Losing unwanted and excess weight is never easy. It is a long process that requires a lot of dedication in time which can be quite frustrating. Sometimes, no matter how long you starve yourself, you just cannot seem to drop those extra pounds no matter what you do. For some people, even daily exercising does not help them. If you have found yourself in such a situation, what can you do? Well, if you want to quickly lose weight with efficient methods, you will have to try the intermittent fasting diet.
This is one of those diets that always brings positive results and it has been proven to be very effective for losing those extra pounds.
However, the problem with intermittent fasting is the fact that it is very difficult to get into. It is much more different than just switching to healthier food and eating less. You will need to rework your entire daily life schedule which can be complicated.
To make things a little bit easier for you, I decided to write this guide and help you get started with intermittent fasting. After reading some of the tips and tricks I can give you about this diet, I hope that you will successfully reach your goal.
Set a goal
I think that one of the most important things when trying to lose weight or define your body is to set a goal. By setting a goal, you will have a much clearer path right in front of you and you will not try to deviate as much as you would usually. We all know how difficult it is to stick to a very strict diet. Since intermittent fasting is a strict diet, you should definitely have a goal in mind.
Keep in mind, you should have two main objectives. One of the objectives should be the bigger picture. For example, if you are 180 pounds today and you want to drop down to 130, you will have to work on that much longer. That will be the bigger picture. Alongside that objective, you should have one that is easier to achieve. If you are 180 pounds today, you should aim to be 170 pounds after two weeks.
But this kind of mindset will inspire you to continue forward after every objective and achievement.
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Pick the method of intermittent fasting
Once you have set your objectives, it is time to start thinking about the real thing. When going with this diet, you have several different methods to pick from. When it comes to results, you will not see a huge difference. But, your experience throughout the diet will not be the same.
The most popular and most commonly used method is the one known as 16:8 or as the Leangains protocols. This one is probably the simplest which is why it is so popular. With the Leangains protocol, you start too fast for 16 hours, and then the next eight hours you get to eat anything want. You do not have to count calories because you should not overeat in those eight hours, according to Fastful.com
However, you will need to be very strict with the hours. Once those eight hours are gone, you will need to stop eating for the next 16 hours. If you stick with this method, you could easily lose a lot of weight in a very short amount of time.
The second most popular method is known as 5:2. This might even be easier because you get to eat normally for five days in the next two days, you only need 500 or 600 cal. Keep in mind, during those five days you should not exceed the calorie limit for your body. For males, that limit is around 2200. For females, that limit is around 2000 or 1900.
Eat stop eat is another intermittent fasting method that is a little bit more extreme. If you have not been on a strict diet like this before, I do not recommend this one. Basically, you cannot eat anything for 24 hours twice in one week. You are able to freely pick which days were not going to eat, you just have to make sure that it is not consecutive. Not eating for 48 hours in one week is dangerous.
Start creating meal plans
While on this kind of diet, you will be losing a lot of weight because you are going to be on a calorie deficit. However, even though you are in a deficit, you should still be careful about what you are eating. When the time comes to eat, you should not be grabbing chocolates or fast food. You need nutrition. You need proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and everything else that your body needs.
In other words, you should plan your meals beforehand. Whether it is going to be vegetables, fruits, clean meat, protein shakes, regular shakes, or whatever it is. Just have to make sure that it is healthy and nutritious enough.
Make those calories count. You should be losing all of that excess weight, but you should not lose weight on important parts of your body such as your muscles. With proper nutrition, you can retain the density of your muscles.
Do some test runs
Again, if this is your first time going on a strict diet, you should not try out any extreme methods of intermittent fasting. I suggest going with the 5:2 method or the common 16:8. Whichever you feel more comfortable with.
However, before you get into this diet and start fasting for two, three weeks, or even an entire month, I think that you should do a few test runs. These test runs will tell you exactly how it feels to go through a very hard calorie deficit. These test runs will also prepare you for what comes next.
At first, intermittent fasting might seem a little bit scary and too difficult to handle, but if you prepare yourself with the right meals and if you know exactly what to do, I am sure that you will successfully lose a lot of weight and most of it is probably going to be fat.