6 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes to Avoid

So, you decided to go with Intermittent Fasting for weight loss, but don't know where to start? The first thing everyone who is used to the classic 3-4 times meal schedule thinks when they hear about Intermittent Fasting Rules, it is all about starving yourself to death. Many kinds of research show that if you skip breakfast, you are more likely to be overweight, less likely to eat enough fruit and vegetables, and more likely to consume unhealthy snacks. Further eating protein soon after waking up has been shown to curb afternoon cravings and increased satiation improving overall weight loss. To help you with a good start here are 6 common mistakes beginners usually do while switching to Intermittent Fasting. 

1) NOT SO FAST 

Start small! Especially if you used to eat 5-6 meals a day, you don’t want to go to 2 or 3 in a shortened period of time. Try to extend the amount of time in between your meals first and see what is the comfortable window of fasting for you at the point, and extend those periods gradually. Even 3-4 hours fast is okay to start or you can go with fasting every other day first, as long as you have a plan and move forward making your fasting window smaller and smaller until you come to the recommended schedule. On the other hand, if you’ve used to eat 2 times a day, it will be a much easier and faster transition for you.

(Also read: 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan)

2) DEHYDRATION 

Intermittent fasting can also lead to dehydration. So it is essential to stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking, on average, two and a half - three liters of water. In fact, part of our water source comes from food, so since you aren’t eating and you're already waking up in a dehydrated state from sleeping it's really important to make sure that you're getting enough water in the morning. It will increase your energy levels and prevent you from unpleasant feelings like dizziness or headaches. If you often experience headaches during the fast period, it might be because of the electrolyte imbalance due to dehydration. So, if you feel dizzy in the morning or anytime during fasting the easiest way to recharge your body with electrolytes is to add a pinch of Sea salt into your water. Sea Salt is a balanced and natural ionically charged source of about 90 elements, and it works great as a remineralizing supplement. 

3) EATING NOT ENOUGH FOOD 

Not eating enough during your feeding window is crucial! if you don't eat enough you'll never be able to turn off your hunger hormone GHRELIN, and that will make you hungry and angry during the fasting period. So, it will turn your fasting experience into a horror movie. You really don’t want to be eating at a very calorie deficit as it also can impact negatively your metabolism, and thus will ruin your progress. It doesn’t mean though that you have to eat too much. You are to eat just as many calories as your body needs. And remember the quality of the food matters. You can’t go with Junk Food inside your eating window and expect to lose weight. Even though fasting does help to increase your metabolic rate, you still have to pay attention to the quality of food you are eating. Choosing clean, whole, unrefined foods are not only nutrient-dense, eating this kind of food will help you to lose weight effectively. 

4) TAKING LIQUID DIET

If you think that any liquid is not food, you are wrong! We are not talking about water here. But coffee with sugar, some liquid supplements, juices, even herbal tea if there are dry fruits in it sometimes. For example, 1 glass of wine is about 120 kcal, orange juice is around 100 kcal plus sugar, cappuccino is about 150 kcal. Do not drink alcohol during or immediately after fasting and even if you drink during your eating periods, Even a glass of wine is not something that you can have outside of your eating window. It will disturb your fasting process. So, drink only water during the eating period. 

5) NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP 

When you don't get enough sleep your body doesn’t have time to full recovery. That means that not only you will feel the lack of energy and concentration, but you're going to eat more food during the day. Why? Simply because of the increased level of 2 hormones: CORTISOL(stress hormone) and GHRELIN (the hunger hormone) due to the lack of sleep will lead to a tremendous appetite. There is evidence that getting quality sleep help people to consume fewer calories during the day. The mechanism behind this is during the sleep your body is getting restored or repaired, so if you don’t get your body repaired during the night it doesn’t have enough energy when you wake up, so it is trying to compensate by getting the energy from food. As a result, your morning fasting time becomes close to the impossible process, make sure at least 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep per night.

6) HUNGRY AND MISERABLE 

An important aspect of any type of meal plan is to make sure that it fits your lifestyle. You should have a meal schedule. Otherwise, you will find excuses to break the fast very often. But you don’t want to let yourself become miserable, right? Yes, you have to be happy after all! Fasting may sometimes lead to an increase in the stress hormone, CORTISOL, which may cause even more food cravings, and as a result in binges and weight gain. In terms of the Intermittent Fasting for most of the people, it's really easy to stick with the same type of eating schedule during the weekdays, but during the weekends it might become a disaster! You might wake up later in the morning or you go out with your friends late at night, or simply have a date scheduled later than your eating window ends. You don't want to sit around and be with your friends or date while they're eating and you're just sipping on water. That's why it's important to be flexible, being able to shift the eating window, and making sure that it fits your lifestyle as well. So, follow the plan, but be flexible. And remember: The most important thing is to listen to your body. Especially when you are just starting. You have to learn to listen to your body and understand its needs. So, if you are hungry, first ask yourself, is it really hunger or is it a habit to snack out?