How To Start Intermittent Fasting

2. Familiarize yourself with the app with a test run

Tonight after you finish eating for the evening, click on “Add Fast” at the top of your app screen and “Start Fast” on the timer setting screen. (No need to set the timer for a specific number of hours just yet but you can if you want.)

Tomorrow when you feel hungry and ready to eat,  press the edit pencil icon next to the timer on the home screen and select “End Fast.” Congratulations! You have just completed and logged a fast.  Don’t worry about how long it was, you are just getting started.

3. If weight loss is your main priority…

There are lots and lots of people around the world intermittent fasting and they aren’t doing it to lose weight. They are doing it for all of the other health benefits you will be reading about as you research.

{RELATED POST: 14/10 Intermittent Fasting }

However, I know most of us wonder how to start intermittent fasting because we want to lose weight. And for good reason because it certainly works! But I want to be completely honest with you; it often does take some time for your body to adjust to this new eating style. This time will go by anyway, whether you are fasting or not. So don’t be discouraged, just stick with it.

Many of us know from dieting all our lives that the common bathroom scale becomes the judge of whether we are successful or not. Please don’t make that mistake with intermittent fasting.

Non-Scale Victories Matter

I can’t tell you how many real life accounts I’ve heard from intermittent fasters on this topic. Women who fast regularly without seeing the results on the scale they are hoping for. BUT! They are often seeing the difference in how their clothes fit and a decrease in the measurements they did before they started fasting. However, even then, the bathroom scale still manages to discourage them even though they are seeing the results for themselves.

There are tools beyond the app to keep you encouraged and on track

A Smart Scale. A smart scale will make you realize that there have been times in the past when you celebrated weight loss that was actually muscle loss. On the other hand, there have also been times you’ve grieved a weight gain when in reality you gained muscle and lost fat. I really struggled with this and write all about it in My Scale Helps Me Lose Fat Not Muscle.

My  first smart scale  worked great! But I have upgraded to the pictured Arboleaf.  The Arboleaf  (pictured above) is sold with a smart measuring tape which has become a real game changer

The scale:

Every time I weigh with the smart scale I can see whether I have lost fat or something else. (I’m always very interested to make sure I am not losing muscle mass because I need that to lose weight.) Other times, I see that my weight has gone up but it’s extra water I’m carrying around.  The total weight doesn’t matter so much any more. It’s more about watching the trends on the app to make sure the right things are growing and shrinking. And every time I weigh, all of the metrics are uploaded to the free app.

The measuring tape:

This measuring tape is probably different than any measuring tape you’ve used. No more contorting yourself into a pretzel to wrap the tape around a body part. And no need to ask someone else to measure those body parts.  You simply wrap the tape around and stick the end into a slot. That’s it! And the measurement is uploaded and stored on the same app that the scale uses.

Plus, the app has a graphic of a human body that leads you through the parts to measure. Measuring is really encouraging because fat loss shows up much quicker on a tape than it does on the scale. You won’t regret getting the inexpensive scale/tape combo! Because it takes all the mystery out of gauging your progress.

{RELATED POST: Intermittent Fasting For Women Over 50}

The Ketone Breath Analyzer

The other tool I’m dying to try is the Ketone Breath Analyzer.  Apparently, you can just breathe into it and find out if you are burning fat or not.  I can only imagine how motivating it would be to extend my fasts a bit knowing that I am burning fat every minute!

How long does it take to start burning fat?

There are lots of studies out there estimating how long you need to fast until you get into fat burning mode. After studying all the different time frames (and the experts suggesting them), it seems safe to assume that after 12 hours of fasting you are in fat-burning mode. However, some people are already burning fat after 8 hours and for others it can be more like 14 hours.

For more info on how to start intermittent fasting to lose weight as well as how to troubleshoot potential health conditions that interfere with weight loss, check out Intermittent Fasting To Lose Weight.

How to start intermittent fasting for success

We all intuitively understand if we want to run a marathon we will need to prepare our bodies for  the day of the race. None of us would expect to train for two weeks and end up in marathon shape. Yet, we seem to always expect quick weight loss when we decide to completely switch up what are body is used to.

I’ve found from my lifetime of dieting, the diets that seem to work quickly for me are usually abandoned quickly too because I feel weak, hungry, and crazed. And sad that I can’t eat a piece of wedding cake. This same thing can happen with Intermittent Fasting if you go too long too quickly. Why? Because your metabolism may be used to grazing all day long for the last however-many-years and a drastic change will make the body think its food supply is in jeopardy.

Slow and steady with no sudden movements

So, this is how I understand it but remember, I’m not a scientist. 🙂 Your body has been working very, very hard over your lifetime to carefully convert all the extra fuel you’ve consumed into stored fat for a potential famine crisis. (Our bodies were made to do this as a survival mechanism.)  A sudden decrease in your regular consumption can trigger your body’s crisis alert and guess what that means? Our body now wants to conserve the fat already onboard even more carefully in case the drastic change is signaling a famine.  

Your body is so efficient, it will go to great lengths to make sure the stored fuel lasts as long as possible during this potential famine. The body may even start burning muscle and preserve the fat for as long as possible. (Did you cringe? Because I sure did.)

Starting out too quickly can also send us in the wrong direction mentally. Perhaps you’ve heard all the buzz about how wonderful intermittent fasting is and how much weight you can lose. So you dive in headfirst for an extended fast. Fourteen hours later you are rethinking everything, and the idea of intermittent fasting is no longer on your radar. Dead and buried and back to counting calories. This scenario is completely predictable, but it doesn’t have to happen to you.

Experts agree that intermittent fasting is not for everyone. Please read our Terms of Use. 

Train Your Body To Fast With Mini-Fasting

I think mini-fasting is the best way to transition your mind and body into intermittent fasting. Set a goal for yourself to mini-fast at least four times during the first week. A lot of research suggests fasting 12-14 hours at first to get started. I’ve seen people start with 16 hours and do well too. (Read How To Use Mini-Fasts As Part Of Your Fasting Plan for how to get started fasting and why mini-fasting is also perfect for use during vacations and holidays.)

If I started fasting today…

If I was going to start fasting today, I would start my Women Who Fast app timer after I eat for the last time this evening and try to wait at least 13 hours (sleeping time counts!) before eating again. And if I can’t make it that long, I will try to do the same thing tomorrow.

Once a 13 hour fast goes well, I would try to increase to a 14 hour fast the next time. I would continue increasing my fast each day by one hour until I reached 16 hours. After that, I would stick with 16 hours for a couple of weeks to see if 16 hour fasts are comfortable and effective for me. If I’m not noticing any differences or seeing changes on my smart scale, I would probably continue slowly adding time to my fasts.

There will be times when we end up fasting longer than we planned. That’s great but don’t pressure yourself to do that at first. Again, the goal is to communicate to our bodies “hey, we’re still eating but just at different times” and wait for our bodies to get used to it. You will feel it when that happens.

The main objective of the first month 

The MOST important thing (in my opinion) isn’t how long you fast, what you eat, and especially not weight loss. Instead, the key goal needs to be that you successfully fast on the number of days you target for fasting.  Practicing this pattern of consistency over a period of time will have you comfortable with intermittent fasting in no time.

If some of your fasts end earlier than what you had planned, you are still successful. If you opt out of a fast because you didn’t want to miss out on an unexpected lunch with your best friend, no problem! You can always make it up on one of the other days if you want to.

Establishing the pattern and giving your body time to acclimate will set the stage for all the fun stuff you’ve read about fasting (including weight loss!)

What if you don’t feel well when you are fasting?

If at any point you don’t feel well when you are fasting then eat something. Your body will tell you when it needs food. Headaches, dizziness or feeling light-headed can definitely be a sign of that. You will know if it’s just your brain thinking about the cookies you made yesterday or if your body is insisting on food. If your body needs to eat then trust it and eat! You can always try again tomorrow.

If the episode concerns you at all, be sure and talk to your doctor. It could be symptomatic of a health condition that needs attention. Or, it could be a complication caused by hormones and menopause. Do your research and talk to your doctor. Please don’t take any chances.

Is there anything you can eat or drink during a fast?

You SHOULD drink water during your fast. Your body is used to eating regularly and the foods you normally eat have water in them. So if you are skipping one meal, you may need to drink extra water to stay hydrated.

Beyond that, experts have different opinions about what you can and can’t consume during fasts (such as the “cream in your coffee” debate). Read more about this in Conflicting Views on Intermittent Fasting.

What I discovered when I started fasting…

Like I say, I am not a doctor or scientist so I can’t give you official advice. But I can tell you what worked for me:

The only thing I consume during my fast is plain water.  No calories, flavorings, or artificial sweeteners. I fought this decision kicking and screaming but I finally reached it. However, other people find success with different combinations so be sure to read up on this. Caffeine isn’t a good look for me (jitters!) so I don’t drink coffee.

Read About Fasting Every Single Day

It’s important to read a lot about how to start intermittent fasting but that shouldn’t end after you get started. I read about fasting every single day. It totally inspires me. Enough to want to create an app with my best friend! Here are some resources we hope will inspire you:

• Check your Women Who Fast app content feed everyday: We include fasting information each and every day on the app content feed.  Articles about how to start intermittent fasting and how to easily navigate the fasting lifestyle. Things that we write and other articles from lots of authors within the fasting community. I shared a link to the app today written by Healthline that lists out the amazing things intermittent fasting can do beyond weight loss. Articles like these are what keeps me motivated and inspired during my fasts.
• Dawn and I both love Gin Stephens and recommend her books Fast, Feast, Repeat and Delay Don’t Deny every chance we get.  These books are great resources to figure out how to start intermittent fasting and how to be successful.  Delay Don’t Deny explains how intermittent fasting works and provides ideas on how to get started.  Fast, Feast, Repeat includes more of the science behind fasting and what it means to fast clean.  You can’t miss with either of them! (Be sure to check out Dawn’s blogs on both of these books.)
• We have created a repository of intermittent fasting information within the Guides Tab on the Women Who Fast app and also on our website to encourage and inform you while you’re intermittent fasting.

Treat yourself regularly with non-food rewards

DON’T FORGET TO TREAT YOURSELF! I realized after I started fasting how much time and money I’ve spent during my lifetime dreaming about food, purchasing food, preparing food, serving food, eating food, cleaning up food, and then snacking on food a couple hours of later. Determined not to let the time and money I was saving get absorbed into every day life, I decided to treat myself with some of the extra time and money I was earning with my new choices.

Ideas on how to treat yourself..

It’s not very often in life when something comes along that regularly gives us extra disposable time. Make a point to treat yourself regularly with the time you’ve saved by intentionally doing things you wouldn’t normally do. I’m in the process right now of turning my shower into an on-demand escape pod where I can relax and fully enjoy some of that extra time.

Whether it’s a luxurious shower, a much needed nap, a book you are dying to read, a walk, bike ride, or binge watching some mindless show…this new time is for you. Enjoy it!

Intermittent Fasting Will Save You Money

And shouldn’t the same apply when it comes to the money? Because intermittent fasting will actually save you money! For example, let’s say you usually spend $100 each week on meals, coffee, and snacks for yourself. If you eliminate one meal and a snack each day because you are fasting, that could lower your weekly food expense to $70. In just one month you’d save $120. After a year, you would save $1,440.

Not that you have to spend it all on yourself. But at least some of it, right? 

It only makes sense to spend from this saved money to facilitate a strong intermittent fasting foundation and reward yourself for your healthy changes? Look for things that support your intermittent fasting lifestyle. Treat yourself with things that make you smile and feel confident in yourself. Spoil the special people in your life from time to time when you see the perfect opportunity. All with money from extra meals you got by without. Anything you can do to reinforce this healthy new pattern is an investment in your future health.  

Don’t let yourself flashback to past diets

Whatever you do, please don’t allow the trauma of your past diets to deter you from trying intermittent fasting. This is totally different. Your body will benefit each and every time you fast regardless of weight loss. You will sleep better, feel clearer in the morning, have more energy and feel proud and empowered. (I know it sounds crazy but it really happens!) Learn to celebrate these positive developments too as well as the weight loss.

I hope this post helped you learn how to start intermittent fasting! You will know your fasting pattern is falling into place when you start feeling different. It just happens and you will never forget the feeling.  In the meantime, do your research, hang out on the app, and continue to challenge yourself to meet your goals. Celebrate your successes and remember to keep investing into your future success. It will only be a matter of time before you discover and experience everything you need to keep you motivated and moving forward. Happy Fasting!

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