Much to my chagrin, I came across a great article on Intermittent Fasting in Men’s Health yesterday; yes, the same Men’s Health that I’m consistently so very disappointed in. This says two things to me:
1) Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while
2) The mainsteam media might finally be catching on to new and effective fat-loss techniques, in spite of conventional wisdom
I’m not holding my breath on #2, but one can dream!
One passage from the Men’s Health article really hit home for me:
“Until Mr. Edison lit our evenings, we rose with the sun, worked, ate, played, and slept. That’s what your hormonal cycle is designed for. Now, our schedules are more like eat-work-eat-work-eat-sleep.”
This simply makes too much sense. Sure, we had fire before Mr. Edison, but people certainly weren’t staying up past sundown to watch their favourite late-night television shows and crush back sugar and trans fat.
I’ve been using my own IF techniques for a few months now with great results. I essentially use a 12-hour diet, eating for the first time a few hours after rising, and eating my last meal a couple of hours before going to bed. I take it a bit further and plan my macronutrient intake around my workout schedule as well, in an attempt to further optimize my hormonal peaks and valleys.
I encourage all of you to read the Men’s Health article (this hurts my soul a bit), and the associated links that explain the program in greater detail. One thing I would like to make clear though (and where Men’s Health misses the boat in my opinion): Don’t view this as a temporary diet. Fad diets do not work. If you try the 8-Hour Diet for 52 weeks and then go back to your old ways, you will lose weight, and then gain it right back. Fat-loss techniques like IF should not be seen as temporary, they should be seen as a lifestyle change. If you are serious about your health and fitness, find a sustainable fat-loss technique that works for your lifestyle and understand that this is how things are going to be for an extended period of time. It is difficult at first, but the results will keep you on track; and it makes vacations and temporarily breaking habits so much more gratifying!
Intermittent fasting is a great idea if implemented properly, and if you’d like to see how it can fit into your lifestyle, I’d be happy to help walk you through it!
Again, Happy Easter and enjoy your long weekend!
- DW
