Longridge’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting: Tips and Tricks
Many have tried intermittent fasting as a way to manage their weight or support healthy insulin and cholesterol levels. But most don’t stick with it long enough to see real benefits here in Longridge. The good news is that there’s more than one way to succeed at intermittent fasting—and the efforts are worth it. Keep these do’s and don’ts in mind as you incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
First off, let’s make sure we understand what intermittent fasting is. Put simply, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting each day. The idea is to go longer periods without eating, allowing your body to tap into stored fat for energy and support healthy blood sugar levels.
With that in mind, let’s start with tips that will help you get the best results from intermittent fasting.
Do:
Start Slow
You wouldn’t jump straight from couch potato to marathon runner. The same principle applies to intermittent fasting. Although for some folks in Longridge, going full cold turkey might work, we recommend starting with smaller, achievable goals like not snacking after dinner or eating breakfast an hour later. Gradually work toward a longer fasting period as your body adjusts.
Pick the Intermittent Fasting Schedule That Works for You
Many find the best results with the 16:8 method, which means fasting for 16 hours between dinner and the first meal the next day. For example, you would eat all your meals between noon and 8 p.m., and then fast until noon the next day. Adjust your fast start and end times to best fit your lifestyle here in Longridge. If you need to eat earlier, try starting your fast at 5 or 6 p.m. If a 16-hour fast isn’t feasible, cut back to 12 or 14 hours. The trick is to find a fasting length that is doable long term. Try as many schedules as necessary to find the one that you’ll maintain.
Drink Lots of Water
It’s good to give our bodies breaks from food, but not from water. Staying hydrated is essential, plus drinking plenty of water helps us feel fuller and stave off cravings.
Eat Wholesome Meals
However long your eating window lasts, make sure to fill it with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and fiber. Fueling your body with wholesome foods not only helps you get the nutrients you need, but also makes it easier to go longer periods without food. Foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates (like white bread and pasta) often leave you feeling hungry an hour later and can lead to inconvenient cravings.
Keep an IF Journal
When you’re first starting, keep track of what you eat, the different schedules you try, and how you feel each day. This will help you determine what works and doesn’t, so you can build a long-term plan tailored to your needs.
Don’ts:
Binge During Your Eating Window
Just because you fasted for 16 hours doesn’t mean you get a free pass to eat anything and everything for eight hours straight. The food you eat still matters. Focus on wholesome foods and avoid high-calorie, unfulfilling foods.
Not Eating Enough
Intermittent fasting isn’t a diet but a time-based eating pattern. It allows our bodies to tap into stored fat for energy, rather than relying on a constant supply of carbohydrates. Make sure you’re eating enough during your window.
Giving Up Too Soon
To start seeing the benefits of intermittent fasting, you need to stick with it for at least 30 days. Once your body adjusts to the new eating schedule, that’s when you’ll really start to see results. If fasting for 16 hours is too tough, try a shorter duration and increase gradually. It’s all about finding what works for you here in Longridge.
Expecting Perfection
Don’t expect perfection. A bad day won’t diminish your progress. A late-night dinner with friends isn’t going to set you back indefinitely. Interruptions are a part of life. Aim for consistency rather than perfection. As long as you’re intermittent fasting correctly most of the time, you’ll be succeeding.
When Willpower Isn’t Enough
Sometimes willpower alone may not be enough to succeed at intermittent fasting long term. Fortunately, two Unicity products—Unimate and Balance—can help make the process easier and more effective.
Unimate
Unimate is a yerba mate drink that contains up to 10 times the amount of chlorogenic acid found in a premium cup of coffee. It boosts mood, supports mental stamina, focus, and motivation. It also helps fend off cravings and reenergize between meals.
Balance
Balance is a pre-meal drink with a patented fiber matrix, including bioactive plant compounds, polysaccharides, and micronutrients. The fiber matrix helps ease the impact of excess carbohydrates and cholesterol, and the soluble fibers help curb your appetite.
We call these two products combined with intermittent fasting the Feel Great program. People feel great when they stick to this method. Learn more about Feel Great and see how it can help you get the most out of intermittent fasting without making you work harder for it. Following these steps, you’ll find intermittent fasting in Longridge to be a rewarding journey.