Do Add More Of The Right Foods To Your Meals
We all know that overcompensating with junk and other fast foods is a big no-no when it comes to intermittent fasting, but adding more of the right foods to your plate can speed up intermittent fasting weight loss results.
What do I mean by this? Our bodies crave and need 3 main groups of food to function; protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Loading up your breakfast and dinners, for example, with starchy carbohydrates and saturated fats is obviously not great as not only can this cause digestive distress, but it also adds way more calories to your every day diet.
Loading your plate with heart healthy fats, wholegrain, unprocessed carbs and lean, high quality protein is actually encouraged during intermittent fasting and is a great intermittent fasting tip for beginners.
Again, the goal here isnt to starve, but to moderately decrease calorie intake whilst swapping out unhealthy foods.
Just make sure youre not massively overcompensating on your portion sizes i.e. eating a breakfast twice the size of what you would normally eat as this does defeat the object.
Intermittent Fasting For Fertility: The Dos And Donts
Everything old is new again and, just like my high-rise jeans from 1992, the practice of fasting is no exception.; Humans have fasted for survival since well, forever. Nowadays, health pros are raving about its anti-cancer benefits and celebrities are using it to fit into their Oscar dresses.; But is it the best practice if youre trying to rev up your fertility game?
I get questions about fasting all the time and many people are surprised to find out that do I recommend it and use it for some of my clients.; But its definitely not for everyone, and in some cases can worsen hormonal imbalance and cycle issues if you arent careful!;
Here, Im breaking down what we know about intermittent fasting and female hormones so you can figure out if its a good plan for you.
Intermittent Fasting Tips To Lose Weight Easily
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Have you have heard of intermittent fasting before?
Its a very buzzy word in the health industry right now and for good reason.;
Intermittent fasting usually involves a long-term routine of short-duration fasts that last for the better part of the day.;
Its one of the simplest ways to lose weight if you can handle not eating solid foods.;;
But fasting without a strategy or not fully comprehending the process of it is a really bad idea to reach your weight loss goals.
In fact, it could slow the process down even further if youre not fully aware of what to do and what not to do.;
So, if youre considering this option of losing weight or cleansing your body this year?
Follow these simple dos and donts of how intermittent fasting works so you can have a much more enjoyable experience when you fast for the first time!
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Benefits And Risks Of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an effective way to lose weight because it reduces calorie intake and increases basal metabolic rate. In a study published by the National Institute of Health, the basal metabolic rates of subjects went up by about 0.56 kilojoules per minute from the first to the third day of fasting. Besides helping you lose weight, intermittent fasting can also boost your immune system and prevent cardiovascular diseases, neurological problems, cancer, diabetes, and aging.
Some women complained that intermittent fasting had caused them to stop menstruating, enter into early menopause, and experience raging premenstrual syndrome. Then again, there are also women who said they benefitted from it, experiencing reduced mood swings and brain fog. Intermittent fasting has also been linked to other health risks such as eating disorders, increased cortisol levels, and inflammation. Here are some dos and donts to consider.
What Are The Potential Drawbacks
Despite its benefits, there are multiple potential drawbacks with following this diet such as feeling dizzy, nauseous, light-headed, and fatigued after a fasting period. It also could reduce your exercise performance as you do not have proper nourishment throughout the day to fuel your workout as you normally would. Additionally, you may overindulge on the days that you are not fasting, creating unhealthy eating patterns due to your appetite hormones flaring after a period with very limited to no food intake for long periods of time. There are also possibilities of weight regain, binge-eating disorder, and depression as food is just as much emotional and social as it is for nourishing our bodies.
There is so much information on intermittent fasting that it can be hard to know where to begin and what to believe! However, its impossible to determine a diet as solely good or bad and recommend a diet for everyone or recommend it for no one because the science is so complicated and no one person is the same. There are so many factors that affect everyones individual outcomes even with the same approach toward food. Factors like your age, gender, genetics, lifestyle choice, and preexisting conditions can all greatly influence your bodys reaction to different diets. Nutrition is not a one size fits all approach, which is why it can be hard to figure out what is right for you. This also makes the research complex without the possibility of absolute black and white truths.
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Do Find Fun Activities To Distract You
If you are fasting during weekends or on days where you have nothing on your schedule, the minutes will pass like hours unless you find something to distract you.
Engage in a favorite hobby or go for a nice mature walk to pass the time. Just make sure your hobby isnt weightlifting or running marathons!
When Does Intermittent Fasting Not Work
For many, the idea of skipping a few meals sounds like an ideal way to drop some weight. And a lot of people I see have been skipping meals and snacks regularly to no avail . What ends up happening in these cases is a willy nilly approach to hoarding calories so they “have room” to eat what they want. This is not intermittent fasting.
With this approach, we do not get the benefits we’re looking for because our bodies get stressed and we release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that start putting our bodies into more of a survival mode, at which point, we really lose control over our intake and our more primal urges take over.;
Often we see a weight gain or a one step forward two steps back situation. Someone who does this is likely a “chronic dieter” as they create an almost binging and purging effect which never gets them to their goal. They go through life consistently unhappy with their weight and kicking themselves for not having the self control of discipline they feel they are lacking.;
But if this sounds familiar to you, it’s not your fault. With a few tweaks, we can get you back in the driver’s seat.;
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Consult Your Doctor If Fasting Longer Than 36 Hours
If you really want to push yourself and fast for longer periods of time?
Learn to fast safely and check with your primary care doctor first.;
Never start continuous fasting or fasting in excess of 36 hours if you have no medical reason to do so and have not consulted with your practitioner.
After all, its really up to you, but just be very mindful of your health when trying these sorts of diets out.;
Intermittent fasting isnt for everyone and its not something that must be done.
Its just another method that can be useful if you are looking for different ways to cleanse your body and lose weight.
Follow these guidelines above and youll experience a fresh new way of eating and losing weight!
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work
There are a few different methods of intermittent fasting, all of which are effective, so its more a matter of individual preference as to how you incorporate it into your life.
The most common is to shorten the eating window so that you fast for 14-18 hours, most of which are overnight. You can do this by skipping breakfast or just condensing all three meals into a 6-10 hour window. Some people prefer to schedule one day per week to fast for 24 hours and keep the other six days with normal food intake.
How it works out is completely up to you and your body. My biggest advice here is to listen to your body and only fast when it feels right for you; when youre not hungry and dont feel like eating. THAT is the best and right timing for YOUR fasting plan. It could be once a month, once a week, or every day. It just depends on what your body needs and wants!
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Female Fertility Is A Tricky Beast
Its a delicate dance between your hypothalamic, pituitary, and ovarian hormones . During periods of physical or mental stress the hypothalamus will slow down kisspeptin and GnRH production which puts kibosh on ovulation until your body senses the danger has passed.; It doesnt matter if its an actual famine or a crash diet; your body cant tell the difference real danger and self-imposed stress.
Fasting for long periods of time can be both mentally and emotionally challenging so it makes sense that it could mess your hormones.;
BUT, most professionals will agree that reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, and getting to a healthy body weight are all good for fertility.
So what to do??; Can you still get the benefits of fasting while trying to achieve a pregnancy?; In my experience, yes, if you do it right.; Fasting too long will shut down sex hormone flow and ovulation. Not fasting long enough wont do much of anything.
Do Make Sure Your Fit To Fast
Unfortunately, you just may not be a candidate for intermittent fasting. If youre pregnant or breastfeeding, are taking medications, have heart disease or other health conditions, intermittent fasting can be downright dangerous for you.
Even if you dont fall into any of the above categories, its highly recommended nonetheless that you have a quick medical check-up just to be on the safe side.
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What Is Intermittent Fasting And Why Would You Do It
Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it’s a pattern of eating. It’s a way of scheduling your meals so that you get the most out of them. Intermittent fasting doesnt change what you eat, it changes when you eat.
Why is it worthwhile to change when youre eating?
Well, most notably, its a great way to get lean without going on a crazy diet or cutting your calories down to nothing. In fact, most of the time you’ll try to keep your calories the same when you start intermittent fasting. Additionally, intermittent fasting is a good way to keep muscle mass on while getting lean.
With all that said, the main reason people try intermittent fasting is to lose fat. We’ll talk about how intermittent fasting leads to fat loss in a moment.
Perhaps most importantly, intermittent fasting is one of the simplest strategies we have for taking bad weight off while keeping good weight on because it requires very little behavior change. This is a very good thing because it means intermittent fasting falls into the category of simple enough that you’ll actually do it, but meaningful enough that it will actually make a difference.
Eat Soluble Fiber And Keep To A Nutritious Diet
On non-fast days, follow a healthy diet and try to eat healthy foods that are high in fiber.
Most beginners think that they can eat whatever they want on non-fast days and that will only hinder the process of what IF is all about, which is clearing your digestion so you can reach ketosis and ultimately burn more fat.;
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How Do You Prepare For An Intermittent Fast Properly
During a fast, your body will experience a sharp reduction in blood pressure, changes in the electrolyte balance of the body, and decreased insulin levels which means lower blood sugar levels.;
When this happens, this could lead to life-threatening conditions if you have a chronic illness and/or are taking medications. So its best to consult your practitioner to see if your body can withstand the duration without food.
Its best to start your intermittent fasting journey by gradually beginning fasting , as sleep counts as fasting too!
Do Drink Plenty Of Water
As with any food plan, youll want to gulp down your water. And only water.
The only exception to this rule is green tea which is loaded with antioxidants and is a thermic food in itself, meaning it helps to burn fat.
Staying hydrated can also lessen food cravings as scientists have proven that thirst is often mistaken as hunger.
Stay away from coffee, creamers, milkshakes and other heavy drinks laden with sugar.
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Consider Your Current Health Status
Ask yourself if you are fit to attempt intermittent fasting. Although this type of weight loss program works, you shouldnt compromise your current health condition. Those who shouldnt do this are pregnant or even lactating women, children below 18 years of age, or adults that have medical conditions.
Ignoring Your Bodys Signals
Its great that you are determined to remove a few pounds off your body, but when you are starting to feel the effects of intermittent fasting, such as getting dizzy, having a pounding headache, and the like, just stop what you are doing. You dont need to push on because you will be compromising your health already. Learn to read the signs that your body is giving off.
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What Is Intermittent Fasting
When we wake up in the morning, we are looking for the first meal of the day breakfast. Well, what this simply means is that we have been fasting from the moment we finished our dinner the previous night. After tucking away your avocado sandwich or slurping up your cereal, you have successfully broken your fast. Intermittent fasting is going without food at intervals, and there are various ways to achieve this.
Intermittent fasting should not lead to starvation. The two are different because intermittent fasting is intentional. After all, the individual has chosen to withhold from any form of meal even when there is enough laying around the house. Starvation, on the other hand, is nothing like fasting; it is the involuntary lack of food consumption. It is usually beyond the control of individuals experiencing it, and this is a direct result of a lack of access to food. A lot of people around the world fall prey to starvation on a daily basis.
There are different types of intermittent fasting, depending on the purpose and health status of people considering to be actively involved in it . These include:
How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month With Intermittent Fasting
Weight loss research of alternate-day fasting reported that those who fasted for a two to three-month period lost approximately 10 extra pounds.
Now, 5:2 fasting is one of the easiest fasts to implement and you should have no problem doing it for a longer period of time.
A study by academic.oup.com has shown that overweight and obese participants had burned more fat with intermittent fasting than they did with working out.;
Another study also found that there were even spiritual advantages of fasting. Abstaining from meals gives your digestion a little mini-break and allows the body to start taking fat from its fat reservoirs instead.
In doing so, this helps the body to relax, recover, and detox. Thus, allowing your soul to be cleansed when you take this little hiatus from food.
There are spiritual advantages of fasting. Abstaining from meals gives your digestion a little break and helps the body to relax, recover, and detox.
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Dont: Watch The Clock
While you do want to be sure you are waiting the appropriate amount of time while fasting, dont let it take over your life. You want to develop a different mindset with food and how often you should eat, so try to just set a timer on your phone when its time to eat again.
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What Are The Dos And Donts Of Intermittent Fasting
When it comes to the dos and donts of intermittent fasting, the rules are fairly flexible. But achieving your goal does require you to do certain things that will improve your chances of getting to the promised land.
Use these dos and donts as tips for intermittent fasting as well.
Okay here are some of the dos of intermittent fasting:
1. Do your exercise or workout close to your feeding time. This has been shown to be very effective producing really good results especially for people who want to build muscle. Some people use BCAAs or Bang energy drinks to break their fast.
2. The follow up to that is that you should have your main meal after your workout or exercise routine. You may have another meal afterwards. But must be within the eating window of the intermittent fasting plan.
3. You can take bcaa supplement just before your exercise. Its not going to hurt your results. If anything, it is actually a good thing as bcaas contain essential amino acids. BCAAs help with muscle building and muscle bulk maintenance. See article on the advantages of using BCAAs.
4. On fast days, one way of coping is to have warm beverages. But absolutely calorie-free sweeteners only are allowed in your beverage. This is particularly important in the evenings. The time you will be most tempted to cheat.
6. Having proteins on fast days can also be a good idea. White meat like Turkey, Chicken, Goose or Broad beans for vegetarians can let you hold up the fast more effectively.
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