What Intermittent Fasting Is & What It Isn’t
Last Updated on November 16, 2019 by Paula
Let’s get real.
When you hear the word “fasting,” all sorts of nightmare images come to mind.
You start imagining yourself not eating at all.
You start thinking about the hunger pangs.
All sorts of thoughts enter your mind.
You feel at the very least that you are robbing yourself of the pleasure of food.
If you’re reading this post, you love food a little too much.
Own up to it.
I did.
There’s nothing wrong with falling in love with eating.
The problem is when we hear the word “fasting,” we think that it’s the end of the world when it comes to our love for food.
Well, I’ve got some good news for you.
Despite its name, intermittent fasting for losing weight doesn’t mean you stop eating.
This is what shocks a lot of people because when they hear about intermittent fasting and all the good things that it’s able to do for their friends and family, they’re very suspicious. In fact, a lot of people are downright skeptical. They think that automatically it doesn’t work.
Why? The word “fasting” is part of “Intermittent fasting.”
The truth is you don’t fast at all.
Seriously.
If you define “fasting” as going a whole day without eating, I’m happy to report that you don’t fast at all with intermittent fasting. Let’s get that out of the way.
Intermittent fasting is simply all about scheduling when you eat within a day. It’s not about resolving to stop eating for the whole 24-hour cycle. That’s not intermittent fasting. At least that’s not the beginner version of intermittent fasting.
Scheduled Inter-Day Fast
Intermittent fasting to lose weight is really all about paying close attention to the periods during the day when you eat and when you don’t eat.
Believe it or not there is a large part of your daily schedule when you’re not eating. I know that this sounds crazy or even surprising to a lot of people because they’re having a tough time with their diet. They might even be shocked.
Well, don’t be. When you look at your typical 24-hour period, what do you see?
There is time that you spend eating. There is time that you spend going to the bathroom. There is time that you spend working, hanging out with your family, or having a good time.
What else is there? That’s right. Sleep. If you’re like most people, when you’re sleeping, you probably are not eating. What do you call a time period when you do not ingest any calories? That’s right. That’s called a fast.
Believe it or not you are already fasting. This is already baked into your normal 24-hour life schedule. That’s the good news. All intermittent fasting is breaks down to scheduling this period of fasting and managing it for optimal effect.
The Bottom Line with Intermittent Fasting for losing weight
The bottom line with intermittent fasting is actually pretty straightforward.
You still get to eat.
You heard that right.
You still get to eat whatever you want, how much ever you want.
Sounds awesome?
If you like burgers, go ahead. Eat burgers.
If you like sushi, knock yourself out.
You have a particular weakness for pasta, go on ahead.
You get to eat what you currently eat.
You’re not telling yourself that certain foods or off-limits.
You’re not putting yourself in a ridiculous position where you’re hypnotizing yourself or trying to convince yourself that you no longer have a taste for certain foods.
If you like certain foods, go for it. You can eat well.
However, here is the distinction. You have to do so within a time window that complements or enhances your existing fasting schedule.
Since people are already sleeping, they only need to add a few more hours to that no-calorie period to trigger intermittent fasting.
If you stick to the schedule, you will lose weight.
I know it sounds simple.
In fact, it seems almost too simple, but please understand that just like with any other changes to your lifestyle, it takes a little getting used to.
However, once you make that switch, you will see awesome benefits of intermittent fasting.
Given that you don’t have to stop eating certain types of foods or change your personal tastes in what to eat, this is probably the best thing that has happened to many people looking to lose weight. They don’t have to sacrifice burgers, hotdogs, or pizza. They don’t have to do that. They just have to watch when they eat.
