Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting, Losing Weight the ‘Lazy’ Way

It is really so difficult to lose weight because many of us don’t have time for exercise or just can’t find the motivation to do it. But did you know that there are lots of easy ways to lose weight the ‘lazy’ way? One is through intermittent fasting!

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Currently one of the world’s most popular weight loss trends, intermittent fasting (also known as IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between a fasting period and a feasting/eating period.

What makes this type of dieting trend so popular is that you are not restricted over what you should eat. Instead, you should follow a schedule of when you can eat. So, you can practically eat anything you want but still lose weight. Wow.

Of course, just because you can eat anything you want, it does not mean you should also eat as much of it as you could. While you don’t really need to count calories while doing this, intermittent fasting would work best if you do limit those calories to reasonable amounts.

How to Do Intermittent Fasting

In intermittent fasting, you fast for a certain number of hours, then you can only eat within a certain window. During the fasting hours, you are allowed to drink water, black tea, and black coffee with no sugar, creamer, milk, or honey.

For beginners, the 12/12 might be a good idea. This means you can eat anytime between 12 hours, then fast for another 12 hours.

Photo credit: Harvard

However, the 16/8 is a better way of doing it. This means fasting for 16 hours and eating only within the 8-hour window. There is no specific time for everyone – choose the window that works best for you. Just to give you an idea, skipping breakfast is often the most popular choice. You eat dinner before 8PM, then have lunch at 12 noon.

If you can tolerate it, move up to 17/7 or 18/6.

Water and Exercise

Just make sure to drink plenty of water. You need at least 8 glasses of water per day. You might discover that during moments when you feel hungry, water can easily make you feel full.

If you feel like it, doing exercise is also a good way to make the weight loss work faster. However, do this in moderation. While it is a good idea to exercise during the fasting period, be careful because your body might not have enough energy to do it. So, it is best to workout close to the end of the fasting period or, better yet, within the eating period.

Get Help

There are lots of apps you can download to help you monitor your progress and assist you in following through your fasting/feasting periods. It would also be a good idea to get your friends to join you so that you can be more motivate to do it.

Disclaimer: This diet is not for everyone. If you have an underlying or pre-existing medical condition, make sure to consult a doctor first before changing your diet patterns.

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