You’ve probably heard of – or even experimenting with – intermittent fasting (also known as time-limited eating), which can promote a lot of health benefits, including disease prevention and weight loss.
Still, you may not get a reason for a shade of intermittent fasting that can make it both incredibly beneficial and easier to embrace: use your intuition to control your eating patterns.
In his new book Intuitive fast, Dr. Will Cole, a leading functional medicine expert, outlines a four-week plan to restore your hunger signals and recharge your metabolism by purchasing prescribed meal times for those whose innate functions for you. “The truth is that most of us have followed an artificial schedule that does not reflect our bodies’ natural and most optimal eating schedule,” says Dr. Cole. “Eating three meals a day can actually cause metabolic inflexibility, which can easily lead to inflammation, weight gain, fatigue and chronic health problems. (To measure your own metabolic flexibility, take this quiz.)
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So, how does intuitive fasting help you lose unhealthy excess weight? “When blood sugar is balanced, satiety signals are improved and metabolism is more stable, allowing us to eat and quickly gently intuitively,” says Dr. Cole. “By being in contact with your body, you have more freedom of action about how, when and what you eat, instead of the food controlling you.”
Below are some additional tips for utilizing your biological clues to support healthy weight loss:
Our bodies work on a daily wake-up cycle (circadian rhythm). “Our metabolism also adapted to eating during the day and sleeping at night,” recalls Dr. Cole. “So if you eat before bed, just as your metabolism slows down, it can cause your body to store those calories as fat instead of using them as fuel.”
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Some studies show that eating after 20:00 has been associated with higher leptin levels and more weight gain. While you’re at it, skip the booze too. It’s just empty calories in a glass, and research from The Sleep Foundation shows that moves with your sleep (which in turn can cause weight gain).
One way to warm up for a time-limited meal is to choose a 12-hour food window (say 8-20), followed by a 12-hour fixed window (8-20). This is a fairly simple way to start suppressing unhealthy habits, such as thinking about the evening.
Aim for half your body weight in ounces. Being sufficiently hydrated gives you more energy, which prevents you from reaching a misleadingly fast energy solution in the form of sugar. It will also make sure that you do not suspect thirst for hunger. If you can not get another glass of water down, try this moisturizing cock juice.
One last but important note: Fasting is not for everyone, as Dr. Cole explained in this Instagram post, says: “I say very clearly throughout the book to discuss [any eating protocol] with your eating disorder specialist and doctor. If it’s right for you, intuitive fasting and intuitive eating can be a path to healthy, sustainable weight loss and overall food peace.
For more, check out these 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work.
