Intermittent fasting has been a part of my lifestyle for over 7 years and most people I tell about it think I’m crazy.
The first comments are usually “what, you don’t eat breakfast and you stop eating at 6 pm?”
Yep, after I learned all the amazing benefits of fasting I decided it was crazy not to do it.
Below I’ve made a list for you to scan thru to discover the benefits for yourself.
Fasting isn’t for everyone and it’s probably something you should cycle on and off but as a general lifestyle it’s something to consider.
Below this list, you’ll find a list of top mistakes people make when they get started and how you can avoid them.
25 Top Health Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
- Improves body composition
- Helps give you a greater feeling of satiety
- Boost your metabolism
- Support fat loss and ketosis to burn through fat faster
- Encourage insulin sensitivity
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Lowers blood pressure
- Decrease blood sugar
- Improve blood circulation
- Promote heart health
- Reduce free radical damage
- Slow aging and improves healthy outcome
- Decreases inflammation
- Increases resistance to oxidative stress
- Improves cell recycling
- Increase growth factors
- Protects the brain
- Reduces harmful protein production thus reducing inflammation
- Promotes healthy stress response
- Enhances recovery from injury
- Supports healthy collagen in the skin
- Targets visceral fat
- Improves mental clarity
- Decreases cravings for junk food
- Stops you from binging
- Helps prevent holiday weight gain
Top Mistakes People Make When Starting Intermittent Fasting
When you first get started with intermittent fasting you’ll want to avoid the most common mistakes people usually make with it.
It’s not that the mistakes will totally derail you it’s just that they will determine how you feel about fasting and help you get the most results from it.
Here are some things to consider before you get started.
Note: For a complete explanation of the benefits and details of fasting plans go to my previous post here
1. Have A Goal
It’s important to think about your goal with intermittent fasting?
Is it about weight loss or the health benefits? Without a goal, you will just approach intermittent fasting aimlessly which will not improve your chances of success.
Your goal needs to be achievable and realistic.
If it’s for weight loss you know there is no way that you are going to lose 100 pounds in 6 weeks for example. Even if you could do this it would be dangerous for you.
Have a look online for what other results people have achieved with intermittent fasting and make your goal realistic.
Write your goal down on paper.
There is something magical about writing things down. Think about how achieving the weight loss will make you feel.
Visualize that you have already done this and look great. Note the strong feelings you experience and write these down on your goal statement.
The reason that these things help is that you can use your goal statement as a way to motivate and inspire you throughout your intermittent fasting journey.
Read your goal statement every day and look at it whenever you need more motivation.
2. Start With A Plan
If you just dive into intermittent fasting without giving any consideration to it then you are far more likely to fail.
People that have no plan for intermittent fasting often end up watching the clock continuously waiting for their next eating window.
This is no way to live your life.
Anticipating what can go wrong on your initial intermittent fasting journey is very important.
You can think about how you will handle these situations if they arise.
Don’t be afraid to adjust your eating window if things are not working out for you.
It is better to keep going with a different schedule than to give up altogether.
3. Have Reasonable Expectations
We all want to lose weight as quickly as possible but if you are too ambitious here and embark on an intermittent fasting method where you will need to fast for long periods (even days) then you are setting yourself up to fail.
It is much better to start with the easiest method so you can get used to intermittent fasting.
You can always scale up when you have reached this point.
4. Plan What You’ll Eat During Your Eating Window
Some forms of intermittent fasting will be full days of not eating but if you decide to fast for a certain window of time during the day then you need to have a plan for what you will eat during your eating window.
If you don’t eat enough during your eating window then it will make it hard to fast.
There is nothing wrong with eating anything and everything when you first start intermittent fasting.
But once you have got past the initial 2 to 3 weeks it’s recommended that you look at your diet and change it to a healthier one.
This will provide faster weight loss results and you will feel much better.
Plus, you will be making changes in your health that will affect your immune system and gut health.
Related: Low-Carb Instant Pot Recipes
5. Plan Your Fasting
It should go without saying but your fasting window is the time that you don’t eat.
I know that sounds scary but if you time it right then most of the time can be while you are sleeping.
You can drink water and consume any other zero-calorie beverage such as tea and coffee.
I’ve also used this cleanse product on days when I fast for 24 hours.
6. Don’t Stop Exercising
You will get better results with intermittent fasting if you include a regular exercise routine.
If you don’t exercise regularly at the moment there is no need to panic.
Just gradually introduce some gentle exercise such as stretching and walking more.
Do not go crazy here and go for intense gym sessions as this will be tough for you to maintain.
Related: 5 Reasons To Go For A Walk Every Day
7. Don’t Give Up Too Easily
I’m not going to tell you that getting started and sticking with intermittent fasting is easy because it isn’t.
This will be a fairly radical change in your life and you need to prepare yourself for the challenges that lie ahead.
Unfortunately, too many people give up on intermittent fasting too quickly.
They have a hunger pang during their fasting window and decide that this is too much for them to handle.
A little persistence and inspiration through your intermittent fasting goals will put you back on track.
Some people break the rules of their fasting window and eat something to stave off hunger.
If this happens to you then just start again the next day.
Don’t beat yourself up over this and use it as a reason to quit.
Bottom Line
There are so many benefits of intermittent fasting that it’s worth giving it a shot especially if you have weight to lose.
You might fumble at first or eat outside your window but the great thing is you can start over anytime you want.
What do you think? Will you make fasting part of your weekly or daily routine?
You might also like:
How Cleansing And Fasting Helps You Burn Fat
The Easiest Form Of Intermittent Fasting For Beginners
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5394735/
https://www.translationalres.com/article/S1931-5244(14)00200-X/fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793855
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047637400001093
https://greatist.com/live/autophagy-fasting-exercise?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-
https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/09/health/fasting-live-longer-feat/index.html
I have used intermittent fasting and found it to be helpful. I don’t think you mentioned it, but what time have you found best to break your fast in the morning? Mine is usually 11 AM (although I still have to have some black coffee). I have seen 11 am from many who fast, and just wondered if that time was a norm.
I’ve had various eating windows over the years. Right now it is 10-6 but I’ve shrunk it to 1-6 pm at times.
My understanding is the best eating window is the one that fits your schedule.
I’ve for sure have to have my coffee!
A very helpful post. It cleared up a couple of things for me. I also bookmarked it for later reading. Nice.
Thank you. I’m glad you benefited from it.
Your tips are simple to follow and so helpful. I have been interested in intermittent fasting but it seemed too hard. Maybe now I will get the courage to try it.
You should give it a shot! Try fasting 12 hours and see how that goes.