Recently a friend of mine took a picture of me after I was swimming and I have to say I was pretty bummed out seeing how much weight I have gained. Millions of people struggle with their weight and try all sorts of diets or hit the gym hard with sometimes little to no results. I thought to myself I need to lose the weight and another friend said he has had success with intermittent fasting. So if you would like to take this journey with me, keep reading. Here are a few tips to consider when fasting.

Choose your window: depending on your schedule and how much time you want to put into fasting, there are different variables. I am fasting between the hours of 6 pm to 11 am. A decent part of it will be when I am asleep. This only gives me 7 hours to eat.

Start gradually especially if you are new to fasting. Ease into it and slowly increase the hours of fasting. During your fasting times you need to stay hydrated, so drink plenty of water. 

Since you are going to try and get healthy and lose weight, why not eat right and focus on a well-balanced diet during those eating times. Foods that are lean proteins are great for the body so make sure chicken, fish, turkey and possibly game meat is part of your diet.

Foods like avocado, nuts, leafy greens, broccoli, and bell peppers can make a meal amazing so try different recipes with these. Can you say venison stuffed peppers! Fruits can be high in sugar so take berries, apples and citrus fruits in moderation. 

I am a huge fan of drinking milk (maybe it is the kid inside me) so try Greek yogurt, almond milk and cheese (in moderation) as snacks. 

I mentioned water, but you can also drink herbal teas and my personal favorite black coffee anytime. Caffeine from coffee may help reduce your appetite, just remember the coffee has to be black.

Lastly try to avoid processed food and sugary snacks. Your body is going to look for fuel and we want it to go after fats. The sugary foods won’t help when fasting, and it doesn’t help with your overall health. 

Make sure to consult with your doctor before trying any type of dieting and get their recommendations. We will see how I and hopefully you do over the next month! Best of luck! You got this!