How to achieve optimal results by following intermittent fasting?

Tips for IF maintenance

It is difficult for the body and brain to get used to the starving phase and have a large gap between eating and fasting. Every unit of lifestyle requires some caution. Though it has competitive edges yet our body needs time to get accustomed to staying hungry and sending signals to the brain to stop asking for food during no eating time.

There are a few tips to maintain IF so that maximum benefits can be achieved.

Stay hydrated

Water is essential for keeping IF going. Other than water you can drink zero-calorie liquids and herbal extracts. They would aid the metabolic switching. Black coffee is a good option and it also has a positive effect on the liver and brain.

 

Be wise in the selection of food dishes

It is essential to select what to eat during the eating window that satisfies your appetite and does not exceed the calorie limit. You can search for those recipes that can end up being delicious without being calorie enriched. Add fibers and proteins to your food items so that you can feel full without eating too much and your body does not undergo tiredness.

Use of raw, green leafy veggies, healthy fats, boiled eggs, beans, fruits, and herbal teas is recommended. Nuts are also a good option.

 

These may take equal time to eat, but the results would be different. Choose wisely!

Keep your mind busy

Stay active and keep your mind focused on mindful tasks so that you can get distractions from thoughts of food during the fasting window.

Keeping your brain cells active is also an important part of IF. Engage yourself in healthy activities. Plan well-suited exercises and workouts so that physical health is also maintained.

 

Take a peaceful sleep

Your sleeping time is so important to keep your body relaxed. Sound sleep takes our body into a relaxed state and we feel active after waking up.

Other than sleep, you can try yoga and other meditation options to calm your mind.

 

Select the most suited fasting window

Everyone has different physiology so their eating habits are also different. Few people find the easy way and short-timed fasting period convenient. Others are passionate enough to follow extreme diets.

One must look before selecting a diet regimen as per the problem he wants to overcome. Consultation with a concerned nutritionist would be better to make a wise decision.

 

Avoid untimely eating

Untimely eating habits give rise to multiple health issues. Eating before sleeping is the worst kind of challenge for human health. It can cause simple problems like acid reflux, indigestion, and chronic clinical complications like diabetes, and Cardiovascular diseases.

An eating window should be enjoyed freely by enjoying delicious and nutrient-enriched foods and the fasting window should be followed for cutting down calories purposes.

If you are more sensitive to eating at night times, the warrior diet is a perfect method for you.

 

Avoid overeating and high-calorie foods

Many IF followers misinterpret the term eating window. They find it right to eat everything they want during the eating window. This practice can disturb their effort as they eat more calories than they consume during fasting.

Such foods should be eaten that do not go overboard. Overeating is also not appreciated because it can result in more intake of nutrients and calories.

IF is linked to changes in eating times not in eating items. So normal food should be considered normal and moderate food that can compensate for the energy deprivation due to fasting.

 

Don't end up eating more than fasting.

Keep a minimum 12 hours fasting window

An average food takes eight hours to be digested and absorbed by the body. Sweet and fried food items take even longer and put an effect on the stomach and liver. To give the body a break and activate the metabolic switching mechanism, it is recommended to have a fasting period of at least 12 hours. This way your last meal is digested properly and your body can consume the stored glycogen and fatty acids as well. 12-hour fasting time frame sets the basis of IF.

It would be more productive if women can stay off feed for 14 hours and men would do the same for 16 hours.

Courtesy note:

I follow the 16:8 pattern with only drinking water and herbal teas (ginger and chamomile extracts) when my arthritis is making it hard for me to move due to pain and inflammation. This IF protocol alleviates my symptoms.

Arthritis is painful.

Watch out for your body condition

Listen to your body and address the problems it shows. Your IF method must be compliant with the health conditions you are aiming to work on. For example, diabetic patients cannot stay away from food for a long time, they should not follow fast or extreme methods.

Likewise, if you want to get over inflammation, a minimum of 16 hours of fasting is recommended.

Moreover, don’t let your body be deprived of essential nutrients.

IF fasting may not be suitable for pregnant and nursing people. If someone is facing hormonal imbalance he/she must take a verdict from his/her doctor.

If you are facing symptoms like anxiety, headache, or unexplained tiredness that doesn’t go even after a few days, you must disconnect your cycle of fasting.

 

You are not hungry. You are bored!

Be consistent

Consistency is the key. Regardless of the method chosen, you must follow it for the long term so that your body gives you the best results.

You must follow an IF method, for at least 8 to 12 weeks to get maximum benefits. As per studies and surveys, many people had lost significant weight after 8-12 weeks and their medical charts were improved as well.

Take the simple and easy way to make it your healthy lifestyle. Do not burden yourself with the tough pattern.

 

Take-home message

Though it is a lifestyle change and it is different from conventional methods of diet and controlled eating, still it takes a lot of effort to maintain it and give us the best results. These tips are simpler and easy to follow. They would end up making your journey fun and yielding. These tips are so workable that you would not feel like skipping any one of them.

Candid dialogue

We realize that you have a busy routine and you have to do a lot of work inside and outside of the workstation. But it is never out of fashion and less demanding to take care of yourself.

You should make a diary and note the daily intake of calories or even the name of dishes you ate. You can make a chart of your workouts and physical activities and then note down the impact the IF method has put on your health and symptoms. After a few successful steps, you would find yourself more encouraged.

So when are you going to start your intermittent fasting?