Intermittent fasting is the weight loss trend. Eating 8 hours and fasting for 16 hours sounds really easy. But if success is a long time coming, you should know these 7 mistakes!
Intermittent fasting, also known as intermittent fasting, sounds very simple at first glance. The 16:8 variant eats within 8 hours and then fasts for 16 hours. If that is too strenuous for you, you can also use the 14:10 method , which involves eating for 10 hours and fasting for 14 hours. The 5:2 method is a bit harder . Eat normally 5 days a week, while on 2 days no food is eaten at all.
Everywhere you read about the wonderful effect of intermittent fasting: lose weight quickly and healthily. According to studies, intermittent fasting should even have a positive effect on blood pressureaffect. But even after a week nothing wants to change on the scales? We explain why!
Table of Contents
1. Too many calories
Intermittent fasting is often advertised as saying that you can eat anything you want in the 8-hour window. In practice, however, this does not work, since ultimately all you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit. So keep an eye on your calorie intake. Eat enough protein to prevent muscle loss and grab whole grains and fiber. In contrast to fat with 9 kcal per gram, proteins and carbohydrates only have around 4 kcal per gram. So you can eat your fill of fruit, vegetables, low-fat quark, chicken and co.
2. Not enough calories
That’s also possible: if you don’t consume enough energy, it upsets the hormonal balance in the body. Too few calories have a negative effect on satiety, thyroid and sex hormones. The latter can ensure that women miss their periods and that bone substance is broken down (risk of osteoporosis increases). Due to the low calorie intake, too little protein is often taken in, so that the body uses muscles to generate energy. This reduces the body’s calorie consumption and makes it increasingly difficult to lose weight. A vicious circle that only a moderate calorie deficit can help out of.
3. The wrong fasting plan
At the beginning, think about how fasting can be integrated into your everyday life. Would you like to skip meals? Or just have a small snack? Try whatever is easiest for you.
4. Too little patience
When it comes to intermittent fasting, losing weight isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. You can only make it if you keep at it. It requires a lot of patience and perseverance! However, intermittent fasting is not a classic diet for a short, limited period of time, but a form of nutrition. The body needs time to adjust to these. This can take one to three or four weeks . You can then maintain this type of diet for months, years or even a lifetime.
So don’t give up just because nothing is happening on the scales. Remember, as long as you eat in deficit, you will lose weight. For some it works earlier, for others later. Above all, people who are already close to their ideal BMI will only notice the weight reduction later than people who are very overweight.
5. Too much stress and not enough sleep
Sleep and rest are sacred in a diet. Sleep influences the regeneration of the body in all areas and stimulates the hormone balance. Too little sleep and too much stress, for example, increases the release of cortisol. During sports, the hormone provides the kick. After that, the cortisol concentration in the blood should drop again, since an increased cortisol level can lead to permanent stress, obesity due to eating more often and a bad mood. To prevent this, sleep seven to eight hours a day and allow yourself a short break, for example with a 10-minute meditation.
6. Too little exercise
Relying solely on nutrition is not beneficial in a diet. With exercise in everyday life and sport , you increase your calorie consumption enormously, you are distracted by thoughts of eating and maintain your muscles with strength training . A fitness tracker , for example, can help to keep moving in order to reach the activity or step goal. Find out what time of day you have enough energy and which sports are suitable for you. You should also make sure to replenish your energy reserves after exercising.
7. You eat too much
Especially in the beginning, when we’re motivated and can’t wait to see results, we tend to overdo it. Anyone who makes 20 hours out of their meal breaks, eats only minimal portions at mealtimes and doesn’t treat themselves to anything anymore will quickly give up.
Intermittent fasting is a long-term diet change that will only work if you stick with it. So be sure to make it bearable enough that you can stick with it and practically keep it up for a long period of time. It is better to change your diet slowly and in small steps – this is much more sustainable.
