Intermittent fasting pretty much goes against all that I’ve shared on my blog to date. I know what research says and what works for me.
BUT, I am open to new research and other ideas. Last time I was in Vegas for the meeting of the minds of the best in the fitness biz, I had it out with fat loss expert John Romaniello.
Also, I got to pick his brain on a concept called ‘intermittent fasting’. I have to say that the idea makes some sense to me after all.
The best nutrition plan is a healthy one that you can follow, so while intermittent fasting may not be one that I regularly use; I feel that many can benefit from it.
I filmed this interview with my pal, Mike Whitfield who lost 100+ lbs doing his workout finishers and John Romaniello himself. I thought I’d share it with you because Roman tells a bit more about intermittent fasting and it’s worth watching.
I understand that research supports a variety of ways to lose weight and keep it off, so I’d be remiss by not sharing this with you. Stay tuned for more on intermittent fasting coming up.
Here’s the video:
M: You know how I love to do workout finishers at the end of my workout to raise my metabolism and burn extra calories. Do you use finishers in your programs? And when do you like to insert them?
R: I don’t write workout finishers into my programs with my clients. I encourage them as a fun thing to do when they feel like they have a little more in them at the end of their workout or if they’re trying to strengthen a type of move like pull ups.
M: You’ve been talking a lot about Intermittent fasting or IF. What eating schedule do you like and practice?
R: I think all methods of intermittent fasting are effective. What works for me is a 7-day schedule, which is a combination of many methods I’ve researched. This IF schedule takes the best of all methods and allows me a cheat day, a 24h fast day, fewer meals and it revs up my fat loss. It definitely beats the 6 meals per day for me.
M: Fat storage is a funny thing. Let’s talk about trouble spots like love handles or man boobs. Why is this?
R: The hormonal reason people store fat locally is insulin management. If you see a person who stores the majority of fat in their love handles then it stands to reason that they have problem managing their insulin. With training and diet we want to start to take the right steps to correct the insulin problem. Some things that can have an impact on insulin sensitivity are an increase in growth hormone, reduced carb intake, density training, increased fish oil, herbs and spices like cinnamon. There are a lot of things you can do with diet, training and supplementation that can help. Often, we also see that the last five-ten pounds are almost always stored in those areas that are dictated by hormones. For women, hormonal fat storage is typically in her hips and thighs.
M: How can you use intermittent fasting to address hormonal fat storage?
R: One of the reasons intermittent fasting is so effective is that it helps you manage insulin. It’s simple: eating less frequently will result in less insulin spikes. It’s difficult to use fat as an energy source in the presence of insulin.
Intermittent fasting is also beneficial because the production and secretion of growth hormone is greatest during fasting periods. Growth hormone affects other hormones like cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is in part responsible for belly fat storage. If you can find a way to extend and increase the period of growth hormone secretion, you can maximize and optimize the postive effects it has on the body and fat storage.
