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It may go against everything you know about diet and weight loss, but intermittent fasting can be a safe, effective, and even quick weight loss tool if done right. It will take some dedication and you’ll want to collaborate with your doctor on it. But especially you have found yourself stuck at a weight loss plateau, you may find that intermittent fasting for weight loss helps to break that cycle and renew your weight loss momentum.
Part of the problem with getting “finished” losing belly fat or whatever holdout fat you may be having problems with is that your body is programmed to hold onto fat as a safety mechanism. Those unbecoming love handles are your body’s last line of defense against starvation and the first line of defense against looking good on the beach. So, what this means is that you must trick your body into releasing that last bit of fat to be burned as energy.
Although there are several problems with fasting for weight loss in general, intermittent fasting can be an effective strategy. Just for a 12-24 hours at a time. Exercising in a fasted state will force your body to make the extra stored energy available, which it will do in the form of fat release. It may be difficult to motivate yourself to exercise in this fasted state but there is a learning curve here as well as an adaptability curve. If your body has never really run off of fat burning exclusively it will have a harder time transitioning to this type of energy and will not be as efficient. Your body will adapt over time and this will get easier. At times like this it is good to have a sugar free source of caffeine, like coffee, or a supplement. Just to give you the oomph to get to the gym.
Exercising in a fasted state, should not be looked at as a muscle building activity but exclusively a fat loss activity. You are not supplying any form of nutrition unless you break your fast shortly after your workout. And because of your lack of energy your workouts will not be of an intensity high enough to build substantial muscle. Some studies show that you can retain all of your muscle mass on an intermittent fast program but it will depend on the way that you go about it. You want light weight lifting and light cardio. Don’t overdo it hear because if you do your body will start stripping your muscles of protein. You’ll lose strength and you’ll lose the ability to burn calories. So keep your workouts nice and easy while you are on an intermittent fast for weight loss.
An intermittent fast typically goes for 12-24 hours on and then 12-24 hours off. On eat days, consume a clean, healthy, and low carb diet. Don’t binge, but you don’t have to be too careful as most people don’t end up eating any more than they would have anyway on that day. Just try to eat very low carb so that your body won’t be able to store up additional fat, which it may be prone to do during this time.
Use this strategy for good safe weight loss or to take off the last stubborn pounds. Experiment and determine what works best for you and remember that it is not only what you do in the gym but it is also what you do out of the gym that makes the most difference.
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