Top 10 Fasting tips

Once you are confident you can do a 24 hour fast, then I’d recommend eating dinner a little bit earlier and if you are nervous about the fast, make it a big meal! I suggest an earlier dinner because the second afternoon can be very difficult, and having a 5 PM cut off versus a 7 PM cutoff can make a world of difference mentally. Typically, I get off work at 5 PM. If I can go home and eat right away, this is a lot easier than if I have to wait until 7 or 8 PM.

Something which is overlooked when fasting is it’s a lot easier to kill time if you are sleeping. If you eat at 5 PM the night before, go to bed at 11 PM, and wake up at 7 AM, you only have 10 hours of fasting left before hitting the 24 hour mark. If you can, adding in a 30 minute to 1 hour nap will cut another hour off the clock. Eating earlier and going to bed earlier can make this even easier – finishing dinner at 4 PM, and going to bed at 10 AM can lead to a short fast during the second day!

Next, make sure you are drinking a lot of water during your fast. First, this will help with flushing your system, but also, by drinking a lot of water and other liquids, you can feel more full. Drinking water is very important for general health, but even more important when you aren’t eating and trying to stay sane. Other liquids you can have are black coffee and unsweetened tea. Coffee contains proteins which suppress your appetite, and this can help with hunger pains. One thing to note though is coffee leads to elevated cortisol levels, which makes it harder to burn fat. Green tea is another drink that you can utilize when fasting. Green tea has some caffeine, helps suppress your appetite, and in addition, drinking green tea does elevate cortisol levels. In general, whatever you decide to drink, just make sure it doesn’t have any calories, and also that you are staying hydrated throughout the day.

Have you ever heard the expression, “time flies when you are having fun?” Time does fly when you are busy and occupied with work or play. If you decide to do a 24 hour fast, it will be a lot easier if you can stay busy and occupied throughout your day. One of my worst fasts ever came when I had nothing going on during the afternoon at work. From hours 18 to 23, I sat at my desk and, more or less, just thought about how hungry I was and calculated how much time I had left until it was time to eat. On the other hand, you can go a long time with not thinking about food if you are busy and actively engaging your mind and body. Also, a lot of times I’ll eat just because I’m bored or anxious. By staying busy, you won’t get bored and feel tempted to eat. Staying busy will help you get through your fast much easier.