A Review on Low Carb and Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diet

There are so many diets spread on the internet e.g., The South Beach Diet, The Dukan Diet, LCIF diet, etc. Some of these diets have advantages, and some don’t. But the best diet you can choose for yourself to stay healthy is the one that really works for you.

You have seen at least one individual in your family that looks for the quickest and painless weight loss program. They think that just because others got a result from it, they can also try it. But that is not true.

As all medical specialists have stated before, the best diet program for gaining or losing weight is the one that is monitored under a doctor or a health coach. Before starting a review on Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diet, we would like you to hear some words from two reputable scientists Michelle May and Judy Rodriguez about how to help a percentage of adults suffering from overweight (nearly 65%) to find the best and effective diet.

What is the best diet?

Many of the medical specialists after their research and reviews on the diet programs came to believe that the best weight loss plan is the one that you can stick to it and don’t leave it away when you are bored.

Michelle May who has written an e-book titled “Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work” believe that:

“Many weight loss programs are scientifically proven to be effective, giving the result so fast. But these programs differ based on different individuals. What you should do is to find a program that you can keep up with, a program that you can really do. You should know that not every diet plan is good for your health.”

Also, Judith C. Rodriguez the author of books such as “Latino Food Lover’s Glossary” and “The Diet Selector” stated that:

“There are many books written on different weight loss programs. However, who can say that these programs will be healthy, well-rounded programs?”

The Internet has been saturated with these types of programs, most of which will result in the loss of water, muscle, and a little fat instead of the main fat. In some cases, we have seen gaining weight due to not sticking to the program anymore.

Let us talk about Low Carbohydrates Diet

Two main types:

1. Reduced Carbohydrates, commonly heard as “low-carb” diet – when a person reduces his or her intake of carbohydrates, to 300 grams or less
2. Ketogenic or “Atkins” or simply Keto Diet – named after Dr. Atkins who popularized it. Carbohydrates are kept under 25 grams per day to a maximum of 50 grams. Study shows that when carbohydrates are kept this low, the liver produces Ketones which help spare glucose in the blood and use fat as the primary source of fuel for the body. [We shall talk about this type of diet in another article to be posted in the near future].

 

A Simple Review on the Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diet

We are not here to give you the best diet program. As I have mentioned earlier, the best diet is the one that is given to you by your doctor or health coach after monitoring your health conditions and laboratory (lab) test results. We are simply here to provide a review on Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diet. Therefore, you should not see this article as medical advice.

This type of diet is considered to be one of the easiest and perfect diets. Here, we would tell you about the menu (drinks and foods that must be eaten) and what are the benefits of this diet. Finally, we finish our article with a conclusion.

Is intermittent fasting something new?

Intermittent fasting is not a modern thing to talk about. It is not a strange topic at all but it is a natural part of daily life going on for thousands of years.

When people talk about intermittent fasting, they believe that you will be starved because it is based on the control factor. You are going to stop yourself from eating for a while.

Let me give you a religious perspective. In Islam, Muslims dedicate a particular month known as “Ramadan” for fasting. During this month, they fast during a particular time of the day not eating anything at all. They believe that fasting will help them cleanse the body, mind, and soul. Scientists also found that fasting can help improve metabolic health, affects the body and weight.

What benefits will I get from intermittent fasting?

Despite all other types of diet, intermittent fasting is so much simpler and cheaper. Other than being cost-effective, the benefits of intermittent fasting are as follows:

(1) It is probable that the level of insulin will be decreased

(2) The chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease will be decreased

(3) Using this method, the chance of suffering from chronic inflammation will be reduced

(4) The level of blood pressure will be improved for individuals suffering from hypertension (or high blood pressure).

(5) Quality of life indicators will be increased

(6) The level of food craving will be reduced in time

(7) Even you don’t see any improvement in your weight, your health will be improved gradually

Different Types of Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diet

Now that you know the benefits, let’s look at some of the different types of this diet:

(1) Fasting for “half of a day/12 hours” or “10 hours” or “8 hours” or “6 hours”

This type is pretty simple and easy. Some do their 12-hours fasting during the night during which diet period occurs while they are sleeping. And some do their 12-hours or 10-hours or 8-hours or 6-hours Fasting during the day. Let us look at the examples below:

Example 1: “Night-time 12 Hours Fast” starts at 20:00H and ends at 10:00H – eating time starts at 10:00AM and will be over at 10:00PM (no more food after this time) until 10:00AM the next day.

Example 2: “Day-time 12 Hours Fast” starts at 6:00AM and ends at 6:00PM – eating time will be before 6:00AM and after 6:00PM. Using this method, you are leaving much time of the day food-free.

The same principle applies whether your intermittent fasting is for 10-hours or 8-hours or 6-hours.

(2) 5 Days of low-carb food, 2 days of extremely limited carbs (5:2 intermittent fasting)

In this method, you are allowed to have low carb food for 5 days. The remaining 2 days of the week, this food will be reduced to 500-600 calories. I am not going to tell you about the days to eat. You can work this out yourself and find the best timing for your diet. You can make your own schedule.

(3) Ramadan Type intermittent fasting (also known as 18:6 intermittent fasting)

I have given this name because, in most Islamic countries, the fasting time is almost 6 to 7 hours. And again, you can have your own schedule for this. Here is an example. You can dedicate a period of 13:00 to 20:00 of low carbs food and the remaining time for fasting.

(4) 24 hours intermittent fasting

This can be done once a week, or once in two weeks, or once a month then increase to twice or thrice or more often in a month, depending on one’s preference.

Of course, having this type of diet can be tough at the beginning. But it can be done, specially when one is really sold to this idea and believe in its benefit.

Now that you know what the types of intermittent fasting are, there is one question that remains:

“What should be eaten during the fasting period?”

What should be eaten during the fasting period?

It is time to see what to eat during the diet period.

It is recommended that the food for Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (as the name suggests) must be low in carbs. However, it must contain nutritious ingredients and is made of organic and whole foods (such as fruits, vegetables, etc.) to give you the energy and minerals needed by the body (of course, that is the whole purpose of this diet).

There is a light of hope in this diet. It is said that some food can be consumed during the diet such as the following:

(1) Liquids (I am not talking about beverage concentrates and alcoholic drinks). The body must stay hydrated.

(2) A cup of tea (without sugar) and coffee (just a black coffee, nothing must be added)

(3) Any non-caloric beverages are allowed as long as they are sugar-free

 

Conclusion

The main aim of this article is to provide a review on the Low Carb & Intermittent Fasting (LCIF) Diets. Here, we reviewed some of the benefits, types of this diet, and what to eat during the fasting period. It is simple and believed to be effective in losing weight. But will you get a real promising result from it?

It all depends on one’s determination, understanding and discipline.

May I invite you to read my other article “Shoku-Iku“. You may want to read about the principle of food-pairing and food preparation the Japanese way.

Many believe that the LCIF diet can be the start of something if you really stick to its rules and do whatever it takes to reach your fit and healthy body.

I am soliciting your opinions, ideas, and even criticisms if needed.

Kindly leave your comments, feedback, and insights in the Comments section below.

Thank you very much and God bless you!

Chuna