Although intermittent fasting might take some time to get used to, it is an extremely healthy lifestyle choice. So, if you are finding it tough to follow a fasting routine, the best option is to take your time and ease into it slowly.
Determine What You Expect and Why
When you get to know the success stories of people who get amazing results from intermittent fasting, it is crucial to keep in mind that every individual is unique. Every person starts at a slow pace at the beginning. Food for thought – People who can now accomplish 18-20 hour fasts didn’t start there. They took their time and gradually reached there.
It is always better to consider beforehand why you are choosing fasting and a particular protocol of intermittent fasting. You also need to comprehend what are your expectations from it. It’s reasonable to keep in mind that any form of fasting is going to benefit your body and overall health, be it for 14 to 16 hours or beyond 20 hours a day.
Start with Some Easy Steps
The most useful way to prepare for success is to prepare yourself and be absolutely
determined. Consider setting a few easy goals that can help you to navigate in a positive direction. If you are not sure enough to skip breakfast, it’s better not to do it. In such a situation, you can have your breakfast a bit later and gradually keep pushing it further.
Another easy way to start with is to have 3 meals every day, excluding snacks. However, you still need to consume the number of calories and nutrients that your body requires, and for that, it’s better to include them into those 3 meals, instead of snacking. This way, you can get used to eating most of your food in meals rather than having snacks and desserts 5 to 6 times a day.
Consider Flexible Timing
People often find fasting tough to follow. The probable reason? They push themselves to follow a specific time frame for fasting. However, practically, you can choose your eating window at any time during the day or night, according to your schedule.
You might have heard that the 16:8 protocol is all about skipping breakfast and starving till noon. Nevertheless, it’s not true for everyone. Though it may often be easy to skip breakfast for some people, others may feel more hungry in the morning. So, in such cases, they consider either having their dinner a bit early or skipping it.
Experiment For a Few Days
Fasting can be fun only when you can achieve your goal. Consider choosing days when you can have spare time to make more choices. Prefer not to try out fasting when you have a tight schedule of 7 days a week. If you try fasting on your busy days, you might end up ruining the balance to manage your calendars properly. Instead, stay patient and try to test it out for some days and look for small amounts of progress. Keep trying to have a day when you can follow a full day of your selected fasting schedule. Eat the food you love during your eating window.
