The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

If you hate counting calories, can't or don't want to turn food planning into a fulltime job, balk at the regimentation of eating every 3 hours, or have tried every diet in the book to lose weight, you might want to look into intermittent fasting.

Over a year ago, I read Eat Stop Eat, an eBook by Brad Pilon explaining his research surrounding intermittent fasting. Brad debunked the hysteria over starvation mode and thoroughly explained the research that he had studied.

Recently, intermittent fasting has been getting a more balanced look by some mainstream media outlets, doctors and nutritionists. Below are excerpts from a Los Angeles Times article.

Called intermittent fasting, this rather stark approach to weight control appears to be supported by science, not to mention various religious and cultural practices around the globe. The practice is a way to become more circumspect about food, its adherents say. But it also seems to yield the benefits of calorie restriction, which may ultimately reduce the risk of some diseases and even extend life. Some fasters, in fact, ultimately switch from regular, if comparatively rare, periods of hunger to permanent deprivation. They limit calories all the time.

"There is something kind of magical about starvation," says Dr. Marc Hellerstein, a professor of endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at UC Berkeley, who studies fasting.

Adds Mark P. Mattson, chief of the laboratory of neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging: "In normal health subjects, moderate fasting -- maybe one day a week or cutting back on calories a couple of days a week -- will have health benefits for most anybody." Mattson is among the leading researchers on the effects of calorie restriction and the brain.

What they do know is that occasionally going without food or reducing calories daily makes the body more sensitive to insulin, which helps maintain normal blood sugar levels. And animal studies suggest calorie restriction may reduce the risk of cancer by slowing the growth of abnormal cells.

Of course, there are also some naysayers. You can read the entire article here ==> Running on empty: the pros and cons of fasting

For more info on intermittent fasting, check out Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat. I found it really interesting and easily understandable to us non-scientific types.

The New OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Dieting

Obsessive Compulsive Dieting - that's the catchy phrase Brad Pilon has coined to describe the behavior of many Americans who are interested in losing weight. Brad's book, Eat Stop Eat offers a different solution to dropping pounds - intermittent fasting. If you're a person who hates trying to plan and prepare 6 meals a day or refuses to measure and log every morsel that passes your lips, this approach may be for you.

Brad appeared on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet yesterday. He held his own but, unfortunately, the other panelists were extremely narrow minded and parroted the misinformation we've been fed for years. And, as usual on these shows, there was not enough time for Brad to discuss his own research and that of the other studies done on fasting.

I know we've all been brainwashed into thinking that missing a meal will cause our metabolism to screech to a halt and go into "starvation mode" but the research (contrary to the woman on the show) does not bear this out. You also will not lose muscle while fasting as long as you are strength training on a regular basis.

I think the one panelist may have had a valid point about fasting being easier for men than woman. That being said, multiple female TT Transformation contest winners have used Eat Stop Eat.

Anyway, you can see the clip of Brad appearance here.

The show also filmed a Green Room Exclusive, where the discussion continued after the show.

If you're looking for a less obsessive way of dropping fat, I recommend you check out Eat Stop Eat. Brad didn't just invent some new diet to scam the masses. In the book, he explains the benefits of intermittent fasting, debunks the many weight loss myths and discusses the scientific research in plain English.

Now he just needs to post a new photo on his website. I was really surprised at how much thinner Brad looked on Mike and Juliet than in his picture.


Update: Here's a link to Brad's thoughts on his TV experience:
The Nutrition Help Blog