By Intermittent fasting is a very sustainable way of becoming lean a lot faster and bringing yourself back to health from disease. It’s miraculous how well it works for many people.
In saying that, some things can throw your fasting efforts out the window, and would be a waste of your hard work and diligent effort.
Going through intermittent fasting has not been the most straightforward task – but yet, it’s not been the worst. I’ve had many more painful dieting experiences than this, and I’ve also had a mishap with a previous fasting journey effort. I want to discuss this further, as it does lead to my reason for why fasting may not work for you.
Many years ago, I started fasting at the advice of my trainer. He was preparing me for bodybuilding competitions, and we were heading into the offseason. He proclaimed how much success he was having with fasting, and why don’t I attempt to have a break from all the meals I was used to consuming. I am never opposed to trying something new, so I gave it a try. My fasting plan was not really in conjunction with my hunger matching, and therefore, I was following his perfect plan. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t an evil plan – but it wasn’t right for me.
To cut a long story short, I was having my last meal in the evening, and not eating again until lunchtime the next day. I would train and then be ravenous by lunchtime – sometimes counting the seconds that It would be midnight. I fantasised about food like a crazy lady, looking up recipes online of what I could eat when I had the chance to and was so distracted by hunger that I eventually gave it all up. I wouldn’t say I liked every minute of it. It was not working for me, and that’s when I started putting on weight which I could not shift. I believe that’s when my fat loss journey of discovery began.
Fast forward now, and I’m having such great success with fasting on many levels. Health gains and weight loss has been the best I’ve had yet. Of course, I have my ups and downs, but that is all part of the whole process. Do I wish I were leaner? Sure, doesn’t everyone? If you are honest with yourself, the changes required are possibly those that need a bit of time and effort – like re-shaping your body with weight training. Diet tweaks are always experimental, and your results depend on the goals you have.
If you are new to fasting or want to change up your fasting routine, the best advice I can give you is always listening to your body. I listen to my body by asking myself when do I feel most hungry? Is it during the day, or late in the evening? The answer to this question will be different from you than it is for me. This is our inbuilt circadian rhythm. It puts us in sync with what our bodies need and want. If you are more hungry in the evenings, have your last meal at night and fast until lunchtime. If you are starving in the mornings, then make your previous meal lunchtime. Then fast through dinner and eat again in the morning. This is the basics of fasting, and if you take on the strategic pattern that suits your body, you will have the most success.
Fasting is challenging when it’s not in sync with your body’s natural rhythm. That’s it. If you pay attention to that, then the results are sure to come, and it will be a lot easier for you to maintain. I hope you found this article useful and I would love you to upvote it if you did. Please also join me on my various social platforms and do go ahead and download your new year’s resolution pack – which has seven days of free nourishing recipes. I’m also on Instagram