For most people, what they eat on non-fasting days totally depends on which version of the intermittent fasting diet they’re on. Plans vary, but in general, you cannot go wrong with eating on non-fasting days if you follow these general guidelines.
* Check the BMR Chart – You need to know how many calories you should eat to maintain your weight. The BMR chart is a good way to get the right caloric guidelines. There are two ways to do this. You can go by your current weight, and you’ll still lose weight. You can also go by your desired weight, and you’ll lose weight even faster.
Link to BMR chart – https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html
* Drink Enough Water – Even on non-fasting days, it is important to stay hydrated. Because you are eating more food on the non-fasting days, you may end up not allowing yourself enough water. However, you should still work to drink the amount of water you need to for your current weight and activity level.
* Keep Moving – Don’t use non-fasting days as a reason to not exercise. Moving more is always going to be beneficial for helping you shed weight, but also to tighten up your body and to allow you to eat more calories. Don’t stop working out just to eat.
* Eat Healthy Food First – On non-fasting days you probably want to eat a lot of things that you missed out on during your fasting days. However, it’s better for your health if you eat the things that give you the most nutrition first.
* Eat What You Want in Moderation – After you have eaten the things that give you energy and nutrition, you can use the rest of your caloric limit to eat whatever it is that you want to eat, including cake.
* Experiment – Everyone is slightly different. We may all be human, but each person is very individual in how they handle fasting, eating, and moving more. You may need to eat carbs, or you may need to be more careful on non-fasting days than others. It all depends on you. Take the time to try different methods to find out what works best for you so that you can live this lifestyle in a healthy way long term.
* Be Mindful – This is an important tip for every day of your life, not just non-fasting days. Be mindful of what you are eating. Enjoy what you are eating. When you eat it, don’t just shove it in without thought. Think about the flavors, textures, and more.
* Remember Today Is One Day – You don’t have to eat all the yummy things right now. You will have another non-fast day. You can relax knowing that there is no reason in the world why you can’t eat whatever you want in the future too. Knowing and accepting that can enable you to stop overeating on non-fasting days.
While you can enjoy whatever you want, the biggest key here is moderation. On this plan, calories really matter on non-fasting days because it can be easy to go overboard. If you’ve been waiting for a non-fasting day to enjoy one piece of pecan pie, that’s great, but don’t eat two pieces or the whole pie in a day and think you’ll keep losing weight quickly and healthily.
