. While watching movies might seem a lot more fun and engaging when you have snacks involved, your brain would be too preoccupied to process what’s happening in your digestive system. Hence it would do nothing to satisfy your hunger.
Eating slower and taking your time with your meals also helps. Even taking your time to peel nuts before eating would make you end up eating 50% fewer nuts in one sitting.
Get the Right Amount of Sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep is vital in helping our body burn fat. Lack of sleep can severely disrupt your body’s metabolic rate and ruin your body’s chances of landing into ketosis faster.
A study conducted in 2006 indicated the connection of sleep duration to body mass.Findings suggest that individuals who got at least 6-8 hours of sleep were twice as likely to succeed with losing weight compared to people who slept less.
Have a Workout Buddy
You don’t have to go through your fitness journey alone. Having your friend, family member, or significant other to join your workouts can give an added boost to your motivation.
Research finds that couples who do their workouts together are 34 percent more likely to remain consistent in sticking to the process.
Remember: Fat Fast is a Short-term Fast
From what we went over, it’s essential to take note of how fat fasting is a short-term fast and should only last for about 2-5 days at most. Doing fat fast as a long-term diet can increase health risks and deficiencies,Chronic calorie restriction and low protein intake can lead to deficiency and loss of muscle mass
Frankly, it is not an ideal long-term solution for a sustainable diet. Here’s why.
Can it Help Lose Belly Fat?
Belly fat is a normal thing to have; however, excessive belly fat can be problematic for most people. It’s one of the most challenging areas to get rid of when trying to lose weight.
Too much deep fat or visceral fat in your abdomen can also be linked to several health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Finding out your body fat percentage can also help you know if you have a healthy amount of fat in certain areas like your belly. There are plenty of methods you can use to find out your body fat percentage, but it’s best to go to your local physician to get an accurate measurement.
While there are specific weight-loss strategies you can implement to help target the fat in your belly, we’ll go over how fasting can be an effective belly-busting technique to trim your waistline.
The Bottom Line
It’s evident how doing a fat fast does have its benefits, but it doesn’t eliminate the potential risks involved if it’s not done correctly. Before going into trying fat fasting, you have to stay realistic with your expectations by sticking to this short-term diet method.
Keep your calorie deficit 1000-1200 calories per day, and only do this diet for up to 5 days. It is not ideal for sustainable weight loss, but it’s an excellent solution for people trying to break their weight loss plateau and give their body the kickstart it needs to burn more fat.
Again, losing weight isn’t easy. At the same time, there are tips and tricks around to help boost your weight loss and help you along the way; having a proper diet and exercise is still crucial for a sustainable and prosperous weight loss journey.
