Intermittent Fasting Can Jump Start Fat Loss

I’ve been reading a lot lately about intermittent fasting as a way to jump start fat loss. In my own fat loss quest, I’ve started to hit a...

I’ve been reading a lot lately about intermittent fasting as a way to jump start fat loss. In my own fat loss quest, I’ve started to hit a plateau around 200 lbs. I feel like that might also be because I’m starting to add on a lot of muscle, but I can’t be sure. I’m by no means demotivated by my progress, because I am doing much better than I was six months ago.

empty-plate-fasting-300x225I actually had the pleasure of seeing some pictures of myself from St. Patrick’s day and I was amazed at how much healthier I look. I’ve lost a lot of weight in my face and neck. There is no better motivator than going back in time and seeing some pictures of how you used to look.

To break through this wall I’m hitting, I’ve decided to try fasting to see how it affects my energy and weight. I’m worried about potentially losing the muscle I’ve gained, but I also know I can put that back on once I lose the fat. I’m more concerned about what kind of hit I will take to my overall energy. Last Saturday I ate dinner around 6:30 PM and promised myself I wouldn’t eat again until 6:30 PM the following evening.

When you really break it down and think about it, a 24 hour fast isn’t really a big deal, because you’re only cutting out two meals: breakfast and lunch, the following day. I had no trouble at all making the journey and was able to eat a sensible dinner on Sunday evening. My overall energy wasn’t affected and I felt great about the whole endeavor.

I’ve read that doing two fasts a week can produce great results and I’ve decided to try that. I’m already allowing two cheat meals a week and have seen good progress doing that, so I’ll continue to do two cheat meals a week along with the fasting. From what I understand, the cheat meals are actually a good practice when fasting, because it helps return your leptin hormone levels to normal.

Leptin is the hormone that puts your body into “starvation mode” and causes you to store fat. When you fast those leptin levels drop and you start to store fat, but when you cheat, they rise to above-normal levels and you store less fat. The one-two combo of cheating and fasting is supposed to accelerate weight loss in theory.

I will try fasting for 30 days and see if it affects my overall energy and weight loss. If it works, I may continue. Either way, I will report the results here and let you know how it goes.

Have you ever tried to do a fast? If you did, how long did you go, and how did it make you feel? Please share your results and we’ll compare them to what I find out.

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