Intermittent Fasting is a controversial and much misunderstood eating strategy, even more so lately with all these – shall we call them “fasting-inspired diets”? – gaining popularity.

I’m not criticising anyone else’s approach, I’m sure those fasting-inspired diets work great if done right. But the coverage and promotion of them hasn’t done much to dispel many of the misconceptions and confusion regarding IF.

I expect those books contain lots of useful information, but for me, intermittent fasting is not a diet. It’s simply a strategy for when you’re going to eat and when you’re not going to eat.

Here’s how you do my kind of IF: You don’t eat for a set amount of time and then you do eat again.

Let’s move on…

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you’ll know that I first started experimenting with intermittent fasting last summer.  (Actually, that’s not strictly true I’ve been fasting almost every night of my entire life just like you and most of the rest of the world, but you know what I mean.) The last time I blogged about IF I was doing two to three full 24 hour fasts per week and experimenting with timings and how best to place my training around it.13_946_10968_foto1

I won’t bore you with all the many variations I’ve played around with since then, instead lets get right onto the money and talk about the style of intermittent fasting I’ve found works best for fat loss.

 

Here’s how I do Intermittent Fasting now:

  • 16 hours fasting with an 8 hour eating window
  • Fast begins after dinner, usually about 6-7pm
  • Fast ends before lunch the next day, usually about 11-12pm
  • I usually do this 4 or 5 days per week, depending on how I’m feeling , what training I’m doing and what’s generally going on in my life. (UPDATE: Now in maintenance I usually do it 2 days per week)

 

Here’s what I like about it:

  • The fast begins after dinner. I find the trickiest part of the fast to be a few hours in when I tend to get a burst of hunger. With this method I sleep right through it.
  • Like a lot of people, I find that hunger is easy to manage after a good few hours of fasting. Waking up in an already fasted state and simply not eating till lunchtime is relatively easy for me.
  • I’ve still experienced the benefits of learning mastery over hunger, reduced cravings, and that “cleansed” feeling. But the 16 hour fasts are more conducive to a social life – I can still eat dinner with people on fasting days.
  • I believe that doing my first workout of the day in a fasted state and then not eating for a couple of hours afterwards has promoted optimal fat burning.

But my most favourite things about 16 hour fasting are: I have loved the results. And it’s easy.

 

Some of my clients are probably frowning at this page right now, recalling me advising them to eat breakfast. Well, I’m a big believer in keeping an open mind, and my opinions on fasted morning training have changed. But I do still stand by that advice for people who are adjusting to a new exercise programme, or on occasions when peak performance is more important to you than fat loss, or if fat loss is not your goal.

Intermittent fasting is simple, but you do need to know how to eat well during your eating times. I’d certainly advise people who have poor diets to sort that out before starting intermittent fasting.

It essential that you give your body all the nutrients it needs to thrive during that eating window. It’s definitely not about stuffing your face with junk and then trying to starve it off. Not only would that be bad for your body, you’d most probably feel like crap! Eating processed carbs/sugars leaves you with low energy levels and causes cravings – which is the last thing you want whilst fasting. You need to take in plenty of protein, some good fats, and loads of veggies during that eating window. When I do that, I feel great during my fast.