Intermittent fasting is not a diet plan but an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about what food to eat but rather when you eat your food.
Intermittent fasting
- The concept of intermittent fasting generally includes 16 hours of fasting window and 8 hours of eating window
- However for beginners, 14 : 10 fasting and eating window is more suitable
- The intermittent fasting window which i follow is
- 1st meal at 0900 hours
- Last meal at 1900 hours
- Drinks allowed in fasting window
- You can have drinks under 20 calories
- Stay hydrated during the fasting window
- Avoid consuming tea / coffee in the fasting window
- Tea / coffee can cause acidity and other digestive issues if consumed empty stomach
My recommended eating schedule
- 0800 hours : Morning drink (in fasting window)
- 0900 hours : 1st light meal
- 0945 hours : Breakfast
- 1145 hours : Snacks
- 1400 hours : Lunch
- 1700 hours : Evening snacks (milk)
- 1900 hours : Dinner
Some other basics
- You can follow a weekly detox diet
- Always break your fast with a light meal
- Options for light morning meal
- 6-8 soaked almonds and 1 tsp soaked raisins
- 1 soaked fig and 1 walnut
- 1 soaked dried apricot with almonds
- Fresh seasonal fruit
Intermittent fasting diet plan
| Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | |
| Mon | Ragi chilla with 1 egg or low fat paneer stuffing | Fruit / dahi or veggies | Dal, 2 rotis, salad and dahi | Gur chana | Quinoa pulao, soup and veggies |
| Tue | Mix veg poha | Boiled chana salad | Makhana | Grilled paneer, veggies and 1 roti | |
| Wed | Vegetable upma | Coconut water | Moong dal roti, sabzi and dahi | Makhana | Multigrain dalia and veggies |
| Thru | Fresh fruit juice or beet carrot moringa juice | Mix vegetable salad | Murmura | Mix veg stew | |
| Fri | Oats carrot smoothie | Sprouts pulao, veggies and dahi | Chana gur | Ragi roti, paneer sabzi and soup | |
| Sat | Missi roti with coriander chutney | Chana dal, roti / rice | Energy bars | Quinoa khichadi | |
| Sun | Egg toast | Rajma, rice, salad and dahi | Dal soup, grilled veggies and roti |