Intermittent Fasting (IF) has been all the rage lately. There is no way I could have achieved 100 pound weight loss without using this very important tool. More importantly it reduces your risk of many major diseases. Why would you not try it? Keep reading for my tips on how I gradually incorporated this into my life.
- Start Slow
- Rewire your brain
- Learn the Benefits
- Don’t push yourself
(1) Start Slow
Start very slow. You do not need to wake up one day and do a 16 hour fast. You will crash. First, I timed how long it was between my night meal and morning meal. If I ate a snack at 8 pm and had breakfast at 6 AM then my body was already fasting for 10 hours overnight. I just pushed back the time I had my first morning meal by 1 hour every month. YES – that is very slow and that is the point. I allowed my body to adapt to this change. If this is too hard then do 30 minutes every month. Secondly, I did let my body start to see some ketones ( this is the energy source your brain uses when it can’t have sugar). I did this in the morning so my body would recognize what is going to happen when I was fasting. I did this in the form of MCT oil ( a form of coconut oil) and started with 1 teaspoon in the morning. This way my brain was used to using some ketones as fuel instead of sugar and wouldn’t rebel on me as I started to extend my fasting time!
(2) Rewire your brain
I listened to a talk by the owner of WILDFIT on a podcast and he told a little story about how life used to be. Our ancestors in the not so distant past would wake up after fasting overnight and would need to either HUNT or FORAGE for food. They did not have the luxury of rolling out of bed and eating a bowl of cereal or a breakfast bar. Not only this, but these people would walk miles and miles to find food and then at the end of a long fasted period would somehow have the remarkable energy to use their brains and strength to hunt large prey. They had to operate with a sharpness and clarity to do this or else they wouldn’t eat. YES, we are designed to not only be functional without food but OPTIMAL without food. Imagine that! If you don’t believe me just try it. Digestion takes away precious resources and diverts blood flow from your brain to your gut and butt – quite literally. The point of this story is that when I started to feel a bit hungry at the end of my fasted period but pushed through that, on the other side was a mental clarity and increased energy I have never experience before. I learned to couple the feeling of hunger with the knowing that I was going to be more productive and more mentally sharp if I just pushed through it. This gave me tremendous positive reinforcement and helped me embrace and even like my fast!
(3) Learn the Benefits
I think Intermittent Fasting has many major benefits but I will list my favorites below. If these are not a good enough reason to try it then I am not sure what is.
Heal: Your body has a chance to heal during this time. If your body is constantly digesting food it can not dedicate its resources to healing your body
Fat Adapt: You are slowly training your body to break down and use FAT instead of carbs. If you constantly give your body carbs and sugar, it will have no reason to get rid of your body fat
Cleaning house: Dying or injured cells will get removed easier in a fasted state ( aka autophagy – eating your own bad cells)
Immune boost: Let your body rest from constantly digesting food and dedicate it’s resources to boosting your immune system and health.
(4) Don’t push yourself
This is for the ladies out there. Give yourself grace. Prior to menopause, women have a very delicate hormonal balance. Simply said, if your body thinks it is really starving then it won’t want to reproduce in times of famine. Our systems are smarter than us and your hormones will be greatly affected if you push yourself too hard. If you lose your period, begin spotting between cycles, or experiencing emotional highs and lows that you have never felt before then you are pushing yourself too much. My suggestion is to stick with a 12 hour fast daily ( I do 16 hour fast but not daily!). You can also just fast a couple of times a week and then other days eat according to your normal schedule. You do not need to be militant to feel the benefits, just consistent in the fasting schedule that works for you. If you are already eating a keto diet, you are a new mom or working a stressful job/ have a stressful schedule then give yourself some love and a break. Also, remember that your body will find a way to adapt and I like to keep mine guessing which is why I don’t do a long fast every day.