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Slide 6 of 13

When You're Not Fasting, Eat This

One of the amazing things about intermittent fasting is there are no restrictions on what you can eat during your eating window. You can eat whatever foods you like, including the ones you may have cut out when trying to lose weight in the past, like bread or wine. Since you're saving calories by fasting during certain times of the day, you can enjoy pizza or ice cream every once in a while and still lose fat — the 80/20 rule works great with intermittent fasting!

That being said, you'll have the best results if you focus on mostly healthy, whole foods. Ferrari told POPSUGAR that if you want to lose fat (especially belly fat), avoid refined carbs, sugar, and fast food, and load up on lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, and fresh fruits and veggies. If you have medications or vitamins, take them during this time.

You can structure your meals and snacks however you like during your eating window. Just make sure you eat enough during your eating windows, meaning eating until satiation (but not overeating). This will help you feel more satisfied when you're fasting.

Image Source: Getty / Sam Diephuis