These 8 tips were instrumental in my weight loss journey
There’s been a ton of buzz around intermittent fasting for the past few years, but I thought it was just another fad for a long time. After all, restricting food for a prolonged period sounded more like an eating disorder than a viable weight loss plan.
But the more I learned about it, the more I realized that IF is a healthy, sustainable practice grounded in science, with several health benefits beyond weight loss. So, last year, after being stuck in a year-long fitness plateau, I gave IF a shot.
Not only did it help me drop the last 10 lbs in my 25 lb weight loss journey, but it’s also helped me feel more energized, focused, and healthy overall. It’s been a part of my daily routine ever since!
What Intermittent Fasting Is, and Why it Works
Intermittent fasting is the practice of alternating between feeding windows and fasting states. Although IF has been practiced across the globe for centuries in numerous cultures for various reasons, it’s only recently been adopted as a trendy way to lose weight and manage health.
But IF is more than a fad; studies find it can help with not only weight loss but with overall health and longevity.
For example, fasting increases autophagy, a natural process where your healthy cells essentially remove dysfunctioning cells to help protect you against disease. It also decreases inflammation and oxidative stress, which are also significant culprits behind many diseases.
As for weight loss, it works for several reasons. First of all, it’s much easier to stick to a calorie budget when limiting food to a smaller eating window as it naturally discourages snacking and mindless eating.
Second, it increases insulin sensitivity and helps your body metabolize fat better. Lastly, IF can boost metabolism.
There are many ways to practice IF, and when you hear of protocols like OMAD, 5:2, circadian rhythm, and 16:8, it can sound confusing and overwhelming at first. However, the only difference among protocols is how long and how often you remain in a fasted state.
If you’re curious about IF but a bit intimidated and unsure how to incorporate it, here are eight tips that made all the difference for me when I first started.
1. Use a Fasting App
I highly recommend using a fasting app to track your fasts and stay motivated. I use an app called Zero, which has both a free and paid version.
If you are brand new to IF, I highly recommend going with the paid version for excellent educational resources.
Otherwise, the free version is plenty and all I use to track my fasts.
It’s helpful because even if you stick to the same schedule every day, it’s not always easy to remember the exact time you started. It also tracks your history and awards you “achievements” for reaching specific fasting goals, which helps you stay motivated.
You can toggle between different fasting windows, including 16:8, circadian rhythm, and 36-hour fasts. The app will check in with you throughout your fast and remind you when you’ve reached your goal, and it’s time to eat.
2. Stick to the Same Start Time Every Day
There are many different IF protocols, like alternating days, one meal a day (OMAD), and 5:2 (5 days of unrestricted eating with two days of highly restricted eating).
Everyone is different, and you may need to experiment to find what works best for you. However, based on my personal experience, I highly recommend going with daily fasts between 12–18 hours.
I find these shorter, daily fasts are much easier to stick to since you follow the same routine every day rather than trying to alternate days or follow a weekly schedule. Plus, your body gets into a rhythm, and you’ll find you don’t get hungry during your fasting window after a while.
I also suggest starting your fasting window right after dinner. I start my clock between 6:30–7 pm every day. That way, you won’t be hungry by the time you go to bed, and when you wake up the following day, you’ll only have a few hours to go before you can break for your fast.
3. Start Small
My IF sweet spot for weight loss was following the 16:8 protocol, which means I fast for 16 hours and take all my meals within an 8-hour window.
Sixteen-hour fasts allow enough of an eating window to work in three meals. Going for much longer means you may need to condense your daily calories into fewer meals. Personally, I found it hard to hit all my nutrient targets in fewer than three meals, but it comes down to what works best for you.
Sixteen hours is also about the time it takes for your body to switch from an anabolic (fed) state to a catabolic (fasting) state. This is when your insulin levels drop and fat burning increases. For example, one 2016 study found men following the 16:8 protocol with regular resistance training lost fat but retained muscle after 8 weeks.
However, shorter fasts can still be very beneficial for weight loss and overall health. So there is no shame in starting with a smaller fast!
If you are used to eating right when you wake up and are hungry in the mornings, start with a 12-hour fast and work your way up half an hour each week until you have reached the desired fasting period.
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4. Break Your Fast with Fat
Most days, I will break my fast with a meal that’s very low in carbs and high in healthy fats. (I call this the “quasi-keto” approach.)
Although your fast is effectively broken as soon as you eat something, you can extend the fat-burning benefits of IF by keeping your carb intake very low with your first meal.
My go-to breakfast meal is a Greek yogurt bowl with chia seeds, walnuts, and raspberries or blueberries.
I don’t always stick to this, especially when I exercise before breaking my fast (see #8). On those days, I want to make sure I have lots of protein and carbs in my first meal, so I have a loaded bowl of oatmeal instead.
5. Keep an Eye on Food Quality and Quantity
Here’s the one that trips people up the most; no matter your fasting regime, what and how much you eat still matters.
If you are not in a calorie deficit, you will not lose weight.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to use an app like Cronometer to keep an eye on your calories in, calories out.
Of course, if you eat the same meals all the time, eventually, you won’t need to keep logging, but it is an extremely helpful practice in the beginning. (If calorie counting makes you shudder with dread, there are ways to make it suck less!)
The quality of your food matters, too. Avoid filling up on junk or highly refined carbs like white bread, pasta, or sweets. Instead, stick to whole foods, which are denser in nutrients and help you feel fuller for longer.
Whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and lean meats are all great choices, provided you eat them in moderation.
I treat the time in between meals as “mini fasts” and try not to snack. Snacking throughout your eating window makes it easy to overeat, plus you’re keeping your insulin levels high throughout the day, which keeps your body in “fat-storing” mode.
A Keto Meal Plan Optimized to Your Body, Situation & Needs
7. Stay Properly Hydrated
You’ll need to make an extra effort to stay hydrated while you’re fasting because you’ll no longer be getting water from food, which typically accounts for 20–30% of your total water intake on average.
Fortunately, as water has no calories, you can drink as much as you like without affecting your fast.
It’s also important to factor in electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals that support various bodily functions. Ensure you are consuming whole foods containing adequate amounts of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc during your eating window.
Bananas, coconut water, and milk are great examples of foods that are high in electrolytes. You can also add a little sea salt to your water to boost electrolytes throughout your fast.
8. Schedule Your Workouts Strategically
Most days, I work out during my eating window, in the last afternoon, right before dinner. This is the most beneficial time for me because I still have lots of energy for from lunch.
Then, within an hour after my workout, I replenish my muscles with dinner, which is when I get most of my carbs. (Yes, carbs can be healthy and are essential to muscle recovery and growth!)
However, on the weekends, I will exercise in my fasted state. This is because when you’re fasting, your insulin levels are low, which in turn ramps up the production of human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is essential to metabolic health, improving body composition, and increasing muscle mass.
I exercise right before my fast ends so I can refuel my muscles shortly after.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to feel daunted by intermittent fasting, as you can ease your way into it and stick to the protocol that works best for you.
And with these tips, you can feel confident you’ll enjoy the benefits of IF — including weight loss!
