Intermittent fasting means that we need to meet all of our energy needs for the day in a shorter time frame. This can lead to you exceeding the fat threshold more often. This may be unavoidable, especially with eating windows of 8 hours or less.
If you find intermittent fasting works well for you and you're still scoring well overall, it's absolutely fine to ignore the warning. Your body will clear fats during your extended fasting period.
Remember, your day score decreases based on how much you exceed the fat threshold by. If you're still scoring in the green, you're likely only slightly over the threshold.
If you’d like to exceed your fat threshold less often, here are some techniques you could try:
Extend your eating window: A 10-hour eating window has still been linked with positive health outcomes.
Space fats out as much as possible: We don’t need to clear all the fat from one meal before the next; this would be impossible. Give as much time as you can between higher fat meals, so that your body can clear some fat before the next meal.
Swap out some higher fat foods: For example, swap half of your nuts and seeds at breakfast for berries and a handful of oats, swap hummus for tzatziki, or try some crispy roasted chickpeas instead of potato chips.
Plan your day: Experiment with logging your meals ahead of time to see if your fat threshold warning pops up.
Focus on fat quality: Opt for high-quality fats, which are less likely to exhaust your fat threshold. You can check the fat quality for any food or meal in the app.
Overall, intermittent fasting can still be a healthy approach, even if you occasionally exceed your fat threshold. By making small adjustments, like extending your eating window or balancing fat intake throughout the day, you can optimize your scores while maintaining a fasting routine that works for you.