Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RDN, FAND, LDN is an internationally recognized expert on fitness, nutrition, and health. She is a registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist. She has published three books on the prevention of heart disease and numerous articles in reputable scientific journals.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with Intermittent Fasting 5

Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Intermittent Fasting, Just the Basics 7

Defining Exactly What Intermittent Fasting is (and Isn't) 8

Recognizing the nuts and bolts of intermittent fasting 9

Delving deeper into how intermittent fasting works 10

Considering Your Intermittent Fasting Options 12

Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions 15

Taking the First Steps of Change 16

Chapter 2: Assessing Your Goals 19

Understanding What a Healthy Weight Range is for You 20

Taking a self-inventory 20

Considering your reasons for weight loss 21

Setting your weekly SMART goals 22

Calculating Your Healthy Weight Range 25

Making friends with the scale 25

Guesstimating accurately 26

Using your Body Mass Index to see whether you're overweight 27

Gauging your inches to link your weight and health 29

Determining what a healthy percentage of body fat is for you 31

Chapter 3: Verifying Calories As Your Last Resort 33

Examining How Your Intermittent Fasting Plan is Going 34

Explaining calorie surplus and deficit 34

Studying Calories 101 36

Balancing your equation 36

Calculating Your Ideal Calorie Range 37

Curbing your calories in 37

Expending your calories out 38

Following the 80:20 rule 42

Trying just one more time 43

Chapter 4: Understanding the Link Between Weight and Health 45

Discovering What the Scientists Know about Being Overweight 46

Enumerating the numerous health risks of being overweight 46

Seeing why where you store your fat matters 53

Beating the Odds of Inheriting the Fat Genes 55

Part 2: Grasping the Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting 57

Chapter 5: Navigating the Science of Intermittent Fasting 59

Discerning What The Scientists Know about Intermittent Fasting 60

How intermittent fasting affects your cells and hormones 61

Flipping your metabolic switch 62

Understanding Why Intermittent Fasting Works 63

Illuminating the three metabolic states 64

Examining the important role of ketones 65

Discovering the facts on fat 66

Revving up your metabolic rate 67

Circling the Circadian Rhythm Connection 67

Chapter 6: Identifying the Health Benefits to Intermittent Fasting 69

Comprehending Why Intermittent Fasting is a Powerful Weight-Loss Tool 70

Creating a sustainable calorie deficit 70

Losing the fat and gaining muscle 71

Seeing how intermittent fasting targets belly fat 73

Discovering the Numerous Health Benefits to the Body 74

Outlining the diseases/disorders affected 75

Considering the mechanics behind the results 78

Realizing the positive effects on the brain 79

Identifying the benefits for longevity 79

Renewing your body with autophagy 80

Chapter 7: Determining Whether Intermittent Fasting is Right for You 81

Getting Permission from Your Personal Doctor 82

Know your numbers 82

Give it time 83

Throwing a Big Red Flag - Warnings for Diabetics 84

Assessing type 1 and type 2 diabetes 85

Focusing on the risks 86

Recognizing Who Shouldn't Intermittent Fast 87

Surveying the Eating Disorder Silent Epidemic 89

Restricting Children from Intermittent Fasting 90

Part 3: Evaluating the Most Popular Intermittent Fasting Plans 91

Chapter 8: Knowing What to Eat During Your Fasting and Feasting Times 93

Keeping Your Goals 93

Fasting goal - Deplete your glucose stores 94

Feasting goal - Consume healthful foods 94

What You Can Eat When You're Fasting 94

Drinking your way through your intermittent fast 95

Loving black coffee 96

What You Can Eat When You're Feasting 99

Knowing what to eat: Some quick tips 99

Why eating a plant-based diet is smart 99

Weighing Keto and Intermittent Fasting - Not a Healthy Combination 100

Understanding why the Keto Diet and intermittent fasting don't mix 101

What's wrong about keto: What you shouldn't and should be eating 102

Chapter 9: Trying the 16:8 Time-Restricted Intermittent Fasting Plan 105

Clarifying What Time-Restricted Intermittent Fasting is 106

Trying the 16:8 time-restricted plan 106

Seeing why the 16:8 plan is easy 107

Losing the fat and keeping the muscle 108

Recognizing how much is too much 109

Visualizing a Time-Restricted Fasting Plan - A Sample 1-Week Calendar 110

Chapter 10: Enlisting the Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan 111

Describing What The Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan is 111

Eyeing the Pros and Cons to the Warrior Intermittent Fasting Plan 113

Exercising during Your Warrior Intermittent Fast 114

Visualizing a Warrior Intermittent Fast - A Sample 1-Week Calendar 115

Chapter 11: Attempting the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 117

Explaining the Different Versions of Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plans 117

Understanding the Science of the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 118

Benefiting from the Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting Plan 120

Exercising during Your Alternate Day Intermittent Fast 121

Eyeing an Alternate Day Intermittent Fast - A Sample 1-Week Calendar 122

Chapter 12: Applying the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 123

Shedding Light on the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 123

Examining the Science of the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan 124

Exercising during Your 5:2 Intermittent Fast 125

Visualizing a 5:2 Intermittent Fast - A Sample 1-Week Calendar 126

Chapter 13: Starting the Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fasting Plan 127

Perusing the Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fasting Plan 127

Examining the pros and cons 128

Seeing what the research says 129

Visualizing an Eat-Stop-Eat Intermittent Fast- A Sample 1-Week Calendar 130

Part 4: Customizing Your Complete Intermittent Fasting Plan 131

Chapter 14: Combining Daily Exercise with Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 133

Capturing What You Need to Know about Intermittent Fasting and Exercise 134

Transforming Your Body with Cardiovascular Conditioning 136

Recognizing common cardio 136

Mapping out when and how 137

Paying attention to your body 138

Healing Your Body with Strength Training 139

Slowing down aging 139

Building muscle: No magic, just hard work 140

Planning when and how 141

Destressing with Mindful Exercise 143

Eyeing the many benefits of yoga 143

Recognizing the art of rhythmic breathing 144

Chapter 15: Paying Attention to Possible Speed Bumps When Intermittent Fasting 145

Handling Hunger Fears 146

Curbing Those Cravings 146

Igniting Your Energy 148

Heading Off Headaches 149

Dealing With Scheduling Issues 150

Finding Your Stress Relievers 151

Chapter 16: Changing Your Connection with Food 155

Assessing Your Relationship with Food 155

Determining what kind of eater you are 156

Taking control of emotional eating behaviors 157

Breaking Your Behavior Chain 158

Rearranging your food environment 159

Changing unhealthy eating behaviors 160

Getting a handle on your hunger 161

Diving into Mindful Eating 162

Practicing mindful eating techniques 162

Reviewing the habits of healthy eaters 163

Part 5: Intermittent Fasting Made Easy: Eating, Shopping, and Cooking 165

Chapter 17: Adding the Mediterranean Diet to Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 167

Incorporating the Mediterranean Diet into Your Intermittent Fasting Plan 168

Grasping the Laws on Lean Protein 170

Eat more plant and fish protein 171

For vegans and vegetarians: Focus on plant protein 172

Add healthy fish protein 172

Making Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Your Main Fat 173

Keeping Those Grains Whole 174

Powering Up with Plants 178

Chapter 18: Going Grocery Shopping, Healthfully 181

Finding Your Way around the Supermarket 182

Shopping with a plan 182

Analyzing where everything is located in the supermarket 183

Organizing your shopping cart 184

Favoring farmers' markets 185

Knowing How to Read Labels 186

Sizing up the ingredient list 189

Searching for sugar 189

Slashing the sodium 191

Rating the frozen meals 192

Going organic 193

Chapter 19: Stocking Your Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry with Nutrition 195

Organizing a Healthy Refrigerator 196

Putting things in place 196

Establishing a well-stocked freezer 197

Arranging a Healthy Pantry 198

Capitalizing on categories 199

Knowing what and where to store food 200

Chapter 20: Making Cooking at Home a Delicious Habit 203

Simplifying Your Cooking and Your Life 204

Cookware 204

Utensils 205

Tools and gadgets 206

Boning Up on the Healthiest Cooking Techniques 208

Microwave cooking 209

Roasting and baking 209

Boiling 209

Grilling 209

Sautéing and stir-frying 210

Steaming...