5 Mistakes to Avoid When Fasting Intermittently (and How to Lose the Most Weight Safely)

Is it possible to eat whatever, not watch calories, and melt away stubborn fat from the comfort of your home without doing strenuous exercises at the gym?

What to do in cases of “stubborn” fat?

According to health and wellness experts, intermittent fasting is one of the best solutions for transformation.

Reduce Hunger, Cravings, and Belly Fat

You can have it all. Intermittent fasting allows you to enjoy delicious meals and helps you lose weight and feel energized at the same time. 

One of the main reasons so many people fail intermittent fasting is that they start by longer than necessary fasting windows or cutting food groups, which shocks the body.

Keep reading if you want a smooth transition to intermittent fasting, lose fat, and keep it off the healthy way.

What you’re about to read are 5 mistakes to avoid to be successful on your intermittent fasting journey.

Mistake #1: Rushing Into Intermittent Fasting

Surely you’ve heard of the stories: intermittent fasting melts pounds of fat, changing how people look entirely… If it’s done right. 

Thousands of men and women worldwide have used this eating strategy. It’s proven, and the results speak for themselves. People lose flabby arms, fat on thighs, and stubborn belly fat too. 

But before you get too excited, be careful. 

According to health and wellness expert Dr. Alexander H. Blackwell, “Intermittent fasting is a very knowledge-based diet. Rushing in without a plan is short-sighted as it will most likely fail,” he says.

If you rush to intermittent fasting without a plan, here’s what you can expect: 

• You will not know which intermittent fasting protocol best suits your body and routine. 
• You will be hungry because you won’t know what foods to eat during your eating windows and what makes you feel satiated when fasting.
• The weight won’t go down as fast as it could or will not move at all.

Instead, Dr. Blackwell recommends a professional, custom intermittent fasting plan based on your age, eating preferences, and other criteria.

“Look for support and ideas on how to manage intermittent fasting correctly,” he says. “Your health is the number one priority. Take care of yourself, and you will start seeing the benefits in the nearest future.”

Mistake #2: Not Getting Enough B Vitamins

After starting intermittent fasting, you might feel tired. 

Your body is not used to going long periods without food. YET. Think of your stomach as something that needs to be trained. 

At first, fasting might feel challenging, but over time, your body will become more comfortable operating with less food. 

There is, however, an early side effect that comes with intermittent fasting – fatigue. The actual reason behind this might be not consuming enough vitamin B.

“B vitamins are mostly found in whole grains,” explains Blackwell. “Lacking them can make you feel tired, lower your energy levels, and slow down your weight loss progress.”

Fortunately, you can still get plenty of B vitamins from correctly balanced foods. You just need to eat food aligned with a fasting lifestyle.

Mistake #3: Not Eating Enough Fiber

There’s a lot of fiber in fruits and whole grains. But the issue is that only a few people consume enough of these products. 

So you need to be extra conscious to get a nice amount of fiber during your eating window. 

Dr. Blackwell states, “Fiber is essential to help regulate digestion, hunger, and fullness cues. It helps provide long-lasting energy and a steady blood glucose level.”

In other words, fiber is critical. If you don’t eat enough, you may feel hungry, break your fast, and ruin your hard work. 

The recommended approach is to eat more whole grains and vegetables. All kinds are great.

Don’t like eating vegetables all the time? Consider trying fiber supplements to refresh your body.

Mistake #4: Leptin Resistance

Leptin is a powerful fat-controlling hormone. 

It sends a signal to your brain that says, “you’re full,” so you know when to stop eating. It diminishes hunger pangs naturally. If your body produces leptin properly, your appetite will stay in check. 

But when your body produces too much leptin, your brain stops receiving the signal. So you don’t feel full easily, which causes overeating and eventually excessive weight gain. 

How to avoid that? Fix the underlying root causes of leptin resistance:

• Irregular or poor sleep patterns
• Too many processed foods 
• Overeating during your eating window
• Too much stress

One of the many benefits of intermittent fasting is that it can help fix leptin resistance: “Fasting helps reduce the inflammation that causes leptin resistance and resets leptin receptors, encouraging weight loss.”

Mistake #5: The “Google Curse”

With a bit of light research on Google, you’ll find thousands of intermittent fasting weight loss transformations. The proof is everywhere, and it’s easy to get excited. 

Many people read a few articles, note a few intermittent fasting-friendly recipes, then try to get started on their own. 

But this is a mistake. Just knowing you need to restrict your eating time is not enough. Often, the meals and fasting protocols you find online are good separately yet may cause nutritional imbalances when combined.

Don’t start intermittent fasting without help, especially if you don’t know the answers to questions like: 

• “What is the correct fasting window for most weight loss for you?”
• “How much weight can you lose with intermittent fasting?”
• “Does sleeping count as fasting?”
• “What can I eat during the fasting window?”
• “Does coffee/tea break the fast?”

How can you find the correct answers to these questions and learn to achieve your weight goals successfully?

The Solution to Start Dropping Clothes Sizes Fast and Healthy

“If you’ve tried any other diet before but never did fasting, you should be pleasantly surprised,” says Dr. Blackwell.

“With a personalized fasting plan that considers your age, physical shape, and lifestyle preferences, people lose 10, 20, and more pounds. And that is without food restrictions or strenuous exercise. 

That’s what I see all the time. 

I suggest completing a short but very informative quiz to take the guesswork out of your weight loss and intermittent fasting (link below).

In less than 2 minutes, you can get a personalized intermittent fasting guide app, including meal plans perfectly aligned with the fasting lifestyle and created by professional nutritionists. (The app also offers trials, especially around holidays, which has been very convenient for many of my patients).

With such a plan alongside weight loss, you’re likely to experience other benefits of fasting: increased metabolism and energy, little to no food cravings, and better mood.”