When you hear the word fasting it likely conjures up visions of religious fanatics starving themselves for days at a time.
That’s one form of fasting, it’s pretty extreme.
Another form of fasting is to take in nothing but water for three days to flush the toxins out of your system. Less extreme but not really conducive to weight loss.
Why? How can it not be good for weight loss?
Because your body wants to live. After 24 to 36 hours of not eating your body makes some radical adjustments to ward of starvation. It becomes more efficient, you burn fewer calories doing the same activities.
It gets even worse, once you suffer through your 72 hours of self-deprivation and you start to eat ANYTHING you don’t burn immediately turns straight to fat reserves for the next time your body thinks you’re starving to death.
That’s not to say fasting doesn’t have a place in your health and wellness goals, just that weight loss isn’t the place.
Intermittent Fasting is a slightly different take on what you already do every day. When it come right down to it you fast every night. It’s actually the origin of the word Breakfast, in the Middle Ages a common morning greeting would be, “Hast thou broken thy fast this morrow?”
Does this mean you already practice Intermittent Fasting?
Almost, you just need to increase the time between Dinner and Breakfast, at least 10 hours to about 16 hours.
It may sound difficult, but if you finish Dinner about 6:00 pm then you eat again about 6:00 am.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight?
Intermittent Fasting can help you lose weight two ways:
First, Intermittent Fasting limits the times when you can eat, less time to eat equals fewer calories consumed. IF YOU CAN CONTROL YOURSELF.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, Intermittent Fasting causes your body to burn its supply of glycogen and dip into your fat reserves. You start burning fat for fuel.
Those two reasons are pretty good on their own, to take your weight loss up a notch or two exercise a bit right after getting up in the morning. It doesn’t need to be strenuous, light calisthenics will do.
How light?
Try this;
- 20 Mountain Climbers
- 10 Pushups
- 10 Bodyweight Squats
Rest 30 seconds to one minute between sets, work up to 3 sets.
Try Intermittent Fasting for two weeks with these exercises and you could lose 2 to 5 pounds a week.
Michael Cole