Disclaimer..I am not a trainer…I’m a person that struggles day-to-day with eating and working out just like about all of the people out there. That being said, I’m going to talk about something that I have been doing and that has been helping me.
By now, you’ve heard it. Eat five small meals a day to keep your metabolism up. Supplement! Eat every two-three hours. Yeah, I’ve tried that diet for years. And with mixed results really. What it really always makes me feel like is that I am always full. And granted, that is a good feeling for most of us that are used to stuffing our faces with 3000 calories a day. But what if I told you that most Americans don’t have one inclining about what hunger really is. And why is that really? We’ve been taught since birth to eat three times a day until we are full. Mostly it is our parents fault. They want to get babies on the same schedule as they are so they can sleep. I can’t blame them. That is what we were all taught from our parents.
Take a long hard minute to think about where you get your nutrition information. The TV? The Gym? That guy at GNC that looks like he has rocks implanted in his tits, arms, and legs? Think about that for a minute. You are hearing how to eat from companies/people who are trying to sell you something. And what do companies want from consumers? They want you to consume! Of course they are going to say have two of their shakes everyday. Of course they are going to say to eat their product 15 times a week. Why? Cause they want your money!
I’m going to turn you on to an idea that you might not have heard of, but I want you to look at with an open mind. The ideal of intermittent fasting. That’s right. The concise choice to not stuff food into your face for 24 hours. Gasp! And I know that this goes against everything that we have been taught. But I invite you to read two books. One, Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon and the other The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler.
Now before you go and shoot off an email to me stating that I’m an idiot. Let’s think about this a bit. What if you took 24 hours off from eating say, once or twice a week? I’m talking dinner to dinner here folks. You can drink coffee, you can have water. You just can’t eat for 24 hours. What is the benefit? Obviously you are going to reduce your calorie intake. The real secret is changing the way you eat around the fasting as well. Of course you can’t come off the fast with a trip to Taco Bell. But if you replace the bad foods in your life with the right things, you will be more apt to be able to take that day off here and there. Trust me, you won’t starve to death. In fact, it will make you feel amazing. Keep in mind that most major religions in this world use fasting as a way to become closer to God. I’m just suggesting you do it to become closer to a smaller waist size.
I also suggest you supplement this diet with resistance training on the day you are fasting, about an hour before you eat. Use the workout to break your fast. At the end of the workout, sure you can have a protein shake and a balanced meal. For me, the real purpose around this diet is about eating right all the time and not having to supplement your way to health. Like I said, check out the books above. I’m not expert, but these guys are. I would be willing to bet you will begin to hear about fasting more and more in the next few years. Just remember where you heard it first.
