The Donkey Diet

Are you spending too much time at the fridge?

In my recreational bodybuilding days, one of the major benefits was eating frequently. Especially during muscle building phases it was great to eat 6,7 or even 8 times a day. I have found though that crossing the half century divide often presents a problem with that ritual. The inevitable metabolic decline proves for most of us that consuming food with that level of frequency on a regular basis can induce the body to hold on to unwanted body fat. What worked to build muscle in the 20’s and 30’s can have the effect of storing fat in the 40’s, 50’s and beyond. 

Over the last few years, I have come to adopt the nutritional strategy of intermittent fasting. Honestly, I never thought I would bring myself to fast. The quick explanation of intermittent fasting is eating your meals within a confined amount of time. Usually this is within a 4 - 6 hour window. It is not for everyone. However, for me and many of my clients it has proven to be a powerful tool to lose weight, manage blood sugar and balance hormones.

At first blush, it seems simple to assume the process is soley about reducing calories. I can assure you it’s much more than that. In this post I won’t bore you with the details.  In my opinion, like any other tool it does have limitations. However, when it is done in concert with appropriate strategic exercise and other nutritional strategies you can yield amazing results.

I have had several clients lose from 25 to 65 lbs this past year using intermittent fasting as one of the tools we implemented. The best part of the outcome is they commonly feel like it is something they can manage for the rest of their lives.