When leveraged correctly, intermittent fasting offers numerous health benefits. Itโs an excellent tool for improving your metabolic health, losing weight and reducing your risk of developing a chronic disease.
Unfortunately, many people have trouble skipping meals because they get incredibly hungry โ and sometimes, incredibly irritated โ when they donโt eat for an extended period.
This article will outline six strategies that can make fasting easier and more sustainable over the long-term.
If youโre currently fasting and are struggling to stay on-track, my articles on the reasons you feel hungry and how to curb hunger while fasting provide tips you can implement today.
Top Fasting Tips for Long-Term Success
Both my wife and I have been leveraging the strategies below to make intermittent fasting a regular and natural part of our wellness routine. So letโs jump right in with the most powerful tip that makes going without food a breeze.
1. Improve Your Metabolic Flexibility
The term โmetabolic flexibilityโ describes the bodyโs ability to easily switch back and forth between different types of fuel. Itโs an ability that all humans are born with, but which most of us lose over time thanks to the overconsumption of refined carbohydrates.
As you may already know, glucose (from dietary carbohydrates) is one type of fuel that the body can use for energy. But the body burns through glucose relatively quickly, and its glucose reserves (which are in the form of glycogen stores) are limited to about 2,000 calories.
On the flip side, most organs in your body can also leverage ketones and fatty acids (from dietary sources or body fat) as their fuel source.
Being able to switch back and forth between these fuel types depending on availability is a key factor in how you cope with extended fasting periods.
For example, if youโre fat-adapted โ a key indicator of metabolic flexibility โ your body can switch to burning ketones or fatty acids for energy in the absence of glucose from dietary carbohydrates. The metabolic state in which the body burns fat for energy is called ketosis, and itโs the underlying principle of the ketogenic diet (one of the top four weight-loss diets).
This is important in the context of fasting because the fat that fuels your body doesnโt have to come from food. When youโre fat-adapted, your body can burn stored fat for energy.
Considering that even the skinniest among us have over 20,000 calories worth of fat stores (compared to just 2,000 calories of glycogen), you can imagine how powerful metabolic flexibility is when it comes to curbing hunger during fasting.
Additionally, understand that the brain is one of the first organs that responds to fuel supply issues. The brainโs preferred fuel is ketones, which are made by burning fat for energy. If you can keep your brain fueled (with ketones) by burning adipose (fat) tissue for energy, youโll feel significantly less hungry while fasting compared to having no fuel available for your brain at all.
The best way to become metabolically flexible and get into ketosis is to embrace a low-carb ketogenic diet.
I started fasting before embracing a ketogenic diet and found it very difficult. Once I embraced a keto diet, fasting became a regular part of my routine.
These days, my wife and I intermittently fast most days without ever feeling hungry, thanks to our metabolic flexibility.
2. Focus on Sleep Quality
Getting enough sleep and supporting your circadian rhythm are among the best ways to set yourself up for fasting success. If you get sufficient quality sleep and spend enough time in the restorative phases of sleep (slow-wave and REM sleep), you wake up physically and mentally recovered, which leads to improved energy levels and a reduced risk of getting the โmunchies.โ
The reasons why sleep deprivation causes food cravings are rooted in two hormones: leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin is responsible for suppressing hunger, and sleep deprivation leads to low leptin levels. On the other side of the spectrum is ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry. When youโre sleep-deprived, ghrelin levels rise.
Additionally, sleep deprivation lowers your mental strength to withstand the feeling of hunger, making it harder to refrain from breaking your fast.
I recommend sticking to a regular bedtime, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and avoiding artificial blue light after sunset. By doing so, youโll set yourself up for a better nightโs sleep, which in turn makes fasting much easier. (If you can’t avoid blue light, wear blue light blocking glasses.)
Iโve noticed that I feel hungry quicker and more often when Iโve had a bad nightโs sleep. On those days, I make sure I get enough sunlight as soon as the sun rises, because exposure to sunlight helps regulate energy levels. If I sit at home under artificial light, Iโm much more likely to eat.
However, itโs also worth noting that fasting is a hormetic stressor that can push you over the edge if youโre already at your limit. So on days when Iโm close to my stress limit due to factors such as illness, strenuous physical activity or unusually poor sleep, I donโt fast and I recommend avoiding it as well, because too much stress (regardless of the type) can be counterproductive.
Check out my ultimate sleep guide for more tips on how to sleep better and fall asleep faster.
3. Limit Your Consumption of Alcohol and Cannabis
Recreational drugs such as alcohol and cannabis can be detrimental to your fasting efforts because they can stimulate your appetite โ the opposite of what you need when youโre trying to abstain from eating.
For example, consuming alcohol reduces your leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone thatโs involved in suppressing hunger, so when you have lower leptin levels you feel hungrier.
Additionally, many recreational drugs (i.e., cannabis) can be addictive because they stimulate the pleasure center of your brain. My personal experience has been that the fewer cravings I have while fasting, the easier it is to feel good without eating.
Additionally, studies have shown that alcohol alters the bacterial composition in your gut. Thatโs important to know because there is mounting scientific evidence that the microbes in your gut influence your food cravings.
In other words, if your gut microbiome is disturbed or unbalanced, you might experience cravings that make it harder to fast.
Thatโs why I recommend staying away from alcohol and other recreational drugs not only during your fast, but also on the days leading up to your fast.
4. Manage Your Stress
Studies have shown that stress causes a rise in ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is the โhunger hormone,โ which I discuss in detail in my article about how to curb hunger while fasting.
In fact, chronic stress can lead to chronically elevated ghrelin levels, making it incredibly hard to fast.
Thatโs why itโs important to find ways to better manage stress.
The most effective way to reduce stress that Iโve found is to remove the stressor. For example, if finding the time to go to the gym seven days a week is stressing you out, then work out less often.
Iโd argue that by reducing your chronic stress, youโll maintain better overall health โ even if you end up exercising less.
Additionally, youโll likely find it easier to fast when your stress levels are low (due to lower ghrelin levels).
If removing a stressor from your life isnโt feasible, the next best thing is to manage your stress and change how you perceive it.
Some of the best stress management techniques Iโve used include:
- Breathing
- Mindfulness
- Sauna bathing
- Exercise
- Cold plunging
- Stress relief gadgets
I can tell you from experience that removing stressors from my life and better managing the ones that remain has made it much easier to maintain a regular fasting schedule without feeling hungry.
5. Watch What You Eat During Your Eating Window
Some fasting enthusiasts are under the misconception that because they practice intermittent fasting they can eat whatever they want during their eating window.
Needless to say, consuming highly processed junk food โ such as refined carbs and industrial seed oils โ undoes most of (if not all of) the benefits you gain from fasting.
Additionally, what you eat during your eating window has a dramatic impact on how well you do during your fasting window, as I explain in my article about the top reasons you feel hungry.
For example, consuming predominantly refined carbs, sugar and seed oils during your eating window not only prevents your body from switching to fat burning while fasting but also results in blood sugar spikes and subsequent drops that will likely cause hunger pangs as your body scrambles to fuel your brain with glucose.
As a result, I highly recommend sticking to a diet thatโs high in protein and fat during your eating window and limiting your carb intake. That slows down digestion, helps you maintain stable blood sugar levels, and keeps you feeling satiated for longer.
6. Stay Well Hydrated
Proper hydration plays an important role in how good you feel in the absence of food, because mild dehydration can sometimes manifest as hunger.
In addition to drinking plenty of water, I also recommend increasing your electrolyte intake. In the absence of food, your body is likely going to tap into stored glycogen (to make glucose available to the cells that require it). Glycogen is three to four parts water (depending on where itโs stored). So any time the body releases glycogen, it flushes out water that your kidneys excrete via urine. With that excretion, you lose electrolytes, including sodium, magnesium and potassium.
As a result, intermittent fasting can quickly lead to an electrolyte imbalance if you fail to replenish them. Thatโs why I make sure to add liberal amounts of salt (sodium) to my meals. And on days when I work out or use the sauna, I use electrolyte supplements (my favorite being LMNT).
In case youโre worried about whether a high sodium intake may affect your cardiovascular health (e.g., high blood pressure), rest assured that the sodium recommendations by the American Heart Association are outdated. Recent studies have shown consuming less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day poses the greatest risk of developing a cardiovascular disease.
The sweet spot is actually between 5,000 to 8,000 mg, depending on how active you are, how much you sweat, and other variables. Thatโs about four times as much as the U.S. government says your sodium intake should be.
To learn more about the low-sodium myth and similar misconceptions, check out my article about the top nutrition myths debunked.
A Note About Medical Conditions and Medications
Before starting any fasting routine, I highly recommend consulting a knowledgeable medical professional. Thatโs particularly important if youโre breastfeeding, have a medical condition (e.g., Type 2 diabetes or eating disorders), or if you take certain medications, such as insulin or psychopharmaca that could cause side effects, impact your appetite, or impact how your body responds to food (or a lack thereof).
Frequently Asked Questions
Depending on your fasting goals, there are only a few foods you can consume while fasting, including soluble fiber (e.g., acacia fiber) or pure fat (e.g., MCT oil, butter or coconut oil). Of course, if youโre fasting to repair your gut, Iโd stay away from all foods and stick to water, black coffee or tea only.
Some people like to drink bone broth while fasting. Bone broth has protein and technically breaks your fast. However, living off bone broth for extended periods (and nothing else) may still offer some health benefits, including weight loss and making it easier to get into ketosis.
Generally, you can consume non-caloric drinks, such as water, tea or black coffee. Depending on your fasting goals, you can also add pure fat in the form of MCT oil and butter to your coffee, which helps with ketone production and keeps you satiated.
Note that some fasting purists donโt drink anything but water (known as a water fast). There is nothing wrong with that, but if drinking black coffee (with or without fat) helps you extend your fast by a few hours, Iโd rather have you do that instead of breaking your fast early.
My recommendation is to start fasting after your last meal of the day. Leveraging the time you sleep for fasting makes it relatively easy to extend your fast.
My wife and I used to intermittently fast every day for 16 hours, but I no longer recommend a strict fasting routine. These days, I like to frequently change my eating patterns based on how I feel, my stress levels and other factors.
Thatโs because I strongly believe that inconsistent fasting periods better reflect how our ancestors would have eaten (and fasted). I pay especially close attention to how I feel. If Iโm not hungry, I donโt eat. While that may sound like a no-brainer, most people I know let their schedule determine their meal schedule rather than basing their meal schedule on their bodyโs need for food.
Coincidentally, I still end up fasting almost every day simply because I donโt get hungry until about the 16-hour mark. But if you feel that a consistent fasting routine helps you with getting started, there is nothing wrong with planning out your fasting days ahead of time.
If done right, intermittent fasting can be a powerful weight loss tool. However, itโs important to avoid maintaining a caloric deficit over long periods because itโll likely lead to the well-known yo-yo effect.
As a result, I recommend alternate day fasting to avoid consuming fewer calories than your body needs every day. To learn more about why chronic caloric restriction doesnโt work, check out my article about the reasons why youโre not losing weight.
How to Make Intermittent Fasting Easier: Summary & Final Thoughts
Arguably the best strategy to make intermittent fasting easy in the long run is to become metabolically flexible by allowing your body to tap into its own fat stores as a source of energy. Combined with good sleep hygiene, proper stress management and the avoidance of certain recreational drugs, abstaining from food for periods of time can be a pleasant experience that you can make a regular part of your wellness routine.
Just be smart about it by avoiding junk food during your eating window, avoid breaking fasts with fast-burning carbs (to avoid blood sugar spikes), and take a break from fasting if your overall stress levels are too high on a given day.
Michael Kummer is a healthy living enthusiast and CrossFit athlete whose goal is to help people achieve optimal health by bridging the gap between ancestral living and the demands of modern society.
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