Intermittent Fasting is a way to gain control of something in your life right now. But if you’re not sure if NOW is the time with many people stuck in their homes and uncertain about food supply, we’re here to help. The Coronavirus has many people wondering if it’s safe to fast, but we’re here to tell you YES! When you do it safely and have a plan in place, you can lose weight and create a healthy lifestyle with fasting.

As you know, the FASTer Way to Fat Loss is based on several cutting-edge nutritional strategies: Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro counting. However, the key distinguishing factor is our emphasis on fasting.

While the idea of withholding food during a global pandemic seems daunting, it’s actually quite simple once you have a plan! In fact, it usually ends up being some of our clients’ favorite things about the program! At a time when so many things are out of your control, food is something you can control.

And right now, it’s more important than ever to keep your health goals in place. With so many people in isolation, it’s easier to use food as a crutch and gain the trending “Quarantine 15”.

We realize food can become a coping mechanism to relieve stress and power through, but that is a SHORT-TERM fix. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss is all about creating healthy habits that are sustainable and will benefit you long after the COVID-19 outbreak is over. Being stuck in your home can make you feel isolated, but you are not in this alone! You are part of an entire global community helping you virtually. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss has helped more than 115,000 women and men regain the health and confidence they thought they’d lost. Imagine that kind of a support system right now.

So, is now the time to start fasting for long periods each day? If you take it slow and follow tips from those of us who have been there, yes!

Why Try Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a powerful nutrition strategy on its own, but when combined with balanced whole-food nutrition, carb cycling (another natural, highly effective fat-burning strategy), plus strategic workouts that maximize the fat loss cycle, you’ll experience results you never dreamed you’d achieve.

An unhealthy diet adds more stressors to your body like blood sugar spikes, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. Fasting is all about regulating your system and getting rid of these things.

You’ll reduce inflammation, maximize your metabolism, and naturally detoxify your body, just to name a few. It’s one thing you can feel GOOD about.

You may be thinking I’ve tried all the diets and quick fixes, I’m sure this won’t work either. Friend, no matter how many other programs have failed you, you can still experience incredible fat loss, improved health, increased energy and so much more—when you start giving your body what it needs.

BUT HOW DO YOU SURVIVE INTERMITTENT FASTING RIGHT NOW? HERE ARE A FEW TIPS!

Start Slowly

We practice 16/8 Intermittent Fasting: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating. With many foods being stockpiled and stressors coming into our lives, it’s a good idea to start mildly. Especially if this is your first time and aren’t used to going long periods without food. We highly recommend starting with a 10-hour fast. Cut off your eating at 7 or 8 pm, then don’t eat breakfast until 10 hours later. It’s very doable and is probably a period of time you already fast. You can gradually increase the length of your fast an hour at a time, until you reach the 16-hour mark. In addition, don’t feel as though you have to start fasting every day. We recommend starting with Friday. Cut your eating window off at 7 pm on Friday night, then don’t eat anything until late-morning Saturday, when you aren’t preparing for work or any other weekday obligations. This will help you dip your toe into the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed.

Recognize if Food Is a Coping Mechanism

Many of our members are working from home right now, which means the company fridge is suddenly your fridge. You have more food available at an arm’s reach than you normally do. Be aware of it and stick to the plan. Seek out other ways to make it through the day like calling a friend or family member, meditating, going for a walk or doing housework. The benefits of fasting are extremely effective and sustainable, but you have to make it a part of your lifestyle. If you are someone who has always relied on food as a pick me up, you’ll have to look at this as a lifestyle change, not a short-term way to lose five pounds.

Stay Hydrated

When routine is thrown off, we tend to forget those little moments of self-care that are so important throughout the day. Even during normal circumstances, it’s really important to stay hydrated during your fast. Water is essential for keeping your joints pain free, flushing out toxins and fighting off hunger. Did you know the same signal that tells us we are hungry is the same signal that tells us we’re thirsty?  True story! Understanding this will help when you feel those initial hunger pangs. Many of our clients reduce or eliminate their hunger signal just by adding in a few extra ounces of H₂O when they feel the urge to eat throughout their fasting period. In addition to water, it is totally acceptable to drink black coffee, herbal teas, and BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids—choose a clean brand!).

Stay Busy

This is a big one right now as many people are facing boredom and mind tennis. Staying active and productive is helpful during this period of time and it happens to be a great tool for making it through your fasting period is to stay busy. In fact, productivity is one of my favorite side effects of Intermittent Fasting. Because you aren’t worried about fixing your next meal (or scarfing down a quick snack) you can focus on work and getting things done. Plus, staying busy keeps your mind from thinking about food and helps you get through your fasting period with ease!

Find Accountability

As day-to-day life leaves you feeling in a rut right now, overly bored, or just full of excuses (yes, we know the feeling!), it’s easy to fall back into old habits. A strong support system can make all the difference. Try it with a friend, family member, or even your spouse. You can share your struggles, thoughts, or even just motivate each other. But guess what? Through the FASTer Way, you’ll also be greeted with a community of thousands of VIRTUAL members that took that initial step to lasting health, just like you. We will celebrate your wins and, on the hard days, we’ll encourage you and remind you why you started. But that’s just it. YOU HAVE TO START! So grab a colleague, your bestie, or a neighbor and go!

Put It All Together

Intermittent Fasting is a highly effective strategy, but when you combine it with whole foods, balanced macros, effective workouts, and carb cycling, you will become a fat-burning machine!

“Left, the day I started FASTer Way. I was 7 months postpartum and continually gaining weight, despite doing everything (paleo, a few boutique workouts here and there) that had worked in the past. Embarrassed and wearing baggy shirts to hide it. Desperate for someone to drag me out of the weight loss noise and confusion and give me a healthy, sustainable solution. On the right, about 8 weeks later. Holding much less fat, mood balanced, more energy, eating more than ever, doing a few 30 min workouts per week… HAPPY. Amanda Tress cracked the code, friends, trust me, I cannot stress this enough.” –Shea, FASTer Way Community Member*

*Results may vary from person to person.

FASTer Way clients know the power of Intermittent Fasting. Try it out for yourself!

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