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Ben Smith

The #1 way to lose fat.


This is simply my opinion and the strategy that I find works best for people.


Either intermittent fasting or starting the day with a low carbohydrate meal.


When you eat, insulin rises to help you process and use that food (including regulating your blood sugar). When this happens you no longer have access to food that is stored on you (including fat stores).


After a period without consuming food, insulin falls, and your body regains access to what's stored on you.


If two people consume 1500 calories to lose fat, but one consumes this from 8 am to 10 pm, and the other from 12 pm to 8 pm:


The first is in this "mode" where it can't access food it has stored (as insulin is high and they're consistently eating), and so their body only has access to the 1500 calories from 8 am to 10 pm.


The person who fasts, however, can access stored energy until 12 pm as insulin is low and they're either not eating or are eating low carb (coming onto this in a second).


Then... they eat 1500 calories from 12 pm to 8 pm which is a good amount for this period of time.


A period of fasting (where you use what you have stored) followed by a period of sufficient eating (where you use what's coming in).


This is why people often FEEL better when they lose fat fasting, because in a 24-hour period their body has access to more energy because it uses fat stores when there's no food coming in.


[This is an EXTREMELY oversimplified example to describe the process]


This happens alongside hormonal changes that help you stay sharp in the absence of food - just think, our bodies have evolved to have systems in place to keep us on the ball when food isn't available, i.e. to hunt.


The caveat here is... it's primarily carbohydrates that spike insulin, so starting your day with a low carbohydrate meal can have the same effect - keeping you in a place where you can use fat for energy!


If you really want to push the boat out, both of these can be done together - by breaking your fast with a low carbohydrate meal before gradually re-introducing carbs throughout the day.


Having said this, this may cause unneccesary stress and hassle given that you already have a reduced window to eat - especially given that consuming carbohydrates before a workout is going to be optimal for training and performance.



You can read more about how to make fasting sustainable for you in my book "The Fasted Lifestyle" (linked below).






Do you want to take me on as a coach?



I spent over two eyars writing the most comprehensive guide to intermittent fasting, and you'll find it on your local Amazon!

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