There’s a lot of buzz out there about intermittent fasting for beginners. Enough to make your head spin. People often think you’ll lose muscle or feel faint all day—total myths! In reality, when done right, fasting can feel quite natural and energizing.
So, why would anyone opt for these eating patterns? Well, the science folks say intermittent fasting can help with weight management, improve blood sugar control, and even promote longevity. It’s about giving your body time to repair and balance itself without the constant barrage of calories.
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners – The Complete Guide to Intermittent Fasting!
Table of Contents
What is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting for beginners might sound a bit technical, but it’s all about timing when you eat. It’s a pattern where you alternate between periods of eating and not eating (fasting). Imagine giving your body a break from digesting all the time! This isn’t about skipping meals to starve; it’s a structured way to manage hunger and metabolism.
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: Fasting Schedules
There are a few methods you can try out. The 16/8 method is super popular where you fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window each day. Then there’s the 5:2 method where you eat normally for five days and restrict calories drastically for two. Some folks go all out with OMAD—One Meal a Day—which, well, is exactly what it sounds like.
There are many variations of Intermittent Fasting for Beginners but I’m going to go into detail on the three most popular options.
12:12 Fast
This is considered the easiest of the time scheduled fasts. You simply pick your eating window to coincide within your 12:12 fast. 12 hours of normal eating, 12 hours fasting. This is the recommended schedule to begin with. Allow your mind and body time to adjust to this lifestyle change.
- The time you sleep counts as fasting time. Therefore, if you choose to stop eating at 7pm and wake up at 7am, you’ve already fasted for 12 hours.
14:10 Fast
Considered “moderate in difficulty”, the 14:10 fast would be for the “intermediate” Intermittent Fasting for Beginners. A good example would be, if you stop eating at 7pm and wait to eat breakfast until 9am, you’ve fasted for 14 hours.
- This is a great option; one you could also consider starting with.
I believe much of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Beginners come from sleeping on an empty stomach. You’ll sleep better and have less risk of acid re-flux from undigested food. Keep in mind, the earlier you stop eating in the current day, the earlier you can eat the next day.
Sometimes you will go to bed hungry. I have found the degree of hunger can fluctuate greatly day to day. At least for me, I’ve found that most of the time if I power through the hunger, I wake up the next day Not Hungry.
- Consider it a reward for the discipline you showed by not giving in to the cravings.
16:8 Fast
The “Big Daddy” of fasting and the most aggressive. This one is not for everyone but holds the potential for achieving the most from Intermittent Fasting.
This one involves sacrificing an entire meal to be successful. You’re either skipping breakfast or dinner. No other way to look at it. I personally prefer skipping breakfast; it gets it over with and I can reap the reward of waking up not hungry.
In this one, you could choose to stop eating at 7pm, wake up at 7am, but wait until 11am to eat lunch. Boom! 16 hours. The alternative could always be stop eating at 5pm, wake up at 7am, wait until 9am to eat. Technically you could eat all 3 meals, but dinner would have to end earlier than usual.
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: Where to Go from Here
Before you jump on the fasting train, consider your own health and lifestyle. It’s definitely not one-size-fits-all. If you have any health conditions or take medications, chat with a healthcare provider first. You’ll want to ensure fasting aligns with your life and doesn’t cause any health mishaps.
I had learned to turn knowledge into action with eating right and I started exercising. This was a great first step! I say that it’s a first step because it takes more than just exercise and eating right to transform your health concerns.
Diet and exercise had made a difference for me personally, but the results were discouragingly slow. It was very hard for me to put in so much effort, and a month later only be down a pound. All the while, my Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes stayed the same.
I’m sure most of my bodyweight being stubborn was muscle gain and water retention. I learned a lot about water retention so here’s another valuable resource: Water Retention in the Body.
One thing I learned was to exercise and monitor my heart rate. Monitoring your heart rate ensures you are benefiting from the exercise. It also prevents you from overdoing it. Safety first, right? I recommend a good smart watch that can monitor and track your heart rate.
My personal favorite is the Garmin Venu 3. It was a game-changer for me. Learn more about the Garmin Venu 3 here: Garmin Venu 3 In-Depth Breakdown.
You also need to eat right. Learn what your body needs by using an app like My Fitness Pal, or Live Strong. My Fitness Pal app has everything you need to track your diet. Link it to a smart watch and it can track diet and exercise.
Why You Need Intermittent Fasting
After everything I’ve mentioned above, I wasn’t seeing results with my serious health conditions until I started Intermittent Fasting for Beginners. I had reached a point where I was angry with myself that I had wasted so much time and I aggressively started with the 16:8.
Talk about fast results, my resting blood sugar was dropping 10 points a week. My resting blood sugar ran in the high 300’s for years and within 6 months it’s under 100. My A1C at its highest, reached 13. I was a stroke/heart attack waiting to happen. Now it’s 4.9 and my blood pressure is normal.
I can’t promise that anyone else will have the same results. I can only speak on what Intermittent Fasting for Beginners did for me, and I’m a Believer!
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: Final Thoughts
Easing into intermittent fasting might feel tricky at first. Start slow—maybe try pushing breakfast back a bit each day or skipping late-night snacks. Before you know it, you’ll get used to it! Remember, the aim isn’t to feel deprived but to manage your meals smartly.
Tracking progress while fasting keeps you motivated. I use the Fitdays app which syncs with my Oxiline Scale X Pro full body composition scale. It’s my biggest ally and measures 16 body composition metrics. This scale tells me what’s going on inside my body. You can learn more about it here: Oxiline Scale X Pro Breakdown.
Pay attention to how your energy levels or moods change in a positive way. Notice how your clothes now fit better. It’s amazing when you feel great at the end of the day. Keep a journal or use an app to see how you’re progressing—and remember, it’s your journey, so make it enjoyable.
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