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Intermittent Fasting as a Couple – 5 Tips for Success

These days, more and more people are realizing that intermittent fasting has tons of health benefits.

It can help you prevent various chronic illnesses, and even reverse some of them (like type 2 diabetes).

But what if you wanna try intermittent fasting, and your partner’s not on board?

Today I’ll share a few tips and suggestions about how you can implement intermittent fasting as a couple, or a family.

Discuss Your Goals

First off, it’s a good idea to sit down and discuss your motivation with your partner. In other words, don’t just tell them you want to try fasting, talk about the frustrations that made you want to try this in the first place. Then tell them your health goals, how you think fasting can help, and what sacrifices you’re willing to make.

If you spend some time chatting about these issues, your partner is a lot more likely to be supportive. In some cases, they may even decide to try it out with you.

Choose Breakfast or Dinner – Whichever is More Convenient

The easiest way to start intermittent fasting is to simply shift the timing of one of your meals, at least one day per week.

In other words, you could delay breakfast by a couple hours (or skip it). On the other end of the spectrum, you could eat dinner a bit earlier (or skip it).

Talk to your partner about which meal is more important to them, in terms of sitting down and eating together. Most people prioritize dinner, because it has a stronger social element, but other people may be the opposite.

And don’t forget, you don’t have to do it the same way every day because…

Fasting is Flexible – Adapt to Your Schedule

One of the great things about intermittent fasting is that it’s super flexible. You don’t have to do it the same way every day, which makes it really convenient and adaptable to almost any lifestyle.

For example, you may find it convenient to skip breakfast on weekdays, but perhaps you like having a special breakfast with your family on weekends. And that would be totally fine.

Keep track of what works for you over time, and talk to your family about it. See what works for the best for everyone involved, and then get into a routine.

Focus on the Benefits

If you think about it, fasting can actually be really convenient and save you time and effort.

For example, think of all the time and effort you could save in terms of shopping, cooking, and clean-up if you skipped breakfast (or dinner) a few days per week.

Notice these “wins” and bring them up when you talk to your family members. That will help you remember the positive benefits you get from intermittent fasting (other than the health benefits).

If You Have Kids…

In addition to your partner, having kids throws an extra wrinkle into the situation.

Here are a couple tips you can try if you have kids:

First, even if you’re going to skip breakfast you could still sit down with your kids when they’re eating breakfast, and drink a cup of black coffee or some type of tea.

It’s ok to drink coffee, tea, or something like apple cider vinegar while fasting because they have almost no calories and don’t really disrupt your fast. And by having a drink you can make it seem like you’re still “participating” in the meal.

If you decide to skip dinner you could do something similar. This is a good way to still have that family time while getting the health benefits of fasting.

Final Thoughts

Intermittent fasting has a ton of health benefits, but sometimes it can be challenging to coordinate as a couple, or with family members.

Overall, fasting is super flexible and it’s worth using a little bit of creativity to figure out something that works.

By implementing intermittent fasting into your lifestyle, you’ll be more likely to live longer and avoid illness, which means you can spend more quality time with your family in the long run.

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About The Author

Ben Tanner is a physician assistant / PA (similar to a doctor) with experience working in the emergency room, family practice, and urgent care. After observing the devastating complications of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, he started a website about fasting to help other people take control of their health.

Creative Ways to Create Cash Within Your Existing Budget

Earning money is pretty cut and dry. You likely have a firm handle on your personal income and budget, but what happens when that is not enough? You can always create cash for yourself by physically earning more, via a second job, or passive stream of income, but neither of these options are especially viable for when you need quick cash. The amount of money you can create from your existing budget will vary based on many factors, but you might be surprised to learn that when you need quick cash, you might already have it on hand.

Asset Reduction

If you find yourself in a situation where you need a decent sum of money, on a limited timeline, think about your assets and what you might be able to sell off, or downsize to create those funds for yourself. Picking up and selling your house in a hurry just to create cash is not a very well thought out plan, so consider less assets that have a lower immediate need, like your life insurance policy.

You might not realize that you can sell your life insurance policy for cash, because most people do not take out a policy of this type with the intent of ever dropping it. Many policy owners have the option however to surrender or sell their policy when the need for cash exceeds the need for the policy. You can quickly find out if you are eligible and what this decision would mean for your budget without actually committing to the sale.

Simple Swaps

You might be shocked to find out how much money you spend annually on daily, or even weekly habits. Small expenses like buying lunch daily instead of meal prepping for the week can mean hundreds of dollars out of your budget each year. If you are looking to create small amounts of cash for yourself, consider swapping out some of your habitual spending. If you are not already, start tracking your spending down to the penny, and you will be able to easily identify with real-life figures, how much money you can create for yourself each month by simply cutting back on the nickels and dimes.

Challenge Yourself

If you are competitive in nature, creating a budget challenge for yourself is a great way to trick yourself into creating extra money. The best part of this type of opportunity is that you can follow an existing plan, or create one that is customized to your needs and habits. Timelines are also fluid, so you are in complete control of how much time you allow yourself to complete this challenge, depending upon when you need your cash by.

You can also challenge yourself by sacrificing some of your free time to your need for extra funds. Cleaning out your closet might seem daunting but if you can get it done and then post some of your removed items for sale to social media marketplaces you can kill two birds with one stone. Many of these opportunities have minimal demands for the seller. Once you post the item for sale, at the point of purchase you can simply communicate with the buyer regarding pick up and payment terms and it’s done.

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How to Meal Prep on a Slim Budget

Cooking a nutritious and affordable breakfast, lunch and dinner every day is challenging and time-consuming. Women spend an average of 51 minutes preparing meals for themselves each day and even longer if they’re cooking for an entire household.

Meal prepping can be your secret weapon for eating on a budget and remaining healthy. When you prepare your meals in advance, you save time by taking the guesswork out of your day. You reduce impulse purchases and concentrate on buying nutritious ingredients.

Here are seven tips you should follow when meal prepping on a slim budget.

1.) Create a Plan

To meal prep on a budget, you must start by making a plan. What inexpensive dishes can you make each week? Choose foods you enjoy that will keep well in the fridge or freezer. You should also set a budget each month.

Challenge yourself only to use the money you’ve allocated for the week. Try making a grocery list to use when you go to the store, or try shopping online to avoid impulse buying unnecessary items.

2.) Compare Prices

To get the best deals, you need to compare the prices at your local supermarkets. Do your research and make a note of sale items in your area. If you buy the same ingredients every month, it’s best to learn what stores offer the most competitive prices.

Check to see if any of the stores offer a price match guarantee. If so, they’ll discount their prices to match or beat a competitor. Remember, market fluctuations cause prices to change, so if you see a great deal on a non-perishable good, consider purchasing extra.

3.) Use Coupons

Coupons can be a shopping game changer. You can stock up on essential items and purchase name brand products at a fraction of the regular price. Try looking in your local sales paper for coupons and announcements describing what things are on sale each week. Besides the newspaper, you can access coupons digitally through your email or on phone apps.

Sign up for loyalty programs to gain special rewards and discounts at your favorite stores. If you prefer to shop online, consider enabling browser extensions that will help you save money by finding discount codes, cash back offers and coupons.

4.) Prep a Variety

The concept behind meal planning is that you prepare a large meal that you portion out throughout the week. You can eat leftovers that are kept in the fridge for three to four days without the risk of food poisoning. However, meals kept in the freezer last substantially longer. Soups and stews can stay frozen for two to three months without risking spoilage!

Plan to prepare a mix of frozen and fresh meals so that you can enjoy variety throughout the month. If you eat the same two dishes week after week, you’d quickly become bored.

5.) Utilize Kitchen Gadgets

Meal prepping is fun and relaxing when you utilize kitchen gadgets. For instance, mandolins allow you to prepare vast quantities of vegetables in a short period. Other items — like pressure cookers — help you achieve delicate textures with deep flavors.

Focus on working smarter, not harder, so your weekly meal prep is enjoyable rather than stressful or chore-like.

6.) Grow Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs can elevate a dish to rockstar potential. You can use them in various meals to enhance the flavor and provide color and texture. Herbs offer numerous health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing blood clots. Consuming them can also help prevent certain types of cancer.

Buying them fresh from the store each week can become expensive, so try growing some at home. Mint, chives, parsley and basil can be grown inside all year if situated in a sunny area.

7.) Think Inside the Box

When meal planning, you should think inside the box — the freezer box that is! Frozen vegetables provide the same nutritional value as fresh ingredients at a fraction of the cost. You can buy them in bulk and store them in the freezer for months on end without worrying about them going bad.

When you have frozen fruits and vegetables available, you are far more likely to implement them in your meal prep. This means you can enjoy healthy eating without breaking the bank. Plus, frozen vegetables contain a fraction of the salt and preservative content found in canned goods.

8.) Create Balance

Use these seven tips to meal prep on a slim budget. When you make strategic choices, it’s possible to make nutritious and affordable meals each week. Concentrate on finding a balance between inexpensive items and healthy ingredients. You may have to be creative, but your efforts will pay off!

About The Author

Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.