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5 Mistakes To Avoid When Intermittent Fasting

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Lisa Nathalie
5 Mistakes To Avoid When Intermittent Fasting

 

What if you try intermittent fasting for several weeks and experience no real benefits? It would be frustrating, right?

You might end up wondering if intermittent fasting is right for you. In fact, you’ll wonder if it’s just another passing wellness fad.

Well, the good news is that experts agree that intermittent fasting is one of the best diets for weight loss and better overall health. The benefits of Intermittent fasting boosts your immune system and helps your brain function better. It also helps your body regenerate cells and, hence, slows down aging.

The bad news is that, if you make mistakes, you might miss out on the amazing benefits of intermittent fasting. You’ll be tempted to throw in the towel and curse all those proponents of the diet.

To avoid all that, here are the intermittent fasting mistakes you should avoid.

1.     Using Intermittent fasting as a reason to binge on junk food

Though you’re free to choose your meals, you must be careful to select healthy choices. Overindulging in sugary and processed food will be counterproductive. You’ll end up consuming a large number of calories. This will not help if you’re trying to lose weight. Plus, eating junk food will significantly increase cravings during your fasting window. This will likely lead to more junk during your eating window. You’ll end up in a vicious cycle of unhealthy eating. This will result in low energy levels and lack of nutrients for your body to function properly.

2.     Not easing into it

When you find an effective yet simple diet plan like intermittent fasting, you’ll likely want to jump all in. Well, with intermittent fasting you have to start small. For example, you can start with a 12-hour fasting window and gradually increase the fasting hours. Listen to your body and adjust accordingly. Find out which foods will be the best for you. Learn about hydration and exercise when fasting. As time goes by, you’ll find what works best. You can then keep advancing in your healthy intermittent fasting journey.

3.     Not getting enough calories during the eating window

For weight loss with intermittent fasting, some caloric restriction is necessary. With that said, if you consistently consume very few calories during your eating window, you might slow down your metabolism. This will make weight loss difficult. With intermittent fasting, you are to eat until you feel satisfied. Studies show that the constant cycle of eating then fasting for short periods will keep your metabolism up. Hence, you need to consume enough calories during your eating window.  

 

4.     Choosing the wrong plan

Don’t pick a plan just because it’s popular. Selecting the wrong intermittent fasting method will make you miserable. For example, choosing a fasting window that falls during family meal times is not ideal. You don’t want to be watching everyone enjoy their food while you fast. You also don’t need to fast when you have lots of physical activities in your schedule. Do your research and pick a plan that will fit into your lifestyle. This will help make your intermittent fasting sustainable.

5.     Not staying hydrated

You’ll need more water than usual when fasting. Water will help flush out toxins. Plus, it will reduce hunger. You can also enjoy black coffee or herbal tea. Make sure any drink you consume is free of preservatives and calories. Stay away from artificial sweeteners. They’ve been shown to increase cravings during fasting.

Conclusion

Don’t give up too soon. That’s the best advice we can give. You’ve probably come across many success stories about intermittent fasting. Learn from them but don’t compare your journeys. Most people who are struggling are not posting their journeys online.  If you’ve made any of the mistakes above, you can always start again.

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Lisa Nathalie
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