Read 48 times since Wednesday, January 18, 2012
How would you like to lose weight without doing anything? This is an offer I make to all my Glasgow personal training clients. They jump at it, so would anyone else but as you know, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is, so what is the catch?
The truth is with intermittent fasting there really isn't one as it is much easier to do than it first seems. To lose weight with intermittent fasting you don't change your healthy eating habits at all except for one or two 24 hour periods each week where you don't consume any calories. These fasts should be scheduled to make them as easy as possible. When not fasting you just eat what you normally would. Ideally this should feature good quality meats and fish with mostly fibrous, not starchy or sweet carbohydrates plus a lot of drinking water. Just don't eat waste your fast be eating extra to make up for it! Don't fast more than twice per week or for longer than 24 hours at any one time.
So how does intermittent fasting work? Each fast reduces your weekly calorie intake; a key element to weight loss, by about 15% so 2 weekly fasts can cut out 5000 calories each week, an average reduction of around 700 calories per day. Fasting also resets your hormones to optimal levels for fat burning by significantly reducing your insulin levels. This primes your body to burn off fat stores to balance the energy deficit caused by fasting.
So how do you get through 24 hours without food? As your fast can start at anytime you should take advantage of times you will be out of the house, busy or asleep. If you work 9 to 5 eat your pre fast meal at by 6pm on Monday before getting to bed by 10.30. As you are fasting there is no need for breakfast so you get a longer lie in the morning. The same applies at lunchtime so take advantage and go for a walk to get some fresh air and avoid watching people eating. Before you know it you will be through the afternoon and heading home to get your meal ready for 6pm when your fast is over. Keeping a bottle of cold water (you can drink as much as you want) and some sugar free chewing gum can be helpful if you find yourself struggling. Iain Smith (MPhil/CSCS) owns Standout Gym, an independent warehouse gym in Glasgow, focusing on weight loss. He offers small group training as an affordable alternative to Glasgow personal training. Iain is a former international decathlete with 17 years coaching experience. www.standoutgym.com.
|
|
