I discovered intermittent fasting in the summer of 2011 and saw its effectiveness within just one week. Since then, I have used it every single day to stay lean and sexy.
Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight rapidly. What you probably didn’t know either was it is also great for muscle mass too. Intermittent fasting will not leave you looking like the image on the right===>
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is periods of eating and periods of fasting. The fasting period can last anywhere from 12-24 hours.
Does Intermittent Fasting Cause Muscle Loss?
Yes it can. So why would I do it then? Well, there is a way around losing muscle. By performing at least 2 resistance sessions per week, you are sending your muscles a signal not to atrophy, and your body will burn calories from fat instead of muscle when in a calorie deficit. Intermittent fasting actually promotes muscle growth if you want it to. By fasting and then eating more calories than you consume in the eating window, it makes your body more efficient at shuttling amino acids into the muscles and generally partitions nutrients better.
Doesn’t Skipping Meals Cause Your Metabolism To Slow Down?
No, this is just a silly myth someone invented to sell you more food. Intermittent fasting will actually speed your metabolism up. Fasting will cause your metabolism to slow down if done 3 days straight, however we never go beyond 24 hours without eating, and we do eat something every single day.
How Long Should You Fast For?
This depends on what your goal is. If you want to get ripped and burn a lot of body fat I recommend daily 16 hour fasting and in addition, 1-2 24 hour fasts as recommended in Eat Stop Eat.
Fasting reduces your total weekly calories and takes the pressure off of daily calorie counting. It is a very simple method which I can say does actually last in the long term. Most calorie restrictive diets work in the short term, but once you come off of them, the weight will just pile back on often more than originally.
Intermittent Fasting From An Evolutionary Standpoint
Food wasn’t so abundant as it is today in the western world. My training and eating habits tend to mimic our ancient ancestors and it is probably why I am in the very tiny percentage of people who have 6 pack abs with great strength. For example, I am sure Fred Flintstone, didn’t have a protein shake before hunting, that explains why I train on an empty stomach. So training=hunting in my case. Sometimes Fred would come back empty handed so from a evolutionary pov, I do believe our bodies are designed to adapt to this and burn body fat currently already on our body when food is not available. There are many health benefits to intermittent fasting and I have listed them all in my Eat Stop Eat review.
Intermittent Fasting Is similar To Intense Exercise
I can’t be bothered to explain this so I will let Brad Pilon the author of Eat Stop Eat explain this.
Why Only 1-2 x Per Week?
It keeps things flexible, allowing you to still be lean and trim while enjoying your social life. You can plan your fast any day of the week and it doesn’t always have to be that day. I tend to fast after a day of bad eating.
The Best Resource On Intermittent Fasting For Rapid Weight Loss
By far it is Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. It dives into the science behind why it works. It also gives tips on:
- What to eat and how much to eat after the fast for best results
- What to do while you are fasting
- When to exercise while following the plan
- How to handle the first few fasts which I must admit are difficult
- And much much more…
