15 9 Intermittent fasting is an intermittent fasting technique or a time-restricted eating pattern that involves fasting for 15 hours straight, followed by a 9-hour eating window.
As an example, if you decide to follow the 15:9 intermittent fasting schedule, you can take your last meal of the day at 7 PM and immediately start your 15-hour fasting window which should end at 10 AM the following day.
With that, your 9-hour eating window will start at 10 AM and go all the way to 7 PM when you should have taken all your meals and restarted the cycle.
If you are new to the whole idea of intermittent fasting (IF), this book by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore will make everything easy for you.
In this blog post however, I will only focus on 15:9 intermittent fasting and cover important topics about it including how to do the 15 9 fast, its efficacy, the benefits, and the results you can expect from this kind of schedule.
Let’s start by looking at how to properly do the 15 9 fast.
How To Do The 15:9 Intermittent Fasting.
Understand this: intermittent fasting is a delicate affair, and there’s definitely a wrong and a right way to do it, especially if you want to see results and avoid obstacles like weight loss plateaus.
So here is the guide you need to get started and do it the right way.
A step-by-step guide on how to get started and going with the 15 9 fasting:
- Decide when your 15-hour fasting and 9-hour eating windows will begin.
Most people who do the 15/9 intermittent fasting start their fasting window at 8 PM after a meal and end it at 10 AM the following day, the eating window, therefore, starts at 10 AM and ends at 8 PM.
You are free to push the fasting or eating window to start at a time that suits your lifestyle as long as you fast for 15 hours. - Plan your meals.
Here, decide how many meals you are going to have during your 9-hour eating window and the specific time you are going to have the meals.
There is no magic number here but the lesser the calories the better the results you will get.
What you eat during your 9-hour eating window will determine whether or not you will see results and how soon you will see them.
Make sure to get enough nutrients and Include a variety of whole foods, such as lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
During your 15-hour fasting window, you are only allowed to take calorie-free beverages like water, unadulterated tea, electrolytes supplements (if you have to), black coffee, etc.
When breaking your fast, do not eat to compensate, and avoid having binges. - Get your accessories.
I highly recommend you get an app that’s going to track your fasts, alternatively, you can use a journal or hard copy to track.
Moreover, fasting apps can always alert you when your fasting or eating windows begins or ends and give you important tips to push through your fasting windows.
Having streaks will motivate you to keep going.
When you start the 15:9 fast, keep track of your weight, changes in energy levels, and hunger patterns. - Start fasting and tracking.
Eat only during your eating window(in step one) and do not take any calories during your fasting window.
When you feel adapted to this schedule, you can switch to a longer one to ensure continued results.
Is 15 9 Intermittent Fasting Effective?
If you follow the best practices, 15 9 intermittent fasting can be an effective way to lose weight, enhance insulin sensitivity, and ensure longevity.
I know you might be wondering whether “15 hours of fasting“, is good enough or is below the minimum hours required for fasting.
Well, it’s all in what happens to your body during the 15 hours you will be fasting.
What happens will substantially depend on factors like your metabolism, level of physical activity, age, sex, and overall health status and this will also determine the results you get from following this protocol.
Generally, here is what should happen when you fast for 15 hours.
At hours 1-3 of your 15-hour fasting window, you will be in the fed state(depending on when you took your last meal).
This is when your body digests and absorbs nutrients from the last meal you took.
Your early fasting phase will begin approximately 3-4 hours into your fast, this is when your blood sugar levels gradually decrease, and insulin secretion decreases as well which will in the long term promote insulin sensitivity.
Your body will initiate the process of converting stored glycogen (which is a form of carbohydrate) into glucose to provide you with energy.
As you near the 15th hour, and based on your activity level and metabolism, your glycogen stores will have been depleted, your body may begin to burn stored fat for energy which further promotes weight/fat loss.
So yes, 15 9 intermittent fasting is effective when you do it right and you should go ahead and do it – adhere to your eating and fasting windows, stay patient, and be consistent.
Of course, you can’t compare it with intermittent fasts that have longer fasting windows like the 18/6, 19/5, or 22/2, but hey, you’ll get there.
I should mention that, unlike prolonged fasts, the 15 9 fast must be done more frequently if any benefit has to be realized.
15/9 Intermittent Fasting Results.
The time it will take for you to see results from 15/9 intermittent fasting will vary depending on factors such as your diet, exercise/activity, and body composition.
Expect the results to start trickling in at around 3 weeks if you strictly adhere to your routine.
If you do not get active during your fasting windows or you tend to binge after fasting, be more patient.
At 3 weeks, most of the results you get might not be physical/outward but your body will feel much better and healthier than before.
If you stick to the 15/9 fasting, you will start to notice physical positive changes.
Tips To Get Results With 15/9 Intermittent Fasting.
There are a few things you need to do to make sure you get better or quicker results with your fasts, here are a few:
- Limit the intake of carbohydrates during your eating window.
- Be physically active during your fasting window, for this, you can schedule some time to exercise especially when your fasting window is about to end.
- Be disciplined and consistent, and avoid unnecessary cheat days.
- Make sure you hydrate enough during your fasting window, it will help you keep your hunger pangs at bay.
15 9 Fasting Diet/Fasting – Summary.
The 15:9 Intermittent fasting is a beginner-friendly gateway into fasting.
Even with its simplicity and flexibility, sticking to it is beneficial as it can help with weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and mental clarity among other benefits.
Once you start this routine and become accustomed to it, consider switching to a schedule that has a longer fasting window, such as the 16/8 method.
