If You Want To Slim Down, Increasing Evidence Points To Intermittent Fasting - Try These Intermittent Fasting Tips To For Fat Loss

Intermittent Fasting can be a useful part of an overall strategy for fat loss and health.  But it can be hard work.  So I thought it would be good to share with you some of the things I’ve learned on my journey as I’ve experimented with fasting as a tool for losing fat and a means in my search for optimal health.

In my opinion, the ideal method for Intermittent Fasting is the 24 hour Intermittent Fast recommended in Brad Pilon's book, Eat-Stop-Eat.  This approach provides the most flexibility of the common fasting methods.  Other programs require fasting every day and eating only during certain daily periods (ex. intermittent fast for sixteen hours and eat during six hours).

Brad says to start off your fast after one of your normal meals and simply not eating again until the same meal on the following day.  This is an interesting variation on the theme of not eating for an entire day, which finishes up being somewhere closer to a thirty-four hour fast.

The scientific literature dug up by Brad Pilon points to an ideal window of 18 to 24 hours in which the bulk of the fat burning and health promoting benefits are most prevalent.  So this approach would appear to be the most effectiveof the lot.

If you read Eat Stop Eat, you’ll understand exactly what you have to do.  But as I said at the outset, IF can still be daunting, especially when starting out.  Hopefully these tips will help you acheive the IF success you are looking for.


Plan Ahead

Project yourself into the future and envision how you’ll feel at the end of your fast.  You will have shed weight and augmented your health.  You’ll feel energized.  And the best thing is, you will have achieved something worthwhile.  Use that to as motivation during the fast.  It gets easier as you do it more often, but in at the outset this trick can really help.  Brad himself proffers some helpful advice on this point in an extensive interview you can grab as part of a wellness oriented package offered by the Better Is Better blog.


Don't Get Too Hung Up On Precision

If you are planning a fast and life gets in the way, or if you are really hungry and just can’t fathom going through with it, just postpone it for another day.  That is part of the beauty of the 24 hour Intermittent Fasting method.  Also, even though you are aiming for 24 hour fasts, don’t get too hung up on it.  At 18 hours, chances are you have already begun harvesting considerable benefits, so if you can only do 20-22 hour fasts comfortably right now, then go with that.


Stay Occupied

Being idle is about the best strategy possible if you want to really feel hunger and bring on some cravings!  When you keep yourself occupied with work, projects and spending time with friends and family, your fast will fly by.


Don’t Finish Your Fast At A Party

Sometimes this can be a great temptation!  You may figure that you’ll “save up” your calories for the party, but it will blow up in your face and you’ll end up pigging out on everything in sight (especially if the food is buffet style).  There isn't anything wrong with using IF when you know you’ll be indulging yourself later, but break your fast with a huge salad before you head to the party!


Throughout our evolution, humans have naturally undergone periods of feasting and periods of fasting.  Nowadays the problem resides in that the periods of reduced calories part of the equation has been taken away, and we are left only with times of plenty.  By being chronically in the fed state, we are working against our natural tendencies and encourageing both weight gain and a whole host of health consequences.  Intermittent Fasting can be a great tool in attaining all of our health and fitness goals by rebalancing the cycles of feast and fast.