Most people fall into one of two categories: they either swear by intermittent fasting or are appalled by the idea of it. It’s understandable why, for some, fasting for a period of time every single day sounds like a weird form of masochism. Many of those who aren’t as familiar with it also tend to assume that it’s just another diet trend.
However, the fact is that intermittent fasting is in no way just for dieting. And, for the people it suits, it can actually create noticeable changes in well-being, energy, and just plain feeling good.
But intermittent fasting—like most things—is not a one-size-fits-all habit. So it can really help to have a little guidance, a little inspiration, and a little accountability. That’s where the DoFasting app can help. It’s like having an intermittent fasting coach on your phone, and it makes this eating habit that much easier to adjust to and thrive on.
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The What and How of Intermittent Fasting
If you’re unfamiliar with how IF (intermittent fasting) works, here’s a quick beginner’s guide:
It typically consists of fasting for a portion of each day, though some varieties of it involve fasting for longer, less frequently. The “minimum” fast for intermittent fasting would be 12 hours—12 hours without eating in each 24-hour cycle. But this is typically just a starting point (and many folks already do this naturally). So it’s common to gradually increase this time period, all the way up to 16-hour (or longer!) fasts. The “eating pattern,” as it’s often described, doesn’t prescribe certain foods you should or shouldn’t eat. It simply limits the number of hours out of each day in which you can eat.
One of the central concepts behind it is that of “metabolic switching.” Typically, we’re giving our body a constant enough supply of glucose for energy, so we usually only rely on that for fuel. But if we take longer breaks between meals, our glucose supply is drained, and our body switches to burning body fat. That’s why people often use IF for weight loss, and why it can be so effective.
Some folks get nervous about starting IF—or don’t start at all—because of concerns about hunger. While hunger pangs can certainly be a challenge at the beginning of an IF diet, they absolutely get easier over time and are worth pushing through. Our bodies need time to adjust to the new “eating schedule.” Once they do, the changes to our health, weight, and well-being make it all worthwhile. Just give it a couple of weeks!
If you need help managing this schedule, and meeting your goals of increasing your fasting time, DoFasting offers the simplest, most reliable way to do so. You can track your hours through their app so that you don’t have to do any of the mind-work yourself. The DoFasting app helps you do IF the right way. Not only are there a ton of delicious recipes within the app, but it also features workouts (from HIIT to yoga), daily tips, fasting challenges, and more.
It’s kinda the perfect tool for sticking to our New Year’s resolutions while making intermittent fasting a habit. Take the free DoFasting quiz and get a personalized IF plan. Use code OOLA20 for an additional 20% OFF.
Unexpected Intermittent Fasting Benefits
What most intermittent fasting novices don’t know is that the practice has many benefits beyond weight loss or management. Some IF lovers don’t even do it for weight loss at all but have found it’s still more than worth it for its other perks.
One of the more commonly cited benefits of IF is its effect on productivity and energy levels, which can then in turn affect success professionally, creatively, and in our at-home hobbies and chores.
To explain why this boost can happen with IF, it’s helpful to think of how we tend to feel after, say, Thanksgiving dinner. If you’re like most people, you end up feeling heavy, lethargic, and in desperate need of a nap. While this is an extreme example—as most of us aren’t having a massive feast every single day—it demonstrates what can occur at a lower level with our everyday meals. Though food, on the whole, is our source of energy, right after a meal we can feel less energetic, less productive, and a little (or a lot) more sleepy. If we’re eating healthy, energy-giving foods during the times when we aren’t fasting, we can use fasting to our benefit as a break from the lethargy of digestion.
The other secret? IF can help our bodies become more efficient at using the energy we do give it, resulting in long-term improvements in our well-being and performance.
The combination of these factors can result in a previously undiscovered level of energy and productivity for IF practitioners. People often cite a sense of lightness, a heightened ability to focus, a greater amount of creativity and inspiration, and an overall feeling of reset and rejuvenation in the body.
In our typical modern lives and diets, we don’t give the body much of a break from eating. For most of us, food is readily available at all times, and a lot of us still hold onto the belief that it’s bad to skip meals (e.g., “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”). Intermittent fasting—and the science that’s come out of it—challenges that idea and offers a new way of approaching meals.
Let Your Body Adjust
One of the things that can deter IF novices is the fact that, when first starting out, you may actually feel the exact opposite of IF’s supposed benefits. You might feel wildly hungry during your fasts, and you might also feel your energy plunge. But don’t worry: that’s totally normal. Just like with any other change, the body needs time to adjust to a completely foreign eating pattern.
Even if it feels tough, try to stick with it for enough weeks to allow your body to get used to it and adjust to this new way of using energy. If you need help staying on track—or a little kick in the butt—DoFasting app is here to help.
Make the Change (Or at Least Try It Out!)
If you’ve been thinking about trying IF, just got started on it, or tried it once but ditched it before your body could adjust, this is your nudge to just go for it. Even if you aren’t looking to shed pounds or keep weight off, IF can still do wonders for everyday life and success at work. The shift in energy can feel pretty spectacular, and you may never want to go back to pre-intermittent fasting life.
Give it a go, set a time commitment for yourself—and get a little help from the DoFasting app, if you need it. It’s a great help for those who don’t know how to start! Use code OOLA20 and embark upon your personalized IF journey with an additional 20% off DoFasting’s six-month plan.
