Aug 20, 20213 min read

How to Start Intermittent Fasting [Quizzes + Recipes!]

If you're brand new to Intermittent Fasting and you're wondering how to get started, today's blog post will help guide you to what you need to know! I'm sharing the details behind how to ease into Intermittent Fasting, how to choose your window and what this all looks like in a full day so that you can start implementing Intermittent Fasting into your routine.

How To Start Intermittent Fasting

It's first important to understand that Intermittent Fasting does not dictate what you eat, rather it tells you when you'll eat. However, this doesn't mean that what you eat doesn't matter. In fact, this is one of the most common mistakes holding people back from achieving weight loss and wellness goals with Intermittent Fasting - they don't consider what they're eating during their eating window.

When you combine Intermittent Fasting with protein, fat and fiber packed meals, this can accelerate your progress. In fact, if you're wondering how long Intermittent Fasting takes to work, you can check out the video below.

#1 Pick Your Schedule

The first factor to consider when starting Intermittent Fasting is what your Intermittent Fasting schedule will be. There are a variety of Intermittent Fasting methods that you can use: 12 hour fast, 14 hour fast, 16 hour fast, 18 hour fast, etc. In order to help simplify this process, I've created a free quiz to help you determine which Intermittent Fasting schedule will work best for your goals. You can click the link below to take the free quiz.

#2 Determine Your Goal

Once you've chosen your schedule, now you need to understand what your goal is with Intermittent Fasting. Two of the more common goals with Intermittent Fasting include weight loss and improved gut health. Depending on your goal, what you have during your fasting window will greatly change. For example, if gut health is your goal, you'll likely want to stick with water and electrolytes during the majority of your fast, whereas if weight loss is your goal you have a bit more flexibility. This is something that is covered in detail in the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle, a step-by-step Intermittent Fasting meal plan used by thousands of men and women around the world. You can also click the link below for more information on what breaks a fast depending on what your goal is.

Related: What Breaks a Fast?

#3 Ease Up On Your Exercise

Initially, you'll want to reduce your exercise intensity as the body gets used to incorporating a fasting period. It can take a few days to a few weeks for the body to adjust to using fat as fuel. While it's going through this adjustment period, lowering the intensity of your exercises keeps the heart rate in a lower range. This lower heart rate allows for the body to primarily use fat as fuel during exercise, making this transition into Intermittent Fasting a bit easier. Lower intensity exercises can include walking, light swimming, light cycling, light weight training, yoga and lower intensity exercise classes.

#4 Choose The Right Meals

What you eat during your eating window will be a big factor in dictating if you feel hungry during your fast, how quickly the body starts using fat as fuel, how well you sleep and whether or not you lose muscle during your weight loss journey. An emphasis on high quality proteins, fats and fibers can help to boost satiety and prevent sugar cravings while using Intermittent Fasting. Needless to say, what you eat is very important. This is why I created the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle meal plans to help guide you to the meals that will be most supportive of your goals while using Intermittent Fasting. You can check out the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle HERE.

You can also see a full day of Intermittent Fasting, including meals using the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle protocols, by checking out the video below.