March 30, 2025 • 26 mins
Are you struggling to see results from your fasting routine? It's time to identify and correct the common mistakes that might be holding you back! In this video, we'll dive into the 5 biggest fasting mistakes that are ruining your results and provide you with actionable tips on how to avoid them. From understanding the benefits of fasting for weight loss to making intermittent fasting a sustainable lifestyle, we'll cover it all. Learn how to do intermittent fasting correctly and maximize its benefits by avoiding these common mistakes. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced faster, this video is for you! So, let's get started and take your fasting journey to the next level!
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:20 The benefits of fasting
2:21 Hunger when fasting
4:11 What is intermittent fasting?
7:07 Mistake 1: Not eating enough in your feeding window
12:41 Mistake 2: Drinking the wrong things
16:27 Mistake 3: Not replenishing electrolytesÂ
19:28 Mistake 4: Fasting too aggressively
23:16 Mistake 5: Breaking your fast wrong
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Are you fasting but maybe not seeing the results you expected
or hoped for? Maybe you're finding it really
hard to stick to a fasting schedule.
You're getting cravings, you're feeling hungry, fatigue, brain
fog. Chances are you're making at
least one of these common fasting mistakes.
And that's what we're going to be focusing on.
Today's video, the five most common fasting mistakes and how
(00:23):
to fix them. Hi, guys, and welcome back to
the Healthy Not Complicated podcast.
I'm your host health coach, Kate.
I'm a nutritionist who specialises in insulin
resistance, blood sugar control.I work with a lot of people
using low carb ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting or ways of
eating where they're just being smart about carbs and don't
(00:43):
really fall into one nutrition category label.
I don't think everything needs to be labelled, but I use low
carb or smart carb approaches tohelp people balance their blood
sugar, improve insulin resistance, reverse insulin
resistance, reverse PCOS, even pre diabetes and type 2
diabetes. And the mistakes we're going to
(01:05):
be talking about in today's video I see all the time.
Now the good news is, is that most of them are relatively easy
to fix and some of them it's almost frustrating how easy they
are and how much better you can feel just by making these simple
changes because fasting, even just daily intermittent fasting
can be such a powerful tool. It helps to reduce insulin
(01:27):
levels and reverse insulin, someresistance, improve insulin
sensitivity. It is the best approach to lower
insulin because when you're not eating, your blood sugar isn't
going up and down. Your body doesn't need to
release insulin to help to control your blood sugar.
And it's when we're in this low insulin state that our body and
(01:48):
our cells become more sensitive to insulin once again.
Which of course, beyond just reversing insulin resistance,
has a whole bunch of other benefits as well for your
metabolic health and how you feel day to day.
And I really wanted to make thisepisode because a lot of people,
when they first start intermittent fasting, they find
it really difficult and they endup quitting.
(02:08):
And it really doesn't need to behard if you're doing it right.
The goal of fasting isn't just to skip meals.
It's not to feel deprived. It's not to feel like you're
starving. If you're doing it right, then
you shouldn't feel hungry or youshouldn't feel overly hungry.
A little bit of hunger, totally fine.
Sometimes we can feel hungry just based on the time of day
(02:32):
that we typically eat because our bodies get into a routine
where they know what time we're going to eat and they release
hormones that can help with metabolism and breaking down
your food at that time. So if you eat every day at noon
and then there's one day where it's 12:30 and you haven't eaten
yet, even if you're not technically hungry, even if you
(02:56):
had a really Big Breakfast and there is still energy available
for your body to use, you might feel hungry and it's just
because your body is anticipating a meal at this
time. So a little bit of hunger,
totally normal. But if it's dehabilitating to
the point where you can't get anything else done, where your
brain fog is so, so bad you can't focus and do anything else
(03:17):
with your day, that's not normal.
And it doesn't have to be that way.
Fixing the mistakes we're going to talk about in this video can
make fasting feel almost effortless and make it even more
effective. Because at the end of the day,
if you can't stick to something,if it's not sustainable, then
any results you get are not going to be long lasting.
(03:39):
Any change you make to your diet, your lifestyle, which
includes intermittent fasting, you want it to be something that
you can stick to, that you can maintain because that's how
you're going to get those lasting results.
Crash diets, not the answer. Now before we get into mistake
number one, I want to hear from you guys.
Let me know in the comments section what has been your
biggest struggle or biggest hurdle when it comes to fasting
(04:02):
when it comes to sticking to an intermittent fasting schedule.
I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say and if what you
guys comment is going to be addressed in this video.
Now a quick recap of what intermittent fasting is.
It basically just means you havea fasting schedule where you
spend a period of each day in a fed state and a fasted state.
(04:22):
So typically in modern day, mostpeople spend most of the day
eating. We eat as soon as we wake up, we
have a snack mid morning, we have lunch, we have dessert, we
have another snack before dinner, then we have dinner.
Then we're eating late in the evening.
So this means that we're eating for a larger portion of our day,
(04:44):
then we're fasting. Of course, everyone is fasting
when they're sleeping overnight.When you're asleep, this is
still considered to be your fasting window, but a much
larger percentage of the day is spent in a fed state for most
people. And this is a large part of why
we see so many people nowadays with insulin resistance, with
belly fat, with obesity, type 2 diabetes, PCOS.
(05:08):
It's because we are spending so much time during the day in this
fed state where insulin levels are high.
So if we can just adjust that even a little bit and spend a
little bit more time each day ina fasted state, this just
improves your health across the board.
Now when we're talking about intermittent fasting, we're not
talking about extreme calorie restriction.
(05:32):
You should still be eating enough to meet your energy needs
within your feeding window. And of course, again, most
people nowadays are over consuming their energy needs.
A lot of people are sedentary and don't need to be eating
anywhere near as much as what they are eating.
And even if they are active, again, most people are
overeating, so some calorie restriction is going to be
(05:55):
beneficial for most people. And this does tend to fall into
place naturally when people start intermittent fasting
because of course, if you have asmaller window each day that
you're eating, then naturally you start to eat less.
This isn't the case for everyone.
There are some people who go a bit crazy during their feeding
window because they know they'renot going to be eating for a
(06:15):
long period of time, and then they overeat within their
feeding window. That's a whole separate issue.
But for a lot of people, they end up eating a little bit less,
which can be a good thing when they're doing intermittent
fasting. The goal of intermittent fasting
is not to restrict calories extremely.
It's to spend a larger portion of your day in the fasted state.
(06:35):
Because as I said, if you can spend more time with your
insulin levels low. This comes with a whole bunch of
benefits for our metabolism, forour weight, for our blood sugar
control. It can help reduce your risk of
pre diabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's.
So that's why someone might wantto try intermittent fasting.
(06:56):
But if you're watching this video, I'm sure that you've
already given it a shot. And maybe there's one area
you're struggling with. So let's get into the five most
common mistakes and how to fix them.
Mistake #1 is that you're not eating enough at your meals.
And I kind of just touched on this, but I want to dive into it
a little bit deeper because whenyou restrict calories
(07:17):
significantly over a long periodof time, this has a lot of
negative side effects. Your body basically realises
that it's not getting enough energy to meet your full energy
demand needs. So it starts cutting back on
certain processes and it starts slowing down your metabolism.
And This is why chronic dieters,if they've restricted their
(07:39):
calories and they're tracking and measuring everything, there
comes a point in time where they're eating the same amount.
They're tracking their calories they were losing and they
plateau. And the only way they can
continue losing weight at this point is to restrict their
calories further. And that is because their
metabolism has slowed down, because their body has realised
(07:59):
that it isn't getting as much energy as it needs.
And when this happens, other side effects can occur.
You can start to lose weight, your nails can become brittle,
you can have issues with your skin.
And this is because your body isdown regulating the processes
that aren't 100% essential. Obviously it wants to prioritise
(08:22):
keeping your lungs working, keeping your heart beating,
those sorts of things. So things like hair loss can
occur because this isn't completely necessary for
survival. A lot of people who approach
intermittent fasting, they come from a background of dieting.
I feel like all of us to some extent have fallen victim to
(08:43):
this, where we've been told the solution to lose weight, to get
healthier is to eat less and move more.
So people are in this mindset that they need to be eating
less. And then on top of that, they're
trying to do intermittent fasting.
And what ends up happening is they end up eating well below
their energy needs. Now, I am not a fan of of
(09:07):
calorie counting, even of macro counting.
I do think these things can be helpful tools in the beginning
if you are someone who is just getting started and has no idea,
no concept of how many calories are in certain foods, of the
macro nutrient breakdown of certain foods.
Using something like My Fitness Pal or Life Sum to scan barcodes
(09:32):
and get an idea of how much fat,protein and carbohydrates are in
certain foods and just to understand it at a basic level,
that's when I think tracking andmeasuring these things can be
helpful. Now, calorie counting is not
sustainable long term. And as I spoke about at the
start of this video, we really want to be building habits that
we can stick to. A lot of people will go on a
(09:55):
diet where they're tracking everything, they're counting
every calorie, everything they're putting in their mouth.
But you can only do that so long.
So yes, they will lose the weight.
They might hit their goal weight, feel amazing, but then
they fall back into old habits, They regain the weight.
(10:15):
So that's why I don't think thatcalorie counting is the solution
for most people who want to loseweight and keep it off.
Basically the framework that I use with clients is to
prioritise protein at every meal.
Get at least 30 grammes of protein.
High quality animal protein is going to be best because it's
the most bioavailable. From there you want to choose a
(10:39):
healthy fat or cooking oil. So something like ghee, tallow,
butter. If what you're cooking doesn't
require a high temperature, thenyou can use olive oil or avocado
oil. From there you can add some
fruits and vegetables from wholefood sources.
If you're trying to eat a littlebit lower carb than choose non
(10:59):
starchy vegetables and a low sugar fruit.
But in general if you're eating all Whole Foods or most of your
meals are made up of Whole Foods, then this is going to be
on the lower carbohydrate side. In general.
Even if you're having like sweetpotato and squash and that sort
of thing, then you can of courseadd other healthy fats.
So add avocado, olives, top yourveggies with some butter or your
(11:22):
steak, that sort of thing. And if you use this framework
where you're basing your meals around protein, which is
extremely satiating, which is important for so, so many
functions in the body, And then you're adding your fat, getting
enough fat, being a little bit smart about your carbohydrates.
If you use this framework, calories, macros, they fall into
(11:43):
place and you don't need to measure things or track.
So if you've experienced any of the side effects I spoke about
earlier, hair loss, muscle loss,if your nails are brittle, if
your skin's breaking out, that sort of thing, if you feel cold
or tired all the time or if you're constantly thinking about
food, these are signs that your metabolism has slowed down.
(12:03):
And that could be that you're not eating enough within your
feeding window. So I would encourage you to
ditch the calorie counting apps,build your meals using the
framework that I just outlined, and try to have two to three
meals within your feeding window.
Minimise snacks if possible. If you can do this, and
(12:25):
especially if you're getting enough protein, then you're
going to feel a lot better within your fasting window
because you're getting enough energy in your feeding window.
And you're also not going to experience these other side
effects and you're going to keepyour metabolism happy.
Mistake #2 is that you're drinking the wrong thing.
Now I get asked probably almost every day what drinks won't
(12:49):
break a fast. Now of course everyone knows
water is great. Sparkling water is great.
Black coffee, unsweetened tea, these are all 100% fine.
Will not break your fast. They are great.
Even water with electrolytes we'll get into electrolytes a
little bit later in this video, but that won't break your fast
(13:10):
as well as long as they don't have any added sugar or fillers
or artificial sweetener. So those are all the completely
safe options. Now there is a little bit of a
grey area in terms of what drinks break a fast because of
things like bulletproof coffee. So Bulletproof coffee is
basically coffee where you add butter or MCT oil, you add fat
to your coffee. And yes, this technically is
(13:33):
calories, but because because it's fat, it doesn't raise your
insulin levels. So it keeps you in a ketogenic
state. And if your goal of fasting is
things like weight loss and other things that stem from
being in ketosis, then Bulletproof coffee won't take
away from these benefits, it's only going to enhance them.
So because of that, a lot of people say that Bulletproof
(13:55):
coffee doesn't break a fast, andI'd agree with that.
But where I see people sometimesgo wrong is when they're having
like 2-3, 4 bulletproof coffees within their fasting window.
Now, the initial bulletproof fasting strategy just had one
bulletproof coffee in the morning, and basically that
(14:17):
coffee was meant to hold you over until you had your first
meal around midday. It was meant to replace
breakfast and allow you to be inthat low insulin stable blood
sugar state for a little bit longer.
So that was just one bulletproofcoffee.
But sometimes I talk to people and they're having like 2-3,
(14:40):
like I said, 4 even in the morning.
And yes, your insulin is still going to be low, but you end up
having like 506 hundred, 700 calories within a fasting
window. And at the end of the day, that
is going to take away some of the benefits of fasting.
(15:00):
So that's one part of this mistake that I see people
making. Another mistake that's a little
bit of a grey area is diet soda.Now, I know some people who do
intermittent fasting swear by drinking diet soda.
They'll have multiple cans of Diet Coke or whatnot during
(15:20):
their fasting window, and these technically are 0 calorie
drinks. They don't raise your blood
sugar, but there's mixed evidence out there on whether or
not they raise your insulin levels.
For some people, just having that sweet taste in their mouth
is enough to trigger the releaseof insulin because your body
(15:42):
thinks that there's sugar comingin, that there's energy coming
in that it needs to deal with. So if that's the case, if your
insulin is raising, then you're taking away from the benefits of
your fat. Like I said, the evidence on
this is mixed though, so it is abit of a grey area.
If you're having diet soda during your fasting window and
you're still seeing the results that you're after, it's up to
(16:05):
you. I'm still not a fan of
artificial sweeteners for other reasons in terms of brain health
and that sort of thing. Again, the evidence on that is a
little bit mixed. If you want to be completely
safe though, then stick to 0 calorie, no added sweetener, no
artificial sweetener drinks likecoffee, black tea, water,
(16:26):
etcetera. The third mistake that I see
people making is they're not replenishing their electrolytes
now when we're in a low insulin state.
And This is why a lot of people lose water weight when they
first start low carb ketogenic diet or when they first start
intermittent fasting is because when we eat fewer carbs, our
(16:47):
bodies retain less water. And when we retain less water,
we also retain fewer electrolytes.
So when we're talking electrolytes, we're talking
about essential minerals, thingslike sodium, magnesium,
potassium, calcium, Those are probably the main ones.
These are important for fluid balance in the body, for nerve
(17:07):
function, for muscle function. So if we're not getting enough
electrolytes in, if our electrolytes are out of balance
or if they're low, we can experience things such as
fatigue, headaches is a big one,muscle cramps, dizziness,
cravings for salt and sugar. These are all signs that your
electrolytes are out of balance.And again, really, really easy
(17:30):
fix all it takes to replenish your electrolytes.
A lot of times sodium is the main one people are low in.
And especially if you started intermittent fasting, we've also
adopted more of a whole food diet.
We get a lot of sodium. I say we as a collective, as
like modern people, we get a lotof sodium from processed food.
So if you've swapped from eatinga lot of processed food to
(17:53):
eating mainly whole food, you'regetting significantly fewer
electrolytes in through your diet.
Easy fix here is just to add a pinch of salt to your water in
the morning. That's a good way to get some
sodium in or to use a 0 sugar, 0artificial sweetener electrolyte
supplement like Sodium and Sodium is actually the sponsor
(18:14):
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are an absolute game changer forfasting.
Their electrolyte blend is specifically formulated to
support hydration during fastingwithout any sugar or artificial
junk. I personally use sodium during
my fasting window to prevent headaches and fatigue and it
makes a huge difference. Their electrolytes contain the
(18:34):
perfect balance of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
As I already mentioned, if you're fasting, you need to be
replacing electrolytes, especially if you've experienced
any of the side effects we spokeabout earlier.
You can check out sodium by heading to
healthcoachk.com/sodium Electrolytes.
I'll also put that link in the description box down below.
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(18:58):
And they actually just released 2 limited edition flavours,
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before they're gone. Bone broth is another great way
to get some electrolytes in during your fasting window.
And yes, bone broth does have a bit of protein and a few
calories, but really not enough to make a significant difference
(19:20):
and to break your fast really. And I think the pros of it
replenishing your electrolytes outweigh the cons.
Mistake #4 I see is that you're fasting too aggressively.
A lot of people start fasting, they feel really great, and they
keep trying to push it longer and longer.
And longer isn't necessarily better.
(19:42):
Yes, there are amazing benefits when you do extended fasting.
So for 24483672 hours things like autophagy really ramp up
and that's basically where your body clears out damaged cells
and it's great for longevity anda whole bunch of other benefits.
I'll link a video up above on autophagy if you want to know
(20:03):
more about that. But extended fast only need to
be done depending on how much weight you have to lose.
If you are obese, morbidly obese, you can definitely
benefit from doing extended fasting more regularly and more
often. But if you're a normal weight,
or even if you're overweight to not.
Obese. To get maximum benefits from
(20:24):
extended fasting, you only really need to do it once a
month, once a quarter, even twice a year, that sort of
thing, depending on how long you're doing to get the benefits
that come from metophagy and from fasting for extended
periods of time. I know one meal a day, OMAD has
become very popular recently, and I think that is a little bit
(20:47):
too extreme for most people, at least on an ongoing basis,
especially for women who are of childbearing age.
It can really, really mess with your hormones.
Fasting too frequently and fasting for too long and also
not getting enough energy in. In general.
If you're doing one meal a day, then I find a lot of people,
(21:08):
they aren't meeting their protein needs for the day and
they aren't meeting their energyneeds.
And this can backfire. Like I said earlier, it can
actually slow down your metabolism and you'll experience
all those side effects we spoke about.
Going to extreme with your fast can also lead to overeating
during your feeding window, especially for women.
It can increase cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and this
(21:30):
can actually lead to you holdingonto more weight.
So if you were someone who you've been kind of pushing it
further and further, but you're not seeing the results that
you're after, you might have pushed it too far.
So I would encourage you to takeit back a step.
Reduce your fasting window to 16hours, 14 hours, 12 hours.
Try to get at least two to threemeals in within your feeding
(21:53):
window. I find this is the sweet spot
for most people because they canstill have a big enough fasting
window in order to get the benefits, but they're also able
to eat enough and get enough protein in during their feeding
window. So it's the best of both worlds.
And This is why I see a lot of people quit intermittent fasting
is again, because they keep pushing it and pushing it and
(22:15):
trying to do 20 hours a day of fasting, maybe 20-3 hours a day
of fasting and it's really not sustainable.
Now, it's nothing to be ashamed about.
If your current fasting scheduleroutine isn't working for you,
you can switch it up. There's no rules.
You don't have to do 16 hours every day.
(22:36):
You can do 17 1/2, you can do 151/2.
It doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be the
same every single day. Even if you're only doing 14 or
12 hours of intermittent fastinga day, but you can stick to that
consistently and you're feeling good.
You're not having and cravings, you're not feeling deprived.
(22:57):
That is going to be far more beneficial than if you can do 20
hours of fasting a day, but you can only stick to it five days a
week and then you're overeating on the weekends.
Or maybe you can do that for a couple of months, but then you
completely just stop and revert back to how you were eating
beforehand. Like I said, consistency is key
here and mistake #5 that I oftensee people making is they're not
(23:20):
breaking their fast correctly. Now, when we talk about breaking
your fast, it's basically what you eat the first thing you eat
to end your fasting window and to start your feeding window.
Eating the wrong food to break your fast can lead to a big
spike in blood sugar and then a big crash.
It can lead to unstable energy and mood throughout the day.
It can lead to intense hunger and craving and ultimately just
(23:44):
not getting the results you're after.
So what you don't want to break your fast with is anything that
is high in carbohydrates and high in sugar.
Oatmeal, fruit, smoothies, sugary snacks, granola bars,
cereal, even bread. Anything breaded.
Not a good idea to break your fast because you're in a fasted
(24:05):
state, so anything you eat rightaway is going to be digested
quicker than if you were in a fed state if you'd eaten a few
hours before. For example.
When you're leaving a fasted state and entering a fed state,
everything is broken down more rapidly and if it's
carbohydrates you're breaking down, it's going to cause a
bigger spike in blood sugar thanfat or protein and that's what
(24:26):
you do on a break. Your fast with is quality
protein and healthy fat. So things like eggs, avocado,
salmon if you want to have some MCT oil, butter, that sort of
thing. Also low carb non starchy
vegetables can be great. Even high carb vegetables,
things such as fruit and sweet potato, that sort of thing, they
(24:48):
can be good as long as you're getting enough protein and fat
in with them. Greek yoghurt, nuts, olives,
coconut oil, all great to break a fast.
But protein really is key here because the first thing you eat
when you break your fast is going to determine what your
blood sugar does for the entire rest of the day and what your
hunger does as well. Protein is so key for satiety,
(25:11):
so make sure you're getting at least 30 grammes in when you
break your fast. And this is going to help you to
feel amazing and have stable energy and stable blood sugar
for the rest of the day for the rest of your feeding window.
OK, so let's quickly recap the five mistakes and how to fix
them before we wrap up. Number one was not eating enough
during your feeding window #2 was drinking the wrong things.
(25:33):
Number three, it was not replenishing electrolytes.
Number 4 was fasting too aggressively and #5 was breaking
your fast incorrectly. Now I want you to take action.
If you've been struggling with intermittent fasting, sticking
to it, just feeling good on it, getting results, I can almost
guarantee that you were making at least one of these mistakes.
(25:54):
So I want you to pick one of them and try to fix it this
week. Small changes add up.
It doesn't need to be a huge, big overhaul.
Like I said, if you've been pushing your fasting window
longer and longer and it just seems to be getting harder and
harder and you're not seeing results, mix it up, shake things
up completely, pull back, make your fasting window shorter
(26:16):
because ultimately you need to be able to stick to it in order
to get these lasting results. But anyways, guys, that is all I
have for you today. I hope you found this video
helpful. If you did, make sure to click
that subscribe button if you're watching on YouTube and if
you're watching on Spotify, makesure to follow my podcast.
And if you can also leave me a review, I would really
appreciate that. And before you go, remember to
(26:37):
check out Sody's Everyday Hydration Salt because like I
said, this is a huge mistake I see so many people making when
they first start intermittent fasting, even if they've been
doing it for a while, is not replenishing electrolytes and
such an easy fix that can make you feel so much better.
Thanks guys for watching and I'll see you in the next
episode. Bye.
Are you fasting but maybe not seeing the results you expected
or hoped for? Maybe you're finding it really
hard to stick to a fasting schedule.
You're getting cravings, you're feeling hungry, fatigue, brain
fog. Chances are you're making at
least one of these common fasting mistakes.
And that's what we're going to be focusing on.
Today's video, the five most common fasting mistakes and how
(00:23):
to fix them. Hi, guys, and welcome back to
the Healthy Not Complicated podcast.
I'm your host health coach, Kate.
I'm a nutritionist who specialises in insulin
resistance, blood sugar control.I work with a lot of people
using low carb ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting or ways of
eating where they're just being smart about carbs and don't
(00:43):
really fall into one nutrition category label.
I don't think everything needs to be labelled, but I use low
carb or smart carb approaches tohelp people balance their blood
sugar, improve insulin resistance, reverse insulin
resistance, reverse PCOS, even pre diabetes and type 2
diabetes. And the mistakes we're going to
(01:05):
be talking about in today's video I see all the time.
Now the good news is, is that most of them are relatively easy
to fix and some of them it's almost frustrating how easy they
are and how much better you can feel just by making these simple
changes because fasting, even just daily intermittent fasting
can be such a powerful tool. It helps to reduce insulin
(01:27):
levels and reverse insulin, someresistance, improve insulin
sensitivity. It is the best approach to lower
insulin because when you're not eating, your blood sugar isn't
going up and down. Your body doesn't need to
release insulin to help to control your blood sugar.
And it's when we're in this low insulin state that our body and
(01:48):
our cells become more sensitive to insulin once again.
Which of course, beyond just reversing insulin resistance,
has a whole bunch of other benefits as well for your
metabolic health and how you feel day to day.
And I really wanted to make thisepisode because a lot of people,
when they first start intermittent fasting, they find
it really difficult and they endup quitting.
(02:08):
And it really doesn't need to behard if you're doing it right.
The goal of fasting isn't just to skip meals.
It's not to feel deprived. It's not to feel like you're
starving. If you're doing it right, then
you shouldn't feel hungry or youshouldn't feel overly hungry.
A little bit of hunger, totally fine.
Sometimes we can feel hungry just based on the time of day
(02:32):
that we typically eat because our bodies get into a routine
where they know what time we're going to eat and they release
hormones that can help with metabolism and breaking down
your food at that time. So if you eat every day at noon
and then there's one day where it's 12:30 and you haven't eaten
yet, even if you're not technically hungry, even if you
(02:56):
had a really Big Breakfast and there is still energy available
for your body to use, you might feel hungry and it's just
because your body is anticipating a meal at this
time. So a little bit of hunger,
totally normal. But if it's dehabilitating to
the point where you can't get anything else done, where your
brain fog is so, so bad you can't focus and do anything else
(03:17):
with your day, that's not normal.
And it doesn't have to be that way.
Fixing the mistakes we're going to talk about in this video can
make fasting feel almost effortless and make it even more
effective. Because at the end of the day,
if you can't stick to something,if it's not sustainable, then
any results you get are not going to be long lasting.
(03:39):
Any change you make to your diet, your lifestyle, which
includes intermittent fasting, you want it to be something that
you can stick to, that you can maintain because that's how
you're going to get those lasting results.
Crash diets, not the answer. Now before we get into mistake
number one, I want to hear from you guys.
Let me know in the comments section what has been your
biggest struggle or biggest hurdle when it comes to fasting
(04:02):
when it comes to sticking to an intermittent fasting schedule.
I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say and if what you
guys comment is going to be addressed in this video.
Now a quick recap of what intermittent fasting is.
It basically just means you havea fasting schedule where you
spend a period of each day in a fed state and a fasted state.
(04:22):
So typically in modern day, mostpeople spend most of the day
eating. We eat as soon as we wake up, we
have a snack mid morning, we have lunch, we have dessert, we
have another snack before dinner, then we have dinner.
Then we're eating late in the evening.
So this means that we're eating for a larger portion of our day,
(04:44):
then we're fasting. Of course, everyone is fasting
when they're sleeping overnight.When you're asleep, this is
still considered to be your fasting window, but a much
larger percentage of the day is spent in a fed state for most
people. And this is a large part of why
we see so many people nowadays with insulin resistance, with
belly fat, with obesity, type 2 diabetes, PCOS.
(05:08):
It's because we are spending so much time during the day in this
fed state where insulin levels are high.
So if we can just adjust that even a little bit and spend a
little bit more time each day ina fasted state, this just
improves your health across the board.
Now when we're talking about intermittent fasting, we're not
talking about extreme calorie restriction.
(05:32):
You should still be eating enough to meet your energy needs
within your feeding window. And of course, again, most
people nowadays are over consuming their energy needs.
A lot of people are sedentary and don't need to be eating
anywhere near as much as what they are eating.
And even if they are active, again, most people are
overeating, so some calorie restriction is going to be
(05:55):
beneficial for most people. And this does tend to fall into
place naturally when people start intermittent fasting
because of course, if you have asmaller window each day that
you're eating, then naturally you start to eat less.
This isn't the case for everyone.
There are some people who go a bit crazy during their feeding
window because they know they'renot going to be eating for a
(06:15):
long period of time, and then they overeat within their
feeding window. That's a whole separate issue.
But for a lot of people, they end up eating a little bit less,
which can be a good thing when they're doing intermittent
fasting. The goal of intermittent fasting
is not to restrict calories extremely.
It's to spend a larger portion of your day in the fasted state.
(06:35):
Because as I said, if you can spend more time with your
insulin levels low. This comes with a whole bunch of
benefits for our metabolism, forour weight, for our blood sugar
control. It can help reduce your risk of
pre diabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's.
So that's why someone might wantto try intermittent fasting.
(06:56):
But if you're watching this video, I'm sure that you've
already given it a shot. And maybe there's one area
you're struggling with. So let's get into the five most
common mistakes and how to fix them.
Mistake #1 is that you're not eating enough at your meals.
And I kind of just touched on this, but I want to dive into it
a little bit deeper because whenyou restrict calories
(07:17):
significantly over a long periodof time, this has a lot of
negative side effects. Your body basically realises
that it's not getting enough energy to meet your full energy
demand needs. So it starts cutting back on
certain processes and it starts slowing down your metabolism.
And This is why chronic dieters,if they've restricted their
(07:39):
calories and they're tracking and measuring everything, there
comes a point in time where they're eating the same amount.
They're tracking their calories they were losing and they
plateau. And the only way they can
continue losing weight at this point is to restrict their
calories further. And that is because their
metabolism has slowed down, because their body has realised
(07:59):
that it isn't getting as much energy as it needs.
And when this happens, other side effects can occur.
You can start to lose weight, your nails can become brittle,
you can have issues with your skin.
And this is because your body isdown regulating the processes
that aren't 100% essential. Obviously it wants to prioritise
(08:22):
keeping your lungs working, keeping your heart beating,
those sorts of things. So things like hair loss can
occur because this isn't completely necessary for
survival. A lot of people who approach
intermittent fasting, they come from a background of dieting.
I feel like all of us to some extent have fallen victim to
(08:43):
this, where we've been told the solution to lose weight, to get
healthier is to eat less and move more.
So people are in this mindset that they need to be eating
less. And then on top of that, they're
trying to do intermittent fasting.
And what ends up happening is they end up eating well below
their energy needs. Now, I am not a fan of of
(09:07):
calorie counting, even of macro counting.
I do think these things can be helpful tools in the beginning
if you are someone who is just getting started and has no idea,
no concept of how many calories are in certain foods, of the
macro nutrient breakdown of certain foods.
Using something like My Fitness Pal or Life Sum to scan barcodes
(09:32):
and get an idea of how much fat,protein and carbohydrates are in
certain foods and just to understand it at a basic level,
that's when I think tracking andmeasuring these things can be
helpful. Now, calorie counting is not
sustainable long term. And as I spoke about at the
start of this video, we really want to be building habits that
we can stick to. A lot of people will go on a
(09:55):
diet where they're tracking everything, they're counting
every calorie, everything they're putting in their mouth.
But you can only do that so long.
So yes, they will lose the weight.
They might hit their goal weight, feel amazing, but then
they fall back into old habits, They regain the weight.
(10:15):
So that's why I don't think thatcalorie counting is the solution
for most people who want to loseweight and keep it off.
Basically the framework that I use with clients is to
prioritise protein at every meal.
Get at least 30 grammes of protein.
High quality animal protein is going to be best because it's
the most bioavailable. From there you want to choose a
(10:39):
healthy fat or cooking oil. So something like ghee, tallow,
butter. If what you're cooking doesn't
require a high temperature, thenyou can use olive oil or avocado
oil. From there you can add some
fruits and vegetables from wholefood sources.
If you're trying to eat a littlebit lower carb than choose non
(10:59):
starchy vegetables and a low sugar fruit.
But in general if you're eating all Whole Foods or most of your
meals are made up of Whole Foods, then this is going to be
on the lower carbohydrate side. In general.
Even if you're having like sweetpotato and squash and that sort
of thing, then you can of courseadd other healthy fats.
So add avocado, olives, top yourveggies with some butter or your
(11:22):
steak, that sort of thing. And if you use this framework
where you're basing your meals around protein, which is
extremely satiating, which is important for so, so many
functions in the body, And then you're adding your fat, getting
enough fat, being a little bit smart about your carbohydrates.
If you use this framework, calories, macros, they fall into
(11:43):
place and you don't need to measure things or track.
So if you've experienced any of the side effects I spoke about
earlier, hair loss, muscle loss,if your nails are brittle, if
your skin's breaking out, that sort of thing, if you feel cold
or tired all the time or if you're constantly thinking about
food, these are signs that your metabolism has slowed down.
(12:03):
And that could be that you're not eating enough within your
feeding window. So I would encourage you to
ditch the calorie counting apps,build your meals using the
framework that I just outlined, and try to have two to three
meals within your feeding window.
Minimise snacks if possible. If you can do this, and
(12:25):
especially if you're getting enough protein, then you're
going to feel a lot better within your fasting window
because you're getting enough energy in your feeding window.
And you're also not going to experience these other side
effects and you're going to keepyour metabolism happy.
Mistake #2 is that you're drinking the wrong thing.
Now I get asked probably almost every day what drinks won't
(12:49):
break a fast. Now of course everyone knows
water is great. Sparkling water is great.
Black coffee, unsweetened tea, these are all 100% fine.
Will not break your fast. They are great.
Even water with electrolytes we'll get into electrolytes a
little bit later in this video, but that won't break your fast
(13:10):
as well as long as they don't have any added sugar or fillers
or artificial sweetener. So those are all the completely
safe options. Now there is a little bit of a
grey area in terms of what drinks break a fast because of
things like bulletproof coffee. So Bulletproof coffee is
basically coffee where you add butter or MCT oil, you add fat
to your coffee. And yes, this technically is
(13:33):
calories, but because because it's fat, it doesn't raise your
insulin levels. So it keeps you in a ketogenic
state. And if your goal of fasting is
things like weight loss and other things that stem from
being in ketosis, then Bulletproof coffee won't take
away from these benefits, it's only going to enhance them.
So because of that, a lot of people say that Bulletproof
(13:55):
coffee doesn't break a fast, andI'd agree with that.
But where I see people sometimesgo wrong is when they're having
like 2-3, 4 bulletproof coffees within their fasting window.
Now, the initial bulletproof fasting strategy just had one
bulletproof coffee in the morning, and basically that
(14:17):
coffee was meant to hold you over until you had your first
meal around midday. It was meant to replace
breakfast and allow you to be inthat low insulin stable blood
sugar state for a little bit longer.
So that was just one bulletproofcoffee.
But sometimes I talk to people and they're having like 2-3,
(14:40):
like I said, 4 even in the morning.
And yes, your insulin is still going to be low, but you end up
having like 506 hundred, 700 calories within a fasting
window. And at the end of the day, that
is going to take away some of the benefits of fasting.
(15:00):
So that's one part of this mistake that I see people
making. Another mistake that's a little
bit of a grey area is diet soda.Now, I know some people who do
intermittent fasting swear by drinking diet soda.
They'll have multiple cans of Diet Coke or whatnot during
(15:20):
their fasting window, and these technically are 0 calorie
drinks. They don't raise your blood
sugar, but there's mixed evidence out there on whether or
not they raise your insulin levels.
For some people, just having that sweet taste in their mouth
is enough to trigger the releaseof insulin because your body
(15:42):
thinks that there's sugar comingin, that there's energy coming
in that it needs to deal with. So if that's the case, if your
insulin is raising, then you're taking away from the benefits of
your fat. Like I said, the evidence on
this is mixed though, so it is abit of a grey area.
If you're having diet soda during your fasting window and
you're still seeing the results that you're after, it's up to
(16:05):
you. I'm still not a fan of
artificial sweeteners for other reasons in terms of brain health
and that sort of thing. Again, the evidence on that is a
little bit mixed. If you want to be completely
safe though, then stick to 0 calorie, no added sweetener, no
artificial sweetener drinks likecoffee, black tea, water,
(16:26):
etcetera. The third mistake that I see
people making is they're not replenishing their electrolytes
now when we're in a low insulin state.
And This is why a lot of people lose water weight when they
first start low carb ketogenic diet or when they first start
intermittent fasting is because when we eat fewer carbs, our
(16:47):
bodies retain less water. And when we retain less water,
we also retain fewer electrolytes.
So when we're talking electrolytes, we're talking
about essential minerals, thingslike sodium, magnesium,
potassium, calcium, Those are probably the main ones.
These are important for fluid balance in the body, for nerve
(17:07):
function, for muscle function. So if we're not getting enough
electrolytes in, if our electrolytes are out of balance
or if they're low, we can experience things such as
fatigue, headaches is a big one,muscle cramps, dizziness,
cravings for salt and sugar. These are all signs that your
electrolytes are out of balance.And again, really, really easy
(17:30):
fix all it takes to replenish your electrolytes.
A lot of times sodium is the main one people are low in.
And especially if you started intermittent fasting, we've also
adopted more of a whole food diet.
We get a lot of sodium. I say we as a collective, as
like modern people, we get a lotof sodium from processed food.
So if you've swapped from eatinga lot of processed food to
(17:53):
eating mainly whole food, you'regetting significantly fewer
electrolytes in through your diet.
Easy fix here is just to add a pinch of salt to your water in
the morning. That's a good way to get some
sodium in or to use a 0 sugar, 0artificial sweetener electrolyte
supplement like Sodium and Sodium is actually the sponsor
(18:14):
of today's podcast. Their everyday hydration salts
are an absolute game changer forfasting.
Their electrolyte blend is specifically formulated to
support hydration during fastingwithout any sugar or artificial
junk. I personally use sodium during
my fasting window to prevent headaches and fatigue and it
makes a huge difference. Their electrolytes contain the
(18:34):
perfect balance of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
As I already mentioned, if you're fasting, you need to be
replacing electrolytes, especially if you've experienced
any of the side effects we spokeabout earlier.
You can check out sodium by heading to
healthcoachk.com/sodium Electrolytes.
I'll also put that link in the description box down below.
And you can use code HCK 15 to save 15% off your 1st order.
(18:58):
And they actually just released 2 limited edition flavours,
Salty Mandarin and Salty Kiwi, so make sure to shop those
before they're gone. Bone broth is another great way
to get some electrolytes in during your fasting window.
And yes, bone broth does have a bit of protein and a few
calories, but really not enough to make a significant difference
(19:20):
and to break your fast really. And I think the pros of it
replenishing your electrolytes outweigh the cons.
Mistake #4 I see is that you're fasting too aggressively.
A lot of people start fasting, they feel really great, and they
keep trying to push it longer and longer.
And longer isn't necessarily better.
(19:42):
Yes, there are amazing benefits when you do extended fasting.
So for 24483672 hours things like autophagy really ramp up
and that's basically where your body clears out damaged cells
and it's great for longevity anda whole bunch of other benefits.
I'll link a video up above on autophagy if you want to know
(20:03):
more about that. But extended fast only need to
be done depending on how much weight you have to lose.
If you are obese, morbidly obese, you can definitely
benefit from doing extended fasting more regularly and more
often. But if you're a normal weight,
or even if you're overweight to not.
Obese. To get maximum benefits from
(20:24):
extended fasting, you only really need to do it once a
month, once a quarter, even twice a year, that sort of
thing, depending on how long you're doing to get the benefits
that come from metophagy and from fasting for extended
periods of time. I know one meal a day, OMAD has
become very popular recently, and I think that is a little bit
(20:47):
too extreme for most people, at least on an ongoing basis,
especially for women who are of childbearing age.
It can really, really mess with your hormones.
Fasting too frequently and fasting for too long and also
not getting enough energy in. In general.
If you're doing one meal a day, then I find a lot of people,
(21:08):
they aren't meeting their protein needs for the day and
they aren't meeting their energyneeds.
And this can backfire. Like I said earlier, it can
actually slow down your metabolism and you'll experience
all those side effects we spoke about.
Going to extreme with your fast can also lead to overeating
during your feeding window, especially for women.
It can increase cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and this
(21:30):
can actually lead to you holdingonto more weight.
So if you were someone who you've been kind of pushing it
further and further, but you're not seeing the results that
you're after, you might have pushed it too far.
So I would encourage you to takeit back a step.
Reduce your fasting window to 16hours, 14 hours, 12 hours.
Try to get at least two to threemeals in within your feeding
(21:53):
window. I find this is the sweet spot
for most people because they canstill have a big enough fasting
window in order to get the benefits, but they're also able
to eat enough and get enough protein in during their feeding
window. So it's the best of both worlds.
And This is why I see a lot of people quit intermittent fasting
is again, because they keep pushing it and pushing it and
(22:15):
trying to do 20 hours a day of fasting, maybe 20-3 hours a day
of fasting and it's really not sustainable.
Now, it's nothing to be ashamed about.
If your current fasting scheduleroutine isn't working for you,
you can switch it up. There's no rules.
You don't have to do 16 hours every day.
(22:36):
You can do 17 1/2, you can do 151/2.
It doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be the
same every single day. Even if you're only doing 14 or
12 hours of intermittent fastinga day, but you can stick to that
consistently and you're feeling good.
You're not having and cravings, you're not feeling deprived.
(22:57):
That is going to be far more beneficial than if you can do 20
hours of fasting a day, but you can only stick to it five days a
week and then you're overeating on the weekends.
Or maybe you can do that for a couple of months, but then you
completely just stop and revert back to how you were eating
beforehand. Like I said, consistency is key
here and mistake #5 that I oftensee people making is they're not
(23:20):
breaking their fast correctly. Now, when we talk about breaking
your fast, it's basically what you eat the first thing you eat
to end your fasting window and to start your feeding window.
Eating the wrong food to break your fast can lead to a big
spike in blood sugar and then a big crash.
It can lead to unstable energy and mood throughout the day.
It can lead to intense hunger and craving and ultimately just
(23:44):
not getting the results you're after.
So what you don't want to break your fast with is anything that
is high in carbohydrates and high in sugar.
Oatmeal, fruit, smoothies, sugary snacks, granola bars,
cereal, even bread. Anything breaded.
Not a good idea to break your fast because you're in a fasted
(24:05):
state, so anything you eat rightaway is going to be digested
quicker than if you were in a fed state if you'd eaten a few
hours before. For example.
When you're leaving a fasted state and entering a fed state,
everything is broken down more rapidly and if it's
carbohydrates you're breaking down, it's going to cause a
bigger spike in blood sugar thanfat or protein and that's what
(24:26):
you do on a break. Your fast with is quality
protein and healthy fat. So things like eggs, avocado,
salmon if you want to have some MCT oil, butter, that sort of
thing. Also low carb non starchy
vegetables can be great. Even high carb vegetables,
things such as fruit and sweet potato, that sort of thing, they
(24:48):
can be good as long as you're getting enough protein and fat
in with them. Greek yoghurt, nuts, olives,
coconut oil, all great to break a fast.
But protein really is key here because the first thing you eat
when you break your fast is going to determine what your
blood sugar does for the entire rest of the day and what your
hunger does as well. Protein is so key for satiety,
(25:11):
so make sure you're getting at least 30 grammes in when you
break your fast. And this is going to help you to
feel amazing and have stable energy and stable blood sugar
for the rest of the day for the rest of your feeding window.
OK, so let's quickly recap the five mistakes and how to fix
them before we wrap up. Number one was not eating enough
during your feeding window #2 was drinking the wrong things.
(25:33):
Number three, it was not replenishing electrolytes.
Number 4 was fasting too aggressively and #5 was breaking
your fast incorrectly. Now I want you to take action.
If you've been struggling with intermittent fasting, sticking
to it, just feeling good on it, getting results, I can almost
guarantee that you were making at least one of these mistakes.
(25:54):
So I want you to pick one of them and try to fix it this
week. Small changes add up.
It doesn't need to be a huge, big overhaul.
Like I said, if you've been pushing your fasting window
longer and longer and it just seems to be getting harder and
harder and you're not seeing results, mix it up, shake things
up completely, pull back, make your fasting window shorter
(26:16):
because ultimately you need to be able to stick to it in order
to get these lasting results. But anyways, guys, that is all I
have for you today. I hope you found this video
helpful. If you did, make sure to click
that subscribe button if you're watching on YouTube and if
you're watching on Spotify, makesure to follow my podcast.
And if you can also leave me a review, I would really
appreciate that. And before you go, remember to
(26:37):
check out Sody's Everyday Hydration Salt because like I
said, this is a huge mistake I see so many people making when
they first start intermittent fasting, even if they've been
doing it for a while, is not replenishing electrolytes and
such an easy fix that can make you feel so much better.
Thanks guys for watching and I'll see you in the next
episode. Bye.
Host
Kait Malthaner
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