Today I finished my first eatstopeat fast which went really well.
Once I got my head around that I wasn't gonna eat for 24 hours then I was fine (although I did start to feel a little tired this morning. Not to the point where I couldn't function, however I was slightly more tired than normal.)
Did my workout around 12:30 (which went really well, thought it may have been slightly laboured having not eaten but I actually had a real good one today). I finished the fast around 2pm (GMT).
I'm glad I did my eatstopeat fast. Looking back, it was absolutely fine. If you can keep busy then this will help to keep your mind off food.
Otherwise THIS may happen, and it did to me on some occassions):
I think starting the fast around 2pm worked well for me however next week, I'm gonna try 9am through to 9am the following day just to see if this suits me any better.
To lose bodyfat whilst increasing muscle tone and shape.
Had my usual organic muesli breakfast around 630am. I then had a brunch of 2 boiled eggs with tuna and salad around 10 am.
My last meal was at 2pm today which was a tuna cucumber sandwich on spelt bread.
The fast has so far gone ok although I have been thinking about food quite alot (which I thought I would).
I chose Monday as my fast day as I'm real busy on Monday so I thought this would help me keep my mind off food.
The first few hours seemed fine however I started to feel hungry and get some mild headaches later on.
Having read Brad's book eatstopeat, I am now understanding that what I've experienced so far isn't TRUE hunger, more of a withdrawl from sugar perhaps. Do't get me wrong, I steer clear of sugar 90% of the time but I still have a chocolate milk after training and I sometimes eat a dessert if I'm eating out so sugar is not out of my diet entirely.
Most of us are addicted to sugar. We just don't know it and according to Brad, the headaches (that can sometimes occur during fasting) aren't because of our blood sugar levels but more of a withdrawl symptom from sugar.
After all, sugar is just like a drug right?
And like most drugs out there, if you stop taking it then you'll get some kind of withdrawl symptom.
I'm now half way through my fast and I'm about to "hit the hay". Just had a green tea (you're allowed black/green tea during fasting).
My next meal will be at 2pm tomorrow after a big workout.
You may not have heard of intermittent fasting, and so you may not know why it can and should be a part of your workout and fat loss plan. Intermittent fasting is the practice of abstaining from all but water for a period of usually 24 hours to help with the goals associated with fat loss and weight loss in general. The way in which it helps in this arena is by cutting out a full days caloric intake, while still being able to maintain a full workout schedule. Let's look at three main reasons I believe that intermittent fasting is a good idea for anyone serious about fat loss and muscle building!
The primary reason I'm fond of a workout plan that involves intermittent fasting is that it promotes maximum fat loss. Most people employ these types of fasts two days a week while working out, and this means they are effectively cutting out a full two days caloric intake from their weekly consumption. This combined with your workout can and does have a dramatic effect on the pace at which you lose excess fat. By working out while doing these fasts, you are attacking your goals with a two-edged sword, slashing it from both ends of the spectrum.
The second reason would be that this type of fasting allows you to maintain a moderate to intense workout load while still maintaining your energy and metabolism. Many people think that fasting drains both of these aspects, and while that is true for other, particularly longer fasts, for intermittent fasting the opposite has proven to be the case. You often have more energy and a higher metabolism while engaged in this type of fasting, making it the best of both worlds. Many other fasts are so debilitating that you are left at the end of the day so drained you are unable to do anything. Intermittent fasting is not like that at all.
The third reason why I believe intermittent fasting is a good practice to include in your workout plan is that it has beneficial aspects to it that are a little less easy to see, but of great benefit all the same. There is a cleansing of your system that takes place with any fast, as your body adjusts to less content being put into it. There are also undeniable psychological benefits, such as a very affirming sense of accomplishment that can help you in many areas of your life. Knowing that you are not a slave to food is a major part of that.
I'm a firm advocate of intermittent fasting as a way of enhancing your fat loss and workout routines. There is in my mind no faster way of getting maximum fat loss while still being able to handle a full workout load. Investigate it today. I think you might be surprised at the results you'll come up with!
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Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.
His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com
If you've been searching for a diet plan that you will not only lose weight with, but have a chance at making a change that will last a lifetime, then you need to look into short term fasting as part of a sensible plan that can help you reach these goals. If you've always dismissed fasting as the domain of the religious fanatics or the political prisoners, then you are in for a surprise. There are many misconceptions surrounding fasting, and here we'll look into how it can help you not only in your weight loss program, but aid in achieving a better overall you!
In order for any diet plan to work, there is really only one “magic” secret for it to work: eat fewer calories than you burn off. That's it! Think about it - all of the current fad diets rely on teaching you to eat certain proportions of whatever they think is best. Ornish promotes low fat, Atkins low carbs, The Zone a more balanced ratio, but in reality, they all preach smaller amounts, which will lead to weight loss. The only question with them is can you sustain yourself on these diets? Not many can. I tried the Atkins plan, and even though I'm a meat lover, after a few weeks it was difficult to face all that protein. Conversely, people report similar difficulty staying with Ornish and the others, simply because of the restrictive nature of these diet plans. One thing that is interesting, however, is that any of these kinds of diets will cause you to lose weight, (by restricting caloric intake) proving that it really doesn't matter what you eat, only that you eat less of it.
I proved this to myself when I was younger by going on a cherry pie and hard-boiled egg diet for 30 days. I lost a bunch of weight, but it obviously wasn't the healthiest plan I could have undertaken. And needless to say, it was not sustainable as a lifestyle. (But it hit the spot for a time!)
I believe that short term fasting, a 24-hour fast once or twice per week, can be a great way to get you into total caloric deficit for the week. Eliminating two full days of eating helps us consume fewer calories than we use, and that in turn can help us reach our goal of weight loss. Of course, you can't eat like Michael Phelps the remaining hours of the week, (Unless you ARE Michael Phelps!) and hope to have a deficit, but in reality, I've found that you don't often have the desire to wolf down excessive amounts of food when following this plan.
Short term fasting is not only the fastest way to achieve caloric deficit, but also, contrary to popular opinion, can actually increase your metabolism during the first 24-36 hours. Short term fasting can be a great aid to helping you lose weight. Give it a try, there's nothing to buy!
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Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.
His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com
The weather here in the UK has been amazing of late (which is really unusual!) so yesterday I decided to workout down at the local park.
I'm real lucky where I live because the park is only a 10 minute walk away however I decided to take my 20kg kettlebell with me so it was more like 20 by the time I got there.
Park was really busy, children playing with hula hoops,office workers relaxing on their lunch break, sunbathers basking in the sun. For a minute I didn't think I was going to find a spot (didn't want to disturb too many people with my workout) although I eventually found a cool spot (right next to some deer actually!)
and here's what I did:
The deer get a bit worried half way through =>
Simple yeah? Although not easy. =>
Here's how it looks on paper.
Push Ups x 20 reps Kettlebell Swings x 20 reps (or with dumbbells) Walking Lunge x 20 reps Alt Kettlebell Swings x 20 reps (or with dumbbells) Burpees x 20 reps
Rest for 1 minute
Then repeat x 5
The workout is great if you're short on time. It will take you around 15-20 minutes to complete if you work fast. You can do it as a normal workout or it's also really great after a weights session aswell instead of your intervals.
Give it a go, make use of your local park or garden and get a workout in!
I get alot of questions about my nutritonal philosophy I use both on myself and with my clients.
"Do you ALWAYS eat organic?"
"What do you eat every day?"
"What metabolic type are you?"
"What supplements do you take?"
The answers are:
"No, I don't ALWAYS eat organic, although I do whenever I can and when I'm following my 60 day detox plan then I will eat organic foods. Period.
"My metabolic type is mixed, meaning my meal proportions should be around 50% carbs, 40% protein and 10% oils fats. They're not always like this, but generally speaking I'll try to keep this in mind without getting too scientific.
The last thing I want to do is start measuring and weighing each meal." I'm way too busy for this."
"The only supplement I take is creatine. I used to take lot's before I discovered that many of the supplements out there are just a complete waste of money and leave you know better off than before."
And what do I eat every day? Well "a wide variety of food"(and that's my first diet secret). Instead of sticking to the same food choices, day in day out I like to switch it up.
So let's take a look at what I typically eat on a regular basis
6:00am Breakfast - I teach my Bootcamp at 6:45am so I like to have some breakfast before I head off to the park.
Either:
Organic Muesli Bluberries Crushed Walnuts, Pecans & Brazil Nuts Half a chopped banana 1 cup of Almond Milk
or:
Organic Porridge Raisons Almonds, Hazelnuts & Pumpkin Seeds 1 cup of Milk/Water
Along with either of those recipes I'll have either a pear or an apple and recently I've been having green tea aswell.
11am Brunch - Usually after a busy morning of teaching Bootcamp and training clients I will grab a mid morning snack to keep me going until Lunch.I'll typically take the snack to work with me.
This can vary from day to day but usually will consist of either
Natural peanut butter on celery sticks, Organic Hummus with celery or carrots. 2 boiled eggs with garden salad
I've also tried peanut butter spread onto an apple and it was really good. Try that combo sometime.
I'm always trying a new fruit or vegetable(that's secret #2).
A few years ago, I wouldn't say I was a fussy eater but I was sooo regimented with my eating habits. I always used to have a set meal plan and this would hardly ever vary throughout the week.
I am now more open minded about what I eat and am willing to try a new fruit or vegetable out whenever possible.
Anyone can learn to eat better over time.
Heck, if I can do it then so can you!
Workout then Lunch 12-1pm
In between clients I'll workout around noon (give or take half an hour)for around 45 minutes.
I used to glug down a protein shake religeously after each workout whereas now I'll tend to go for a regular chocolate milkshake that you can buy in the supermarket as research shows clearly that there's no real difference between the two (apart from saving yourself a ton of money of course).
I sometimes have nuts an berries aswell. It depends on where I am and what I feel like having really. If I know I'm going to be out of the house for more than 4 hours then I'll prepare my food before I leave so that I'm not left not knowing what to eat during the day.
As a general rule I'll always try to eat natural, wholesome foods and steer clear of anything tinned, canned or packaged wherever possible(Secret #3).
Lunch will always vary. Here are a 3 things that I'll typically have:
I don't often have bread but when I do I go for spelt or rye as regular bread (with wheat in) tends to bloats me out.
After lunch I'm real busy. I have more private clients then Bootcamp class at 6:30pm. Sometimes I have clients all the way through until 8pm so my dinner time can vary from 6 through to 8 although generally speaking I won't eat anything after 9pm.
This isn't set in stone, I just find I sleep better if I don't eat too near bedtime.
Here are a few recipes that I'll have for dinner:
Chicken Breast With Garden Salad
Organic Steak with Spinach and Mushrooms
Smoked Mackerel with green beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms & spinach
So as you can see from this meal plan that when I go shopping, I'll fill my shopping bags with nothing other than meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables (Secret #4).
Check the video out below =>
Ok, so that's what I eat. It's certainly better than the average western world diet. I sometimes like to have a dessert (if I'm eating out) and I do have a beer every now and then but generally speaking I'll follow this.
Personally, I think staying away from foods that are high in carbohydrate and trans-fats (like pizza, chips, cakes, pastries or anything fried) is a good idea.
If you can do that, and follow a diet that is rich with raw nuts, fruit and vegetables than you'll lose bodyfat without going hungry.
If you have any nutrition questions then let me know here.
Here's to your fatloss success,
Sam Winkworth
PS - Please post your nutrition questions and comments below!
OK, today I'm going to cut to the chase and have a bit of a rant so bear with me. = >
I wanted to talk to you about making time for workouts when you're travelling or on the road because over the last few weeks, I've been hearing alot of excuses about not having the time.
Excuses like:
"the hotel didn't have a gym." "I'm too tired when I'm on a business trip to workout." "I'm way too busy for exercise, I'll make up for it when I'm back home."
Ladies and gentlemen, how can I put this politely?
Thats a bunch of BS.
We should ALL have time to fit exercise into our lives.
Cramming your exercise in at the weekend (although better than nothing at all) just isn't the same, and as for being "too tired to exercise" on your travels, well this is just lame. Sorry if that sounded a little harsh but it just is.
It's time to toughen up guys!
I run 3 businesses,have a busy social life and I do alot of travelling aswell yet I still find time to get atleast 3 workouts in during the week.
You should too.
Not prioritising is where the issue lies.
I guess it depends on how much value you attach to achieving ideal health, longevity and the body of your dreams.
If you do attach SOME value then it's time to get ORGANISED if you want to see a change in your bodyshape and stop using excuses.
You don't even need a gym to workout!
I've recently come back from a good friends stag do in Majorca yet I still found the time to have a workout in my hotel room.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit that I drank abit too much and ate alot of the wrong things but hey! it was a stag-do and I STILL got a workout in.
All be it for 20 minutes, but as you probably know by now if you've been following my blogs for some time, it's not the quantity of the workout, its the quality and what you do DURING those workouts that make all the difference.
Here's a short video of my Hotel Room Workout that my friend filmed for me whilst we were away. We filmed this and then went down to the beach to play some American football with the rest of the stag party (I love the beach!):
There you go.
What do you think of that then?
Proof that you CAN workout ANYTIME, ANYPLACE and ANYWHERE so let's ditch the excuses and start focusing on DOING.
Ok rant over, I'll leave you in peace now!
Here's to your new found body,
Sam
PS - If you're looking for more fatburning workouts like the one above that don't require you to be a member of a health club or gym then you can visit my social network.
You'll find plenty of FREE training advice and nutrition tips there that you can start implementing straight away. = >
