By 
Dear Fitness Enthusiasts,
If someone were to ask me what is my secret to getting ripped, I would simply answer ‘intermittent fasting’.
Intermittent fasting is my key to getting sculpted without becoming hungry or saying no to the foods I love.
It’s the eating plan that turned me from a skinny Asian kid to a working model, from an exhausted gym junkie and meal planner to a guy who loves life.
I mean, let’s be honest – diets are hard, and they often promote a sense of guilt when we eat something “we’re not supposed to”. I don’t believe in diets, but that is for another blog post.
Fasting, on the other hand, allows you to adhere to a fat loss program and create a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying the food you eat.
When I was looking to get back into shape in 2014, I looked to intermittent fasting because I wanted to give it another try.
The results were unbelievable!
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is defined as a period of restricted eating followed by a period of overeating.
Intermittent fasting simplifies everything because you don’t have to eat frequently to burn fat and gain muscle! With intermittent fasting you will experience an increase in energy, burn more fat, and yes, you can eat more in the meals you have.
But isn’t breakfast the most important meal of the day?
The theory of breakfast being the most important meal of the day was built around the thermic effect of food (TEF). TEF states that when you eat, it takes energy for your body to break down food. The more often you do this, the more your metabolism will burn the food. More is better, right?
Not exactly.
Studies have shown, the larger amount of food, the bigger boost in TEF.
At the end of the day, the calories burned to digest food is equal.
So what now?
Studies have also shown that if you extend your fast by skipping breakfast, it allows your body to release growth hormones, adrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and glucagon (allows for lipolysis which is the breakdown of fatty acids.)
The longer you extend this, the more of these hormones are increased throughout the day. Food shuts down and suppresses these hormones because they have a difficult time increasing when insulin is present.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
The fasting period is 16 hours followed by an 8-hour feeding window. Sleeping is considered part of the fasting period.
In the past, I used to give up on intermittent fasting after three to four weeks because I would be doing a pure water fast.
Instead, I now have black coffee on an empty stomach during my fast. To help get adjusted, you can have a fruit snack such as an apple or grapefruit, during the fast to help you adjust.
Intermittent fasting is effective in getting lean while still being able to stick to your “diet” because it allows you to eat larger portions, enabling you to feel full, and have more delicious food, while remaining in a large enough caloric deficit to burn body fat.
Intermittent fasting is not a diet. It is a way to structure your food so you can adhere to a fat loss program.
If you train correctly and use this type of intermittent fasting, I can assure you that you will get stronger with less body fat and not feel like you are on a diet.
Now that I use these strategies for intermittent fasting, I’m able to fast with ease, while still burning fat and getting even stronger in the gym.
The best part is, you can too! I’ve been using it for my clients who are business owners, models, and actors, and they are all getting awesome results with ease.
Now it’s your turn.
Download the complete guide to Intermittent Fasting here!
If you have any questions about Intermittent Fasting, reach out – I’m always here to help.
Written by Kevin Kreider: www.instagram.com/kevin.kreider
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My Journey From An Ugly Model To A Fitness Coach – Kevin Kreider