Let’s be honest: Intermittent fasting is not for the faint of heart. It takes strategy, commitment, and a hefty dose of willpower… but now, a registered dietitian is sharing a new way to think about what your body needs, plus four tips to make your intermittent fasting practice healthier, and more successful for weight loss.

Mandy Enright, MS, RDN, RYT is known for the practical advice she shares on her social media to make weight loss and healthy eating less restrictive and more sensible. This week on her LinkedIn profile, Enright proposed: “Let’s talk about the #1 mistake people are making with Intermittent Fasting.” But she didn’t stop there, and shared some other smart I.F. pointers.

Keep reading to learn Enright’s perspective-shifting insights, and check out The Best Oatmeal Combinations for Faster Weight Loss, Says Nutritionist.

Enright kicked it off by calling out what she says is the worst mistake people make with intermittent fasting: Eating within “feasting” windows that are too narrow of a timespan.

She said that the 16-hour “fasting” window combined with the eight-hour “feasting” window may be too strict for some dieters. In fact, she suggested, when your body is telling you that it needs to eat, fighting that feeling “is simply just torturing yourself,” and can be compared to forcing yourself to wait 16 hours to use the restroom.

When you think of it this way, you might agree that it’s important to listen to your body, right? Here was Enright’s solution for going about this more gently—”After all,” she said, “would you only let yourself go to the bathroom between 12-8pm? [sic]”

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“If you’re looking to try Intermittent Fasting,” the dietitian said, “don’t be so restrictive off the bat or you will set yourself up for failure.”

Instead, she shared: “I always recommend starting with a 12-hour window in your day to start, and you can always adjust from there based on hunger, energy levels, and what your schedule looks like that day.”

RELATED: One Surprising Side Effect of Intermittent Fasting, New Study Says

Enright added that another way she sees people not getting the most out of their efforts is to respond to long daily periods of deprivation by doing this: “If you’re only eating 1 or 2 overly large meals per day, how is this helping your weight loss or weight management goals? . . . often I see people eating these big meals super late in the day.”

What’s the problem with this approach? “Not only is this not ideal for your energy and metabolism, but it’s also fast track to a terrible night’s sleep,” Enright said.

RELATED: This Is Why Peanut Butter May Help You Get Better Sleep, Research Suggests

Enright says instead, dieters should follow these three rules:

1. Eat earlier
2. Eat often
3. Eat balanced portions.

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Dropping pounds itself isn’t an easy undertaking, but the psychological journey toward weight loss is arguably an even greater challenge. The Chief Scientific Officer at WW (formerly Weight Watchers) is a clinical health psychologist who’s out with a new book to help you reframe your mentality around weight loss so you’ll have better chances it’ll work for good. Here’s the one factor that he says best serves anyone on a weight-loss and wellness journey.

Gary Foster, Ph.D., has studied the psychology of obesity and weight loss throughout his career. Keep reading to learn about one of the main themes in his new book, The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss (St. Martin’s Press).

In The Shift, Foster identifies one hope that many dieters set out with on their weight loss journey. “Everyone is focused on what and how to eat. I get questions like, Can you really eat bacon and lose weight? . . . What foods start my metabolism in the morning? . . . People often want to be told what to eat.”

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Foster says his career has taught him that when you frame weight loss around what to eat versus what not to eat, in your mind, this can set you up for a win or lose situation.

If you think losing weight is about having the willpower and discipline not to eat a lot of foods that bring you pleasure—and then you eat them, because you’re stressed or busy or you’re having a tough day on your diet—you’ve created a scenario where it’s only natural to let yourself down.

RELATED: 8 Best Ways to Avoid Fall Weight Gain, According to Experts

In The Shift, Foster says he often asks this question at WW workshops: “What’s the single most important tool for success on the weight-loss journey?”

He shares that many participants respond with answers that make losing weight sound hard, such as “Persistence,” or answers that highlight their current  shortcomings, suggesting that they themselves are not eating enough healthy foods or exercising as much as they should.

Instead, Foster gives his answer that he’s found to be essential to weight loss success: “‘Self-compassion,’ I say.”

He explains what this means: “Considering yourself worth taking care of. An outlook that frames things not as failures but as chances to learn and grow.”

RELATED: Experts Say These Healthy Foods Can Help Fight Inflammation In Your Body

Foster points to “extensive research” that shows self-compassion is one of the most important elements of staying fit long-term. He quotes Gary Bennett, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and specialist in obesity treatment.

Bennett says: “Clinically, patients who do well over the long-term—four, five, 10 years—are those who are basically able to put into practice self-compassion skills.”

Next, here are a few more links that might inspire that spirit for you…

A few more articles to inform your journey:

Adele Finally Reveals Her 4 Weight Loss Secrets for Shedding 100 Pounds

20 People Explain Exactly How They Lost 20+ Pounds This Year

The Final Verdict on Adding Lemon Juice to Your Coffee for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian

The Best & Worst Greens to Eat—Ranked by Nutritional Benefits

5 Major Secrets to Living Longer, Say Experts

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