How To Fast
We like to think we’ve mastered the art of ‘Fasting For Dummies’, in fact we’ve made it as easy as 1, 2, 3! The concept of intermittent fasting works by restricting your calories over time, rather than at every meal, which makes it so much more sustainable than any other diet! In fact, we love it so much, we’ve nicknamed it ‘The Unbreakable, Part Time Diet’. All three of the methods listed below are equally effective, and they all work on the same principle: restricting your calorie intake by 20% each week and lengthening the amount of time you spend not eating, which allows hormonal changes that give you access to your body’s stores of fat!
2-Day Method: Choose two days per week to cut your calories to one quarter of your normal intake. The average woman’s calorie intake per day is around 2000 calories, so even though we know you’re anything but average, for simplicity’s sake, let’s start there. The average woman would cut her calories to 500 calories for two days per week. You can choose any two days, but we’ve found that most of our Superfasters prefer Mondays and Thursdays. On the other five days, you get to eat whatever your normal intake should be. If you’d like to get super-specific, check out your SuperFood page (the green tab) to see what YOUR daily calorie expenditure is (and thus, what one quarter of that would be).
3-Day Method: Choose three days per week to cut your calories to one half of your normal intake. The average woman’s calorie intake per day is around 2000 calories, so she would cut her calories to 1000 calories for three days per week. This method is great for those who find 500 calories a little intimidating. It’s also a good way to start out, especially if the idea of fasting seems a little foreign to you. You can choose any three days, but we’ve found that most of our Super Squad prefers Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On the other four days, you get to eat whatever your normal intake should be. Again, if you’d like to get super-specific, your calculation will be in your SuperFood page (the green tab).
Part-Day Method: This method allows you to eat freely within an eight-hour window each day, and fast for sixteen hours, while reducing your calorie intake by just 20% each day. Since we’re all about making things as easy-peasy as possible, we’ll use the wonderful ‘average’ woman as an example again. She’s very versatile, isn’t she?! Given a calorie intake of 2000 calories per day, the average woman would restrict her calories to 1600 each day on the part-day fast, and choose whichever eight-hour window suited her best. If you’re a bit of a brekkie-lover, you could eat between 8:00am and 4:00pm, and fast from 4:00pm to 8:00am the following morning. Alternatively, if you’d rather enjoy dinner with your family instead, you could eat between 12:00pm and 8:00pm, and fast from 8:00pm to 12:00pm the following day. Again, if you’d like to get exact with what your daily calorie intake should be, your calculation will be in yourSuperFood page (the green tab) (and, as a result, what 80% of that is.)
How to Count Calories
Recording the calories of everything you eat might seem like a job for a mathematician, but just like most things, it gets much easier – even effortless – the more you do it. If you’re noshing on, or cooking with, packaged food, the easiest way to track the calories you’re consuming is by reading the nutritional information on the back (but you might need a pair of glasses or to enlist your kids because that writing is teeny tiny!). Let your fingers do the walking and look up meals, snacks and ingredients online and then keep a tally of your day. If arithmetic isn’t your cup of tea, we love using handy apps that do all of the work for us (Calorie King, Fat Secret, and My Net Diary are all great apps). There are also handy books for counting calories (which are available from most newsagents), if you prefer to keep a hard-copy.
The next step is to understand quantities. How many calories are in a cup, a serving, a handful or ‘just a taste’ of whatever you pop into your mouth is just as important as the item itself. Keeping portion sizes in mind when cooking, eating and dining out will help you record your calories with more accuracy.
Prep Work!
Now that you’re armed with the power of information, planning ahead is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Know your intended fast days and be ready for the parts of the day when you’re likely feel peckish by preparing healthy snacks. (High protein goodies, veggies and plenty of H20!)
- Have some tips and tricks up your sleeve when it comes to strategic ways of dealing with hunger.
- Expect to feel hungry. Hunger doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t last forever and it is evidence that your fast is working! Embrace it!
What to Expect
As long as you approach SFD with the right mindset, you’ll be sure to succeed. Being realistic will encourage you keep everything in perspective and help you stay on track. For example, if you know you’re going to feel hungry on your fast day, it won’t be such a surprise when you do; you won’t feel anxious or nervous about the sensation, rather you’ll be armed (with snacks!) and ready for a challenge that proves your hard work is working!
The Superpowers of Intermittent Fasting
Between the countless success stories and the jubilant praises of the Super Squad, you might be wondering what exactly is the secret of SFD. The secret is something that has been there all along – listening to our bodies and allowing them to function as they’re supposed to. SFD works by encouraging you to nourish yourself with Super Foods and then allowing their bodies time to process them. Simple, sustainable and SuperFast! It’s not rocket science, but SFD will have you feeling out of this world! There are loads of other health benefits associated with part-time dieting as well!
If you have any questions or need more support, make sure you jump on the SuperSquad Facebook group which is abuzz with stories and advice.