How to Lose FAT with Intermittent Fasting
Intro
Intermittent Fasting is a meal-timing strategy that can help you lose body fat by a combination of fasting for a longer period of your day & feeding for a shorter period of your day. It’s not magic so don’t think that if you restrict the number of times you eat in a day, you’ll automatically lose weight & body fat. The number one factor in your success of losing weight is by being in a calorie deficit. This is how IF can help with your overall reduction in calories. In your 24 hours of the day, you can go 12:12 or 16:8 meaning 12 hours fasted & 12 hours eating or 16 hours fasted & 8 hours eating. I recommend for anyone starting out is with 12:12, then gradually make your way up to 16:8. You can do longer than 16 hours but personally, that’s when I start to get irritable & my first meal will not only be higher in calories but bad in terms of macros (high carbs, fat & low in protein). You don’t need to be strict with this meal-timing strategy because what’s more important than following “rules” is listening to how your body feels. Appetite suppressants such as coffee, low-cal/zero calorie energy drinks, & BCAAs help with blunting hunger and extending your fasting period.
Research:
The research I’ve done on the internet with IF presented me with 3 popular options people follow:
The "16/8 method” (By Martin Berkhan):
Also called the "Leangains” protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 12–8p. Then you fast for 16 hours until 12p the next day.
"Eat-Stop-Eat” (By Brad Pilon):
This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.
The “5:2 diet” (By Dr. Michael Mosley):
With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)
This is a small component of TEE (Total Energy Expenditure) or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): The amount of energy (calories) spent, on average, in a typical day. It’s made up of 3 ingredients:
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): The amount of energy expended while at rest; represents the minimal amount of energy require to sustain vital bodily functions such as blood circulation, respiration, and temperature regulation. RMR typically accounts for 70% of TEE.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The amount of energy expended above RMR as a result of the processing of food (digestion) for storage and use. TEF typically accounts for approximately 6-10% of TEE.
Energy expended during physical activity: The amount of energy expended above RMR and TEF associated with physical activity. Physical activity accounts for approximately 20% of TEE.
Long story short, it doesn’t make a difference if you eat 2 or 6x/day, you still burn the same amount of calories from digestion. Total Calorie intake is what drives TEF.
The Physiological Benefits of IF include improved:
Cognitive Functions
Increases the brain hormone BDNF & may aid the growth of new nerve cells. It may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Growth Hormone
Key role in growth, body composition, cell repair & metabolism.
Less body fat, higher GH levels.
Boosts muscle growth, strength & exercise performance while helping you recover from injury & disease.
Insulin Sensitivity
Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.
Life-Hack Benefits:
You get to spend less time thinking about what to eat, less time preparing meals & less time cleaning up. For example, if 12-8p is your eating window, you can drink coffee, an energy drink, & water with BCAAs up until 12p. From 12-8p is when you get to enjoy calories, then you’re back to fasting until 12p the next day. Two big meals & 2 shakes is what I typically consume on a day where I’m practicing IF.
Who Should be practicing Intermittent Fasting?
In short, almost everyone can. Always consult with your doctor first to understand your personal risks if you have any pre-existing conditions that may negatively affect your health such as: diabetes, blood sugar regulation, low blood pressure, take medications, underweight, have a history with eating disorders, trying to conceive, history of amenorrhea (menstruation problems), or pregnant/breastfeeding.
IF is perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight but hasn’t seen the progress they’d like because their previous diets were too strict. You can also gain muscle/put on weight with IF but it’s much harder because of the small window you have to eat.
In Conclusion:
Can Intermittent Fasting work for you? Yes.
How will you know? Try it out.
What if it doesn’t work? Try being more loose with your eating/fasting window. You can also add FASTED CARDIO to your regimen.
IF is less about WHAT to eat or more about WHEN to eat. If you need further assistance, send me an email abel.y.mezemer@gmail.com or send me a message here
