Fasting Tips: 5 Steps for Success
Accurate fasting tips can be hard to find
There is a lot of misleading information about fasting both online and off.
When you read warnings about the dangers of fasting, they are usually only applicable to long-term fasts, which can indeed be dangerous and should be avoided.
And many fasting tips focus on what to drink during your fasts – juice being a popular choice – when the truth is that consuming anything with calories is counterproductive
But healthy fasting is possible. The key is to stick with short-term fasts.
Study after study on animals, including humans, have proven that short-term fasting does not slow down the metabolism or cause other physical damage.
In fact, metabolism may actually go up a bit during a short-term fast. Growth hormone levels go up quite a bit, and insulin levels go down quite a bit, just like they do with intense exercise yet with a lot less effort.
Energy levels also rise. When you first try fasting you may feel strange. Some people may feel a little light-headed. The surprising thing is that studies have proven that blood sugar is not dropping below safe levels. What you are likely experiencing is the shift your body goes through to burn fat. After a few fasts, you won’t be troubled by the sensation. You may even find that you are more productive on your fasting days and you can do very intense workouts!
If you’re having trouble believing that any of this is true, search for information and studies on ‘intermittent fasting’ online.
5 SIMPLE FASTING TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
#1. Fast for 16-36 hrs 1-3 times a week maximum.
#2. Eat as you normally would on your feed days. No overeating to reward yourself.
#3 If you don’t want to lose weight, fast once a week to deal with any extra calories that may have crept up on you. Or fast for a shorter time period and eat all of your daily calories during a short window of time that day so you never eat too little.
#4. Get enough to drink, but don’t eat or drink anything with calories during a fast. If hunger troubles you, sip on a beverage that contains caffeine. But you will find that the more you fast, the less hunger will be a problem. Strange but true. It sometimes shuts off completely and you’ll have to remind yourself to eat!
#5. Make sure you do resistance exercise during the week. Body weight exercises like pushups or lifting light weights are fine. You won’t lose muscle during fasting as long as you make sure you are moderately active in this way – extremes aren’t needed.
