Tracy Norris
Errors in intermittent fasting creep in quickly if you do not structure the diet clearly and, above all, individually. Avoid these seven mistakes.
Intermittent fasting mistakes? Impossible, after all, the diet is as simple as possible – one thinks. The most well-known method, 16:8 intermittent fasting, involves not eating any calories for 16 hours and then having an 8-hour window to eat.
But as simple as intermittent fasting sounds, there are a few stumbling blocks. Avoid these 7 intermittent fasting mistakes…
The wrong method meets the wrong timing
The first mistake most people make when doing intermittent fasting is not researching the different methods beforehand. Of course, the 16:8 timing is the best known, but not the only one. You can also do intermittent fasting with the 5:2 diet, where you eat normally five days a week and reduce your calorie intake to 500 calories/day on two days. The 12:12 method is more suitable for fasting beginners who want to reach their ideal weight. As the name suggests, it involves fasting for 12 hours a day, followed by 12 hours of eating.
Which method you choose depends on several factors. To avoid mistakes when doing intermittent fasting, you should adjust your diet to your daily routine. For example, if you exercise early in the morning, you should rather skip a late dinner than breakfast. Individual eating habits should not be completely ignored either: If breakfast is not that important to you, but dinner tastes good, you can postpone the fasting period to the beginning of the day – and vice versa.
Morning people in particular run the risk of making this mistake with intermittent fasting: If you are already hungry right after getting up, you simply add an extra portion of milk to the coffee and the rumbling stomach disappears. The problem: the calories and milk sugar immediately interrupt the fast metabolism, the blood sugar level rises and insulin is released. Supposedly healthy sweets, such as berries or nuts, have the same effect.
The fasting periods should not only be observed in terms of the number of hours you have chosen but also with a view to what is allowed – namely unsweetened, calorie-free drinks:
- water
- (unsweetened) teas
- black coffee
- thin vegetable broth
The meals: too small, too big, too hasty, too unhealthy
One of the most common mistakes in intermittent fasting is that the meals eaten after the fast are not balanced. You often put too much on your plate because you are so hungry and eat too quickly, which puts a strain on your stomach and digestion. Unhealthy eating can also become a stumbling block: with intermittent fasting, it is repeatedly emphasized that you do not have to restrict yourself. But junk food, chips, and candy remain unhealthy even after you’ve fasted for 12 or 16 hours. On the other hand, if you eat too little in your free time, you put your body on the back burner. This will slow your metabolism and stop fat loss – probably the most frustrating mistake of intermittent fasting.
Not drinking enough is a common mistake
Drinking enough is part of the basic principle of a healthy lifestyle – regardless of whether you are intermittent fasting or not. According to the German Society for Nutrition, an adult should consume between 1.5 and 3 liters a day.
Appropriately to avoid mistakes in intermittent fasting, this quantity refers to water and unsweetened teas. Sugary drinks and alcohol are excluded.
Lack of sleep leads to cravings during fasting
Mistakes in intermittent fasting quickly creep in, and not only when it comes to nutrition. The whole lifestyle has to match the diet. Healthy and sufficient sleep is part of it and is the basis for a good start to the day. Around eight hours of sleep, a night is considered healthy. You don’t lose weight while resting. However, it has been proven that lack of sleep leads to food cravings, which makes intermittent fasting much more difficult.
No sport as a mistake in intermittent fasting
Getting enough exercise is just as important as getting enough sleep for intermittent fasting to work optimally. For healthy weight loss, diet and exercise must always go hand in hand – even intermittent fasting doesn’t change that.
If you fast part-time, you have to time your sports sessions precisely. It is important to plan intensive workouts at the beginning of the fasting phase. At the end of the 12 or 16 calorie-free hours or on days when you only eat 500 calories, the body should not be overworked. Lighter workouts can be integrated at any time: gentle yoga, Qi-Gong, or leisurely walks are also possible if you are a little hungry.
Giving up too quickly with this type of weight loss
One of the most common mistakes with intermittent fasting: not giving the body enough time to react to the change. Even if there are diets that advertise it, the pounds don’t melt away overnight. This diet should be given for at least four weeks. That’s roughly how long it takes for a person to get used to a new routine.
Anyone who makes sure that these mistakes do not happen during intermittent fasting can use this method to reduce their weight.
