Intermittent fasting for Weight loss: Should you miss your breakfast or dinner? | The Times of India (2024)

Be it for shedding kilos or for improving health condition, the intermittent fasting method is the answer to all your health problems. This dietary method does not restrict any food group, which is the main reason for its popularity among the masses. Of all the different types of intermittent fasting methods, the time-restricted fasting method is the most preferred one as it is easy to follow and convenient. In this, one only has to consume all the calories within a limited time frame and fast for the rest for the remaining hours like 16 hours or 14 hours, depending on their convenience. The only major issue one comes across when following this diet pattern is how to adjust your meals- should you miss your breakfast or dinner?

Skipping breakfast has become a popular trend at this time. All those trying to shed kilos, often miss their breakfast and have their first meal directly in the afternoon. Sometimes they do it to manage their calorie count, and other times just due to lack of time. Even in the case of Intermittent fasting to adjust their eating window and manage their calorie count of the day, most people just miss their breakfast and have their first meal in the afternoon.

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The most traditional time-restricted Intermittent fasting method is 16:8 which is 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating window. It seems logical to have dinner and miss breakfast this way. However, it might not be a good choice for all and may not even suit all. Skipping breakfast will affect everyone differently. On top of that, if you exercise in the morning, working out on an empty stomach can put your health at risk. It may even increase the risk of muscle pain and injury. So, if you have to choose between breakfast or dinner when following intermittent fasting, we recommend you to skip dinner.

In the case of Intermittent fasting, skipping your dinner is better and easier. You can have your dinner either early or have a heavy snack and can begin your fasting. Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight. Having your dinner early also prevents you from late-night snacking and Improves digestion.