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Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: A Complete Guide to the Fasting Lifestyle
Healthy living with intermittent fasting—for first-time fasters
Intermittent fasting is a practice of scheduling regular breaks from eating. A safe and simple approach, fasting helps you burn fat, achieve weight loss, have more energy, and feel younger. Intermittent Fasting for Beginners makes your fasting journey a breeze with proven advice, weeklong easy-to-follow meal plans for 6 types of fasts, and simple recipes using delicious whole foods.
Explore the science and history of fasting before learning about daily and weekly intermittent fasting plans. Learn about the incredible health benefits, including managing Type 2 diabetes and chronic inflammation—and get expert advice on combatting hunger, safely breaking your fast, and succeeding with fasting in the long-term.
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners
Get in the fast lane on the road to a healthier you with Intermittent Fasting for Beginners .
Intermittent fasting is a practice of scheduling regular breaks from eating. A safe and simple approach, fasting helps you burn fat, achieve weight loss, have more energy, and feel younger. Intermittent Fasting for Beginners makes your fasting journey a breeze with proven advice, weeklong easy-to-follow meal plans for 6 types of fasts, and simple recipes using delicious whole foods.
Explore the science and history of fasting before learning about daily and weekly intermittent fasting plans. Learn about the incredible health benefits, including managing Type 2 diabetes and chronic inflammation—and get expert advice on combatting hunger, safely breaking your fast, and succeeding with fasting in the long-term.
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners
Get in the fast lane on the road to a healthier you with Intermittent Fasting for Beginners .
- GenresNonfictionHealth
176 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2020
195 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 16, 2020
Fasting is something I have done for medical tests, for meditation times, and for periodic cleanses, but I’ve never thought of it as something that could be done often because all those other fasts really took a great deal of effort and energy out of me. Fasting was a dirty word in my vocabulary after feeling headaches, dizzy, and weak as a result. This idea of intermittent fasting and the benefits derived from making it a lifestyle and not just an occasional thing sound fabulous so I was thrilled to pick up this layman’s guide that is both an easy and quick read.
Amanda Swaine starts the book by explaining how she came up with her approach to intermittent fasting, goes into the history of fasting, and then zeroes in on what Intermittent Fasting is along with daily and weekly types of fasting. In essence, it is fasting that takes place for 36 consecutive hours or less at a time for specific health benefits.
Next, she introduces the science behind fasting and some diets that work well with fasting. I was particularly struck with the premise that was prevalent through the whole book because I’ve been taught this in other nutrition guides, but this was the first time it really made clear sense the way it was presented here. There are two body cycles: the cycle of growth (non-fast time) when the body is burning sugar and the cycle of rest (fast time) when the body is burning fat. Both are obviously important and there are body functions that only work optimally when both cycles are in play. Most of us obviously are predominantly in the cycle of growth and our body struggles as result- indigestion, severe health issues, sleeplessness, etc.
After the science lesson, Swaine challenges the reader to thoughtfully consider what they wish to get out of their fast, what their lifestyle and body can handle (though she offers some ‘cheats’ to help the body get around its struggles like hunger pangs, headaches, dizziness, etc to get on during a fast). She presents a few different fasting models like the easiest being the 12:12 which is simply eat healthy portions three times a day during a 12 hour period and don’t eat in the other twelve hour period. This is a daily fast. Another daily is the 16:8 which is eat only during an eight hour period (ideally two meals five hours apart, at least one hour after rising and last food three hours before bed). There is also the 22:2 which is eat once in a two hour period. The weekly fasting can be the 5:2 (fasting two days of the week), the every other day fasting or something between.
The models can be modified and the faster is encouraged to work gradually into the fasting process. She gives tips for those who have never fasted and aren’t eating all that well. She explains that for fasting to become a sustainable part of the health plan that the faster should prep to fast by transitioning the daily diet (cut out all snacking) and mealtimes and then fast at the lowest level (12:12) for a month before graduating up through the levels.
The latter half of the book are meal plans and recipes for meals that match the various diets and plans. Oh and the diets mentioned are Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, Low-carb, and Clean Eating. She offers options for vegetarian and vegans to do the fasting and meals.
When I finished reading, I had a strong can-do spirit that meant I felt I could handle this and it was something I wanted and needed to do. This would work for a lifestyle change that I could keep up. I never felt talked down to nor did I get confused even in the science section. She really lays it out there so nicely that it was easily understood. It truly is a sensational book for beginners to fasting. Incidentally, the presentation of this book was wonderful with color pages, charts, page formats that are easy on the eye and focus attention.
My thanks to Callisto Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Amanda Swaine starts the book by explaining how she came up with her approach to intermittent fasting, goes into the history of fasting, and then zeroes in on what Intermittent Fasting is along with daily and weekly types of fasting. In essence, it is fasting that takes place for 36 consecutive hours or less at a time for specific health benefits.
Next, she introduces the science behind fasting and some diets that work well with fasting. I was particularly struck with the premise that was prevalent through the whole book because I’ve been taught this in other nutrition guides, but this was the first time it really made clear sense the way it was presented here. There are two body cycles: the cycle of growth (non-fast time) when the body is burning sugar and the cycle of rest (fast time) when the body is burning fat. Both are obviously important and there are body functions that only work optimally when both cycles are in play. Most of us obviously are predominantly in the cycle of growth and our body struggles as result- indigestion, severe health issues, sleeplessness, etc.
After the science lesson, Swaine challenges the reader to thoughtfully consider what they wish to get out of their fast, what their lifestyle and body can handle (though she offers some ‘cheats’ to help the body get around its struggles like hunger pangs, headaches, dizziness, etc to get on during a fast). She presents a few different fasting models like the easiest being the 12:12 which is simply eat healthy portions three times a day during a 12 hour period and don’t eat in the other twelve hour period. This is a daily fast. Another daily is the 16:8 which is eat only during an eight hour period (ideally two meals five hours apart, at least one hour after rising and last food three hours before bed). There is also the 22:2 which is eat once in a two hour period. The weekly fasting can be the 5:2 (fasting two days of the week), the every other day fasting or something between.
The models can be modified and the faster is encouraged to work gradually into the fasting process. She gives tips for those who have never fasted and aren’t eating all that well. She explains that for fasting to become a sustainable part of the health plan that the faster should prep to fast by transitioning the daily diet (cut out all snacking) and mealtimes and then fast at the lowest level (12:12) for a month before graduating up through the levels.
The latter half of the book are meal plans and recipes for meals that match the various diets and plans. Oh and the diets mentioned are Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, Low-carb, and Clean Eating. She offers options for vegetarian and vegans to do the fasting and meals.
When I finished reading, I had a strong can-do spirit that meant I felt I could handle this and it was something I wanted and needed to do. This would work for a lifestyle change that I could keep up. I never felt talked down to nor did I get confused even in the science section. She really lays it out there so nicely that it was easily understood. It truly is a sensational book for beginners to fasting. Incidentally, the presentation of this book was wonderful with color pages, charts, page formats that are easy on the eye and focus attention.
My thanks to Callisto Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 17, 2021
I received an advance publishers copy and offer my honest, unpaid review.
I have heard discussions around my workplace related to intermittent fasting, primarily they couldn’t wait to go to the cafeteria to break their fast and secondly how much weight they were losing. I asked my physician about it during my annual checkup and, while fasting is part of it, the hardest part is breaking some of our poor eating habits (don’t break your fast with a donut, perhaps fruit and nuts). When I was offered this book as a choice, I jumped at it.
I found the history of fasting interesting and the “options” available to fit my lifestyle were helpful. As we have two toddlers running around us during quarantine, I have started with the 5:2 fast (5 days off, 2 days on). The meal plans for the two days were helpful to see how my mind and body reacts. Recipes are a great starting point, this has given me a new Pinterest board topic to build upon.
I have heard discussions around my workplace related to intermittent fasting, primarily they couldn’t wait to go to the cafeteria to break their fast and secondly how much weight they were losing. I asked my physician about it during my annual checkup and, while fasting is part of it, the hardest part is breaking some of our poor eating habits (don’t break your fast with a donut, perhaps fruit and nuts). When I was offered this book as a choice, I jumped at it.
I found the history of fasting interesting and the “options” available to fit my lifestyle were helpful. As we have two toddlers running around us during quarantine, I have started with the 5:2 fast (5 days off, 2 days on). The meal plans for the two days were helpful to see how my mind and body reacts. Recipes are a great starting point, this has given me a new Pinterest board topic to build upon.
December 19, 2021
In the first 35 pages of this amazing book I found out why my results have been absent and how to rectify that. I also discovered that I am not currently at a health place where I should fast (this was delicately introduced to me later in the book). Despite my need to postpone a re-implimentation of intermittent fasting, I am now more excited than ever to get back to a place where I can fast. Each page had me exclaim out loud to my wife “THIS! This makes so much sense!”
This will be the second time I give a 5* review to a cook/diet/food related book and it earns it with my gratitude.
I have already told my aging father about this book, as it has information in it that I believe may save (or at least prolong) his life.
I highly recommend this book.
I have already told my aging father about this book, as it has information in it that I believe may save (or at least prolong) his life.
I highly recommend this book.
August 3, 2020
Good beginners overview to get you started.
December 2, 2021
Very informative. Worth reading
August 11, 2022
good enough
Good enough for beginners like the tittle says, enjoy the read and while I didn’t need recipes I found the information good and useful.
Good enough for beginners like the tittle says, enjoy the read and while I didn’t need recipes I found the information good and useful.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews