Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is something I've been doing daily since 2009. I started IF because of my busy schedule. I originally did the "Warrior Diet" style of fasting( 20hr Fast. 4 Hour Eating Window.) IF worked great for me because I was busy all day running the gym. During the fasting period I drank coffee( 2 cups) and ate either an apple or a banana. Once I got home I had a 4 hr window to eat my daily calories. Because I came home late I usually didn't eat many calories, which put me in a calorie deficit. Because of that I had a very low body fat percentage and because I trained and lifted at least 5 times a week I was very lean, weighing 123-125 pounds. You can see old profile pictures on my Facebook page.

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I continued this for about 3 years then wanting to gain more muscle mass I decided to changed my fasting period to 16/8 (16 hr fast, 8 hr eating window). With the 20/4 I wasn't able to eat enough calories to gain more muscle(I now weigh 130-133 lbs). I still fast in the morning because I feel great training fasted and I'm not hungry when I wake up. I now eat a late lunch and dinner(2 meals a day). This works best for my schedule. I'm not around food during the day so it's easy for me not to eat.

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I get a lot of questions about IF and whether it's a great way to lose fat. First I'd say that there are many ways to lose fat. There are many great nutrition plans, the best always being the one that you can stick to long term. I'd recommend IF for people who have a busy schedule and have a hard time eating during the day. I DO NOT recommend IF for those who work at home or who are round a break room full of snacks. It's very hard to say NO to snacking or eating during the day when you're in those situations, and lets face it, our will power isn't that strong. If you're in those situations it's probably better to meal prep and eat during the day. 

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IF isn't a magic pill. It worked for fat loss for me because I was in a calorie deficit. I could have achieved  the same results on a different nutrition plan, eating 3 or 6 meals. I choose to fast because it works with my schedule, I don't count calories and don't meal prep. 

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Listen to what Layne Norton has to say and decide if IF is something you'd like to do. If you have questions from me about my experience with IF, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.