Intermittent fasting is basically alternating intervals of fasting (not eating – or consuming any calories at least) with times where you can eat, known as eating windows. Depending on what programme you follow for intermittent fasting, these intervals and windows will differ. Just to point out, intermittent fasting isn’t really a diet, it’s a way of eating; a nutritional lifestyle that will allow you to reach your goals in an efficient and convenient manner, and then hold onto your physique once you achieve them.
Personally, I’ve done intermittent fasting for 2 years now. The reason I started it was because I looked at myself in the mirror one day and realised I looked nothing like my aim. I was really into weight-training at the time and I successfully gained 3 stone in the space of a year when I first started hitting the gym. In fact I was in the gym all the time. I went through the popular bulking phase where I took in an increased number of calories, and with a bit of an undisciplined diet, I ended up looking quite stocky! There’s nothing wrong with looking like anything, as long as you’re happy and comfortable in your own body – something I wasn’t. Every time I would go out, I would get guys that I hadn’t seen for ages saying, “Vex you’ve turned into a beast” – which of course is great for the ego, on the basis that looking like a beast makes you feel somewhat superior! Despite this, I didn’t want to look huge, I wanted to be defined and I wanted my clothes to fit properly; I have a passion for fashion and so it’s important to me.
Setting the intention, I came across a website called LeanGains.com (highly recommended) and read all about intermittent fasting and how it could benefit me. The before and after pictures amazed me; it immediately won me over! I was also going to Vegas that summer too and I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to reduce my body-fat significantly, whilst looking somewhat muscular. So I decided to strip my size down completely and then try and build some lean muscle. I applied intermittent fasting along with Beachbody’s Insanity Workout and a fairly good diet, which resulted in a loss of around 3 stone in 2 months. I admit, I’m not a professional in the field of exercise and nutrition, and it probably wasn’t the healthiest way to lose so much weight in such little time. I lost a lot of muscle-mass too. And straight after completing Insanity, I injured myself significantly and couldn’t lift weights for another 2 months. I ended up going to Vegas looking much slimmer than expected and not having the muscular gains I wanted – but I felt much better about my body despite this. I was also finally able to see definition lines that I had never seen before. Some people didn’t even recognise who I was due to the dramatic change in my face. I literally felt transformed.
I didn’t lose the weight for anyone except myself. I still come across people now who say that they preferred how I looked before – but I didn’t do it for them. Admittedly since that phase, my diet has never been too great. I carry on doing intermittent fasting, but I don’t train, nor eat with as much discipline as I had done before. Although I do go through phases where I will apply myself more seriously – such as before holidays. Intermittent fasting helps me live my lifestyle without drastically causing undesirable weight-gains during my not-so-good periods. And I have also been able to control my intake of food, whilst feeling more energetic throughout the day, because of it.
Intermittent fasting has now become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice, not just for fat-reduction, but also because of its propelled health benefits. The way I do it appears to be just skipping breakfast; apparently the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast however, is scientifically proven to improve dietary efficiencies. The more sensitive your body is to insulin, the more likely you are to lose fat and gain muscle. People tend to say insulin sensitivity is higher in the morning, but theoretically, it’s higher after the 8-10 hour fasting periods you experience after sleep. This is because insulin sensitivity is higher when glycogen levels are depleted; liver glycogen will be depleted to some extent from your sleeping fast. The reason intermittent fasting works so effectively is because it goes further and extends the fasting period beyond the normal 8-10 hour window, by commonly skipping breakfast and thus further depleting glycogen and increasing insulin sensitivity.
Fasting in general has hormonal benefits which include an increase in the secretion of growth hormone (GH). In general, the more GH you produce, the faster you can lose fat and gain muscle. GH tends to counteract the affects of a steroid hormone called cortisol, which is also related to belly fat storage, thus suggesting that fasting can help you lose belly fat, at least in a roundabout way.
I definitely recommend intermittent fasting for anyone looking to reduce fat… It might not be for everyone though so just trial it out! Click HERE for some of the different types of methods there are of doing intermittent fasting. This involves fasting for 16 hours and eating all your meals in an 8 hour window. Something I’ve done for the most part of the last 2 years.
If you’ve successfully used intermittent fasting as a tool, we’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Author: Vex King
I am the founder and owner of the Bon Vita lifestyle brand. I could give myself a title and call myself a lifestyle entrepreneur, personal mentor, writer, designer, innovator, CEO, or anything else I see as fitting. However no title can define me as an individual. I’m just an optimist, a visionary, a philanthropist and jack of many trades. I’m using my positive influence to redefine the creative industries using Good Vibes Only #GVO so that people can fulfil their dreams, purposefully, and enjoy The Good Life #TGL. My daily words of intent are to make people… Think, look & feel GOOD!
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