How To Keep Off Hunger During Intermittent Fasting

Updated on March 30, 2021
Intermittent fasting word on notepad with clock, fork and knife on white plate, weight loss and diet concept

Intermittent fasting is a type of eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating over a certain period. It’s a simple and effective way for faster weight loss. It’s no wonder this routine is quite popular with people practicing different disciplines.

The benefits of intermittent fasting extend to the cellular level as well. When fasting, it will stimulate autophagy and will clear out the old and damaged cells in our body. At the same time, it also stimulates our growth hormones, which tells us our body to replace the old and damaged cells with newer and healthier ones. So, when we do intermittent fasting, we are also giving our body a complete renovation.  

But, don’t think about intermittent fasting as an easy thing to do. Despite what other people say that it is the easiest thing they’ve done to lose weight, you might yourself say that they are lying. Why? Because intermittent fasting can make you feel very hungry and you’ll be starving for most of the time before you can eat again!  

In this article, we’re going to give you some of the most sensible tips on how to keep off hunger during intermittent fasting. You might also find these tips helpful when managing your appetite. 

1. Drink Plenty Of Water 

You must avoid getting thirsty during your intermittent fasting. Thirst is often associated with a feeling of hunger, so you always have to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  

You should drink 2-3 liters of water a day during your intermittent fasting. To make a hobby out of drinking water, be sure to drink at least two glasses of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. This will help get you a good start on hydration throughout the day. Don’t drink too much water though as it can flush out the important electrolytes out of your body.  

Drinking water is very effective in staving off hunger during fasting. When you drink water, it gives us a feeling of fullness, which will help us resist hunger pangs. No matter how hungry you are during fasting, you can rely on water to relieve that hunger. 

2. Reduce Stress And Make Sure Get Plenty Of Sleep 

Stress and poor sleep can affect our appetite as they tend to disrupt the balance of our hormone and blood sugar levels, which causes you to feel hungry. And, these are two things that you don’t want to deal with during intermittent fasting. 

To ensure that you get a good night’s sleep, make sure that your bedroom is comfortable. Create a regular bedtime schedule that’s not too late (ideal bedtime is 8 hours). Block out noise and light from your bedroom and don’t eat before going to bed.  

If you get plenty of sleep every night, it will also reduce your stress levels. You can also practice stress-relieving techniques such as exercise, meditation, and yoga. By reducing stress and having plenty of sleep, you can easily stave off hunger when you fast.  

3. Drink Tea or Coffee 

Another good way of keeping off hunger during intermittent fasting is to drink coffee or tea. Tea and coffee can help fill the void left by food during fasting. Just like drinking water, tea and coffee can also give you a sense of fullness.  

If you’re really struggling with hunger during intermittent fasting, drink coffee or tea whenever you feel hungry. It’s a general rule that you should only drink something that has less than 50 calories so your body can remain in the fasted state. Since coffee and tea has less than 50 calories, you should be fine drinking it whenever you feel hungry. You can even put in milk or cream on your coffee.   

A woman on a diet, fasting, head down sitting next to a bottle of water on the table.

4. Find Other Things To Do 

It’s better to stay distracted during intermittent fasting so you don’t find yourself getting hungry. It’s when you don’t do anything that you can start feeling hungry and you don’t want that to happen to you, especially if you are fasting.  

So, to prevent that from happening, find ways to distract yourself. Do some exercise, activities, or go visit your friends. By distracting yourself, you won’t even notice that you are hungry. You’ll be so preoccupied with what you’re doing that you won’t even notice that your hunger has come and gone. So, whenever you try intermittent fasting, make sure that you don’t let yourself get bored, because once you do, you’ll be easily tempted to eat by your extreme hunger.  

Final Thoughts 

Whenever you do intermittent fasting, you must be prepared for hunger. Hunger is inevitable whenever you do any type of fasting. But if you come prepared for it, hunger will be nothing for you. Use the tips we talked above to avoid feeling hungry or whenever your hunger strikes again.  

Before you know it, intermittent fasting will become a part of your daily routine. Our body will eventually learn how to respond to true hunger rather than our appetite and you’ll be on your way towards a much healthier lifestyle. 

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