Tips to Start an Intermittent Fasting Program

Start an Intermittent Fasting Program with Ease

You are torn, right? Even a little scared maybe? Not really sure what to expect if you decide to give this intermittent fasting thing a try? Don’t worry, you are certainly not alone. Even better news…we intend to make it easy with these intermittent fasting tips to get you started.

Before you even begin to read through the tips and tools below, we can promise you this…intermittent fasting, or time-restricted feeding, are a whole lot easier to implement than any “diet” we’ve ever seen or heard of.

Guess what?  No calorie counting. No massive food prep. No required limitations on food choices. (Obviously, the better the foods you eat, the better your results…so please choose wisely, whatever your dietary schedule is.)

Does this mean it will be a “magic bullet”? Absolutely not. There is no such thing.  But, if you follow the below suggestions, you will find your new fasting protocol as easy to devour as a nice big piece of chocolate cake.

What to Expect When You Start Intermittent Fasting

Obviously, starting out on something so new, something that at an initial glance, may sound so extreme, can be a little unsettling. We completely understand.

After personally having been a 25+ year disciple of the “grazing” crowd, eating from morning to night, every 2-3 hours, we can speak from firsthand experience on the initial concerns.

Now, this far into the intermittent fasting lifestyle, we can also assure you, our worries were all completely unfounded.

We did not starve to death. We were never bent over with hunger pains. Our muscles did not disappear. We were not sapped of energy and stuck in bed for days. Nope! None of these things happened.

In fact, quite the contrary…but we know you will need to see and feel this for yourself.

So, when you are primed and ready to simplify your nutritional life, increase your overall health and wellness, see greater energy levels and decreased body fat, let us help you dive into day one of your intermittent fasting journey with the tips…

Tips to Start Intermittent Fasting

• Plan ahead. You must know before you begin, what time you are eating your last meal tonight and what time you will “break your fast” with your first feeding tomorrow.
• Time your last meal. If you can have that final meal 2-3 hours before you hit the sack for the night, you will shorten the morning fasting phase.
• Take 5-10g of BCAAs right before bed. Try and do so with minimal water intake. (You really don’t want to have to make unnecessary bathroom runs in the middle of the night now do you?)
• Sleep well. May sound silly, but turn the TV off, silent the phone notifications, make the room as dark and cold as you can. (The better you sleep, the better EVERYTHING is.)
• Upon waking, drink 12-16 ounces of water and take in another 5-10g of BCAAs. For even better results, balance your electrolytes and keep cortisol at bay by adding some salt to your water.
• Knock out your morning routine, whatever it may include.  Exercise, meditate, shower, get dressed, prepare lunch, etc… Do what you do…just do it without including “breakfast” of any sort.
• Have a cup of coffee or tea! If all goes the way we want, this would be about an hour or so AFTER you wake and have your water and BCAAs. Just remember the goal…FASTING! That means keep the coffee and tea CALORIE-FREE!
• Sip sparkling water throughout the morning if need be. It does wonders for suppressing appetite.
• Have a second serving of 5-10g of BCAAs (hopefully 2-3 hours after your first), as this should get you within a couple of hours of your first meal.
• Brush your teeth, chew sugar-free gum!  Keep your mouth feeling fresh and minimize the thought of food with the constant chewing.
• Stay busy! Again, it might sound silly to you now, but all those times when you were in fact simply too busy to eat, you survived right. Of course. When you can make this a plan, almost an appointment of sorts when starting out, you can trick yourself into not worrying about that missed morning meal, because you are active.
• Remind yourself over and over, this is NOT a diet. You are only choosing WHEN you eat at this point. You are not worrying too much about WHAT you will be eating later. In fact, the less you think about that until the lifestyle becomes ingrained, the better off you will be.
• Do not try to be perfect with your food choices when you start out. Walk before you run so to speak. Focus on getting your schedule right, knocking out the above tips, then as you get a few days into your new routine, start to think about your food choices, during your “feeding phase”. Again, always thinking in terms of good, better, best choices will make your decisions a whole lot easier.

So, are you ready to give it a go?

The science is there. The only question that remains now is just how quickly society will unlearn all they thought they “knew” and see for themselves, their fears of fasting will be overcome in a day or two. Hopefully, these intermittent fasting tips will help you get well on your way.

Always Remember…

You only have one life to live, one body to live it in…so take care of it. Progress, not perfection. Good, better, best with your food intake and some form of “movement” daily. Get your nutritional foundation from food, supplement where necessary, and drink plenty of water. We are here to help so feel free to drop us comments or questions as often as you’d like…and always consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or exercise regiment.

Live a 3D life…Decisions Determine Destinations!