<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" width="40px" /> If you need to take medication with food

If you are prescribed medication to be taken with food, I would recommend either of the following: Depending on the dosage, take in your feeding window if you can.

Lengthen your feeding window to allow a greater spread of the medication across the day.

Finally, don’t fast on the days you need to take the medication, finding yourself a ‘happy medium’, as discussed in the previous section.

Alcohol

My approach to alcohol, and any food you might consume around it, whilst intermittent fasting is very simple.

Go out and enjoy yourself, then wake up and continue on as if it were just another morning. Except maybe now you’ll need to focus on hydration a little more.

Continue fasting until your usual time and get straight back to it.

Separate the issues of weight loss from fasting

There are many health issues that can arise from chronically cutting calories and losing too much weight.

Intermittent fasting can allow for ease in finding a calorie deficit, therefore, losing weight. And so, health issues can arise as a result of this weight loss or lack of nourishment, which are not directly linked to the process of fasting.

These issues can be seen in a separate box related to the weight loss or calorie cutting itself, and so should be tackled separately.

Fasting does not have to result in cutting calories; it controls meal timing.

If you are not able to consume sufficient calories to manage weight when intermittent fasting, I would consider if your feeding window is long enough, or if a full fasted protocol is the right lifestyle for you – remember, there are lessons that can be learned and happy mediums to be found!

Fasting’s effect on thyroid function

When fasting, your body wants to conserve energy as it awaits the next arrival of food.

This can affect thyroid function – especially if practiced too intensely, with too fewer calories consumed.

The degree of caution that should be taken on this matter varies from person to person, but there are some foundational steps you can go through to keep your thyroid in check.

Firstly, ensure you are consuming enough selenium, iodine and zinc, which can be found in a variety of food sources or supplemented. These are nutrients that support thyroid function.[42]

Secondly, avoid longer periods of fasting and chronic calorie restriction. This can be done by opting for a less intensive period of fasting, such as the 16:8, and ensuring you’re consuming calorie and nutrient dense foods within your feeding window.

Moreover, thyroid hormones are produced in the gut, so properly managing your gut health is vital to thyroid function.[42]

Gut issues, such as gut dysbiosis - an imbalance between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria - and leaky gut can reduce T3 production.

Finally, trust your intuition, especially with any stressful feelings, as stress and the resulting levels of cortisol can inhibit thyroid function.[43]

Overthinking and overanalysing

I’ll be the first to say that I’m guilty here at times.

It’s very easy to slip into a state where you’re stalling from one meal to the next.

Waiting, watching the clock, thinking about the next meal before you finish the one at hand, “What should I have next?”.

Now, it’s most certainly not always in our control; if you are not feeding yourself sufficiently, this thought will likely creep in whether you like it or not, so first and foremost, ensure that you’re giving your body what it needs.

Finally, overanalysing how you feel and building associations between these feelings and the lifestyle you live and the food you consume can be problematic.

Eating and healthy living are supposed to fuel your life, not encapsulate it.

From my experience, I would recommend seeing the pursuit of healthy lifestyle in a complementary way, as opposed to the primary purpose of living.

</aside>