FWTFL: Intermittent Fasting Tips

Who is starting the next round of the Faster Way to Fat Loss tomorrow? I remember when I first started, I was most intimidated by the Intermittent Fasting component, but trust me, it is not as bad as it sounds and it gets SO much easier as time goes on! I thought it would be helpful to share a few quick tips on what helped me get through my fasting period when I was getting started with the program.

• Ease into it – We typically fast for 16 hours every day, but you can utilize prep week to start practicing and building up to the full 16 hours. For the first couple of days, maybe try a 12-hour fast and increase it slowly each day until you make it to 16-hours.
• BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) – BCAAs are supposed to help with lean muscle development and also help with muscle recovery. In the beginning, I would add a scoop of BCAAs to my water while fasting and it helped hold me over until I could finally break my fast. My favorite flavors are the Watermelon Ice and Rainbow Ice.
• Tea – I had never tried herbal teas prior to doing the FWTFL, but a friend recommended it so I gave it a shot…now I’m addicted! Below I am sharing a list of some of my favorites (these all contain caffeine unless noted otherwise)! I buy all of my teas at Target, Harris Teeter or Food Lion.
  • Yogi Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy
  • Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy
  • Yogi Green Tea Blackberry Moringa
  • Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Black Tea
  • Tazo Lemon Loaf (decaf)
  • Bigelow Vanilla Chai Black Tea
• Coffee – I am NOT a coffee drinker, so I enlisted the help of a friend who does drink coffee and is living the FWTFL lifestyle (Emily @threeboysandagirlblog on Instagram). She has been using unsweetened almond milk creamer and nut pods. She also uses vanilla stevia drops that you can find on Amazon. You cannot exceed 50 calories during your fasting period, so be careful about serving sizes when incorporating any of these things into your coffee.
• Drink LOTS of water – as soon as you wake up, start drinking water!
• Stay Busy! Fill your mornings with tasks, errands, etc that will keep you busy and have your mind focused on other things. It will help distract you from thinking about being hungry.

When you are accustomed to starting your day with food, it can make it hard to skip breakfast and go so long without eating, but it will get easier! For me, the first couple of weeks were the hardest, but I was solely drinking water. When I started incorporating the BCAAs and tea, it helped tremendously. Now, 15 months later, fasting is like second nature. Don’t get me wrong, some days I wake up and all I can think about is a pop-tart, but majority of the time I can make it until about 1 or 1:30pm before eating. Just remember – Progress Over Perfection! It will all feel overwhelming at first – just do your best, stick with it, and you will eventually get the hang of it!

If you’re reading this and you are doing the FWTFL or have experience with Intermittent Fasting, comment below with any additional tips that other readers may find helpful!

Also, if you’re new around here, take a look at the FWTFL page here on my blog. I have saved several posts there regarding the program, my experience, examples of what I eat, etc. that you may find helpful.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!