| Intermittent fasting - not eating for 16-36 hours a | | | | 4. Remind yourself that your body has been trained |
| few times a week - is a safe, effective way to lose | | | | to expect food at certain times and in certain |
| fat and improve health overall. | | | | situations, so hunger may rev up at those times |
| The wonderful thing is that after fasting several | | | | during the fast. Again, you don't NEED to eat, your |
| times, hunger greatly diminishes on your fasting days, | | | | body is just telling you that it 'expects' food. This will |
| often disappearing completely. | | | | change the more you do intermittent fasting - the |
| But if hunger is ever bothersome for you, particularly | | | | body will stop it's non-emergency grumbling. |
| if you're new to intermittent fasting and going | | | | 5. Keep hydrated. Have your favorite non-calorie |
| through the adaptation period, here are 7 tips that | | | | drinks on hand (water, black coffee, green tea, |
| can help: | | | | herbal tea, sugar free soda, etc) |
| 1. Try to avoid eating a high carbohydrate meal or | | | | 6. Sip on drinks that contain caffeine (coffee, tea, |
| snack right before you start your fast. Some people | | | | sugar free cola) because caffeine helps to suppress |
| find that a high carb meal/snack stimulates hunger | | | | appetite. It's important to consume the drinks slowly, |
| shortly afterward making it more challenging to | | | | over the course of the day, because if you take in |
| continue with the fast. A meal/snack that emphasizes | | | | too much caffeine in a short period you will probably |
| protein is a better choice. | | | | have a dramatic energy drop later on which can |
| 2. Keep busy. The more you do things that distract | | | | stimulate appetite. |
| you from thinking about food, the better. Many | | | | 7. Exercise. It's very safe to exercise on a fasting |
| people eat when they are bored or because they | | | | day. If it's intense exercise (a sprint, for example) it |
| are conditioned to eat based on what time it is, so if | | | | will usually kill appetite for a while. |
| that describes you, be aware of it and try to do | | | | Sometimes people feel light-headed or get headaches |
| something that interests you so you won't be | | | | when they're trying intermittent fasting the first few |
| swayed by old habits and conditioning. | | | | times. This isn't due to blood sugar dropping too low - |
| 3. Remind yourself that your body doesn't actually | | | | that's a myth that studies and intermittent fasting |
| NEED food to function during a short-term fast. You | | | | enthusiasts have disproven countless times. |
| are not in danger. Energy will be drawn from food | | | | The feeling is likely because the body is burning it's |
| that is still digesting during the the first part of your | | | | own fat for fuel, which it rarely has to do when |
| fast. When that runs out, energy will come from the | | | | you're eating frequently and drawing on food for fuel. |
| fat stores on your body. No matter what size you | | | | You may find that a brief burst of exercise works |
| are, you usually have enough fat reserves to safely | | | | very well to combat this, giving you a nice boost in |
| draw from during a short-term fast. | | | | energy - the opposite of what you'd expect! |