5 Easy Intermittent Fasting Rules To Actually lose weight.

A 2014 study showed that over 1.9 billion adults of the world’s population are overweight, with 600 million of whom are obese. This is a serious situation that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Thankfully, our hard-working scientists have discovered that intermittent fasting helps with weight loss. However, to derive all the weight loss benefits of intermittent fasting, you need to follow the intermittent fasting rules.

There are so many of them. But for convenience’s sake, I’ve listed them in five points. At the end of the article, you’d be well equipped with what you’ll need to lose weight when intermittent fasting.

What is more, these rules are so easy to implement, and they’ll help you lose weight without starving or having episodes of hypoglycemia.

Okay! Let’s get to it

#1. Decide how you want to intermittent fast

Alright. At this point, you need to find the intermittent fasting method that would be suitable for you. As for me, I prefer the 16/8 method of fasting. With that, you fast for 16 hours and then eat within 8 hours.

It feels difficult in hindsight, but let’s look at it this way.

When I eat my dinner at 5 PM and my breakfast at 9 AM, that gives me 16 hours of fasting. From 9-5, I can take my breakfast, lunch, and supper.

That’s my version of the standard 16/8 method of intermittent fasting.

Apart from that, there are other methods of intermittent fasting that work well for people, and they’re as follows;

• 5:2 method, where you eat your normal way for 5 days in the week and then you eat very little, about 500-600 calories the remaining 2 days.
• Eat stop eat method. This involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week
• Alternate day fasting. With this one, you fast any other day. It’s something like a freestyle kind of fasting, though it’s not recommended for beginners.
• The warrior diet. According to Healthline, warrior diet encourages you to eat very small amounts of fruits and vegetables during the day, and then eating a very large meal at night.

These are all types of intermittent fasting methods you can choose from. You only have to look through and then decide which one would be easy for you to implement.

Once you’re through with that, you’re ready for the next step.

#2. Consult your doctor

The second of intermittent fasting rules is to consult your doctor before you put your decision into practice. This is a stage that a lot of people take for granted, especially those whose diabetes isn’t too serious.

No matter your level of diabetes or obesity, you still need to see your doctor first.

Why?

Because your doctor would be able to tell whether your fasting method would help you or not. He’ll be able to point areas in your medication that need adjustment to accommodate your fasting routine.

Based on your health records, your doctor can help fit your medications into your eating window.

He can also give you special tips and advice that would help you in your intermittent fasting journey.

Please don’t make the mistake of starting intermittent fasting before speaking with your doctor. It might seem unnecessary now, but it’ll save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Besides, I’m not a medical adviser or something similar. And even if I were, I haven’t retained you as a client yet. That’s why I strongly recommend that you have a conversation with your dietician or whatever doctor that attends to your health needs.

But don’t be surprised if your current doctor doesn’t feel comfortable about your new diet decision. Doctors don’t have all the information about intermittent fasting and diabetes. And they are still learning a lot and making researches.

Therefore, if your doctor doesn’t seem to have all the information you need, it is recommended that you see an endocrinologist. This awesome specialist has all the information about diabetes and how to manage it with intermittent fasting.

That’s why they’ll be your coaches in your intermittent fasting journey.

Moving on to the next point.

#3. Watch what you eat

Even though you are intermittent fasting and burning calories, you still need to watch what you eat. By all means, avoid eating unhealthy fats and sugars. This, among the intermittent fasting rules, would help you lose weight faster.

Imagine refilling your glucose and fat stores with junk foods after you’ve put in the effort to intermittent fast. It’ll be such a waste of effort, and your weight loss goal would remain a dream.

That’s why doctors recommend that you eat whole grains and proteins. You should also avoid sweeteners, sodas, and any food that you know isn’t good for your health.

When you stick to whole foods every day, you’ll see your weight loss goals coming into reality within a very short time.

Let’s see how water helps with your fasting.

#4. Hydate and Hydrate again

No matter the kind of fasting method you choose, staying hydrated is one of the intermittent fasting rules that you shouldn’t break.

Here’s why.

Staying hydrated would help with your hunger or food cravings. Drinking a lot of fluids would suppress your food cravings. In other words, staying hydrated would prevent the feeling of starvation when you fast.

To stay hydrated, you can stick to water. Drinking a lot of water would carry you through your fasting window and minimize pangs of hunger.

Aside from water, you can drink plain herbal teas or black coffee. Just don’t add milk or sweeteners to your tea and coffee, as adding them will end up breaking your fast earlier than you intended to.

And drinking teas are beneficial. They provide your body with antioxidants and other elements that’ll help your body to fight infections and other harmful things.

Now here comes the last of the intermittent fasting rules.

#5. Be patient with your weight.

No matter how fast you want to see weight changes in your body, you need to keep in mind that each person is different from the other.

That’s why when you see me lose weight in two weeks and yours is taking months to show, you shouldn’t quit intermittent fasting.

It’s just that our bodies are different. Probably you’ve been overweight for a longer time than I have. So obviously, your weight loss would be slower than mine.

No matter what, just maintain your consistency, and don’t give up. With time you’ll see evidence of weight loss in your body.

And when you relax with your weight loss journey, you’ll rather enjoy intermittent fasting instead of seeing it as a tedious chore.

In my case, intermittent fasting has become my way of life. I’m not trying to lose weight now, but I feel more active and smarter within my body.

And I’ve maintained my weight for over 5 years and counting.

It can happen to you too.

Conclusions

Intermittent fasting has a lot of benefits for the body. But to derive all of the benefits, you need to follow the intermittent fasting rules.

The rules are really simple; ask your doctor first, eat right, drink a lot of water, and be patient. When you follow these rules, you’d surely see improvements in your weight loss journey.

A question for you. What has helped you stay consistent with intermittent fasting? Drop your comments below.