I just read a pretty interesting article about women and intermittent fasting.

 

There are some great takeaways for both men and women.

 

I'll include the link in a second...

 

...but will try to put the main takeaways in this email first.

 

I read about Intermittent Fasting back in 1999, in a magazine article written by Ori Hofmekler.

 

This was before he released his book, The Warrior Diet.

 

 

It worked almost magically for me when I tried it in 2010.

 

I was 22, so I think my body was better equipped to handle aggressive dieting due to having youthful hormone levels on my side.

 

I have used it on and off for 10 years.

 

But...

 

It never worked as well for me as it did those first 2-3 years.

 

This really puzzled me.

 

 

The biggest issue for me was getting extremely lean everywhere, but my abdominal region.

 

Veiny arms, lean face, ripped shoulders and chest...

 

...but with stubborn belly fat.

 

This is a sign of high cortisol levels.

 

Cortisol is called the "stress hormone" and it is a useful hormone that plays a role in breaking down fat.

 

This is good.

 

The problem happens when the body releases too much of this "stress hormone".

 

 

I eventually figured out that this was the reason for getting extremely lean everywhere, but my midsection.

 

Instead of fasting until 1:00 pm, I now eat a bowl of oatmeal at about 9:00 AM.

 

Carbs are the best thing to eat to counteract cortisol.

 

It's one of the many reasons why high carb fat loss diet plan works so well.

 

I typically have my dinner around 6 or 7 PM.

 

I don't eat anything after that (most of the time).

 

 

So I am fasting for about 14-15 hours.

 

This is perfect for me.

 

But...

 

You may need to experiment to find out your ideal fasting period.

 

Here's a link to the article I mentioned above.

 

Here is by far my favorite quote and biggest takeaway from the article:

 

"Instead of aiming for the longest fast you can tolerate, aim for the shortest fast that gives results."

 

He even warns about doing 14-15 hour fasts like I do.

 

There is a point where the negative effects of cortisol outweigh the positives.

 

About 14 hours works for me.

 

You may do better with a shorter or longer fasting window.

 

Note: I do like using Brad Pilon's "Eat Stop Eat" approach of long fasts done 1-2 times per week, but I typically only do that type of fasting once per year before summer.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Also...

 

You don't even have to be extreme at all.

 

There are big benefits of sticking to a 12 hour eating window followed by a 12 hour fasting window.

 

This is super easy to follow (stop eating at 6-7 PM and have your first meal at 6-7 AM).