Five Steps to Incorporating Intermittent Fasting During the Holidays

Dec 22, 2021

If you try intermittent fasting during the holidays, like any other time, you’ll have more success if you create a plan. You can make it super easy, such as saying I’m going to eat from noon until 8 pm, whatever I want to eat until I’m not hungry, or you can make more criteria to help you depending on your situation.

Here are five easy steps to follow to add intermittent fasting to your holiday routine:

Step One: Understand Your Hunger Cues – It’s very important to know what happens when you get hungry. It might sound obvious that your tummy will growl, but the truth is most of us don’t even know what our hunger signs are. So keep a diary for a week to note what happens when you get hungry such as feeling empty, feeling weak, craving food, or even getting shaky.

Step Two: Determine Your Fasting Window – Choose a window that allows you to stop eating two hours before bedtime. The most used method is the 16/8, where you fast for sixteen hours and eat for eight hours each day. This method seems to be one of the simplest, but other forms include eating only for four hours a day and other modifications.

Step Three: Start with Water or Black Coffee – The good thing is, even if you choose a fasting window that eliminates your normal morning breakfast, you can still start with water or black coffee during non-eating times. Starting your day with 32 ounces of lemon water and then having your coffee is even better.

Step Four: Be Mindful of Your Choices – Don’t just grab things without thinking about what you’re doing. Take the time to notice the choices you’re making so you can modify them if needed. Become mindful of the clock before grabbing that handful of nuts, for example.

Step Five: Plan Ahead to Kick Temptations During Fasting – The good thing about this type of eating plan is you really can eat what you want. If you crave roast beef, you can have it, but you still need to avoid the normal unhealthy foods for any type of eating plan. You can’t eat a whole pumpkin pie and call it an eating plan, even if it only took you 2 hours.

You are in complete control of when, where, and what you eat. It is imperative for you to realize who has the control to be successful with intermittent fasting. You can eat enough to be satisfied, just until you are full but not stuffed. Remember to drink at least eight glasses of water every day and move for 20 to 30 minutes to get the most out of your intermittent fasting plan.