Eat everything we should include in our daily diet by 3 p.m. for effortless weight loss by fasting from 4 p.m. onwards: a new version of intermittent fasting proposed by the University of Alabama and published in the journal Cell Metabolism. A group of men with high blood sugar followed this approach for 5 weeks, eating their fill until three in the afternoon and then fasting. The idea behind this new type of intermittent fasting is a strategy already known as “dinner canceling”, but it has two contraindications: first, intermittent fasting does not work for weight loss as such,but it only works when with this technique fewer calories than normal are introduced. If you eat too much, whether you do it for 6 hours or 12 hours, little changes: however, the less time we have available to eat, the less we run the risk of overeating.

The second point is practical: Suppose you work all day, arrive tired in the evening and fast? Such a solution could be very stressful for most people who can have a normal meal , cooked by them, at dinner. Not to mention the fact that, following the Mediterranean habit of preferring pasta at lunch and a second protein dish at dinner, skipping dinner means drastically reducing proteins , which just when we cut calories are the most important to keep us satiated. and maintain our lean mass.

To avoid these contraindications, the best thing is therefore to indulge in a mega breakfast, even with sweets, have a lunch that is more protein than based on carbohydrates (tuna or chicken salad, a steak, grilled tofu plus a side of vegetables), and at dinner limit yourself to very few calories to make the fast effective, which according to some should be around 50 calories maximum. This would give us space for alternatives such as:
– a plate of shirataki with peppers and courgettes (100 gr + 100 gr) without oil but with lemon juice or apple vinegar, aromatic herbs and spices. – a light vegetable cream obtained by blending 200 g of pumpkin or courgettes with a cup of water and 100 ml of skimmed milk, aromatic herbs and free spices.