Fat Loss #4 Part B
If you didn’t get the chance to read Fat Loss #4 Part A, you can find it on the Grapevine along with the rest of the Fat Loss series.
Ways to help your body adjust to fasting:
- Gradually lengthen the time of your fast. If you naturally fast for 10 hours every day, lengthen your fast by 1 hour every day or every other day. Once you have experienced the length of fast that works best for your body you can then decide what IF schedule will work best for you.
| Sunday – 10 hours
Monday – 11 hours Tuesday – 12 hours Wednesday – 13 hours Thursday – 14 hours Friday – 15 hours Saturday 16 hours |
Sunday – 10 hours
Monday – 11 hours Tuesday – 11 hours Wednesday – 12 hours Thursday – 12 hours Friday – 13 hours Saturday – 13 hours |
- Drink water as soon as you wake up, warm or cold. You can also drink a cup of herbal tea…no cream of sugar…just teaJ.
- Stay busy! Don’t watch the clock and count down the minutes to your breakfast. Go about your day and continue drinking water.
- Have your first meal planned with healthy portions of carbs, proteins and fasts. Take your time eating your first meal and let your Leptin do its job. When you start to feel satiated, stop eating 🙂 .
Intermittent Fasting Schedules:
If you are trying to fast for 12-16 hours you will either be eating an earlier dinner or a later breakfast. These lengths of fasts are usually best to try over the weekend. Based on your current eating schedule, you will decide how many days you would like to fast for 12-16 hours. Some will choose every day and others may choose one or two days weekly. Personally, I fast for 12-14 hours 2 or 3 days weekly depending on the week.
Examples:
| 14 hour fast:
Last meal – 6:30pm First meal (break your fast) – 8:30am Or Last meal – 8:00pm First meal (break your fast) – 10:00am |
16 hour fast:
Last meal – 7:00pm First meal (break your fast) – 11:00am Or Last meal – 6:00pm First meal (break your fast) – 10:00am |
What’s best for you…2, 3 or 4 meals daily?
This is something most people already have figured out. If you feel your level best with your current eating schedule…stick with it! The best advice I can give you is to eat when you feel hungry BUT there is a difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. If you don’t know the difference, read this: http://grapevine.mckinley.com/?p=1022
Training in a fasted state:
Pros – You will burn more fat for 2 reasons:
- Your human growth hormones are elevated which is the hormone that helps build muscle and burn fat simultaneously.
- Your body is already converting fat to glucose for energy. If your body requires more energy to get through a workout, you will increase your fat burning potential.
Cons – Lack of energy and feeling tired.
- You could have less energy for your workout which could cause you to have a workout where you’re not able to lift as much weight as you’re used to.
- You could feel dizzy and nauseous at which point you would stop your workout.
If you want to try training in a fasted state:
- Start out with a moderate cardio session for 20-30 min and assess how your body feels.
- If you felt fine during your fasted cardio session, try a light 20-30 strength training routine and assess how your body feels.
- Keep a banana or chocolate milk close by so if you start to feel dizzy or light headed you can stop your workout and quickly eat something to refuel your body.
Remember, IF is not going to be the right approach for everyone. It is a fat loss method that has worked for some and might work for you as well. There are several articles and opinions about If. Whatever article you choose to read whether it’s one I’ve suggested or one you find on your own, read the information, learn from it and only put to practice what will work best for you. Email me with any questions :).
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/intermittent-fasting-the-ultimate-weight-loss-hack.html
Yours in Health and Wellness,
Meredith