It’s a verifiable fact that breakfast foods are the best. Who doesn’t get excited about bacon, eggs, sourdough toast, hash browns, sausage, waffles, fresh fruit, cereal, and all things breakfast? So. Good.
I’ve always loved breakfast foods but hated actually eating breakfast.
The food is delicious. But force-feeding myself before I head out the door in the morning? Not so much. You know what it’s like, though. We’re all busy. And we cling to every single second of sweet slumber before rushing out the door for school, work, or whatever else we’ve got going on.
On a busy morning, breakfast is one of the first things to take the backseat.
We choose five extra minutes of sleep over scrambling some eggs and end up grabbing something on our way out the door or stop off at a coffee shop instead.
Or maybe it’s just me.
Maybe I’m the only person that’s had a busy morning. Maybe I’m the only person that’s ever felt guilty rushing out the door without having breakfast. And maybe I’m the only person that’s ever stopped off at a drive-through for a breakfast burrito.
Highly unlikely.
I’m not alone, here. A lot of these things are the norm for most people. I’m probably not even the only person that hates eating breakfast.
But I don’t hate it because of the food. Breakfast food’s delicious. I hate forcing it down when just because I’m supposed to (even if I’m not hungry). Because apparently, that’s healthy.
Well, I’m here to tell you that eating breakfast isn’t always healthy.
I started routinely skipping breakfast years ago. At this point, it’s a daily practice. And I credit it (at least partially) for the amazing health and fitness progress I’ve made over that time.
Skipping breakfast hasn’t made me unhealthy. Instead, I’m healthier than ever. Leaner, bigger, and stronger too.
Curious how you can start skipping breakfast for better health and fitness?
I’m about to show you.
But Wait, Isn’t Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day?
We’ve all heard—maybe even said—that countless times. And for good reason.
After all, this study shows that people who eat breakfast every day are less likely to have high cholesterol or blood pressure. Translation: They’re healthier. The researchers also found that people that skip breakfast are more likely to be obese, have poor nutrition, or become diabetic.
The study suggests a link between eating breakfast, general health, and overall fitness. Obviously, it’s important. Because science.
But there’s more than science at play when it comes to breakfast. There’s also logic.
Obviously, skipping any meal—not just breakfast—can leave you hungrier and cause overeating later in the day. Even just having a late lunch can mean you’re left ordering more food than you normally would.
I’ve been there. “Why yes, I would love fries with that.”
By filling up on a nutritious breakfast, you can help stave off cravings and keep from overindulging at lunch.
Food is also fuel.
Everything we eat is broken down and used by the body. One of those uses is energy. Fun fact, calories are actually units of energy. Having breakfast in the morning means you’re giving your body the energy it needs sooner rather than later. That’s energy that can be used for everything from workouts to work meetings.
The fact of the matter is this: Breakfast can be incredibly beneficial from a health and fitness perspective.
A good, nutritious breakfast is a simple thing that a lot of people can do. And when it comes to a fit and healthy lifestyle, simple is what it’s all about. Simple means sustainable, which leads to lasting results. But we’re not all breakfast people.
If you are, awesome. Keep on enjoying it.
If you aren’t—aka, if you’re like me—it’s okay. There’s another way.
Enter Intermittent Fasting
Everybody practices some form of intermittent fasting—whether you know it or not. At its core, intermittent fasting is simply alternating periods of fasting (not eating) and feeding (eating).
If you’ve ever slept, you’ve fasted. That’s actually why it’s called breakfast—you’re breaking your overnight fast.
Intermittent fasting for fat loss is strategically scheduling your feeding and fasting windows to optimize your fitness results. There are several different iterations, but they’re all different versions of the same basic idea:
By strategically shortening your eating window, you can shed more fat, sculpt lean muscle, optimize your hormones, and even improve health.
The best part? It works.
That’s why thousands of people have started using intermittent fasting to their advantage.
But so many people still have no idea what it is. A lot of people still think that eating breakfast is the only way. And that’s why I wanted to write this article.
Because of the deluge of questions I’ve gotten about intermittent fasting after this Instagram post, I decided it was time to show everyone exactly what it is and why it can work…
To show you how (and why) to start using intermittent fasting and getting better fitness results.
Three Reasons Why Intermittent Fasting Can Work
Because it’s fitness-related, there are countless different opinions about intermittent fasting. And because it flies in the face of conventional nutrition wisdom, it’s surrounded by controversy.
We all know that skipping breakfast is considered nutritional taboo. But with intermittent fasting, that doesn’t need to be.
Here are three big reasons why:
1. Science That Supports Intermittent Fasting
The world of health and fitness is full of bro-science. You know, those not-so-scientifical things perpetuated by that stupid jacked guy at the supplement store or super fit girl at the gym.
Until there’s actual scientific data, it’s hard to know if a claim is valid or if it’s just a fortunate coincidence.
Lucky for us, fasting is backed by all kinds of research. Not only has intermittent fasting proven beneficial for fitness, but also overall health. One study even links it with prolonged life.
Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
One of the more oft-cited benefits of fasting is increased autophagy. Simply put, autophagy is self-repair that happens on a cellular level within the body. It plays a critical role in physiological, pathophysiological, and general health. Some research suggests that intermittent fasting has a profound and positive effect on autophagy.
But these health benefits go well beyond the cellular level.
In fact, this study links intermittent fasting with beneficial effects on our entire cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. Translation: that means better heart and brain health. That’s a big deal.
Researchers in one study found that intermittent fasting can help in the prevention of chronic diseases (like heart disease and diabetes) by affecting several risk factors. They linked fasting with lower total cholesterol, a lower heart rate, improved cardiac response to infarction, better fasting glucose levels, and lower blood pressure.
Intermittent fasting was also shown to “ameliorate age-related behavioral deficits” in this study. That means that fasting could affect things like senility, dementia, and Alzheimer’s for the better.
Fitness Advantages of Intermittent Fasting
There’s really interesting data surrounding intermittent fasting and fat loss.
According to one study, what you’re eating doesn’t seem to matter as much as when. Researchers fed different groups of mice the exact same amount of food. But they found the mice with an 8-hour feeding window were to significantly leaner than mice that ate throughout the day.
This suggests that intermittent fasting can help you lose fat without even changing your diet. Awesome, right?
Another study supports this idea.
They found that intermittent fasting is effective for fat loss even without restricting calories. Furthermore, they concluded fasting protects against metabolic diseases (think: obesity). And here’s the clincher: It’ll prevent metabolic disease even with interruptions on the weekend, which researchers simulated in the study to create an environment similar to human lifestyle.
Fat loss? Check. Prevention of metabolic disease? Check. (Even if you enjoy the weekend.)
Intermittent fasting also benefits us on a hormonal level.
Two big players when it comes to fitness goals are insulin and growth hormone (GH).
Insulin sensitivity is important for general health and will help stave off type-II diabetes, but it also plays a role in our body’s ability to process the carbs we eat. A better insulin response means better health and a better physique. This study suggests that intermittent fasting benefits our body’s insulin response.
Growth hormone plays a big role in fitness goals. It’ll help you shed stubborn fat, build lean muscle, and gain serious strength. The more you secrete, the better your results will be. One easy way to increase GH secretion? Fasting. That’s what the science says, at least.
2. The Simple Logic of Intermittent Fasting
Calories in vs calories out. That’s the biggest determining factor in gaining or losing weight. If you’re consuming more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. If you’re consuming fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. Thanks, thermodynamics, for fitness success made simple.
It’s a simplistic view, but intermittent fasting is a really easy way to decrease total caloric intake and lose weight.
Fasting through a meal saves hundreds of calories. Even if you eat a bit more in subsequent meals, you’ll still be able to decrease total caloric consumption and lose weight.
Let’s look a 2100-calorie diet as an example.
Split between three meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—that’s 700 calories each meal. If you skip breakfast and eat identically the rest of the day, you’re suddenly in a massive caloric deficit.
Even if you eat 200 extra calories at lunch and dinner, you’re still eating 300 fewer calories that day.
Eating less will almost always lead to fat loss. (Here’s when it won’t, by the way.) Intermittent fasting offers a simple way to eat less.
When it comes to fitness, simple usually means successful.
3. An Irrefutable Reason Why Intermittent Fasting Works
Some people just like it. Period.
Maybe it’s because they don’t like eating early in the morning. Or maybe it’s because they enjoy having a couple big meals more than several small meals. It really doesn’t matter.
At the end of the day, the best fitness strategy is the one you can consistently follow.
Adherence is the key to success with any program. When you enjoy your plan and it simplifies your life, you’re infinitely more likely to stick to it and inevitably on pace for better results. That’s the irrefutable reason intermittent fasting works.
Take all the science and logic away. If you enjoy fasting and it helps you stick to your plan, it’s working.
Just Because Intermittent Fasting Can Work Doesn’t Mean It’ll Work for Everyone
Everything can work. The trick is finding what works best for you. That’s where the magic happens.
For some, that’ll be intermittent fasting. Other people might completely hate fasting. And that’s okay. Both are okay.
We can all succeed with fitness, but we can’t all succeed with every part of fitness. Some of the tools, tips, tricks, and tactics out there aren’t going to be a good fit.
Intermittent fasting might not be for you if you…
– Enjoy the frequent feeder model (several small meals throughout the day)
– Struggle to eat enough food
– Have any sort of medical reasons that’d make fasting foolish or dangerous
If that describes you, fasting may not be the best fit.
But if not, you should consider giving intermittent fasting a try.
How You Can Start Using Intermittent Fasting
There are several different intermittent fasting protocols. Some involve relatively short, daily fasts. Others are longer fasts you’d only do a one or two times a week. All of them can work and you’ll get the best results from finding which iteration of intermittent fasting works best for
All of them can work and you’ll get the best results from finding which iteration of intermittent fasting works best for you, your schedule, and your personal preferences.
That being said, I recommend starting with short and frequent fasting. They’re a great way to get your feet wet without diving headfirst into a 24 to 36-hour fast.
Once you’re more familiar with intermittent fasting (and if you like it), you can start playing around with different protocols.
Until then, start here:
16/8 Intermittent Fasting
This protocol offers a straightforward and simple foray into fasting. Its name comes from your daily fasting/feeding windows. That means during 16/8 intermittent fasting, your fasting window should be about 16 hours long and your feeding window should be about eight.
The simplest way to set it up is skipping breakfast.
While you’re fasting, you shouldn’t consume any calories. (Don’t worry, water and zero-calorie beverages like unsweetened coffee and tea are totally okay). And your fast breaks when you consume calories.
Because food and drink are so social, it’s a lot easier to fast through breakfast than it is to be stuck sipping water at the restaurant with friends. Trust me.
Follow these guidelines in setting up your 16/8 intermittent fasting…
– Fast for ~14–16 hours
– Enjoy an eating window of ~8–10 hours
– Sip on sparkling water or something hot (unsweetened) to blunt hunger
– Adjust fasting to fit your schedule, don’t change your schedule to fit fasting
– Pay attention to how you feel and tweak your plan accordingly