Your lifestyle, your plan

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating, providing you with flexibility in your weight loss program, without continuous daily energy restriction.

Why choose Intermittent Fasting?  

Why choose Intermittent Fasting?

There are multiple versions of intermittent fasting, with the 5:2-style approach being the most common. This involves 2 ‘fasting’ days in the week, where you consume around 500 to 600 calories, and eat a regular diet on the other 5 days. This allows you to reduce calorie intake in a more flexible way for gradual weight loss.

How does Intermittent Fasting work?

When following a 5:2-style diet, the 2 fasting days per week place your body into an overall calorie-deficit for the week. Although not providing as large of a daily calorie-deficit compared to a VLED (very low energy diet), intermittent fasting provides flexibility for gradual weight loss without needing to continuously restrict calories every day.

If you are following a 5:2-style diet, 3x OPTIFAST VLCD products can be used on fasting days. OPTIFAST VLCD products will provide nutritionally complete meal options, while keeping calories low at 600-800 calories per day (depending on the products chosen). You can check the nutrition information on the OPTIFAST VLCD product label for the calories in individual OPTIFAST VLCD products.

You can also include low-starch vegetables on fasting days to help with enjoyment. Although this will provide closer to 800 calories per day, it will still provide a calorie-deficit on fasting days, and therefore, the week. 

What a week might look like:

intermittentfastingsampleplantable

What is a ‘low starch vegetable’?

Below is a list of low starch vegetables, as well as vegetables to avoid due to their higher carbohydrate and calorie content. The OPTIFAST VLCD Program recommends at least 2 cups a day of allowed vegetables, however increasing that quantity makes little difference to your weight loss and may help to keep you satisfied. Vegetables can be raw or cooked - it doesn’t matter which.

Full list of Allowed Foods & Condiments  
Allowed
Low starch vegetables
  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Asparagus
  • Bean sprouts
  • Beetroot (30-40g)
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Capsicum
  • Carrots (30-40g)
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Cucumber
  • Eggplant
  • Green beans
  • Konjac noodles
  • (Slendier/Slim
  • Pasta range)
  • Lettuce
  • (all types)
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Radishes
  • Shallots
  • Silver beet
  • Snow peas
  • Spinach
  • Squash
  • Tomatoes
  • Watercress
  • Zucchini
Avoid
 
  • Corn
  • Green peas
  • Legumes
  • Lentils
  • Potato
  • Sweet potato
  • Parsnip
  • Pumpkin
  • Turnip

FAQs

For weight loss to occur, less calories (or energy) need to be consumed than what is ‘burnt off’. By consuming less than 800 calories per day, 2 days per week, it will help to achieve an energy deficit for the week, which helps to promote weight loss. Consuming OPTIFAST VLCD products on those fasting days helps to ensure you are receiving all of the nutrients you need for the day.

OPTIFAST VLCD products are high in protein. On the fasting days, your protein intake will be around 60g of protein per day, depending on the combination of products you choose. It will be greater if you are consuming OPTIFAST VLCD Protein Plus products as they contain 40% more protein per serve than the OPTIFAST standard range.

Yes, coffee and tea is permitted however remember to calculate the calories from milk, sugar or syrups if used.