Embracing Intermittent Fasting in Clayton-le-Moors

Many have turned to intermittent fasting to manage their weight and support healthy insulin and cholesterol levels. However, 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 ensure we understand what intermittent fasting is. Simply put, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting each day. The idea is to go longer periods of time (e.g., 16 hours) without eating, much of which can take place while you’re sleeping. 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 to help you get the best results from intermittent fasting in Clayton-le-Moors.

Do:

Start Slow

You wouldn’t jump straight from couch potato to marathon runner. The same principle applies to intermittent fasting. While some folks might go full cold turkey, we recommend starting with small, 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 success with the 16:8 method, which involves fasting for 16 hours between dinner and your first meal the next day. For instance, you would eat all your meals between noon and 8 p.m., then fast until noon the next day. Feel free to adjust your fasting start and end times to fit your lifestyle. If a 16-hour fast isn’t feasible, cut back to 12 or 14 hours. The key is finding a fasting length that you can maintain long-term.

Drink Lots of Water

It’s good to give our bodies breaks from food, but not from water. Staying hydrated helps our bodies function better all-around. Plus, drinking plenty of water helps us feel fuller and stave off cravings.

Eat Wholesome Meals

During your eating window, fill it with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, 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 of time 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 getting started, track the foods you eat, the different schedules you’ve tried, and how you feel each day. This will help you determine what is and isn’t working, allowing you to 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 everything in sight. The food you consume still matters even if you’re eating it within a shorter time frame. Focus on wholesome foods and avoid high-calorie yet unfulfilling foods.

Avoid Extreme Dieting

Be cautious not to swing to the other extreme of not eating enough. Intermittent fasting isn’t a diet but a time-based eating pattern allowing our bodies to tap into stored fat for energy.

Don’t Give Up Too Soon

To reap the benefits of intermittent fasting—and there are many!—stick with it for at least 30 days. Once your body adjusts to the new eating schedule, you’ll start to see results. If you find it challenging, try shorter fasting periods and gradually increase the duration.

Avoid Expecting Perfection

You don’t need to be perfect at intermittent fasting to succeed. A bad day won’t set you back indefinitely. Life events like late-night dinners with friends can happen. The key is to aim for consistency rather than perfection. As long as you’re intermittent fasting correctly most of the time, you’ll be on the path to success.

When Willpower Isn’t Enough

Willpower alone may not suffice for long-term success with intermittent fasting. But with a bit of help, it becomes much more manageable.

Two Unicity products—Unimate and Balance—work together to help you extend the time between dinner and your first meal the following day.

Unimate: A yerba mate drink containing up to 10 times the amount of chlorogenic acid found in a premium cup of coffee. It boosts mood, mental stamina, focus, and motivation, helping fend off cravings and reenergize between meals.

Balance: A pre-meal drink with a patented fiber matrix that includes bioactive plant compounds, polysaccharides, and micronutrients. It helps mitigate the impact of excess carbohydrates and cholesterol, and the soluble fibers help curb your appetite.

We call these two products + intermittent fasting the Feel Great program because, well, people feel great when they adhere to this method. Learn more about Feel Great and see how it can help you maximize the benefits of intermittent fasting without additional effort.