How to Fast: 10 Practical Fasting Tips
Fasting is one of the most powerful reset buttons for our bodies. From enhancing mindfulness in monks to being the most used tool for metabolic reset in the modern biohacker toolkit, fasting deserves praise. How can such a cheap easy and convenient thing do so much?
What is the real purpose of fasting?
Fasting is the practice of extending the non-eating window to potentially reduce the metabolic strain on the body and increase energy levels.
During food scarcity, humans would eat larger meals to sustain survival, as there was uncertainty when they’d eat again. Their unintentional extended fasting pointed out the benefits of fasting we research today.
Nowadays, calories are all around us, food has become convenient. Overeating puts a metabolic strain on the body which promotes inflammation. (1) (2)
Our pre-installed drive for survival tricks the brain to conserve more energy, thus why humans are tendentious towards eating more and moving less. However, being passive makes the body metabolically inefficient, reducing energy levels.
Fasting, by extending the period of non-eating, helps reset our metabolism in favor of more energy and better metabolic function. (3) (4) (5) As a result, energy levels increase, inflammation drops, and fatigue reduces.
How to Fast: 10 Fasting Tips
Before one turns to fasting, there are a couple of strategies to follow to make fasting easier, more practical, and sustainable. Hydration is of great importance to sustain physiological function while fasting. Choosing the right fasting protocol and schedule that fit one’s lifestyle and goals is another. Finally, a couple of tools like fasting apps or glucose tracking can improve fasting consistency and relative safety.
Fasting Method
There are various fasting protocols to choose from, which differ in intensity, benefits and convenience. 16/8 fasting is the most practical, daily fasting method, respecting 16-hour fasting window with 8-hour feeding phase. It’s less intense as it doesn’t introduce strict calorie restriction or long fasting windows which can throw glycemic control off balance. Additionally, it can be extended (18/6) or reduced (12/12) to fit ones lifestyle and dietary needs.
Then there are 5:2 fasting which entails eating normally for 5 days and eating >25% of total calories for two non-consecutive days. Alternate day fasting of ADH, which entails alternating between normal eating days and fasting days, comprised of eating <25% total calories.
Generally, the 16/8 method is considered the most practical, convenient and relatively safe method, while 5/2 diet and ADH fasting are slightly more intense, on the riskier side.
Fasting Schedule
Skipping dinner or skipping breakfast? The answer depends on ones work schedule, social events, and personal goals. Most fasters choose to skip breakfast due to the alertness-promoting effects of fasting. This translates to better mental clarity, sharper focus, and smoother cognition, especially during most people’s productivity time blocks.
However, recent data shows aligning fasting with circadian rhythm to be important for improving health, for which early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) has proven more beneficial. eTRF is about placing the eating window earlier, essentially skipping dinner instead of breakfast.
This partly depends on glucose consumption. Large amounts of carbohydrates consumed close before bedtime is known to be detrimental to metabolic health. From another perspective, eating stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which gets us in a rest and digest state, making it easier to relax.
Generally, the more active and metabolically flexibile one is, and the lower the amount of carbohydrates he consumes, the further (later) one can push the eating window without significantly disrupting metabolic health.
Add Electrolytes
Electrolytes are mineral salts that help support numerous processes in the body. During extended fasting the metabolism still works to create energy, using up electrolytes. This reduces minerals like potassium, magnesium, chloride, and sodium. (6) which are important in maintaining fluid balance, neural transmission, muscle activation, bone strength, and regulating pH levels. (7)
As the body shifts to fat metabolism and ketone levels increase, the rates of potassium and sodium excretion increase, speeding up electrolyte loss. This can lead to fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and brain fog. Adding electrolytes improves cellular hydration, particularly important during periods of fasting.
Pure, mineral-rich salt that contains the most important trace and macro minerals is one great way to supplement electrolytes. Exclude sugary sport electrolyte powders to not interfere with fasting.
Track Fasting with an App
Fasting apps make fasting more convenient. They help one track eating windows by enabling to set notifications to start and stop eating. Some come with a feature known as food logging that can help track our calories or macros.
Most fasting apps have additional tools like hydration reminder, or useful articles on fasting schedules, meal timing, meal composition, etc. Many individuals find fasting apps to work great for tracking progress, staying on track, and community support. Some of the most used apps include Zero, FastHabit, Fastient, and BodyFast.
Slow Adaptation
Transitioning to fasting presents the body with a metabolic challenge. Reduced levels of glucose direct the body to tap into fats for fuel, which many aren’t used to. Acutely, energy might decrease and hunger may increase. But it is the adaptation to fasting that can further improve energy metabolism.
This requires a transitory period, depending on numerous factors like glycemic control, eating history, metabolic efficiency, etc. Using these tips: hydrating, starting slower, and eating sufficient amount of healthy fats can ease this transition. After adaptation, one might notice increased energy, mental clarity, and fat loss as a result.
Stay Hydrated
The cues for thirst are many times misinterpreted for hunger. (8) This is particularly important during fasting as insufficient hydration makes fasting harder. Instead of food, the body seeks proper hydration which can be achieved by drinking more water and adding electrolytes. Drinking more also adds volume in the stomach which aids in the feeling of fullness.
A good tip is having one large glass of water first thing in the morning, with a pinch or pure, mineral-rich salt. Staying hydrated is essential to keeping our physiology running at an optimal level.
Eat More Healthy Fats
Most of fasting’s benefits are similar to that of ketosis. The extended reduction in glucose and insulin levels seem to effectively hit the metabolic switch, so the body starts tapping into fats for fuel.
One great way to amplify the benefits of fasting is by slightly extending the fasting window. Not the non-eating window but the fasting-from-glucose window. This can be done by consuming a ketogenic breakfast with the first meal.
Just reducing the amounts of carbohydrates in the diet, particularly simple ones, can create a significant shift in metabolic function. One way to fast more or fast better without extending the fasting window, in terms of improving metabolic function, is eating more healthy fats and less simple carbohydrates.
Eat More Protein
A diet rich in protein tends to increase satiety. Simple carbohydrates are source of quick energy, which in most cases isn’t used right away but stored as fat tissue for later use. Diet high in simple carbohydrates leads to more frequent hunger cues which increases eating frequency.
Instead, adopting a diet rich in protein and healthy fats extends the time we extrapolate energy from food. Eating a steak or an avocado omlette will hold us for longer, than eating a large bowl of rice.
As it relates to carbohyrates, complex one that are rich in fiber tend to do better in relation to weight loss, satiety, and metabolic health. Fiber, especially soluble fiber attracts water and forms a gel, thus slowing down digestion. Incorporating some complex carbohydrates like whole grains, lentils, beans, and leafy vegetables is a great starting point.
Consistent Sleep Schedule
A regular sleep schedule is another key factor in managing hunger and cravings. During sleep deprivation the drive to consume simple carbs increases. Poor sleep leads to an imbalance in two hunger-related hormones ghrelin and leptin. It increases ghrelin, promoting hunger and decreases the secretion of leptin, a satiety-signalling hormone.
Poor sleep can imbalance hunger hormones leading to overeating or bad food choices. (9) (10) By getting quality sleep consistently, we can help regulate our appetite and make healthier food choices.
Eat Mindfully
Eating reduces stress by activating the PNS and reducing cortisol levels. Most people find it hard to distinguish between those signals. A stressful event at work can stimulate all sorts of hunger cues. At nighttime, when one’s tired, discipline is low and battery is drained, the body seeks a source of quick energy. All of a sudden, cookies are much more attractive to soothe stress.
Practicing mindful eating can be a helpful tool in overcoming hunger and cravings. This involves paying attention to our body’s hunger and fullness cues and eating slowly and deliberately. By eating mindfully, we can tune into our body’s natural hunger and fullness signals, which can help prevent overeating and make it easier to manage cravings. An important factor is eating slowly, because by doing so, we can feel the satiety cues earlier on.
Fasting Mistakes to Avoid
Inadequate Hydration
Inadequate hydration is one of the most common fasting mistakes one can easily avoid. Dehydration leads to headaches, fatigue, and brain fog, increasing the sensation of low energy.
Heavy Meal
Breaking the fast with a heavy meal puts a significant strain on the metabolism. After a longer fast, our bodies need light adaptation to start digesting back again. To lighten this transition, one can consume smaller meals, not over-reliant on simple carbohydrates. An example would be a handful of walnuts, an avocado omelet, or oats with Greek yogurt and nuts.
Fasting Too Long
Jumping into long fasts too quickly can be counterproductive, assuming our goal is to make fasting a daily routine. Quick drop in energy consumption and hypoglycemia can happen as a result, not allowing one to function optimally. Fasting needs to be adapted to one’s lifestyle.
Meal Timing
Sole focus on meal timing instead of paying attention on nutrient diversity and quality. Having a short eating window doesn’t mean eating unhealthy is healthy. Healthy foods are even more important during fasting to give the body the nutritional support and enzymes it needs to support function and repair.
