Top 5 ways to break out of the false start:

Did you tell yourself you were going to start a 24 hour fast Monday or you were going to finally try your first ever 72 hour fast and then, you just didn’t? You didn’t feel like it. Or you already licked your thumb that had yogurt from making the kids lunches. Or Mercury is in retrograde, so clearly it is a bad time to start a fast…

Yup. We’ve all been there.

Here are 5 ways to prevent the false-start phenomenon.

1. Find a buddy to do the fast with you! When we do our group challenges each month both the fast starting and completion rate goes way up, because you don’t want to let your fellow fasters down. That social pressure can really help push you through your un-reasonable excuses.
2. Create a fun prize for yourself if you successfully complete your fast. This can be an outing to Meow Wolf, an episode of your favorite reality TV show, a Beyonce vs. Rhianna dance party in your living room. Whatever it is make it fun, weird, and exciting to you!
3. Create a penalty for yourself that you know will motivate you. No TV for a week, donate to a cause you despise, or no more of a treat you would normally indulge in.
4. Reconnect with your “why.” Why did you want to complete this fast in the first place? And how can you keep that front and center in your mind? Is there an object you can wear (like a bracelet or a shirt) to remind you? A phrase you can repeat to yourself?
5. Join our Monday reset call and announce to the group your intended fast for the week. Then come back a week later and tell us if you succeeded (or not)!

Please share in the comments below, what else have you found helps you?

Here are a few fasting resources you may enjoy:

• • The Hacking of the American Mind — A great read by Dr. Lustig, an endocrinologist, on the impact sugar has on fueling the diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome.
  • Pure, White, and Deadly — If you are curious about what science knows about the most popular powdery white substance and it’s a film!

  • “Muscovado” – Do you know what “muscovado” is? How to catch the sneaky substitutes for sugar.