SHOP MY SPRING LOOK:
Y’all know I’ve been doing intermittent fasting (IF) since last July, and I love it! It all started with me signing up for Faster Way to Fat Loss (FWTFL.) IF along with eating gluten free and mainly dairy free and sugar free too, made SUCH a huge difference! In how I feel and how I look.
I have so much more energy everyday. I feel better. Alert, ready to start the day. No sluggishness and no brain fog. And no feeling bloated… ever! It is so nice! I was so used to feeling those ways before that I didn’t even notice. Until I no longer felt them.
There are different ways to do intermittent fasting, but for me, I usually do at least 16 hours of fasting each day. I stop eating by 8:00pm and I don’t eat my first meal until around noon the next day. That is just what works with my schedule. There are some amazing benefits that come with IF, and FWTFL lists them here.
9 Benefits to Intermittent Fasting
1.) Natural detoxing.
2.) Cellular repair.
3.) Decreased insulin levels.
4.) Increased insulin sensitivity.
5.) Lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.
6.) Reduced inflammation.
7.) Improved hormone profile.
8.) Increased life expectancy.
9.) Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass.
One of the biggest misconceptions that I hear about IF is well you’re eating less so of course you will lose weight. Well, those aren’t necessarily the points. It’s more about your health and your body, not just losing weight. And you’re not really supposed to take in less calories. You’re just eating them in a smaller window to allow your body to do its job and have a longer window to burn those calories each day. Mind blown, right?
You definitely shouldn’t be starving yourself, skipping meals or cutting out carbs. If anything, I would be eliminating processed junk, refined sugars and gluten. So now, you know what IF is and its benefits. Now I want to share some of my tips. When I break my fast, I try to start with protein and something that is nutrient dense like eggs and vegetables or chicken sausage and spinach. I also try to make sure it is a moderate portion and not too huge where it makes me feel sick. I try to eat 3 normal meals a day and then add snacks in between those, so I never go more than 2-3 hours after breaking my fast without eating.
If you get up really early and like a meal first thing in the morning, adjust your IF window to whatever works for you. Maybe have dinner at 5:00 or 6:00pm. Eating is really about fueling your body. It’s not just about eating between a certain window or not eating certain things, it’s about eating the right things that are so beneficial to your body and your health.
You can typically eat more of the foods that are good for your body than the ones that aren’t. And they are chocked full of vitamins and minerals that your body loves. These are the foods I like to eat. Also, just because I am fasting does not mean I am not drinking water. I drink a lot of water each day, over 100 oz to be exact. Even when you’re not eating, drink water. A lot of times our body is actually thirsty and not hungry. So I always start and end with water.
Make sure you also check out Heather’s intermittent fasting post here. She had been doing it for years and has some great info! If you’ve tried intermittent fasting before, I would love to hear some of your favorite tips too. Have you tried IF before?
