When you have a goal to lose some weight, it’s easy to panic when you don’t meet the strictest of weight loss deadlines.
Do you remember what it was like when you tried to rush into weight loss, only to find that you weren’t prepared? Do you sometimes feel like you’re not making enough progress as quickly as you would like to?
You’re not alone. We’ve all been there. Let’s be honest, none of us want to waste our precious time in excruciating pain. But sometimes, life gets in the way and before you know it, weeks have gone by and you haven’t managed to lose a pound.
This is why you need to adopt a more gentle approach. Instead of depriving yourself of the foods you love, why not try a different strategy?
You may have heard of intermittent fasting. The concept behind intermittent fasting is to eat as normal, but to limit the amount of food you intake to intermittent periods, usually between 12 hours and 3 days a Week. When you do this, your body adjusts and becomes efficient at losing weight. This is because when you eat fewer calories, your body has less work to do. This could mean that you’ll need to lose fewer pounds to achieve the same results.
The catch is that this strategy requires a little bit of preparation. To start with, you’ll have to figure out how to track your calories, which needs to be done accurately. Most people use nutrition apps or websites to help them with this process. If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, then you might want to try MyFitnessPal, which is one of the most popular tools. Remember to only use the information that makes sense for your body type. For example, if you’re very athletic, you don’t need to worry about eating lots of carbs, because your body will be using them to fuel your muscles.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
When you eat the same amount of calories but in smaller intervals, your body’s natural metabolism kicks in and it starts burning calories more efficiently. Your body thinks that it’s now on a famine and will try to protect you from further starvation. As a result, it will engage in what’s known as autophagy, where it starts breaking down its own cells to produce energy.
“This is one place where your body is trying to protect you; it doesn’t want you to become malnourished. So, what does that mean for you? It means that your body is trying to protect you from developing health problems that could come from a lack of food. As long as that’s not an issue for you, then using this strategy might not be for you,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, Professor and Director of the Cornell Laboratory of Nutrition and Functional Biology. “But, if you’re looking for a way to shed those last few pounds, then you might want to give it a try. You might find that you do better on this approach than you would if you were following a faddy diet, where you deprive yourself of certain food groups or eat certain foods only at certain times. This can help to avoid a number of the common pitfalls that people fall into, when they try to lose weight too quickly.”
How to Use Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight
To help you shed those last few pounds, it’s important that you adopt a more mindful approach when using this strategy. This means looking at how you feel each day, rather than just focusing on the numbers on the scale. It’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t see the numbers on the scale moving in the right direction, but what you need to do is look at how you are feeling. If you’re feeling better, then rejoice and continue to nibble on vegetables and fruits, while limiting your calorie intake. Remember, this is a lifestyle change and it’s not a quick fix. You’re not going to wake up one day and drop a few pounds without putting in the work, to make it happen. But, with a little bit of effort, you might find that this is a strategy that could help you to lose weight faster than you would if you were relying on a regular diet.
Why Should You Try Intermittent Fasting?
If you’ve tried every fad diet in the marketplace and nothing’s working for you, then it’s time to try something different. Intermittent fasting might be the solution you’re looking for. When people choose this strategy, they often cite a number of health benefits. Here are just a few examples:
- Reduces depression and anxiety.
- Increases energy.
- Makes you feel more determined.
- Improves sleep quality.
- Prevents heart disease.
- Helps to keep your skin looking young.
If you’re interested in trying this strategy, then set yourself a goal. Decide how much weight you’d like to lose and then set a date in mind that you’ll stop fasting, once you’ve reached your target weight. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, so be patient and don’t expect to see major results in Week One.
When you do start to see improvements in your everyday life, then celebrate. This is a good sign that you’re on the right track to achieving your goal. But, until then, it’s important that you continue to follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen, so that your body is ready and able to start benefiting from this new way of living. After all, at the end of the day, it’s all about what works best for your body and how you feel on the inside. So, while you’re still digesting all that delicious food, be sure to also be thankful for all that you’ve accomplished and the positive changes that have come as a result of your hard work.