The 3 Huge Intermittent Fasting Mistakes

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 08/30/2023

Isn’t intermittent fasting great?

You eat just once or twice a day. Then don't eat. No counting calories for weight loss. You just have to make sure when you do eat that your ratio of fat to protein to carbs is correct. In other words, besides fasting you're also doing the keto diet.

Eat high fat, low carb when you're not in your fasting window. Then don't eat for a set number of hours. Repeat.

Simpler and more effective than any diet you've tried before.

You lost weight. You’re full of energy, your foggy brain has cleared, and your Fat Storing Hormone resistance is improving. You’re thrilled with the results so far.

photo of a smiling young woman holding up a scale


But then, suddenly, you’re not getting the same results. Your weight loss stalled. You're starting to feel sluggish. You're hungry all the time.

And you’re frustrated.

You still have periods of eating and not eating. You’ve maintained the same length daily fasting window of about 16 hours. But it’s just not working anymore.

You start looking around at other diets (because sometimes the grass really does seem greener on the other side of the fence). Maybe you should be counting calories. Are you missing some nutrients? Maybe supplements are the answer.

"I'm on the wrong plan," you think.

Not so fast.

Before you decide intermittent fasting doesn’t really work, be sure you’re not making one of these three very common fasting mistakes.
 

#1 It’s Working So You Change The Formula

Okay, so you started intermittent fasting. You feel great! Your weight’s dropping. And…

Then you decide to change up the formula that’s been so successful.

You eat whatever you want during your fed periods, thinking that you’ll be exempt from drastic effects as long as you keep on fasting. Then you develop a huge blind spot, thinking you’re still succeeding even though you’re not eating healthy food.

When suddenly you’re 10 pounds overweight.

picture of a scale with OMG! where the weight display is


What happened?

You changed what was working, that’s what happened!

Go back to the original formula that was successful for you. Be consistent with alternating fasted periods with fed periods during which you eat healthy, nutrient-dense food.

Then see your success return.
 

#2 Not Using Hunger As An Indicator Of Keto Adaptation

Hunger is one of the best indicators of whether or not you’re fully keto adapted.

While some hunger between meals is normal, I’m talking about feeling so hungry you experience some of the symptoms of low blood sugar: dizziness, feeling light-headed, irritability, brain fog, or craving sweets.

If you have any of these symptoms, you’ve probably tried to push ahead with fasting too quickly. Ease up a little; perhaps add in one small meal during your fed times. As well, eat more healthy fat to keep you feeling full between meals.

Drinking bone broth for its electrolyte content will help speed up the healing of your Fat Storing Hormone dysfunction.

If, on the other hand, you can comfortably go from one meal to the next while experiencing at most a little hunger, yet you feel good and have enough energy, that’s an excellent indication that you’re doing fasting correctly. Ride the success wave and keep going!
 

#3 Neglecting Vegetables

Many people combine intermittent fasting with the keto diet. They usually get more than enough fat and protein, but they neglect eating sufficient amounts of vegetables. They simply don’t eat enough salad. And if you’re eating only two meals per day, it’s especially important to ensure you consume enough vegetables.

Vegetables help detoxify your liver, which is critical when you’re burning fat. They provide crucial vitamins and minerals to support your health. Vegetables also help detoxify the rest of your body too, so you lower your risk of conditions like gout which is caused by uric acid building up in your body.

If, like me, you’re not fond of vegetables, check out this smoothie recipe I created for you. You don’t always have to eat big salads, you can drink your veggies instead.

photo of an antipasti salad with lots of vegetables


Avoid These Mistakes And You’ll Be Good

Intermittent fasting, especially when you combine it with keto, may be the best thing for your health since sliced bread. Wait! Bread isn’t allowed on keto…

But intermittent fasting truly can be one of the most beneficial steps you can take for your health. You can potentially correct the pre-diabetic state of Fat Storing Hormone resistance, lose weight, clear away your brain fog, skyrocket your energy, and perhaps even reverse Type 2 diabetes.

Just avoid these mistakes and you should be good! Start as soon as you can so you can experience the benefits of fasting as soon as possible.

You owe it to yourself, and the people who care about you, to do everything you can to optimize your health and improve your chances to live a long, high-quality life.

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Disclaimer: Our educational content is not meant or intended for medical advice or treatment.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for quality and relevancy.

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