Fasting? Avoid These Common Intermittent Fasting Mistakes!

It Can Work Well –  But Only If You Avoid These Common Intermittent Fasting Mistakes

Intermittent fasting – an eating pattern that has periods of fasting and periods of eating.- is increasingly popular. Many people use it as a way of losing weight – but in fact, that’s not its primary benefit. You CAN lose weight with intermittent fasting – but only if you eat healthily during your feeding times. Which makes it, basically, the same as most healthy diets. If it’s not working for you, it could be that you’re making one of the common intermittent  fasting mistakes.

For me, intermittent fasting (IF) provides great health benefits. I use the simplified version of 12:12 – I fast for 12 hours, then eat during 12 hours. It’s really, really easy to do, because you’re asleep for around 8 of those 12 hours!  I’m gradually working towards 14:10 – fasting for 14 hours and eating during the remaining 10 hours. Just taking it nice and easy, adapting gradually.

Constant Consumption

It’s really a simple way of getting around the constant consumption that’s so common now — everyone always seems to be drinking a coffee or munching on something all the time. And that means your body never gets to rest. You need time to digest, to repair, and to prepare for the next day.

Types of Intermittent Fasting

IF can be simple, like my 12:12, or it can be more extreme.  Some people do daily 16-hour fasts, or fast for 24 hours, twice per week.

Are There Benefits and Does It Work?

Depending on what you read or watch, you’ll see all sorts of wonderful claims for IF. A lot depends on whether the people who fast, also eat healthily. If you fast but then cram junk food during your feeding times, then, well, it’s not going to improve your health or help you to lose weight.

Also, bear in mind that although there have been studies of IF for weight loss, most of them are small, and not many use humans (they’re often based on animal experiments).  There’s more science showing the health benefits of IF.

One thing that does seem clear is that IF tends to work better for men than women. (I’m NOT saying it doesn’t work for women, it does, but the success rate is higher for men). Women go through a lot more hormone changes than men, and this might account for it

Anyway, if you want to give it try, here are some common mistakes that people make. Once you know them, you’ll be able to avoid them, and so have a better success rate!

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #1 – Not Drinking Enough Water

This is a big problem during fasting times as well as eating windows. The main reason is that during fasting times, you just forget that you need to drink. During eating times, you just want to eat. Here’s an idea that will solve that issue. Suppose you want to drink 1 quart or 1 litre of water each day. Put your desired amount into a container first thing in the morning. Then, throughout the day you can immediately see whether you’re drinking enough – without relying on memory.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #2 – Eating Too Much Junk Food

Some people choose to eat foods that have no nutritional value during their eating window, instead of giving their body the nutrition it needs. While it’s true you can eat 1200 calories of Twinkies or 1200 calories of veggies and maintain your weight in both cases, it’s also true that you will not be healthy eating only Twinkies. You need vitamins and minerals, and the best place to get them from is proper food.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #3 – Switching Fasting Times Last Minute

So, you’ve chosen your eating window, and now you realize that you’re going to miss out on a party. You could go ahead and change your times, but the truth is, it’s harder to stick to the diet if you do that. Check your calendar in advance so you can arrange your eating windows better but don’t switch last minute; give it a week or so to switch up.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #4 – Giving Up

Many people give up too quickly on using intermittent fasting. It takes time. You will start to see the benefits.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #5 – Binge Eating

Some people tend to binge eat during their eating window. No matter how you dice it, though, calories count. You can’t eat 10,000 calories during your eating window and lose weight. It’s just not scientifically possible. And it’s unlikely to be healthy either. When people say “eat what you want”, they really mean within certain health parameters.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #6 – Not Eating Enough Calories

Other people go the opposite way when eating during their window in that they don’t eat enough food. You must get in your minimum number of calories each day to ensure you are healthy.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #7 – Making Dangerous Decisions

One of the things people do wrong is that they make strange and dangerous choices. For example, they think fasting is working, so they choose to add another day or shorten their eating window. Instead, focus on your health.

Intermittent Fasting Mistakes #8 – Drinking Tea and Coffee

Many fans of IF say it’s OK to drink tea and coffee during your fasting periods. But if you want the true health benefits to your body, you won’t do that. Coffee is great, but both it and tea – even herbal teas – activate your liver. And the whole idea behind IF is to give your body a rest, especially your liver. So, the only thing you should drink during your fasting periods is water. And that’s one of the reasons I like the daily shorter IF periods. It’s easy to drink only water when you know you’ll be able to eat and drink soon.

Conclusion

The important thing about any type of diet is to ensure that you are healthy enough to do it, both mentally and physically. Some people cannot partake in intermittent fasting because they experience disordered eating which is triggered by fasting. Some women find the IF is not good for them. Pay close attention to how your body feels and put your health first.

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Warm regards,

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