Guide to fasting on the ketogenic diet

What began as a cult-like following in the early 2000s, both intermittent fasting and keto have become rather mainstream lifestyles. Even people who don’t regularly exercise or go to the gym are familiar with intermittent fasting and keto, some of them even adopting these dietary approaches for their recognized health and longevity benefits [35]. 

Naturally, those who aren’t on the keto and intermittent fasting bandwagons want to know if the hype behind these diets is justified. Moreover, what about combining the two into keto intermittent fasting?

This article will get you up to speed on what intermittent fasting is, the benefits of combining keto and intermittent fasting, possible drawbacks of keto intermittent fasting, and how to follow a keto intermittent fasting diet.

Table of contents:

1. What is the Ketogenic Diet
2. What is Intermittent Fasting
3. Benefits of Keto Intermittent Fasting
4. Possible drawbacks and side effects
5. How to follow a keto intermittent fasting diet

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What is the Keto Diet?

Before we move onto intermittent fasting, here’s a quick summary of what the keto diet is for those who aren’t familiar:

• The keto diet is a very-low-carbohydrate diet that emphasizes the consumption of healthy fats and quality protein sources. This is basically the opposite of a conventional Western diet, which is usually high in starchy carbs and sugar while lacking in protein and essential fatty acids.

• Physiologically speaking, protein, fat, and water are the only essential macronutrients in the human diet. Despite the fact that we need glucose (sugar) for proper cellular metabolism, carbohydrates are not an essential component of our diet since the body can create glucose from other molecules, specifically amino acids, lactate, and glycerol.

In other words, you can survive - and thrive - without eating (a significant) amount of carbohydrates; the same can’t be said if you don’t drink water and eat enough protein and fat.

What Does the Keto Diet Do?

When you restrict your carbohydrate intake sufficiently, your body relies primarily on the metabolism of  fats for energy. Thus, the keto diet increases the breakdown and oxidation (i.e. “burning”) of both body fat and dietary fat.

As a byproduct of lipolysis (fat breakdown) and fatty acid oxidation, cells produce a distinct class of organic molecules known as ketone bodies through a process known as ketogenesis, hence the term “ketogenic diet”.

The majority of ketogenesis occurs in the liver, but ketones - especially beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB )- can be utilized for energy and other purposes by many tissues and organs in the body, including the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle.

Lifestyle factors aside from carb intake also influence ketogenesis, notably fasting and high-intensity exercise.  Hence, keto and intermittent fasting confer synergistic benefits that are quite dynamic.

Bottom line: During the ketogenic diet you will be receiving the majority of your calories from fat. This transitions your body from carbohydrate specific metabolism to fat specific metabolism, allowing easier access to burning body fat.

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What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a type of feeding pattern that prescribes daily fasting followed by a short time span for eating. In this sense, intermittent fasting is not a “diet” in and of itself, but rather just a methodical way of timing out your meals.

The term “diet” more appropriately describes a person’s habitual food choices and macronutrient intake, but intermittent fasting doesn’t require or promote any template for those factors.

Therefore, you can follow any diet you want and also do intermittent fasting. This is why people are taking an interest in combining keto and intermittent fasting simultaneously - which is colloquially known as keto intermittent fasting.

Intuitively, intermittent fasting allows you to eat larger meals (albeit less frequently) while still meeting your daily calorie intake goal.

Intermittent fasting is not a starvation diet

At first glance, you’re probably thinking that intermittent fasting is merely a “starvation diet” followed up with episodic binge fests. This is simply not the case, though.

Starvation and fasting are distinct states biologically speaking, with the latter being much more healthful than the former. The “fasting” component of intermittent fasting is much shorter (e.g. 16-18 hours daily) than the amount of time it takes to enter a state of starvation - which usually doesn’t set in until several days have passed without food/calorie intake.

Moreover, binge eating is not the same as simply eating larger meals after a fast. Binge eating is characterized by chronic, compulsive overeating, especially with the intention of doing it for pleasure or to relieve emotional stress.

As such, for people who have binge eating disorder, seeking counseling from a therapist is imperative.

Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, isn’t a free pass to eat ad libitum and stuff your face with as much food as possible. You still need to be conscious of what you put down your gullet and how much you eat to get the benefits of intermittent fasting.

On that note, let’s take a look at how to do intermittent fasting.

How to Do Intermittent Fasting

A traditional intermittent fasting diet is divided into two daily phases (or “windows”)—the fasting window and the feeding window. The former is the time spent fasting (i.e. not ingesting calories) and the latter is the portion of the day where you eat.

However, you can (and should) drink water and other calorie-free/low-calorie beverages during the fasting window, such as coffee, tea, etc. (abstain from adding a bunch of sugar to your coffee/tea while fasting). 

Once you complete the fasting phase/window, you begin the feeding portion of the day, which is pretty self-explanatory. The feeding window is when you eat your food for the day before you begin the next fasting phase.

The recommended time span of the fasting window is 16 consecutive hours, followed by an 8-hour feeding window. This is sometimes referred to as 16/8 intermittent fasting.

Example of the 16/8 fasting split:

TIME	WINDOW
3 pm to 11 PM (8 hours)	Feeding
11 pm to 3 pm (16 hours)	Fasting

However, there is no concrete rule for how long you spend fasting each day. Intermittent fasting is fairly  flexible and you can adjust the amount of time you fast if necessary. For example, some people prefer an 18/6 or even a 20/4 fasting-feeding schedule; others just skip breakfast and fast until lunchtime, which usually comes out closer to 15 hours of fasting followed by a 9-hour feeding window.

In this sense, the “fasting” window constitutes the time gap between the end of your last meal and your first meal the following day. If your last meal ends around 9 pm on Monday night and you start eating your first meal on Tuesday at 2 PM, then that would be a 17-hour fasting window.

Example Keto Intermittent Fasting Schedule

Here’s how your day might look on the 16/8 IF schedule:

• 7:00 AM -- Wake up
• 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM -- Daily Fasting Window (most people work or go to class during this time)
• 3:00 PM -- Meal 1 ("Breakfast")
• 7:00 PM -- Meal 2
• 10:30 PM -- Meal 3 (Last meal of the day, finished around 11 PM)
• 12:00 AM -- Bedtime

During the feeding window, don’t worry too much about the precise breakdown/ratio of macronutrients in each meal. Ideally, just balance each meal with a somewhat equal proportion of your daily macronutrient goals. The main thing is that you meet your calorie goal as consistently as possible and include a generous amount of protein, fat, and low-carb veggies with each meal.

Let’s say your keto macronutrient goals for the day are 100 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, and 167 g fat; here’s how you might structure out your meals during the feeding window:

• 7:00 AM -- Wake up
• 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM -- Fasting Phase
• 3:00 PM -- Meal 1: 30 g protein/6 g carbohydrate/45g fat
• 7:00 PM -- Meal 2: 30 g protein/11 g carbohydrate/52 g fat
• 10:30 PM -- Meal 3: 40 g protein/8 g carbohydrate/70 g fat
• 12:00 AM -- Bedtime

Again, your macronutrients don’t have to be distributed exactly like that; the main thing is to eat complete, balanced meals as opposed to all of your protein for the day in one meal, then all of your fat in another meal, and so on.

Sleep counts as fasting time

As you can see, a good chunk of the fasting window is actually spent sleeping, which makes it quite a bit more tolerable.

Physiologically, the time it takes for true fasting to set in varies based on a handful of factors, like how big your last meal was, how fast your metabolism is, exercise, and how lean you are. It may take 6+ hours to enter a fasting state if your last meal was sizeable and you’ve been sedentary ever since. If you’ve ever had major surgery, you know all about the rule that you can’t eat anything within 12 hours of going under the knife; this is to ensure you are well-fasted by the time they put you to sleep.

If you eat your last meal shortly before going to bed, chances are you’ll be in the fasting state by the time you wake up (assuming you get a solid 8 hours of sleep). As such, the time spent fasting beyond that 8 hours is where the metabolic benefits of intermittent fasting start to really kick in.

For example, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and adiponectin levels have been shown to increase upwards of 35% after a 20-hour fast compared to an 8-hour (overnight) fast [1]. Plasma free fatty acids nearly double in that timeframe as well.

Bottom line: Intermittent fasting allows for your body to go through the natural hormone and hunger cycle that traditional over-feeding bypasses. Intermittent fasting is easier than you would expect when you account for half your fasting window being sleep time.

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5 Key Benefits of Keto Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting has been a topic of interest among the scientific community for decades [2]. The same can be said for the ketogenic diet, which has studies dating back to the mid-1900s [3]. Yet, intermittent fasting and keto didn’t really garner much attention from the general public until the last decade.

So, what’s the reason for all the hype as of late?

Well, more research is available now that supports the alleged benefits of keto and intermittent fasting.

Such benefits may include:

1. Supporting healthy weight loss
2. Regulating blood sugar and insulin sensitivity
3. Enhancing growth hormone production
4. Promoting longevity
5. Improving anti-aging

The research to substantiate these benefits is discussed in the following subsections.

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#1 Keto and Intermittent Fasting for Losing Weight and Getting Lean

It’s patently clear that Intermittent fasting and keto are most popular among health enthusiasts, gym-goers, bodybuilders, and even celebrities who are looking to lose weight (specifically body fat) and get lean. In addition to intermittent fasting and keto having physiological benefits that are independent of calorie restriction, keto intermittent fasting can serve as a great way to control appetite and reduce total calorie intake, thereby facilitating weight loss [4, 5].

One of the biggest hurdles people face when trying to lose weight is controlling appetite and food cravings. Contrary to popular belief, eating small, frequent meals throughout the day may exacerbate this issue [6].

In fact, both keto and intermittent fasting are suggested to be therapeutic for weight loss by allowing overweight people to consume fewer total calories without the associated hunger pains.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Won’t I get hungry if I’m fasting for 16+ hours a day?”

Surprisingly, not nearly as much as you’d think...

Remember, a large portion of your fasting window will be spent sleeping (assuming you eat your last meal of the day within a few hours of bedtime). Thus, you will only be awake for roughly half of the fasting window, maybe even less. If your feeding window ends close to bedtime, chances are you won’t be super hungry by the time you wake up.

Furthermore, after your body adapts to an intermittent fasting eating pattern, your hunger signaling will shift accordingly and you’ll find that you don’t crave food much at all during the fasting window. Many people notice that after a week or two of keto intermittent fasting, they actually have better mental clarity and more energy throughout the day.

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#2 Intermittent Fasting and Keto for Improving Blood Sugar Levels

Type-2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases of our time, affecting nearly half a billion people across the globe. This disease is characterized by pancreatic dysfunction and cellular resistance to insulin - a peptide hormone that normally binds to cells and facilitates glucose uptake from the bloodstream.

Insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes are characterized by chronically elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) since insulin isn’t functioning as it should.  The symptoms and health ramifications of chronic hyperglycemia are quite debilitating, even life-threatening in severe cases.

The promising news is that the keto diet is unequivocally effective for treating type-2 diabetes and supporting healthy blood glucose regulation. Likewise, intermittent fasting has been shown to produce similar benefits by increasing ketogenesis during the fasting window (which is surmised to enhance insulin production and sensitivity) [7, 8].

Keto Intermittent Fasting for Increasing Adiponectin and Insulin Sensitivity?

Adiponectin is a peptide hormone secreted by body fat, making it an “adipokine”. It has distinct beneficial effects on metabolic function and weight loss. For starters, adiponectin works to reduce glucose production in the liver and simultaneously increase fatty acid oxidation [9]. (This is somewhat similar to what happens when you follow the ketogenic diet.)

Moreover, there is an inverse association between adiponectin levels and body fat (i.e. individuals with lower adiponectin levels have a higher body fat percentage and vice versa). The health ramifications of chronic reduced adiponectin levels may include the development of  type-2 diabetes (insulin resistance) and atherosclerosis, among others [10].

A study conducted by Beulens et. al in 2007 analyzed adiponectin levels and insulin sensitivity in 19 male subjects, 11 of whom were “lean”; the other 8 subjects were considered “overweight” by BMI standards [11]. Those in the healthy weight group had roughly 20% higher total adiponectin levels and much higher insulin sensitivity than those in the overweight group.

Moreover, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin was nearly 60% higher in individuals in the healthy weight group. Further evidence suggests that there’s a specific difference between the respective oligomers of adiponectin and their role in preventing metabolic abnormalities [12]. 

It’s not surprising then that studies consistently find those with low levels of HMW adiponectin are more prone to metabolic syndrome [13].

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#3 Keto Intermittent Fasting and Growth Hormone Levels

Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone synthesized in the brain that has anti-catabolic and lipolytic actions in skeletal muscle tissue and adipose tissue (body fat), respectively. As you can imagine, growth hormone use has been popular for decades due to its performance-enhancement and anti-aging benefits.

Nevertheless, combining keto with intermittent fasting is a more natural approach to reaping the fat loss benefits of growth hormone.

The actions of growth hormone throughout the body are largely regulated by nutrient/energy availability.

In the fed (postprandial) state, growth hormone stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, thereby increasing glucose uptake into cells [14].

During fasting, however, the brain increases growth hormone (GH) production, which subsequently helps activates lipolysis (fat breakdown) so fat stores can be used for energetic purposes [15]. This is an innate survival mechanism in humans since fat is our major source of long-term fuel. GH is essentially the catalyst that helps tap into all the energy available in fats.

Furthermore, growth hormone has protein-sparing/anti-catabolic effects on skeletal muscle tissue, especially during fasting [16]. In other words, GH protects lean body mass from being broken down and used for energy when fasting.

GH also regulates the synthesis of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a peptide hormone which is well-known to amplify muscle anabolism [17].

Some recent murine research suggests that the ketogenic diet may further enhance GH secretion by the pituitary gland via inhibition of somatostatin - a peptide that blocks the production of growth hormone [18].

However, this effect was only seen in rats who were fed a diet composed of roughly 79% fat, 19% protein, and 2% carbohydrate. Rats who were fed a very-high-fat ketogenic diet (93% of calories from fat) actually experienced impairment in growth hormone production.

As such, it’s wise to eat a modest amount of protein on keto and intermittent fasting and not get too carried away with fat intake.

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#4 Longevity Benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Keto

Arguably the most promising benefit of intermittent fasting and keto is the potential for extending the lifespan. Aging is impacted by a multitude of intrinsic and extrinsic variables, many of which we have no control over. Nevertheless, lifestyle factors play a major role in our longevity.

Several research reviews have found that intermittent fasting and keto may defend against various forms of cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and numerous other life-threatening health conditions [19, 20].

The ketogenic diet also appears to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, particularly in the brain. This may or may not be due to the concomitant increase fiber and vegetables when switching to a very-low-carb diet [21].

Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, has been shown to reprogram key metabolic pathways and optimize the foundations of cellular function, thereby supporting a longer lifespan [22].

It stands to reason that combining keto and intermittent fasting would magnify the longevity and anti-aging benefits of doing just one or the other. Hence, keto ntermittent fasting may very well support a longer lifespan as part of a healthy overall lifestyle.

Now, does this mean you will become immortal just because you hit the gym regularly in addition to following keto intermittent fasting?

Certainly not.

Aging is an inevitable part of life as we know it. We can slow (or irrevocably hasten) the aging process, but we can’t halt it ...at least not yet.

For example, intermittent fasting appears to increase the expression of telomerase in somatic (body) cells - an enzyme that extends telomere sequences.

Chances are you’re wondering, “What the heck are telomeres?”

Intermittent Fasting and Telomeres: A Quantitative Approach

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide (DNA) sequences that essentially act as “caps” at the end of chromosomes and protect coding (read: “important”) DNA from being lost when cells replicate/divide. It might help to think of telomeres as being like plastic shoelace tips that prevent the ends from being frayed and damaged - telomeres serve the same purpose for our chromosomes.

Quantitatively speaking, a normal human cell contains 46 chromosomes, with 4 telomeres per chromosome. Complex calculus tells us that equates to 194 telomeres per cell.

The conundrum is that each time a cell divides, the ends of telomeres are shortened, effectively shaving time off our “life clock”. Once shortened telomeres rich a critical length, cells either become senescent (i.e. unable to reproduce or grow) or die.

It’s estimated that, at birth, the average human has around 11,000 - 12,000 base pairs in every telomere sequence. Elderly people, on the other hand, may have as few as 1,500 base pairs in each telomere [23].

In layman’s terms: Our telomeres shorten significantly as we grow older.

While telomere shortening is a natural part of cell biology, lifestyle factors play a big role in the aging process. Things like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, poor diet, and lack of exercise can all expedite telomere shortening, leading to rapid aging and premature death [24].

Case in point, a study found that women who smoked one pack of cigarettes daily lost an additional 5 base pairs per year, which is about 20% greater than the average rate [25]. This suggests that smoking a daily pack of cigarettes takes about 2 years off a person’s lifespan every decade.

Moreover, progressive shortening of telomeres increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other deadly diseases [26, 27].

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#5 Anti-Aging Benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Keto

The good news is that certain lifestyle choices, notably intermittent fasting, controlling calorie intake, and exercise, can reduce the rate at which telomeres shorten in healthy cells [28]. Some evidence even suggests that intermittent fasting and exercise can make telomeres longer - which is like “reverse aging” on a cellular level [29, 30].

However, most of the available research pertaining to intermittent fasting, keto, and aging has been done on rodents - which have much shorter lifespans than humans (and obviously, an entirely different mindset towards food and exercise).

As such, there’s a pressing need for controlled human studies that investigate the potential anti-aging benefits of intermittent fasting and keto to see if this type of lifestyle could add years to our life expectancy.

Bottom line: The advantages to keto intermittent fasting are both qualitative and quantitative. nearly anyone could benefit from practicing the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting or both to a personalized degree.

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Are There Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting and Keto?

If you’re coming from a high-carb diet to keto and intermittent fasting, you may experience a phenomenon known as the “keto flu” (or sugar withdrawal) during the first week or two.

What is Keto Flu?

The symptoms of keto flu are comparable to those seen after contracting influenza (i.e. “the flu”), albeit much more transient and benign.

For example, people who have keto flu often note that they feel weak, lethargic, nauseated, achy, and unable to concentrate. You should not, however, be throwing up from the keto flu.

If you’re refunding your meals down the toilet, chances are you have something more serious, like food poisoning or the actual flu.

Beating the Keto Flu

In many ways, keto flu symptoms are a sign that your body is adjusting to the keto diet appropriately and that you’re in ketosis. The symptoms of keto flu most always subside on their own without any adjustments.

If you find yourself feeling lethargic, foggy in the head, and weak for longer than 2-3 weeks, then you may need to modify your diet a bit. Check out our Guide to Beating the Keto Flu for more helpful info.

In most cases, keto flu symptoms are the result of not eating enough fat, being dehydrated, and/or lacking electrolytes, so eating plenty of veggies and drinking ample amounts of water is imperative. It’s also wise to add some Pure C8 MCT Oil Powder to your morning and/or afternoon coffee for added healthy fats as well as an energy boost to get you through the day.

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Building Muscle on Keto Intermittent Fasting

The vast majority of people who follow keto and intermittent fasting are trying to lose weight, but what about those who want to build muscle?

Over time, you can put on some decent muscle mass while following intermittent fasting and keto. However, just because something works (to an extent) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s optimal.

Given the abundance of research on muscle protein synthesis and how diet influences it, we can draw some conclusions on the best ways to approach a muscle building diet.

There’s demonstrable evidence that muscle protein synthesis (MPS) has an intrinsic limit every time we consume protein/amino acids [31]. This is to say that once you consume enough protein/amino acids to maximize MPS for a given meal, there are no further muscle building benefits by ingesting more protein.

This is contrary to what many gym-goers seem to think and one reason why protein is generally overconsumed as part of a muscle building diet.

In fact, one human study found that a continuous infusion of amino acids maximized MPS during the first two hours, but once the 2-hour mark was reached MPS returned to baseline values despite the ongoing amino acid infusion [32].

Essentially, this tells us that muscle tissue exhibits a refractory response to surplus amino acids.

To put it plainly: Consuming additional protein/amino acids beyond the amount needed to “cap out” MPS doesn’t confer greater muscle growth. Therefore, spacing protein feedings out about every 4-5 hours throughout the day will allow MPS to “reset” in between each feeding.

Naturally, this means keto intermittent fasting isn’t the optimal meal pattern for maximizing MPS throughout the day.

Nevertheless, you can certainly still pack on lean body mass while following the keto IF diet, it might just be a slower process. Just be aware that eating high amounts of fat in during a short feeding window could present issues since fats are highly satiating and digest slowly. This could make it tough to consume adequate calories for fueling muscle growth.

Not to mention all the veggies and protein to go along with those meals. The idea of force feeding yourself just to build muscle on keto intermittent fasting doesn’t seem very sustainable (or enjoyable).

To circumvent this issue, try lengthening the feeding window to 10 hours or so. This will help you eat a bit more during the feeding window and support muscle growth.

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Setting Up Your Keto Intermittent Fasting Diet

Given the nature of nutritional needs being relative and the fact that every individual has their own goals, there is no cookie-cutter calorie intake or macronutrient breakdown that will suit everyone’s specific demands. Thankfully, you can determine your specific calorie and macronutrient needs fairly reliably (and quickly) using some tried-and-true steps.

Calculating Your Calorie Needs for Keto and Intermittent Fasting

First, you’ll need to calculate how many calories you need to maintain your body weight (try the TeamKeto Simple Keto Calculator here).

As a starting guideline for losing weight on keto and intermittent fasting, shoot for a 500-calorie deficit daily. In other words, subtract 500 from your estimated calorie requirements to maintain your current body weight. If your main goal is to build muscle, then do the inverse - add 500 calories to your maintenance calorie intake.

Keep in mind that this is a broad generalization; you will inevitably need to adjust as you learn more about how your body responds to different nutritional approaches and calorie intakes.

How Much Protein to Eat for Keto and Intermittent Fasting?

Protein is imperative on any diet since it serves as a “building block” for body tissues, especially skeletal muscle. Not to mention that amino acids - which come from protein - are essential for many biological processes.

Naturally, you don’t want to skimp on protein while doing keto intermittent fasting, regardless if your goal is to build muscle or lose weight.

For most active individuals, research suggests that around 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (per day) is more than adequate for advanced athletes [33]. If you’re following an intermittent fasting keto diet, then you’ll want to shoot for about 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (per day). However we prefer to stick with focusing on percentages: 5% carbs, 20% protein, 75% fat.

Carb and Fat Intake for Keto Intermittent Fasting

As with the strict ketogenic diet, you should limit your carb intake to 5% of your total calorie intake. For most people, this comes out to 30 grams of carbs or less per day. If you want to try a more advanced approach to keto intermittent fasting, you could do a targeted keto diet where you eat some “extra” carbs before or after exercising.

For example, if you train fasted and your post-workout meal is your first meal of the feeding window, you could include 30-40 grams of carbs in this meal and then follow a strict keto diet the rest of the feeding window.  You should get back into ketosis by the time you’re next fasting window rolls around.

Once your protein and carbohydrate needs are set, you’ll “fill in” the remainder of your total calorie intake with fats. The following example will walk you through how to calculate all of these numbers.

Example Keto and Intermittent Fasting Macronutrient Intake Let’s say we have a 180-lb person who is currently 20% body fat and they want to lose body fat.  They determine that their calorie goal for fat loss is 2,000 calories per day. Reminder: Protein and carbohydrates each contain 4 calories per gram Fats contain 9 calories per gram So, here’s how this person would calculate their macronutrient goals for keto intermittent fasting: Set protein intake at 20% of total calories. Example: 2000 calories x 0.2 = 400 calories from protein which is 100 grams of protein per day. Carbs will account for 5% or less of total calorie intake Example: 2,000 x 0.05 = 100 calories from carbs = 25 grams of carbs or less per day Fats make up the rest of your calorie intake after protein and carbs are accounted for Example: 2,000 - 100 calories from carbs - 400 calories from protein = 1500 calories from fat = 167 grams of fat per day Update: we now have a keto calculator here that will do this math for you, based on whether you want to gain, maintain or lose weight!

Bear in mind that these calorie and macronutrient calculations are merely a starting point to get you out of the gate. Follow these numbers as closely as possible for the first few weeks of your ketogenic intermittent fasting diet and then assess your progress.

If you’re consistently losing body fat, don’t make any changes until your reach a sticking point/plateau. Once you reach a weight loss plateau, recalculate your calorie and macronutrient needs using your new body weight (and body fat level, if you know it).

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Supplements for Keto and Intermittent Fasting

TeamKeto receives a ton of inquiries from athletes, health enthusiasts, gym-goers, and bodybuilders looking to implement exogenous ketone supplements into their keto intermittent fasting lifestyle.

The key when it comes to exogenous ketones is finding a product that contains high-quality BHB salts in proper doses - which is between 11 and 12 grams per serving, according to research [34]. Sadly, the keto supplement niche is rife with products that contain low-grade, underdosed ingredients.

This is why TeamKeto took the initiative to create FUEL Exogenous Ketones, a premium ketogenic supplement with an evidence-based 11.7 grams of trademarked exogenous ketones (as goBHB™ salts) per serving. Just one scoop of FUEL is all it takes to effectively “turn on” ketosis in just minutes.

Plus, FUEL comes in three delicious fruit flavors that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and enhance the benefits of keto intermittent fasting.

To start, mix one scoop of FUEL Exogenous Ketones in a shaker cup with water and drink it during the earlier stages of your waking fasting window. For example, if you wake up at 8 AM and fast until 2 PM, take one scoop of FUEL around 8:30 AM. This will help keep you in a deep ketosis while you’re fasting, thereby supporting mental performance, enhancing focus, boosting energy, and reducing food cravings.

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Should You Do Keto Intermittent Fasting?

If you want to lose weight, get lean, and feel healthier overall, then the ketogenic intermittent fasting diet might just be your saving grace. To make the transition easier, try starting with just the keto diet and then slowly finesse in the intermittent fasting component by skipping the first meal or two every day.

Using Fuel Exogenous Ketones daily will help you avoid the hunger pains and brain fog that often accompany fasting, particularly during the first few weeks of keto intermittent fasting. Exogenous ketones won't do all the work for you, but they will certainly help fuel intermittent fasting weight loss with a proper keto diet and exercise plan in place.

If you’re not familiar with BHB salts, be sure to give our Complete Guide to Exogenous Ketones a read to learn more about the many benefits of goBHB™ found in FUEL Exogenous Ketones!

Summary of what we've learned The keto diet and intermittent fasting help to burn fat independently. Keto intermittent fasting combines the two and my enhance fat burning progress. There are several documented advantages to keto intermittent fating including: weight management, blood sugar regulation, growth hormone secretion, longevity and anti-aging. Side effects while keto intermittent fasting are limited and can be adjusted for, but the keto flu is rather universal. Calculating your daily macronutrient intake for keto intermittent fasting isn't difficult, and you can use Team Keto recipes to plan meals.