7 Tips to keep Diet on track during Intermittent Fasting.

Intermittent fasting is gaining traction in recent years. It involves alternating periods of eating and fasting, usually for several days or weeks. While it may seem like a drastic lifestyle change, intermittent fasting is an effective way to improve your health and lose weight. It can also help you develop healthier habits and a more balanced lifestyle overall. By understanding the basics of intermittent fasting, you can decide if this diet is right for you and make the necessary changes to your lifestyle to make it work for you. While it can be difficult to make intermittent fasting a regular part of your life, you can avoid common mistakes people do during Intermittent Fasting to make it easier. By understanding how to create habits, making lifestyle changes, and setting realistic goals, you can make intermittent fasting a regular part of your life.

To make intermittent fasting a sustainable lifestyle change here are the 7 Tips to keep a diet on track during Intermittent fasting - 

  1. Fast on Alternate Days

On a fasting day, one can fast from 16-18 hours. Generally, a 16-18 hour fast looks like stopping eating a minimum of 3 hours before bedtime, sleeping for 7-8 hours, and skipping breakfast. However, one can have 1-2 cups of black coffee (decaf or caffeinated) for breakfast which helps to curb hunger and does not make you ‘Hangry’. On a non-fasting day, keep a gap of 12 hours between your dinner and breakfast. This will keep the body in a harmonious rhythm than torturing the body with daily 18 hours of fasting. 

  1. Eat enough Protein

To maintain muscle mass, optimize hormones, and improve overall health, it is crucial to eat enough protein during the eating window. Eating more protein during the eating window of intermittent fasting can help you feel fuller for longer, build muscle, and maintain a healthy weight. Moreover, protein helps keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day which can further improve your overall health. You can reap the benefits of intermittent fasting while still getting adequate nutrition by consuming enough protein during your eating window. 

  1. Fill yourself with Fiber

Fibre helps to keep you full for longer, which can help to reduce cravings and overeating. It also helps to regulate blood sugar levels, which is important when fasting. Fibre also improves digestion clarity and overall gut health. Eibre more fibre during the eating window of intermittent fasting can therefore be beneficial in many ways.

  1. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is an essential part of intermittent fasting. It helps to keep the body hydrated and energized during the fasting window, allowing for better digestion and absorption of nutrients. Additionally, it helps to reduce hunger cravings and can even help to reduce the number of calories consumed during meals. Staying hydrated during your eating window will ensure that your body gets all of the nutrients it needs while maintaining a healthy weight.

  1. Regulate your sleep

But it is also important to get adequate sleep to make the most of your intermittent fasting routine. Getting enough sleep helps you maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress levels, and improve cognitive function. It also helps you regulate your hunger hormones, which can help you stick to your intermittent fasting plan. Adequate sleep is essential for making sure that you get the most out of intermittent fasting and achieve your desired health goals.

  1. Stick to the fixed meal timings

Intermittent fasting is beneficial for weight loss, improving insulin sensitivity, and reducing inflammation. However, it is important to have fixed meal timings during intermittent fasting to get the most out of this dietary pattern. Having a regular meal time helps in maintaining healthy eating habits and prevents overeating or binge eating. It also helps in controlling hunger pangs and cravings during the fasting period. Moreover, having fixed meal timings can help in regulating your body's circadian rhythm by providing your body with regular cues about when it should be digesting food. 

  1. Avoid eating sugars and high carbs in the Pre-fast meal (the last meal before you start fasting)

Your last meal should be high in protein and fibre. Also, it should be highly nutritive and able to keep you full for a longer duration. Hence eating food that is low on the glycemic index and do not cause dramatic insulin spikes in the blood is advisable. If you eat food with lots of sugar or simple carbs, it makes you feel hungry sooner. The body releases insulin when we eat sweet, starchy foods that are high in simple sugars, which helps our cells to use the sugar for their functions and store excess energy as fat for future use. However, more the sugar we eat more the insulin is released into the blood. Consuming too much simple sugar causes our body to release more insulin than it needs, which lowers our blood sugar levels and triggers hunger.

To unlock all the benefits of Intermittent Fasting it is important to choose the most suitable way of Intermittent fasting, follow the rules of Intermittent fasting, and understand what to eat during Intermittent Fasting. Refer to our complete Guide for Intermittent Fasting. Let us know your experience and views in the comments below. Until next time Rewrite your Mind & Relive your Life. Thank you.