Had Gastric/Acidity Problem! This is how I began Intermittent Fasting
Gas, Acidity, and feeling bloated were a few of the major regular issues that I faced when I had begun Intermittent Fasting, back in January 2017. To add on, I was obese, suffering from high BP and high pulse rate.
Before I began Intermittent Fasting, the only time I would not eat was when I was asleep! Night snacking was mandatory for me and the first thing I would do after waking up was have my breakfast. Pills for gas and acidity was a must after having food to ensure I am able to sleep properly.
Today I observe prolonged water fasting for 96 plus hours where I do dry fast, the first day. I am a regular intermittent fasting practitioner.
I think anyone* can start and get the benefits of intermittent fasting.
Here are a few tips on how I began Intermittent Fasting and even you can if you are suffering from gastric problems:
- Begin with 12 hours of fasting for the first three to four days and gradually increase half an hour more every day.
- Fasting hours should cover your sleeping time. This will allow you 7-8 hours of the natural window of fasting and increase the rest of the hours equally to begin and the fast. So if you go to sleep at 11pm and wake up at 7am, have your last meal by 9 pm and have your breakfast by 9am. Slowly increase the timing to 16 hours.
- During your fasting window, consume water, ginger tea, and/ or green tea, should you feel a little bloated. Avoid black coffee. Ideally black coffee is good during fasted hours for weight loss but not for people suffering from gastric issues.
- Have a glass of fennel seed water(fennel seed soaked in water overnight) when you wake up.
- Half an hour later, have some boiled sprouts with chopped ginger and garlic to break your fast. You can also experiment with a handful of nuts.
- Avoid too many meals/binge eating. Have 3 meals at the most. This was a key game changer for me.
- Do not have water while having food. Have water half an hour before meals and half an hour after. Never when you are having food. Slows down the digestive process and promotes bloating, gas, and acidity.
- You can consume Yogurt for probiotics helping in digestion and consume fruits like papaya, mango, and bananas. These contain natural digestive enzymes. Aloe Vera juice is great too.
- Avoid raw green vegetables, have them slightly boiled/cooked. And avoid spicy, packaged, and processed food as much possible. Avoid citrus fruits.
- Consume less to no alcohol specially on days you are intermittent fasting.
- Pick up some exercise. This is so important. Either jog/ brisk walk, do some basic bodyweight training or minimalistic weight training. It would be great if you exercise before ending fast. This is also very important.
- Avoid stress. I cannot stress more on this. 😀 Seriously, most of our health issues begin from a stressful life. I heard it from experts before, I acknowledged it when I minimized stress and saw the transformation in my fitness levels.
As you regularize intermittent fasting in your life, in a week or ten days, acidity and gastric issues would end, in an ideal situation.
Should you like to share your experience, I am all ears.
Experts I listen to and I recommend listening to:
Dr. Josh Axe – video on How to overcome Gastritis
Thomas DeLauer – video on Common Side Effects of IF
Dr. Eric Berg Beginners Guide to IF video
*Please note: I am neither a certified dietician nor an expert in gastric issues. I have mentioned what worked for me. If you have any specific health conditions like stomach ulcers or if you are on any kind of medication causing gastric issues, or any other reason, you may consult your physician and/or dietician prior to beginning Intermittent Fasting.
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