Years ago if you asked me to skip breakfast, I would have replied with some sort of commentary of “over my dead body.” Now I laugh. Fasting, as many know, and are currently talking about, as it’s one of 2018’s hottest trends, feel amazing.
However, the amazing may come slowly if you don’t consider the following:
- Hydrate
-
Fasting Tips:
- Know your objective/goal for fasting. This will be your anchor to push through, although you should break a fast if you are feeling discomfort to a degree that doesn’t seem normal. An example or two of reasons why: it’s very healing to our gut, hormones and can benefit stubborn fat loss. The benefits are numerous, but go into a fasting plan with the right frame of mind.
- Mindset: immerse yourself in information on various ways to fast, testimonials, research and actions of how to adapt a fasting plan.
- Hydrate heavily – leading up to a fasting day, and very much during. Many clients will report they feel light-headed or off, and it often buckles down to hydration and electrolyte status.
- That said, salt heavily (sea salt and the likes) and drink mineral water and high potassium foods.
- At first keep physical activity light on fasting days. Once fasting becomes easier, there are many benefits of exercising fasting.
- Emotionally recharge. As your body heals and your liver detoxes, emotions can surface. Allow yourself to feel them and find closure verse pushing them away. There is a reason fasting plays a role in spirituality and many religions.
- Rest. Fasting allows your body to focus on clean-up and healing and this is a taxing process and more sleep is required.
- Have fasting drinks (water, coffee, tea, mineral water) and food (bone broth, salt).
- Know that hunger comes and goes It will not amplify hours on end.
- Find ways to distract yourself for usually eating periods. Keep busy and enjoy the freedom of not having to do dish or prep meals.
After 6 wks I noticed I wasn’t making as healthy meals for my family as I wasn’t eating dinner. Therefore, I sought to fix this by shifting my eating window. I thought this was the perfect solution until I realized I was super grumpy in the morning, skipping my favorite meals. I thought I would adjust over time, but insulin and blood sugar were both high. My salt cravings are also through the roof. This all turned after our trip to colorado wher e the AirBandB bed was incredibly uncomfortable and we sleep terribly for 4 nights, came home to a full on busy, sleep deprived weekend.
Next solution? Fix cortisol and rewind my efforts on fasting. I jumped in too fast.
Rewind:
- Get used to just 3 meals a day,
- Get used to eating 3 meals a day in a compressed window, such as 8 hours,
- I had a number of issues with my insulin pump and this paired w fasting threw a wrench in weight loss and fasting efforts/benefits
- Make sure to get 4700 mg of potassium a day
Improve cortisol by:
- Take adequate vitamin D a day (up to 10K IU/day – only during the work week)
- Use walking for exercise – or only do lifting or HIIT in separate occasions or for less than an hour.
- Reduce or eliminate coffee
- Engage in silly things
- Eat nutrious foods
- Take adaptogens
- Take melatonin if sleep is off
- Meditate
