What are some easy tricks to lose weight?

I’ve tried so many different diets in my lifetime, now I’m 41, and with the highest of certainty, can claim that intermittent fasting is the easiest and fastest way to weight loss for life. The only catch is that you have to fast on a daily basis. Once you get on a role, you won’t mind this small factor, because of all the benefits you will see within your health and your body composition.

Why is IF so good?

The main reason is that it changes your metabolism. Here is how.

HGH: This hormone is responsible for weight loss and muscle gain. It’s also got a number of other benefits, but let’s focus on how profound it is when it comes to losing weight. Let me also say, just because you fast, doesn’t mean you cant put on muscle, and be at your strongest! HGH is highest when you fast, and produces the best effects when exercising.

Insulin: When we eat, insulin increases as a result. When we fast, the opposite is also true. During the time of fasting when our insulin levels are low, we experience the most fat burning potential.

These are but one of the many key metabolic factors that IF assists. Your metabolism will also become a lot more flexible in burning body fat, shuttling glycogen to muscles when needed, and utilising your food sources in a positive way.

The fasting periods and methods

There are several different fasting periods. Here are a few that I use.

20 hours fast, 16 hours fast, 18 hours fast, 17 hours fast, 16 hours fast, 12 hours fast.

There is much research online that will give you a lot more details about specific timing and the effects. I choose to fast for 20 hours twice a week, 18 hours once, 17 hours 2 times, 16 hours once and 12 hours once. I keep the big ones regularly, and when I finish a 20 hour fast, i follow it up with a shorter fast period to restock on nutrients, and keep my body in top conditioning. It takes a bit of time to get the schedule right for your body. 12 hour fasts are great when you are going out of an evening.

Always altering the times of the fasts during the week, will keep your body guessing, and those body composition results skyrocketing.

Why fasting is so easy.

It’s easy because, all you have to do is stop eating at a certain point in time, for an extended duration. During this time, you can consume caloric free beverages, such as water, tea, coffee, mineral and soda water. During this time, the excess fluids will help you flush out toxins, and give your body a break from digestion. Fasting is also a time where you will become a lot focused and have clear concentration.

What it does for building muscle

Unlike calorie restricted diets, fasting allows you to put on muscle mass, and retain it whilst you fast. The only catch is to make sure you are eating enough protein and calories to sustain your training levels. This is a bit challenging to do in the beginning, but you will be able to gauge the food volume needed, even if you are only consuming one meal. If you are a bodybuilder, this diet is not really for you. But for the every day person, and anyone that wants to build lean muscle mass whilst having low levels of body fat, this is your perfect all in one solution!

How to increase your success with this lifestyle plan.

Although you can get away with eating some off limit foods with this eating plan, it’s recommended you still keep on top of your nutritional needs in order to experience long term success. Here are some points to help you along the way.

1. Be patient. For some people, it takes a certain amount of time to get their bodies used to this eating plan. For me, I had to wait 2 months for some results. You will get the benefit of losing belly fat almost immediately, but the long term goals do take time and patience. If you want to re-condition your body and become a lot more shapely and lean, you need to focus on weight training and eating very well. Know what you want your body to look like, and keep at it on a daily basis.
2. Calorie intake & food consumption should still be low. You will naturally consume less when intermittent fasting, but don’t go crazy and stuff yourself because you think you will become too hungry down the line. Give your body time to adjust, and learn to cope with those hunger pangs. Drink water, have a nap, talk to a friend, focus on a task. Just stop thinking about it and let it go.
3. Be consistent. This requires consistent application and execution in order to see results. This is why I tell all clients, when you fast, you need to adapt it to your every day life – for life! There are no short cuts, and going back to your old ways again will result in weight gain. Just think of tall the benefits to your health fasting is allowing you to experience. We really need to be aware that our consumption of food is way too high. Our bodies need time and space to heal, and fasting does this.
4. Eat well all the time. Make sure your foods are of high quality. No junk food, only when it’s your treat meal. Make your meals abundantly fresh, filled with vegetables, healthy oils, quality protein and wholesome carbs.

So there you have it. My take, and the research I’ve accumulated on fasting. While this eating plan is not for everyone, the benefits out-weight the hardships. We can all do with a little less food, and move a lot more.

I do hope this helps you, and good luck on your journey.

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