Intermittent fasting is a popular method of weight loss because it encourages the body to embrace a culinary circadian rhythm.
Have you ever found yourself waking up a couple of minutes before your alarm was set to go off? This event occurs because the natural rhythms of your body work with your environment to meet your exact needs.
Intermittent fasting does the same thing for your nutritional needs. It establishes a timed approach to eating so that you have enough time between meals to digest what you’ve consumed already properly.
When Should I Choose Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a choice to consider when it feels like your eating habits are out of control. Do you feel like a snack is necessary each night before you go to bed?
When you watch a movie or a TV show, is there an irresistible urge to find something to eat?
It can be challenging to find a short window of time to eat each day. Others find that the easiest way to practice intermittent fasting is to eat one day and not eat the next.
If you want to simplify your life, lose weight, or work toward an overall improvement in your health, then this option might be something to consider. Before trying it for the first time, you will want to speak with your doctor to determine if there are any medical conditions that might worsen with this practice.
How to Begin the Intermittent Fasting Process
If you are ready to try intermittent fasting for the first time, then these tips can help you to begin the journey with a strong push forward.
1. Create personal goals for yourself.
Intermittent fasting works well when there is a specific goal that you want to pursue. You might want to lose a little weight, improve your metabolism, or have more energy throughout the day. By knowing the outcome you want, it is easier to design a path that can lead you toward success.
2. Pick a method that works with your lifestyle.
There are four conventional methods of intermittent fasting from which to choose. You can opt for alternate day fasting, choose the eat-stop-eat option, go on the Warrior Diet, or try lean-gains. Keep using the system your prefer for at least one month before trying something new.
3. Know how many calories you will need.
Intermittent fasting does not place dietary restrictions on your eating habits. Your job is pretty simple: count the number of calories you consume. If you want to lose weight, then you must create a deficit in this area compared to the needs of your body. When you know what the minimum number will be, then your eating habits can come in below that figure.
4. Develop a healthy meal plan.
It helps to create weekly meal plans when you first start the process of intermittent fasting. When you know what your guidelines are and the reasons behind them, then boredom snacking and similar actions are easier to resist. This tip makes it easier to keep the necessary foods in your home so that you can prepare them as well.
5. Make sure the calories you eat make sense.
If you are trying to limit your calories to 1,500 per day, then you could drink 7-8 12-ounce cans of soda to reach that number. You could eat cake, cookies, and other baked goods to reach that figure too. It makes more sense to consume nutrient-dense items that will fill you up and support your health needs at the same time.
Why Choose Intermittent Fasting?
If you are on the fence with the idea of intermittent fasting, then several benefits can come with its practice if you can make it a habit in your life.
One of the immediate and positive changes that occur is a reduction in your insulin levels. That makes it a lot easier for your body to use the fat energy it previously stored. When you can achieve this outcome, then your inflammation levels, blood pressure numbers, and glucose levels begin to decrease.
Intermittent fasting can also change the expression of particular genes, helping to give your immune system a boost while reducing the risks of premature death.
You will experience an increase in human growth hormone over time as well, allowing the body to utilize fat even more while promoting muscle growth. This process enables the body to recycle damaged or old cell components more effectively as well.
How to Maintain an Intermittent Fasting Habit
It can be a struggle to get an intermittent fasting routine established in your life. You must make conscious choices to stick to this habit during the first 90 days of it, especially during the first three weeks you pursue this option.
You’ll find that it helps to have a variety of tools available that will keep track of your progress. Using a scale, calorie consumption apps, measuring tapes, and items unique to your needs will keep your eyes fixated on the goal.
If you want to experience faster weight loss, then try combining high-intensity interval training with your intermittent fasting. Add jogging, swimming, or your favorite activity, and then keep raising the intensity until it feels like you can no longer move. When you see the numbers on the scale start to drop, then you are more likely to stick with this new habit.
Should I Even Try Intermittent Fasting?
If you have tried diets that didn’t work, then intermittent fasting might be a choice to consider.
When you feel less energetic than you can ever remember, then intermittent fasting might be able to help.
After speaking with your doctor about this option, consider the information from this guide to implement a plan that works for your needs. Then stick to it so that you can enjoy all of the possible benefits.
