How I Used Intermittent Fasting To Lose Fat Fast

I gained a lot of weight during college from partying and drinking.

When I graduated, I wasn't quite sure what I needed to do to reach my fitness goals. So I started searching...

That's a lot of what I do. Searching for information. Learning. Applying.

My goal was to lose around 30 lbs of fat, and to build a physique.

I achieved that goal and maintained it to this day, even five years later.

It wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible. I just employed a little tool that got me there faster...

That tool is called intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is a diet strategy you can use to keep yourself in a "calorie burning" state for longer.

I personally believe it's the most natural way for humans to eat.

Rather than snacking all day and grazing like a herd animal, you eat bigger and fewer meals in a shorter time frame, like a carnivore.

This was my strategy when I was losing weight:

• NOON to 8 PM was my eating window.
• 8 PM to NOON the following day was my fasting window.

That gave me an 8-hour eating window and a 16-hour fast, each day.

I would eat the same amount of calories I would normally be eating throughout the day, but I would only consume them between the 8-hour eating window.

During the fasting window, I would consume ONLY WATER.

This lets your body stay in a fasted state longer, and when combined with a consistent lifting and cardio routine, helps you lose fat much quicker than lifting or diet alone.

You're not changing how much you eat, you're just restricting when you eat.

I still followed my target macros and calories. I didn't eat less. I simply ate between noon and 8 PM each day.

On the days where I wanted to push a little harder, I would shorten my eating window from 2 PM to 8 PM or even 2 PM to 6 PM...

Keep in mind having such a small eating window makes it very hard to actually consume the proper amount of calories each day. I saved this for days when I wanted to be a little more extreme.

Here was my typical approach:

• Monday to Friday - Eating between noon & 8 PM. Fasting between 8 PM & noon the following day.
• Saturday - Optional cheat day, must finish eating by 9 PM.
• Sunday - 24-hour fast from 9 PM Saturday to 9 PM Sunday. One meal at 9 PM Sunday.
• Repeat.

This strategy helped me lose fat faster, eat healthier, and stay sane while on a calorie deficit.

By balancing out cheat days with a 24-hour fast the following day, I was able to eat practically anything I wanted on Saturdays and not hinder my progress.

It took me around six months of consistent application (and using this method for three of them) to reach my fat loss goal.

I was also lifting five to six days a week (three at a minimum), and doing some type of cardio at least three times per week.

Intermittent fasting is a valuable tool that I love using for quick fat loss.

Give it a try if you're ready to test your DISCIPLINE! 

Nick Hagood
Spartan Training & Coaching