Intermittent Fasting can prove to be a superb part of an overall strategy for health, wellness and fat loss.  But it’s not always easy.  So I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way as I’ve used fasting as a tool for fat loss and a strategy in my approach to wellness.

My method of choice for Intermittent Fasting is the 24 hour fast recommended in Brad Pilon’s book, Eat-Stop-Eat.  This approach renders the most flexibility of all the various methodologies.  Other plans require fasting every day and eating just during certain daily windows (ex. fast for sixteen hours and eat during six hours).

Brad says to start off your fast at the end of one of your normal meals and then not eating again until the same meal on the following day.  This is a nice variation on the idea of not eating for an entire day, which winds up being somewhere closer to a thirty-four hour fast.

The scientific literature dug up by Brad Pilon indicates an ideal window of 18 to 24 hours in which the bulk of the fat burning and health promoting benefits are most impressive.  So this plan seems to me to be the most effectiveof them all.

If you read Eat Stop Eat, you’ll know exactly what you need to do.  But as already mentioned, Intermittent Fasting can still be challenging, especially when you are first starting out.  Hopefully these tips will help you acheive the IF success you are looking for.

Think About The Outcome

Project yourself into the future and imagine how you’ll feel at the end of your fast.  You will have shed fat and augmented your health.  You’ll feel energized.  And the best thing is, you will have accomplished something.  Use that to as motivation while fasting.  It does get easier as you do it more often, but in at the outset this tip can really help.  Brad himself gives some helpful advice on this point in an exclusive interview you can grab when you sign up for the free wellness package at the Better Is Better blog.

Don’t Get Too Hung Up On Precision

If thinking of fasting and life gets in the way, or if you are totally famished and just can’t imagine going through with it, just put it off for another day.  That is part of the advantage of the twenty-four hour fasting method.  Also, even though you are aiming for 24 hour fasts, don’t get too worked up about it.  At 18 hours, chances are you have already begun accumulating considerable benefits, so if you can only do 20-22 hour fasts comfortably right now, then go with that.

Stay Busy

Sitting around doing nothing is about the best strategy possible if you want to fully experience your hunger and encourage some cravings!  When you keep busy with work, projects and spending time with friends and family, your fast will fly by.

Don’t Break Your Intermittent Fast At A Party

This is often tempting!  You may figure that you’ll “save up” your calories for the party, but it will blow up in your face and you’ll end up gorging yourself on everything in sight (especially if the food is buffet style).  There’s nothing wrong with using IF when you know you’ll be feasting later, but break your fast with a huge salad before you head to the party!

Throughout history, we have naturally gone through periods of feasting and periods of fast.  Nowadays the problem resides in that the periods of reduced calories part of the equation has been taken away, and only the excess remains.  By being systematically in the fed state, we are going in opposition to our natural tendencies and causing both weight gain and a whole array of health problems.  IF can be a great resource in our quest to help rebalance that equation and regain our health and fitness.

Thank you for visiting our Cookie Diet website today. We hope you join the program and start losing weight.

Visit the Cookie Doctors!