Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you have periods of fasting and non-fasting each day. When you fast, your body burns through stored energy rather than consuming calories from food.
I am a massive fan of intermittent fasting and have incorporated this into my weekly routine to help me maintain or lose weight.
Each week I do a fast for 20-24 hours and on most days, follow the 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. In the past, I have experienced 2-day fasts and a week-long OMAD protocol (this one wasn’t for me, though).
Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight, but it's not always easy to follow the plan, as I have made mistakes along the way.
7 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes to Avoid
Whichever intermittent fasting protocol you follow to get the best results, you should avoid the following mistakes.
1. Starting Off Too Extreme
If you’re new to intermittent fasting, then jumping into one of the extreme fasting protocols can make it incredibly difficult to follow, making it likely you will get frustrated and stop.
So, the best way is to gradually ease yourself into intermittent fasting using one of the easier protocols like the popular 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol.
Here you fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining 8 hours. This is the IF protocol I started with before trying the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) protocol (check out my 1 week OMAD results, it was seriously a challenge!).
Experiencing fasting and getting used to feeling hungry prepares you for harder IF protocols.
2. Failing to Plan Ahead
If you don't have a solid plan before starting an Intermittent Fasting protocol, it's easy to get derailed and end up eating more than you intended.
Make sure you have an idea of what you plan to eat the next day or even for the week, ready in advance so that you're not left scrambling when the time comes.
3. Eating Rubbish Calories
The phrase “you are what you eat” is even more relevant when intermittent fasting.
Fuelling your body with refined, fatty, or sugary foods during your feeding window will make you feel awful and make sticking to your fasting plan even more difficult.
The purpose you are fasting is most likely to lose or maintain a healthy weight, so it goes without saying that you need to eat a healthy diet.
Related: I asked 61 Nutrition Experts What is the healthiest diet?
4. Eating Too Few Calories During Your Feeding Window
Eating too few calories during your feeding window can lead to weight loss or a deficiency in specific vitamins and minerals. This is because not eating enough fuel will cause you to feel tired, sluggish, and moody.
Additionally, you may experience problems with lowering your metabolic rate too much.
If you're not fueling your body correctly, it will have difficulty doing its job and maintaining your weight.
It can be useful to use fasting supplements to support your intermittent fasting protocol if you believe you’re not getting enough nutrients.
5. Overeating in your Fasting Window
Some people will try and eat their usual number of calories in the span of the fasting window. Doing this will may mean that you will not lose weight.
The number of meals you eat daily will depend on the IF protocol you’re following.
6. Breaking Your Fast
You can unknowingly break your fast by consuming the wrong things during your fasting window.
A strict fast should that zero calories are consumed during your fasting window. This means only water or black coffee should be consumed.
Anything that can trigger an insulin response can break your fast.
Even drinking zero calories, soft drinks are not recommended because the sweetness from the artificial sweeteners interacts with the gut. This means diet sodas are a no-go for proper gut rest (source).
Fasting is about restricting calories while eating healthy foods, so stick to that schedule!
7. Not Drinking Enough Water
Just because your restricting the time you eat doesn't mean you should neglect your water intake!
During your fasting window, you should make drinking water part of your routine. I use a water bottle that easily keeps track of my intake to ensure I drink at least 3 liters of water per day.
It's even more important for me to drink this much because I live in a hot climate in SE Asia.
Drinking plenty of water can help prevent any hunger pangs you experience during fasting.
It's also important to note that because 20% of our water intake can be through our diet, reducing food intake or restricting when we eat, could mean our water needs may be higher.
Intermittent Fasting the Right Way
Intermittent fasting is a popular way to extend your life, but it's not for everyone.
Make sure you are following the right guidelines whichever fasting protocol you follow. Before starting ensure your healthy and be sure to talk to your doctor before starting it if in doubt.
Knowing what to eat when intermittent fasting can be challenging, which is why recently I have looked at the meal options by 21DayHero. Check out the 21-day IF challenge below, a great way to kick off your fasting!