Before doing your fasting protocol, evaluate your personal motivation. Is this about losing weight, relieving stress, experiencing a cleanse, exploring emotions, renewing vitality, finding comfort in your own skin, or just a way to appreciate yourself? We have gathered some of the following tips to help stimulate your thinking about your motivation to embark on a fasting regimen.
What you eat leading into a fast can make a big difference
For example if you eat something that's higher in fiber, it's gonna put you in a
situation where you're a little bit more satiated so we usually recommend consuming a higher fiber meal prior to starting your fast.
What it's gonna do is it's going to allow you to stay satiated for a longer period of time and you're still gonna get all the metabolic benefits but as far as your hunger is concerned you're not gonna get these stomach growls, you're not going to get all that it's gonna help you out a lot. We also recommend having a little bit of fats, of course you're going to digest a little bit slower but they're going to release free fatty acids into your bloodstream a little bit more, so you're able to produce those ketone bodies.
People think that ketosis is only about the keto diet, well no. When you're intermittent fasting your body's producing ketones and it just so happens that ketones are a tremendous fuel for the brain. They have a unique ability to cross through what is called the blood-brain barrier and therefore modulate inflammation in the brain so that brain fog that you normally have at 2:00 p.m. is like totally eradicated when you're utilizing the intermittent fasting regimen, so it's pretty useful and the brain benefits go on and on and on.
So a little bit of fat, a little bit of fiber and a little bit of protein. Really simple, an example would be broccoli with some coconut oil, the perfect match for you.
Avoid BCAA & Pre-Workouts Before Fasting
Just keep them out of the equation, honestly you're going to preserve muscle either way because you're in a fasted state where the physiology is working to your advantage
Do it Gradually:
Do not go into IF too fast. It will be difficult. We recommend starting with 3 meals a day and no snack. Start by cutting out nighttime eating and snacking and then start to limit your eating window each day. Then go to two meals a day when you are comfortable.
Start off with a 16 hour fast: This is known as 16-8 fasting, so basically what it means is you're fasting for 16 hours and then you have an eight-hour eating window. Now, most of us aren't awake for 24 hours straight so that 8 hour eating window doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be eating the entire 8 hours, if you were to fast for 16 hours, you might be awake for four or five of the eight hour eating window which works out perfectly because it allows you to restrict your calories a little bit more and get more of a metabolic effect. We believe that 16 hours is the bare, after this you start to have an exponential benefit every hour so 16 hours is where the benefits of fasting really start. If you're fasting less than 16 hours you're still getting a good benefit, but you're not getting the same kind of intermittent fasting benefits that occur in the way of the cellular rejuvenation that start at 16 hours so we recommend starting 16 and working your way up to 18 or 20.
As you progress and monitor how you feel, you may choose to gradually increase your fasting window. Do it at your own pace instead of forcing and giving up.
Potassium:
Potassium is needed to maintain normal blood pressure, regulate your body’s fluid balance, support muscle contractions and nerve impulses, as well as maintain a regular heart rhythm.
Too little potassium can shift the body into semi-starvation mode, causing insulin resistance, and may even cause twice as much fat to be absorbed for every gram that's consumed.
The most important mineral to fix a problem with insulin. It will help speed things up. Many of the foods that you already eat contain potassium. Examples: Cooked broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tuna, cod, halibut, kidney beans, nuts
Here are some of the roles salt has in the body:
- Supports digestion and nutrient absorption
- Lowers stress hormones
- Increases insulin sensitivity and prevents insulin resistance - Helps to eliminate pathogens via stomach acid
- Produces stomach acid - Transports iodine into the thyroid gland, enabling the production of thyroid hormones - Helps us absorb vitamin C - Improves sleep
Extra Sleep:
While you sleep, your blood pressure goes down, giving your heart and blood vessels a bit of a rest.
Cortisol increases a lot if you are not sleeping much, and that can raise insulin and knock you out of fat burning. Make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
Sleep is important for energy, avoiding weight gain, lowering the risk of heart disease, and reducing stress. Keep Your Stress as Low As Possible: It will help you sleep better.
Hiit:
High Intensity Interval Training - Short duration. If you add this type of exercise to Intermittent Fasting you can really increase growth hormone, fat burning, anti-aging. HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. Interestingly, it is perhaps the most time-efficient way to exercise
The reason HIIT is so effective is that it produces excess post-oxygen consumption. EPOC raises your resting metabolic rate for twenty-four hours or more after your training session. In other words, it turns your body into a fat-burning machine.
Researchers found that HIIT burned 25–30% more calories than the other forms of exercise. 2-3 times a week would be ideal.