It is a strategy that has been used effectively in dieting and fitness for many years — The Hybrid Approach. One of these new combinations that has been gaining a lot more traction is combining a low carb diet with Intermittent Fasting 18 6. Studies have proven that this helps to lose body fat faster, increase the metabolic rate, and improve health in general. In fact, this method has helped people lose up to 4 kg (around 9 lbs) over a month.
Today, in this blog we will look at how a low-carb diet coupled with fasting 18 6 envisioned helped the person become fit and strong — along with one detailed case study from India and some tips on how you too can give it a try to reach amazing results!
What Is Intermittent Fasting 18 6?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term used to describe the practice of controlling what time you eat your meals. The 18 6 fasting method, which implies you are going to fast for 18 hours and eat in a window of 6 hours. When you are fasting (not eating) and can no longer consume glucose, your body must depend on an energy source already present within the system.
How a Low-Carb Diet Enhances Intermittent Fasting
Carbs and a keto diet A low-carb diet means that you consume fewer carbs and a higher proportion of healthy fats and proteins. Lowering your carb intake reduces insulin levels in which the body can utilize its fat stores for fuel. Here are the essential advantages of such a low-carb diet and fasting 18 6:
By cutting out some carbs, the body transitions from burning glucose for energy to burning fat — especially during the fasting window = a faster fat burn.
Consistent Blood Sugar Levels- A low-carb diet can help take the edge off of your cravings when trying to fast by preventing blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Weight Loss: Of course ketones, a byproduct that results from the metabolism of fat (and one we want our body to use), helps in long term weight reduction and improving adherence to the fasting 18 6 time frame.
Better Metabolism: When you combine low-carb eating and fasting, it improves the speed of metabolic flexibility so that your body can turn up or down its use of fat for energy
How Can This Diet Help You Lose 4 Kgs in a Month?
The reasoning here is that forcing the body to burn off fat as energy only occurs when you cut out carbs and when your body goes into an extended fast. This is how you should lose up to 4 kg in a month:
Reduced caloric intake: The fasting 18 6 method will help you in achieving a calorie deficiency just by making your eating window limited. This pairs incredibly well with a low-carb diet, as it helps create a calorie deficit that would make weight loss successful.
Weight loss: When you reduce your carb intake the amount of insuline in your body drops and is easier for the metabolize fat stores. This can increase fat burning, especially in the more immediate hours of the fast.
Increased Ketosis: When you eat low-carb meals during your 6-hour window, you bread some pretty wild ketosis, leading to numerous benefits when it comes to rapid fat loss. It is believed to result in greater fat burning, particularly stubborn belly fat.
Here are two more: Better appetite control: Both types help lower the level of hunger hormones like ghrelin, which often leads to overeating.
A Case Study from India: Rani’s Journey to Weight Loss
Pic By Ideogram
For example, Rani, a 35-year-old working professional from Mumbai, managed to lose weight by following a low-carb, intermittent fasting 18 6 diet and lost 4 kg in one month
Starting Point:
Weight: 70 kg
Height: 5’4”
BMI: 26.2 (Overweight)
Rani from India was overweight and despite doing diet plans and exercising she never was able to achieve the results she wanted. After hearing good things about it from friends and researching it, she went to try a combination of intermittent fasting + low carb.
Diet Plan
Hours of Fasting: 18 hours (last time to consume food at 8 pm and first time after fasting to eat at 2 pm next day)
Eating Window– 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Daily Diet: Eat high protein, low carb meals like eggs, chicken and a little bit of pcs paneer with leafy vegetables,and healthy fats such as coconut oil or ghee. She capped her carbs at 50 grams a day, in the form of veggies and quinoa /brown rice when she ate them.
Hydration: She upped her intake of water, herbal teas, and black coffee to fight off hunger pangs.
Results:
Rani got a little bit of typical hunger in the mornings during week 1 but that disappeared, as her body and its chemical signals adapted fast. At the end of 1 month, she had lost a total of 4 kgs and her energy levels, digestion, skin health improved. She found she had higher energy levels and more even blood sugar throughout the day and did not suffer with constipation as much.
Rani’s Tips for Success:
Ready for More Consistency: Following an 18:6 intermittent fasting plan has kept her on track, even through the weekends.
Meal Prep: Preparing meals ahead of time would have helped her to stay on the low-carb side as well as not grab some unhealthy snack.
Listen to Your Body: She found that fasting got easier over time as her body became more accustomed to burning fat for fuel.
Tips for Successfully Combining Low-Carb and Fasting 18 6
Take it Slow: If you are just starting with intermittent fasting, you can keep your fast periods shorter by doing a 12–14 hours interval at first and build up to the full 18 hours.
Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods: Opt for whole, unprocessed foods which contain healthy fats, proteins and are low in carbs. It will help you feel full throughout your eating window and reduce hunger during the fasting hours.
You can Drink Water, Herbal Tea, Black Coffee: These liquids will help you suppress hunger and maintain your energy levels during the Fasting window.
Moderate to high activity: Add light moderate exercise such as walking, yoga, or lifting the weights for optimal fat loss and muscle tone.
Keep a diary: Record every item you eat, your fasting hours and success. This will help you keep things in perspective and adjust accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What am I allowed to eat during my 6-hour eating window?
You can eat anything I guess but if you eat a low carb high protein diet you will lose fat at the fastest rate with increases in overall health.
2. Well, what exactly can I drink during the fasting window?
During that period, you can drink water, herbal teas, black coffee or other non-caloric beverages.
3. Is it safe for you to fast 18 hours a day?
18 hour fast: For most healthy individuals fasting for 18 hours is easy, and safe. But, if you have any medical conditions or are pregnant, you should definitely speak with a healthcare provider first.
4. I can i still maintain muscle while fasting?
You can fast and not lose muscle, as long as you hit anywhere near your protein requirement in a feeding period of 1 hour or more (maybe even less?
5. Do you have to limit carbs to practice intermittent fasting?
Even so, intermittent fasting coupled with a low-carb diet often leads to a quicker weight loss and more dramatic!
Conclusion
One of the best ways to lose weight is to combine fasting 18-6 with a low-carbohydrate diet in case you need to lose about 4 kg per month. This way of eating serves to speed up fat loss, stabilize blood sugar, and restore health in general. This diet strategy is a game-changer for those looking to achieve gradual weight loss whether you are new and already doing fasting or still learning how to do low carb eating.
For the most part, if you are willing to be in charge of your health and experience tangible results, maybe the low-carb fasting 18 6 diet can help. So long as you listen to your body; be consistent and ask a healthcare practitioner if needed.