Intermittent Fasting: Tips and Tricks for Success in Pilling
Many in Pilling have tried intermittent fasting to manage weight or support healthy insulin and cholesterol levels. But most don’t stick with it long enough to see real benefits.
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 eating and fasting each day. The idea is to go longer periods (say, 16 hours, a lot of which are while you’re sleeping) without eating. This allows your body to tap into stored fat for energy and supports healthy blood sugar levels.
With that in mind, let’s start with tips that will help you get the best results from intermittent fasting in Pilling.
Do:
- Start Slow: You wouldn’t jump straight from couch potato to marathon runner, right? Same principle applies to intermittent fasting. Some folks might dive in cold turkey, but we recommend starting with smller, more 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 a Suitable Schedule: Many find the 16:8 method (fasting for 16 hours between dinner and your first meal the next day) works best. For example, you could eat all your meals between noon and 8 p.m., then fast until noon the next day. Adjust start and end times to suit your lifestyle. If 16 hours is too long, try 12 or 14 hours, and find what you can maintain long term.
- Stay Hydrated: It’s a good idea to give our bodies breaks from food, but not water. Drinking plenty of water not only helps us feel fuller but also keeps our bodies functioning optimally.
- Eat Wholesome Meals: During your eating window, focus on fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, and fiber. This ensures you get the necessary nutrients and makes it easier to go longer periods without food. Avoid high-sugar and simple carbohydrate foods that can lead to cravings.
- Keep a Journal: When you’re just starting out, keep track of the foods you eat, the different schedules you’ve tried, and how you feel each day. This helps you determine what works and what doesn’t, so you can build a long-term plan customized to your needs in Pilling.
Don’t:
- Binge During Your Eating Window: Just because you fasted for 16 hours doesn’t mean you can eat everything in sight for the next eight. Focus on wholesome foods and avoid high-calorie, non-filling options.
- Not Eat Enough: Intermittent fasting is a time-based eating pattern, not a diet. You still need to ensure you’re eating enough during your eating window to fuel your body properly.
- Give Up Too Soon: To start seeing the benefits, you need to stick with it for at least 30 days. If fasting for 16 hours is too hard, try a shorter fasting period at first and gradually extend it as you become more comfortable.
- Expect Perfection: You don’t have to be perfect to succeed. Interruptions are a regular part of life, and occasional deviations won’t set you back indefinitely. Aim for consistency rather than perfection.
When Willpower Isn’t Enough
When willpower alone may not be enough, a little help can make intermittent fasting much more doable. In Pilling, we recommend two Unicity products—Unimate and Balance—that can assist in extending the time between dinner and your first meal the next day.
- Unimate: A yerba mate drink that contains up to 10 times the chlorogenic acid (the feel-good, “get-up-and-go” component) found in premium coffee. It boosts mood, supports mental stamina, focus, and motivation, and helps fend off cravings.
- Balance: A pre-meal drink with a patented fiber matrix that includes bioactive plant compounds, polysaccharides, and micronutrients. This drink helps curb appetite and eases some effects of excess carbohydrates and cholesterol.
We call these two products and intermittent fasting the Feel Great program because it really does make people feel great. Learn more about how it can help you get the most out of intermittent fasting without making you work harder for it here in Pilling.