9 Easy Tips – How To Get Back In Your Intermittent Fasting Routine For A Healthier Life

Has your intermittent fasting routine gotten off track recently? If so, you are not alone. In this post I share 9 easy tips to get back in your intermittent fasting routine. Whether you’re coming back from vacation, the holidays, a surgery, or just time off, this post is for you!

Last month I took a 10 day road trip to California with my family. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. First, to celebrate summer vacation and my kid’s first time ever at Disneyland! (Their Christmas gift in 2019 was that we would take a 2020 Disneyland trip for spring break. The parks closed down 3 days before we were to arrive. But, we finally made it)! Second, I had a vocal cord surgery at UCLA.

As a veteran, 15-month intermittent faster, I typically fast at least 18 hours a day, without much effort. (If you don’t know my intermittent fasting story, you can read about it here). In the picture below I am sharing a screenshot of my fasting app. You can see in the picture that in June there were only three days that I did not meet my 18-hour fast goal.

On July 8 we began our vacation road trip, and my surgery was July 12. Here is what my fasting times looked like the week of vacation and after surgery. As you can see, my fasting was much more relaxed than my normal schedule.

Your Intermittent Fasting Routine Can Be Adapted To Your Life

This is exactly why I love intermittent fasting so much. Just because I had longer (sometimes much longer) eating windows, does not mean that I “fell off the wagon”. Intermittent fasting is very adaptable to what is going on in our lives.

Vacations should be special times that are enjoyed. I feel the same way about holidays. That doesn’t mean that we stop fasting. It simply means that we can adjust our fasting times for special days.

When a surgery is necessary, intermittent fasting adapts to that. Do you have to take antibiotics with food, 4 times a day? It’s still possible to fast. Your window will likely be much shorter, but it’s still possible.

My vacation, road trip, and surgery did remind me of what it was like to first start intermittent fasting. Once out of our normal routines, it takes practice to get back to where we want to be. Fasting is like a muscle. We have to use it.

Here are the 9 things that helped me to get back into my intermittent fasting routine after vacation, a road trip, and a surgery.

1. Look Forward – Remember Why You Chose Intermittent Fasting As A Lifestyle

It’s incredibly motivating to remember why you chose to be an intermittent faster. For me, I don’t want to be a national health-crisis statistic. It is estimated that up to 80% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. Insulin-resistance is to linked to all of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Nothing is more effective to lower insulin levels than fasting. The second most effective action you can take is to lower insulin levels is to exercise.

Three of my four grandparents had dementia or Alzheimer’s (yes, these too are linked to insulin-resistance) and that is a major factor in why I choose to live an intermittent fasting lifestyle. What is your why?

2. Look Back – What Victories Have You Had As A Result Of Intermittent Fasting?

I was officially in the “overweight” category when I started intermittent fasting. The first 12 months of fasting I lost 25 pounds and all of my clothes fit again! I felt much better, had more energy, and more mental clarity. I never want to go back to feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.

Remembering where you have come from is a helpful way to get back to your intermittent fasting routine.

3. Set A Realistic Fasting Goal And Stick With It

Although I was consistently fasting at least 18 hours before my vacation and surgery, I had to take a step back for a few weeks. For 10 days following the surgery I was on antibiotics and steroids, so I put any fasting goal on hold for that time period.

When I finished my post-surgery prescriptions, I set my fasting goal to 16 hours a day for the remainder of July. The daily victories of hitting my 16 hour goal helped me get back in the practice of fasting. Just this week, approximately one month after surgery, I am getting back to daily 18-hour fasts.

4. Don’t Completely Restrict Any Food Groups

As you are getting used to fasting again, I do not recommend completely restricting any food groups. It is tempting to try to change everything at once for faster results, but this tends to cause burn-out.

We can begin to feel overwhelmed if we are practicing self-control just to make it to our fasting goal, and then we restrict entire food groups on top of that. I find that when I completely restrict a food group (say dessert), I eventually tend to binge on it.

What works better for me is to allow myself everything, but after I’ve eaten nourishing foods first. For example, I can have a scoop of ice cream, after I’ve had a dinner loaded with veggies and protein.

5. Beverages, Beverages, Beverages During The Fast

Just this week, the times that I was tempted to break my fast early, I would drink a glass of water. (If you haven’t read my other posts about clean fasting, the only beverages that I recommend during your fast are unflavored water or seltzer water, black coffee, or black or green tea. Trust me, this actually makes it easier to fast longer).

I don’t believe that I would be as good an intermittent faster if I did not adapt to drinking black coffee and plain water. I am almost never without a beverage in hand during my fasting window, and that helps to get me through my fasts. (If you haven’t ready My 7 Must-Have’s To Make Intermittent Fasting Easy, you can here).

6. Renew Your Motivation By Reading About Intermittent Fasting And Listening To Podcasts

If you haven’t read the book Fast. Feast. Repeat. (linked here) then this would be the perfect time! If you have read it, it would be a good time to revisit it. I’ve reread portions of that book several times over the past year.

The author also has a podcast called Intermittent Fasting Stories (linked here), where over 200 people have shared their personal intermittent fasting stories. Every person has something different to share and I’m always learning something new. I love listening to these while going on walks.

7. Change Your Scenery

As I’ve found myself starting to think about food an hour or so before my fasting goal has been reached, I’ve been reminded how helpful it is to go for a walk or run an errand. This interrupts those thoughts and makes it much easier to reach my goal.

Stay busy. Before you know it, it’ll be time to break your fast!

8. Find An Intermittent Fasting Friend

There are fasting goals that I have reached over the past several months, simply because I have a fasting buddy to reach out to. If you haven’t read the post, Intermittent Fasting Success Stories (linked here), you should!

The post mentioned above is my sister-in-law, Kara’s story. Kara has been my intermittent fasting friend. It really makes all the difference. If you don’t know anyone else who intermittent fasts, invite someone to join you or email me!

9. Record Your Small, Daily Victories

Record your fasts in an app (I use the free Zero app, linked here) or write it down in your calendar so that you can look and see all of the progress you’ve made. You also could record your weight each morning, or the positive changes in how you’re feeling. I’m amazed at how much more energy and focus that I have when I am fasting.

Remember that intermittent fasting is a marathon, not a sprint. All of the little victories add up and lead to a healthier life. By recording and reminding yourself of your victories, it puts wind in your sails to keep going.

Conclusion

It takes intentionality to get back into your intermittent fasting routines after “life happens” but it is very attainable! Vacations, holidays, time-off, and surgeries happen, but that does not mean that you have “fallen off the wagon”. Intermittent fasting is adaptable to your lifestyle.

I hope that you’ve found these 9 tips helpful!

1. Look Forward – Remember Why You Chose Intermittent Fasting As A Lifestyle
2. Look Back – What Victories Have You Had As A Result Of Intermittent Fasting?
3. Set A Realistic Fasting Goal And Stick With It
4. Don’t Completely Restrict Any Food Groups
5. Beverages, Beverages, Beverages During The Fast
6. Renew Your Motivation By Reading About Intermittent Fasting And Listening To Podcasts
7. Change Your Scenery
8. Find An Intermittent Fasting Friend
9. Record Your Small, Daily Victories

I’d love to hear from you. What has helped you get back into your intermittent fasting routine?