intermittent fasting – Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD https://ketozone.com The Official Keto Zone Diet, 21-Day Challenge & Keto Supplements Mon, 23 May 2022 16:50:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://ketozone.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/KZ-80x80.png intermittent fasting – Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD https://ketozone.com 32 32 Jumpstart Weight Goals with 2 Keto Fasting Styles this Spring https://ketozone.com/keto-zone-blog/health/jump-start-weight-goals-with-fasting/ https://ketozone.com/keto-zone-blog/health/jump-start-weight-goals-with-fasting/#respond Wed, 09 Mar 2022 21:52:37 +0000 https://ketozone.com/?p=53151 Are you ready to jumpstart your Spring Weight Goals? Yes! The weather is getting warmer and there’s no better time to rejuvenate your body with healthy eating, outdoor activity, and a healthy weight. A weight goal “jumpstart” can be a great advantage because early weight change success is both motivating and effective for long term results. […]

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Are you ready to jumpstart your Spring Weight Goals? Yes! The weather is getting warmer and there’s no better time to rejuvenate your body with healthy eating, outdoor activity, and a healthy weight.

A weight goal “jumpstart” can be a great advantage because early weight change success is both motivating and effective for long term results.

One great way to jumpstart a weight change is by fasting within the Keto Zone®. Today, we’ll discuss 2 effective and healthy fasting options: intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting.

2 Keto Fasting Styles to Jumpstart Weight Goals

There are many effective types of fasting. Two of the best to jumpstart your weight goals within the Keto Zone are intermittent fasting  and alternate-day fasting.

Intermittent fasting involves fasting for a significant number of hours each 24-hour daily cycle. For example, many people fast for 16 hours per day, and eat during the remaining 8 hours.

The second fasting style is called alternate-day fasting. This style requires alternating days of fasting and “feast days.” Of note, “fasting” days often include up to 500 calories per day, so it’s not a pure zero-intake fast. During feast days, most participants eat as much as they’d like.

Effects of Fasting for Weight and Health

Both intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting have been shown to positively affect weight and health (1).

In fact, studies have found both types of fasting can (2):

  • Support healthy cholesterol markers
  • Normalize triglycerides (3)
  • Encourage healthy aging
  • Support effective weight changes without slowing metabolism (4, 5, 6)
  • Support healthy blood sugar and insulin sensitivity (7, 8)
  • Encourage healthy immune system responses (9)
  • Increase ketone body production (10)
  • Reduce inflammation (11)
  • Encourage weight decreases and reduced belly fat (12)

How to Implement Intermittent Fasting

The most common type of intermittent fasting is called 16:8. This simply means that you fast 16 hours per day (including through the night), and eat only during an 8-hour window during the day.

For example, many people eat from 11 am to 7 pm, and then fast and only drink non-carb/non-calorie drinks from 7 pm through 11 am the next day.

Sound simple?

It is! This fasting style follows normal societal eating schedules (with the exception of an early breakfast or late dinner), so it can be easy to follow even within family or social eating.

How to Implement Alternate Day Fasting

If you’d like to try alternate day fasting, you’ll need to set aside 3-4 days per week to “fast.” Most fasters fast every other day. They don’t fast completely to zero calories per day, but stick to 500 calories or less on fasting days.

For example, you might want to restrict calories to 500 calories Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Then, you can eat a normalized amount of calories on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. In fact, you don’t need to count calories at all!

Another advantage to alternate-day fasting is having days off of fasting or dieting. With intermittent fasting, there’s a fasting period every day. With alternate-day, 3-4 days per week are off from fasting.

Stay in the Keto Zone While Fasting

In order to use either fasting style within the Keto Zone, it’s important to stick with a restricted carbohydrate level even when “feasting.” You don’t need to count calories, but net carbohydrates should be kept to 25 grams or less. This way, you will continue to make ketone bodies while experiencing expedited weight changes and health benefits with fasting.

Tips for Fasting Success

Start with a Game Plan. There’s no better place to start than the Keto Zone® Starter Kit. This complete kit and guide is a sure-fire way to meet your ketosis, fasting, and weight goals.

Eat and Drink Enough when Not Fasting. To feel good, it’s important to eat enough when you’re “feasting.” Try including fat bombs for snacks, adding Keto Zone® Instant Ketones to improve hydration and ketone body production, and following the Keto Zone Diet book to stay on track.

Avoid Refined Carbs. Like always, if you want to stay in the Keto Zone, you need to keep net carbs down while fasting. To do so, eat plenty of healthy fats, vegetables, and protein. Drink a lot of water. Stick with your Keto Zone® Book plan!

Drink Keto Zone Coffee While Fasting. Believe it or not, you can include coffee while fasting, and it doesn’t break the fast (you can read all the details here)! What’s more, you can addKeto Zone® MCT Oil Powder for a true Keto Zone Coffee!

Bottom Line

There’s no one-right-way to fast. Intermittent fasting and alternate-day are 2 great options to try within the Keto Zone. Jumpstart your weight goals this spring with the Keto Zone and fasting!

The post Jumpstart Weight Goals with 2 Keto Fasting Styles this Spring appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

]]> https://ketozone.com/keto-zone-blog/health/jump-start-weight-goals-with-fasting/feed/ 0 The Truth: Does Coffee Break a Fast when Fasting on Keto Zone? https://ketozone.com/keto-zone-blog/articles/does-coffee-break-a-fast/ https://ketozone.com/keto-zone-blog/articles/does-coffee-break-a-fast/#comments Wed, 02 Oct 2019 18:59:20 +0000 https://ketozone.com/?p=25874 If you aren’t already using intermittent fasting with Keto Zone, there are many reasons to do so. Many in the Keto Zone drink coffee, either black or high-fat, during their fasts. But, does coffee break a fast?  Here’s the truth. Does Coffee Break a Fast? First, it’s important to know what parameters we’re analyzing when […]

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]]> If you aren’t already using intermittent fasting with Keto Zone, there are many reasons to do so. Many in the Keto Zone drink coffee, either black or high-fat, during their fasts. But, does coffee break a fast?  Here’s the truth.

Does Coffee Break a Fast?

First, it’s important to know what parameters we’re analyzing when discussing a “fast.”

Of course, if the parameter is the strict definition of a “fast,” which is to not consume any food or drink, coffee does break it. But, for most in the Keto Zone, it’s more about the biochemical markers of a fast. For example:

  • Ketosis
  • Autophagy
  • Fat Burning
  • Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Sugars

And of course, what about coffee add-in such as MCT Oil Powder?

All good questions.

Here’s the answer to “does coffee break a fast,” how coffee affects each parameter above, and why, or if, it matters.

Coffee’s Effect on Ketosis

One great thing about fasting: It leads to ketosis. It’s more efficient than just reducing carbohydrates. When you give your body no fuel, it must use ketones sooner or later.

But how does coffee affect ketosis?

Here’s the truth:

Caffeine actually improves ketosis in humans. In fact, one study cited that caffeine’s improvements in fat breakdown and fat oxidation made it of interest. And then, it actually does more.

The researchers evaluated the effects of caffeine on 10 participants, using 2 different doses. Caffeine was given at breakfast and found to significantly stimulate ketone production with both doses, but more with the higher one. It all raised plasma free fatty acids, indication fat storage breakdown.

These findings are important for anyone who wants to upregulate ketosis. Further, they are important for those with degenerative cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s, as glucose utilization in the brain is impaired and ketones may be helpful (1).

Coffee’s Effect on Autophagy

Another benefit of fasting is autophagy.

Autophagy is our body’s method of cellular cleanup, detoxification, and repair. It is the cells’ response to stress and inflammation. It is being studied as a therapeutic benefit for certain neurodegenerative diseases because it removes harmful protein aggregates that induce the disease.

On the other hand, defects in autophagy play a role in many diseases including cancer, pathogen infection, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases (2).

Our bodies continually try to fight disease, maintain cellular health and improve. Our cells actually “trim” damaged parts and maintain healthy ones. So, if you have autophagy going, you certainly don’t want to stop it early with a food or drink.

Fasting is one of the best ways to increase autophagy (3). But, does coffee and caffeine impede autophagy?

Thankfully, they don’t.

In fact, coffee that’s caffeinated or decaffeinated actually induces autophagy in animal studies (4). It triggers both a reduction of protein acetylation and an increase in autophagy. The authors believe it’s the polyphenols that are beneficial in these parameters and not the caffeine as indicated by both types having the same effect (4). 

Coffee’s Effect on Fat Burning

One of the biggest reasons anyone engages in fasting and ketosis is fat-burning.

As stated above, coffee increases both ketosis and fat breakdown. So, indirectly, we know it’s beneficial to fat burning.

But, just to double up on these findings, this study from 2019 concluded that consumption of a high-chlorogenic acids (CGA) coffee for 12 weeks by overweight adults might lower VFA, TFA, BMI, and waist circumference (5). Chlorogenic acids are a polyphenol naturally contained in coffee beans.

Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Sugars?

Many people in the Keto Zone who use intermittent fasting want to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugars.

During times of fasting, the body works to make the cell membranes more sensitive to insulin. When there are no fuel sources available in the bloodstream, the body must become better at metabolizing any fuel it can use. And in the long-term, this means better insulin sensitivity and blood sugars.

Does coffee impede these beneficial effects?

No, but it’s a mixed result. In the short term (as in right when you’re drinking it), coffee can reduce insulin sensitivity. This is why it’s a very bad idea to consume caffeinated sugary drinks like soda and sugary-cappuccinos. But, over the long term, it improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. And in fact, it’s been concluded that more coffee consumption equals a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (6, 7).

Coffee Add-Ins

Technically, any substance that adds calories breaks your fast.

However, many coffee add-ins do NOT disturb any of the benefits we achieve with fasting, and some even enhance it.

The 2 things we’re watching out for are 1) carbohydrates that inhibit ketosis and fat burning, and 2) protein which interferes with autophagy.

Here’s a rundown:

  • Butter/MCT Oil/Coconut Oil: These are almost pure fats. They will not inhibit any benefit listed above, so no harm is done to fasting. What’s more, MCT Oils and powders increase ketone production, so they actually improve that parameter.
  • Heavy Cream: The only issue is that heavy cream is that they have a small number of carbs and a small amount of protein. Cream contains about 1 gram each per ounce. So, while one ounce likely isn’t enough to interfere, 4 ounces certainly is. In this case, I recommend sticking to the fats listed above instead.
  • Almond/Other Nut Milk: Like cream, this is a matter of portion. Most UNSWEETENED nut milk contain very little of anything in them, and won’t interfere in 1-2 ounces. However, if you’re using more, you may be adding enough carbohydrates to affect fat-burning, ketosis, and autophagy.
  • Cinnamon/Cocoa/Nutmeg: Overall, spices are fine. The only one that may affect ketosis is cocoa, but in the amount of 1 teaspoon or less, it too is okay. Cinnamon can enhance insulin sensitivity
  • Collagen: As great as collagen is, it will likely inhibit autophagy because it is high in protein. So, still okay for fat-burning and ketosis, but not the complete benefits of fasting.
  • Stevia, Monkfruit, Erythritol, and Other Non-Nutritive Sweeteners: Again, with no net carbs and no protein, these sweeteners are okay in terms of the benefits of fasting. I recommend sticking with the first three and other natural ones while avoiding aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose (8).

Bottom Line: Does Coffee Break a Fast?

Not only does coffee NOT impede any of the benefits of fasting, it seems to contribute to them. Whether or not it technically breaks a fast simply because you’re drinking something with more nutrition than water, is a judgment call. And, it is important to watch out for carbohydrates and proteins in add-ons if you want the full benefits.

But otherwise, you can use coffee to successfully extend your fast, and receive all of the great benefits it has to offer.

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