Fasting For Fat Loss

One topic that is coming up more and more within the fat loss industry is “fasting”.

The act of fasting is willing not consuming some or all food, drink or both for a specific period of time. There are different types of “fasts” that range from eating or drinking absolutely nothing, to only drinking certain special fasting drinks.

Fasting used to be thought of for cleansing the body internally which leads to improved immune function, but it is starting to become popular for fat loss these days. By fasting you are lowering insulin resistance, which can help you cut off that unwanted body fat.

Most popular is a type of fat loss fasting called “intermittent fasting”. With this type of fasting you won’t be completely giving up food or liquids for a long period of time, but instead will be fasting for a specific period of time everday or a few times per week.

An example of this intermittent fasting is setting aside a window of when you eat. For example you could eat only from 8:00 am – noon and fast for the rest of the day. Another example would be to fast once a week (lets say Monday) for a complete 24 hour time frame.

During this fast you won’t be “starving” yourself. Although you do want the calorie deficit to lose weight, you won’t be going to any extremes. You will be able to eat your 1500-1800 calories or whatever was recommended to you for your calorie deficit, but it is important that during your fast you eat healthy.

A popular intermittent fast is the “Big Breakfast” fast. The idea is that eat a VERY large and healthy breakfast, and that’s it for the day. It is also recommended that you supplement in some BCAAs during the day while doing this type of fast for fat loss.

So what can I eat during my fast?

Stick with healthy carbs such as rice, potatoes, oatmeal, and most fruits (leave out whole grains). Make sure you are getting a lot of lean proteins such as chicken, fish, eggs, steak, pork chops, beans, etc. And don’t forget about healthy fats such as natural peanut butter, olive oil, nuts, etc.

Also make sure you are drinking mostly water (no sodas or fruit juices). Coffee is ok if you cut out the Sugar.

How soon can I expect to see fat loss results?

You should drop weight pretty quickly, but the majority of that will be water weight. You can probably expect to see some visual results a week or two into your fast

Are their negative side effects with this fat loss technique?

I am not a doctor nor nutritionist so I am not sure the side effects. If you are pregnant fasting is NOT for you. It is always important to check with a physician before you start any diet or weight loss program.