I have a lot of blog posts that go over the various forms of intermittent fasting methods and give guidelines you can follow to achieve your health goals with intermittent fasting. However, I found that many women are looking for a schedule they can follow exactly when they get started. They don’t want to read a bunch of articles and figure out what to do. I often ask them a few basic questions and offer the same intermittent fasting schedule because their answers are very similar. Let’s see if you are that person and if so, this schedule will be a good starting point.
Is This Intermittent Fasting Schedule Right for You?
Most women who reach out to me in hope I will tell them exactly what to do have either not fasted over the years or have only done the 16:8 method (eating during an 8-hour window). They struggle with food cravings and can’t seem to lose weight.
That was exactly me a year and a half ago. I know what it’s like to struggle with feeling hungry and deprived. Not being able to stick to a diet was my specialty. I figure, if my intermittent fasting schedule got me out of the vicious circle, it can help other women too. In fact, that’s why I started this blog.
What Is The Best Intermittent Fasting Schedule for Weight Loss
Is there a best intermittent fasting schedule for weight loss? We are all unique and what works for one person may not work for another. That’s why I mostly just give guidelines like in my post Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss: 7 Tips to Help you Achieve the Results You Want.
But when it comes down to it, when women ask me exactly how to get started, I recommend the Warrior Diet (4-hour eating window). What I love about the warrior diet is that you fast long enough to get the appetite suppressing benefits from fasting and you eat long enough to not feel too deprived. It’s the perfect compromise.
Intermittent Fasting Schedule
Here’s how I recommend you implement the Warrior Diet:
- Pick 4 days when you are going to fast for 20 hours.
- Decide what your eating window will be (mine was from 3 to 7 pm).
- Do that for a week or two.
- Increase the number of fasting days if you can. I would aim for six fasting days a week as long as you are trying to lose weight.
You intermittent fasting schedule will look like this:
Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan
After hearing about my intermittent fasting schedule, many women ask what I eat during the four hour window. Generally speaking, here’s what my typical intermittent fasting meal plan looks like:
- 3 pm: Power Shake
- 4 pm: Large Salad with plenty of health fats (I like olives, avocado, feta cheese and olive oil).
- 6 pm: Family meal (I eat whatever I make for our family dinner).
- Sometimes I have a snack/dessert before the end of my eating window or a bit later like 7:30 pm.
How Long After Starting Intermittent Fasting Do You Lose Weight?
As we conclude this article, I wanted to give you an idea of how long it will take you to lose weight if you follow this intermittent fasting schedule. I find that many women get anxious because they are not losing weight fast enough. In fact, I think we can assume that’s why many will give up. I think a reasonable expectation is that you will lose about 2 lbs a month if you are consistent with the schedule. I bet you are surprised! So many women panic when they don’t lose weight one week!
What If You Are Not Losing Any Weight?
What if you have been following the intermittent fasting schedule for over a month and still haven’t lost any weight? I want you to ask yourself a few questions:
- How do you feel? If you feel energetic, you sleep well and you don’t feel miserable, you are on the right track. I had some months that I wouldn’t lose weight. I think it’s normal. Weight loss using the Warrior Diet takes time, but it’s achievable and sustainable.
- Do you ever feel hungry? You should feel hungry for at least a few hours each day. If you never feel hungry, you are most likely consuming just what your body needs, so you won’t be losing weight. Don’t worry, being hungry won’t mean feeling “angry.” With the help of the metabolic switchover that happens when you fast, the hunger will not bother you too much and you will like the way you feel. If you don’t feel hungry most of the time, try reducing the size of your portions.
- Are you working out? Strength training and HIIT training will help boost your metabolism.
For more in-depth tips to troubleshoot your weight loss read Top 9 Most Common Reasons Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss May Not Work.