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4 Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting You Need to Know

While losing weight without having any restrictions on your diet may sound too good to be true, you won’t always get the benefits you want from it or even decide to follow through with it after a few weeks.

In the case of intermittent fasting, there are a few setbacks that come with not eating at all for a specific time period every day, and this may or may not work for you depending on different factors, such as your current lifestyle and dietary choices.

Be sure to watch out for these five side effects that may come with intermittent fasting:

  1. Overeating

If you choose to go on intermittent fasting just because you can lose weight while eating anything you want, keep in mind that there’s a little more to fasting than that.

This is because it’s not only really difficult to trick yourself into not eating, but your body is also really good at conserving calories and “making up for lost calories” when it can – especially when you’ve just gone through a long period of fasting.          

  • Intense food cravings

During the start of your fasting, it’s harder to keep your mind off of food when you’re hungry, and if you’re on intermittent fasting, it makes you crave certain sugary and fatty foods even more.

This is arguably the worst part about intermittent fasting, but there are a number of ways to get around that, such as drinking more water or even adding more protein to your diet.

  • Lowered energy

During the first few weeks of intermittent fasting, your body is not yet adjust to not having as much fuel as it used to. Aside from feeling lethargic throughout most of the day, this also means you’re more likely to tire easily.

However, you can still try to burn more calories even with only light physical activities, as well as give you a quick energy boost to get over your lethargic state in the early morning.

The good news is that this is that even though you feel slightly more tired at the start, it doesn’t always last. Your energy will eventually return as your body adjusts gradually to having more limited fuel.

  • Mood swings

Starting on intermittent fasting can cause serious hunger pangs, which can result in mood swings during your usual meal times. This is because of the hormone “ghrelin” secreted by the brain, which is responsible for making you feel hungry.

You’re also most likely to encounter this spike in the morning if you have to push your breakfast back, since your stomach is not yet used to running empty at this time.

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