After I started posting about intermittent fasting, I have many patients asking more and more information about a good starting point.

“I have never done a fast before, how can I even get started?”

Intermittent fasting is a practice where you don’t eat for an extended period of time. This has tremendous health benefits such as weight loss, reducing inflammation, improved blood sugar control, and increased cellular recycling (autophagy).

The easiest way to start fasting is with overnight fasting. It is an easy twelve hours of a continual fast. This will begin your journey to time-restricted eating.

For example, if you eat your dinner at 6:30 pm and finish around 7 pm, do NOT eat anything until the following morning at 7 am. This type of overnight fast will promote good sounds sleep. Your will have decreased bloated and belly will feel light. If you have any hunger pains, drink a large class of water. This will blunt your hunger pains very quickly.

This overnight fast is even a challenge for many of my patients. It will get easier as time goes along! Keep practicing.

You should discuss the overnight fast with your doctor.

Once you get used to the overnight fast, you should move your dinner one hour earlier and eat one hour later the following morning.

When you wake up the next morning, drink some hot tea or black coffee. This will train your palate to consume beverages without added sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Soon, you can work your way up to 10,12, and 14 hours.

Stay tuned for the next article…. 🙂