When you hear about Intermittent Fasting, you’ll be presented with the benefits. The weight loss, the heart healthy and lower cholesterol to name a few. However, for many on the fence, there are some hard and fast doubts of their own success and for good reason. The fears are just another fancy way of saying “Cons” when it comes to Intermittent Fasting.
Increased Feelings of hunger – absolutely 100% true. Your brain is hardwired to eat at certain times of the day and suddenly you are switching things up. There is going to be an argument about it. I once read somewhere that when you are super hungry, drink a glass of water first. If you are still hungry after drinking the water, drink another glass. If you are still hungry then you are legit hungry and its not dehydration driving your hunger pangs. With intermittent fasting though, keep drinking the water until the fast is over, you are going to have to get into that mind set.
Heightened Irritability / worsened mood – 100% true… the first week or two. Again, you are challenging years of habits and there is going to be some feedback. Women are especially familiar with the way heightened irritability works thanks to our experiences with the monthly raging hormones. You’ll be ok, this does not last. The good news is that once you get in your groove and get over that hump, your mood starts to improve greatly.
Increased thoughts about food – this just makes sense. You are knowingly depriving yourself. Just like on a “diet” you feel like you are sacrificing so you feel like all you think about is food! This comes and goes. Some days you are in great shape, some days you are struggling. The important thing is to hold fast to your goal and wait for the fast to end.
Fatigue – only in the beginning. While your body adjusts to the new pattern, its going to want to rest. As the scale slowly starts dropping the numbers, you’ll notice there is a new spring in your step and energy to keep moving where before you just wanted to sit and scroll through social media posts wishing you had more get up and go.
Feeling out of control around food/ overeating during eating windows – this one is going to be something you will always have to consciously be aware of. When you do eat, concentrate on healthy choices, avoid the fast food and processed foods. During your eating window, prep your meals, make a game plan for when you are out around other people and their food. There will be times that you will give in, just take 1/4 of what you would have done in the past. Take a container with you to restaurants and before you take a bite, put 1/2 of the meal in your to-go container so you don’t overeat ( restaurants are very generous with portions ). And above all, keep your Fasting Buddy on speed-dial/text so you can let them know you are feeling vulnerable. A good Fasting Buddy will talk you off the ledge and help you make a smart choice, reminding you of your ultimate goal.
All of these “cons” are perfectly normal, and if you choose to venture into Intermittent Fasting, you need to understand that the cons will not magically go away. They will hang around and poke up when you least expect.
Despite all the cons, the benefits and results are simply amazing. The feeling of accomplishment, when you see the scale finally begin to move after years of going the wrong way, is enough to outweigh any fear you might have.
MY ADIPOSE & ME 