Simple Intermittent Fasting Strategy

If you want to try intermittent fasting, the simplest and easiest way is to start by skipping breakfast. You can do 16:8 or 18:6, whichever way that fit into your daily life.  For example, you would eat only between noon and 6pm or between noon and 8pm. 

If you have been eating breakfast all the time, you may feel missing something in the morning. I can understand this because I have gone through this stage as well. If you want to feed yourself something in the morning, you would need to learn to love black coffee or green tea, or any non-caloric drinks.

I have known 2 Meal Mike for a few years. He is an IF pioneer and I always enjoy reading his posts.  Below is a recent post from him about his "flexible" 2 meal strategy. 

My "Flexible" 2 Meal Strategy? - by 2 Meal Mike

Start the day with black coffee (Americano to be specific).

I eat when I'm hungry (usually around 1-2pm).

I make the first meal lighter and higher nutrient value (which could be eggs/ fruits/ veg/ lean beef and dare I even say liver?).

I let the 2nd meal later on be more flexible and social (so not to feel guilty if I go out and eat some pasta or whatnot).

Of course I adjust as I see fit to my goals, energy level (recovery ability) and lifestyle.  You are free to do the same (as you should find what works for you anyways).

So, what's your plan?

In fact my own fasting strategy is somewhat similar to Mike's. I hope his simple and flexible plan will shed some light when you are planning your two meals for the day.

Are You Stress For Being Invited to Eat?

When I check my FB Group, some of the most frequently asked questions are:

• What if I am being invited to a breakfast meeting?
• What if I am being invited to a lunch talk?
• What if I am being invited to a birthday party over the weekend?
• What if ...

It's true that we need to stay social although we practice intermittent fasting. Should there be any conflict, I would go for the social side. Why? Let's look at the word 'intermittent'. Per Cambridge Dictionary, "intermittent" means "not happening regularly or continuously; stopping and starting repeatedly or with periods in between". As far as we keep the mindset of intermittent fasting, and go fast whenever possible, then we can still meet our goal. 

In fact, I will go on a slightly longer fast if I had to eat heavily for any reason. Please refer to my previous post about my 40-hour fast.

Final note - keep your fasting simple and flexible. 

What To Do After Binge Eating?

Many of us may have experienced binge eating especially during festivals. Chinese New Year is just over. Today is the 9th of January in Chinese calendar. To some of us the CNY mood may not finish until the first full moon festival on the 15th of January. However for me, the heavy eating days are over.

I love festivals, especially Chinese New Year when we can meet family members and friends. However in terms of eating, I am subjected to extreme stress. I generally eat one meal a day (OMAD) if not 18:6. Eating three full meals plus all-day snacks is going to be really difficult. 

Back to the question "what to do after binge eating?" Answer is "fasting".  Depending on individual need, the fasting period can be long or short. Reviewing my situation, I decided to go on a 40-hour fast and have successfully completed. I finished dinner at Thursday ( Feb 7) night, and resume eating on Saturday (Feb 9) lunch. That way I have had a full day of Friday to let my body and the digestive system a good rest. 

For me, a 40-hour fast was not much a challenge as I have over 10 years fasting experience. However for beginners, they may need some support. I have recently joined a group at FB which is called Intermittent Fasting for Women. In fact, there are groups like IF for Men, IF for Men and Women, IF for busy people...and so on. Pick one that you feel happy to join. 

Once you are there, you will find some encouragements such as :

• Just over a week of OMAD & 12 lbs down.
• 1 month in. Down 13.2 lbs. Love this group! So much support and information.
• Successfully completed my first 24 hours fast! Absolutely loving IF!

To be fair, there are negative comments as well. But those are generally from people who needed help. And that was why I joined to group to share my experience. My group administrator does a good job in filtering advertising and scams although they still occur occasionally. I would say my group is widely clean and full of friendly people. 

Enjoy fasting! Join a group or email me if you need support.

Eat Stop Eat Review

Eat Stop Eat Review - Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work?

Eat Stop Eat is an ebook about losing weight through intermittent fasting (IF). If you are considering intermittent fasting (IF) to lose weight but not sure if it works, then this review may help you make an informed decision. 

I have practiced IF in the past 12 years with proven results, so I am here to share some of my personal thoughts about the popular IF ebook Eat Stop Eat.  

I am someone who lives a simple life. Eat Stop Eat matches this lifestyle very well especially in terms of weight loss. I have failed with many other weight loss programs but succeeded with Eat Stop Eat. It is simple and easy to follow. I must say a true weight loss plan does NOT have to be complicated. 

About Intermittent Fasting (IF)

So what is intermittent fasting and how and why it makes weight loss simple and effective?

IF is a scientific method of losing weight by using an eating strategy. It focuses on when to eat rather than the type of food to eat. The strategy is to eat at certain times and fast for certain periods. And by doing so, your body will be forced to tap into its fat stores for fuel. Therefore, this makes it easier for you to burn the stubborn fat.

You do not need to cut calories severely or refrain from any food group. The plan is to fast for 24 hours once or twice a week, hence creating a calorie deficit. When fasting, you take as few calories as possible such as tea, juice or water and when you break the fast, you eat what you want but in normal portion.  

It will take a week or two to get accustomed to the Eat Stop Eat style of eating. The more fasts you do, the easier you’ll find it. And you will see the weight loss results come very fast. 

Download it for just $10 – until end of Feb 2019

(It is usually $49.95)

Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

There are tremendous benefits to intermittent fasting. The main thing it does is rest many of the vital parts and organs of your body so they can do their jobs better. Some of these are: 

• Rests the digestive system
• Increases insulin sensitivity 
• Increases Growth Hormone (GH) levels
• Reduces blood sugar
• Detoxification 
• Decreases inflammation
• Increases weight loss and fat loss

People from various backgrounds have been fasting for different reasons in the past thousands of years, and the above benefits are generally agreed. But what is more amazing is that many of the benefits were found after as little as 24-hours of fasting!  So here comes the beauty of IF when you want to lose weight.

About Eat Stop Eat

The expanded version of Eat Stop Eat is 214 pages long vs its first edition was 90 pages – It provides simple and concise information about short term fasting. 

The Eat Stop Eat method of using flexible intermittent fasting for weight loss is so completely uncomplicated that you can literally start the program the VERY MINUTE you finish reading this book.

You can buy the book, follow the guide and see the results. If in 60 day’s time, you decide Eat Stop Eat is not for you, then you will get a 100% refund at no-hassles and no-questions-asked. 

The regular price of Eat Stop Eat is $49.95, but until end of February 2019, you will need to pay only $10.  Please click this link to enjoy the special price.

About The Author

Eat Stop Eat was created by Brad Pilon who has a unique background. He has an honors degree in nutrition. Instead of becoming a dietitian, he started working in the weight loss industry, right after university. Throughout his career, he was able to conduct multiple body composition tests on numerous athletes and top level bodybuilders and monitor them while they dieted and tried new experimental weight loss programs.

In fact, it was these experiments that ultimately led him to leave the industry and pursue graduate studies in human biology and nutritional sciences.

Many of the experiments he conducted had results that were VERY different from what he expected, and he soon realized that if he was to truly understand nutrition’s role in weight loss, then he would have to start from the very beginning and study what happens to the body when it goes without ANY food.

Eat Stop Eat is actually all the research from the scientific reviews he completed in graduate school.

That’s right, Brad’s research was on ‘The Metabolic Effects of Short Periods of Fasting in Humans and its Potential Application in Weight Loss’, so in essence when you read Eat Stop Eat what you are really reading is an easy-to-read version of his graduate study. 

Brad developed the Eat Stop Eat program as a way to help people lose weight. His goal is to help everyone who follows his program to lose weight and build muscle as quickly as possible.

Pros

• The Eat Stop Eat program is easy to do because you don’t have to prepare any special meals or think about what to eat. You just have to stop eating for a period of 24 hours. It seems hard at first, but the more fasts you do, the easier you’ll find it, and you will quickly get used to it.

• The Eat Stop Eat book is an online bestseller with thousands of copies sold since 2007. It is legit, and it is not a product that exists today and gone tomorrow.

• An interesting add-on advantage of fasting is that you have more time in the day. When you don’t have to spend time shopping, cooking and washing the dishes, you’ll get a bit more done in the day and enjoy doing something that you may not normally have time to do.

• The Eat Stop Eat method can be used by men and women of all ages.

Cons

• The book explained and proved why IF works. Although everything is supported by Brad’s scientific research, the actual fasting instructions won’t appear until page 118. It will take a bit of patience to go through the basic facts and benefits about short term fasting.

• If you are looking for a diet plan, then you may feel cheated here… but put your fears aside. Because Eat Stop Eat is NOT a diet; it is a lifestyle based on the nutritional custom of including the combination of short-term, flexible, and intermittent fasting along with resistance training into your life. So you would need to be prepared for a new and healthy lifestyle.

Should You Get the Eat Stop Eat?

Definitely yes! 

This guide focuses on one of the most powerful strategies for losing weight fast. Intermittent fasting is not about restrictive diets or mind-numbing exercise. It’s about eating in a way where you get the same amount of calories, but your body burns fat faster because it’s in a fasted state.

There are several different types of intermittent fasting, but this is one of the simplest to follow, and it’s also one of the most effective. It is the only system that gives you everything that you are looking for. If you put into practice the information in this guide and adopt intermittent fasting, you absolutely will lose weight.  

This product works. Period.

Click here to download Eat Stop Eat at $10 (valid through end of Feb 2019)

The 4 x 4 Method of How to Live a Simple Life

Have you dreamed of a simple life that is free from the stress of non-stop emails, meetings, workouts, social events? 

Would it be even better if we can live a simple life successfully without giving up our careers or home responsibilities? 

If you are looking to find ways to live simpler, here’s the 4x4 Method for you to kick start and develop habits that will contribute to your simple life. 

The 4x4 Method is extremely simple and easy to start with. 

First, find out 4 areas in your life that you would like to simplify. Group them into 4 categories. 

Second, under each of the 4 categories, list 4 ways that you could make things simpler. 

I have listed my own 4x4 table below. Remember this is for your reference only. I have my personal ideas in the table, but I also did an internet search on “how to simplify life”, and grouped similar ideas together. 

To make the simplification process easier, those on top of each list are easy tasks. If you want to do it, you can do it right a way. Down the list are tasks that might take a little more effort or a little more time to accomplish. 

Until you master all the simplification skills that you’ve written for yourself, you can expand your categories and add items to the list under each category. Possible categories may include simple hobbies, simple meals, simple finance, simple parenthood, simple gardening or simple holiday.

The 4 x 4 Method of How to Live a Simple Life 

Work / Life	Social / Media	Health / Fitness	Diet / Weight Loss
Establish routines	Practice internet fasting	Exercise/Walk often	Eat foods from nature
Automate your bill payments	TV fasting	Meditate, slow down, relax	Eat/Cook at home
Practice single tasking	Spend less time on social media	Practice doing nothing exquisitely	Appreciate our foods
Let go of the past	Use a basic cell phone	Practice positive thinking	Practice intermittent fasting

FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE 4X4 METHOD TO LIVE A SIMPLE LIFE 

1. WORK / LIFE 

1.1. Establish routines. Set a simple, yet realistic daily or weekly action plan will certainly help to simplify your day. Some good examples, could include: Monday AM - Vacuum the living room and have a couple of breaks so that you can pace yourself. Monday PM - Prepare food for evening meal. Tuesday AM - Go swimming, meet friends for a coffee/tea - practice relaxation after going home. Tuesday PM - Write and prepare an activity plan for the next day. 

1.2. Automate your bill payments. This is simple and straight forward. If you haven’t done it yet, do it today. 

1.3. Practice single tasking. I’m in the hiring business, the ability of multi-tasking is on almost all employers’ requirement list. Sounds good but may not be perfect. If we practice single tasking, our work will be more productive. For example, when meeting one client, don’t answer phone call from another client; when eating, simply eat; when walking, simply walk. Living a simple life doesn’t mean to do as many things as possible in the shortest time. Simply say ‘No’ to things that you don’t really need to do. Focus on one thing at a time will let you find life simple and pleasurable. 

1.4. Let go of the past, and live in the present. You should live in the present, not in the past. Whether your past was brilliant or sad, they cannot be changed. So don’t look back, look to the present, the moment you are in now. Always admire and value what you have now. 

2. SOCIAL / MEDIA 

Nowadays there are way too many social media available. People are talking on mobile phones while walking, checking email while eating. It seems life is impossible if without the internet. Hence internet fasting and social media fasting is really important for us to live a simple life. I’ve written an article called Media Fasting. Please read this article to see my further thoughts on how media fasting could help simplify and improve our lives. 

3. HEALTH / FITNESS 

3.1. Exercise/ Walk Often.  We all know that we need to exercise often for health and fitness reason. Walking is the simplest exercise that we can do. If you normally walk 5,000 steps a day, then add some extra steps to make it 8,000 or even 10,000 per day. We can park a little further from home or office, walk the dog for an extra 10-15 minutes every day, walk to any destination if possible. 

3.2. Meditate daily; Slow down; Relax. Not everyone can meditate, but slowing down and relax is by all means possible. Practice belly breathing is an easy way to start with. There is an app called MyCalmBeat which can be downloaded from any smart phone free of charge. It will guide you through slow belly breathing of 6 breaths a minute which is recommended by medical professionals as the ideal breath rate. Listen to some relaxation music after that. Try this simple way to release some of the stress in your life. (1 breath = 1 in + 1 out) 

3.3. Practice doing nothing exquisitely; Spend time in solitude; Create space for silence. When I visited London, I found people standing in the middle of a high street that I was not able to tell whether they are statues or real persons. After all, I found that they were real persons. If someone can stand in the middle of a busy street and pretend a statue, why can’t we practice sitting down at home doing nothing? Try to spend time in solitude from time to time, if possible, go to lunch/dinner or coffee break alone. Give yourself a few minutes’ silence to refresh your mind. 

3.4. Practice positive thinking. This is important but not easy. However if we start practicing it, we’ll soon be there. An example of positive thinking is ‘turning crisis to chances’. It is quite normal for people to associate crisis with negative things. But for positive thinking people, they will try to develop chances from crisis. I have recently seen a TV show documenting some entrepreneurs who made low-cost investments when everything were cheap at time of the financial crisis in 2008 and achieved huge return afterwards. Practice positive thinking by appreciating every little thing in life could be a good start. 

4. DIET / WEIGHT LOSS 

4.1. Eat simple foods from nature. Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables are full of the “life-force” of nature. Hence, juice from a fresh orange is better than bottled orange juice. Fresh pork is better than luncheon meat. Avoid highly processed foods. 

4.2. Eat at home. Try to cook and eat at home as much as possible. Eating at home is best for eating slowing, relaxingly and healthily. Don’t forget to apply simple cooking methods such as grilling, steaming, boiling, poaching, etc. 

4.3. Appreciate our foods. Food is not only to feed and sustain our bodies, but it should be a source of deeper nourishment and what we should appreciate. Take time to appreciate where the foods we consume came from, or be more conscious of the individual ingredients of our meals. 

4.4. Practice intermittent fasting. In terms of weight loss, intermittent fasting is the priority choice that I recommend. I like its simplicity, no food is off limit. We simply re-arrange the time that we eat. However this will take a little time and effort to practice. Reading through this blog, you will find lots of tips of how to practice intermittent fasting.

Start to simplify your life today!

My Simple Health and Fitness Rules – Exercising

To repeat, I’m one of the few individuals who manage to lose weight and stay fit. 

How I do it? I’ve mentioned my eating rules in my previous post, here are some of my exercising rules. Again, you don’t have to follow, but if you do, you’re likely to benefit in one way or another.

In fact, my eating rules and exercising rules in some perspectives are quite consistent. Let’s see.

1. Morning Exercise

An apple everyday keeps doctors away. My ‘apple’ is the exercises that I do in the first 20 minutes of every morning. It does not keep me away from doctors permanently, but once I started, I didn’t see my doctor for two years. I have been doing this for many years. If you want to minimize your medical bill, try it.

2. Natural Exercise

I eat fresh and natural, likewise, I workout naturally. 

I have a gym membership, but I had it only because I have to use the pool. I go to the gym only when weather does not permit swimming. I won’t do treadmills or row a boat at the gym because these are boring. Instead I do jogging in a park or rowing a real boat. Do you see what I mean by workout naturally?

Enjoy a natural breeze and breathe well in the nature while working out.

3. Concentrate When Exercising

Seriously, have you ever read or watch TV while doing any exercise at your luxury gym? If so, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results. You won’t talk on a mobile phone while swimming, will you? Do exercise with your full attention and you’ll see real results. If you are multi-tasking while working out, then your results will be discounted. 

4. Do the Exercise that You Enjoy 

Do you enjoy jogging or playing hula hoop? Personally, I enjoy playing hula hoop more than jogging, though both exercise spent the same amount of calories. I also enjoy swimming, so I do both exercises alternatively. I’m never tired of the exercises that I do, because I only do whatever I enjoy doing. You will only stick to doing something that you enjoy, won’t you? You’ll quit soon if you force yourself in doing exercises that you don’t enjoy.

5. Do Exercise Over The Long Run

How often do you do exercise? Once a week for a couple of hours or 3 x 30 minutes per week? Both are fine, provided you don’t do it for a month and quit. If you do it for a month or so, it’s just better than not doing. Want to see the real results that your workout contribute to your health and weight loss, you must do it over the long run. I have been doing morning exercise over the past 20+ years and I’m sure I won’t give up. On top of that, I am adding daily sessions of swimming or exercise of my preference.

Anna’s Thoughts on Exercising for Long Term Health

If you have a gym membership, I’m sure you’ll go quite frequently because you had to pay for it. But jogging on a treadmill is boring, so people start to chat with the neighbour jogger, talking on mobile phone, watching TV and so on. I have noticed some people’s gym session even ended up in social talks. 

To avoid that, I have an alternative suggestion. Exercising in a group with a leader is more encouraging and interesting rather than working out alone. So look for some yoga classes, pilates classes, dancing classes, tai chi classes, whatever classes that you are interested in. Enroll two or three weekly classes of an hour each, you will then have two or three full hours of exercising every week. Because you paid for these classes and you enjoy these classes, I’m sure you won’t give up easily. And there is an extra benefit – the money you pay for these classes might be cheaper than a gym membership which usually requires you to pay annually or quarterly in advance.

Finally, my two golden rules for health and fitness are:

Rule #1: Eat Less

Rule #2: Workout More

My Simple Health and Fitness Rules - Eating

When it comes to weight loss, I must say I’m one among the few individuals who manage to lose weight and keep it off. But it’s not a matter of luck, I take some simple actions to make that happen. Want to know how I do it? Here are some of my health and fitness rules which are really simple.

These are my personal rules that you don’t have to follow. However if you do, you’re sure to benefit in one way or another. 

Let me start with my eating rules.

Eating should be enjoyable. If there are too many rules to follow, counting calories for every meal, then there will be no fun at all! Make it simple and you’ll enjoy the beauty of simplicity. Here are my simple eating rules.

1. Eat Less

When I eat less, I feel better. Foods taste better, I feel happier and less worried. You may already know that eating less can help reduce risks of cancers and diseases. 

2. Eat Fresh and Natural

I drink orange juice from a real fresh orange. No bottled or canned orange juice. I’m sure you see what I mean. I don’t take supplements. That’s right. Reading through my blog, you won’t see me recommending any supplements. I do window shopping at Fancl House and GNC…but never buy anything. 

If you eat a variety of real fresh good foods, your need for supplements is close to none. 

3. Eat Less in an Enjoyable Way

I successfully lose weight and stay fit by eating less. More importantly, that’s the way I enjoy. I suggest your finding a sustainable and “enjoyable” way of eating less. That way you will stick with it because you enjoy it. 

If you want to learn how to eat less in an enjoyable way, read my article – 5 Intermittent Fasting Windows that Produce Great Results.

4. Learn to Cook

The more you cook for yourself, the healthier you eat. Do learn to cook and teach your kids to cook as well. No time? Do you have time to date your boy friend or girl friend? Why not cook together? Share the fun of cooking with people you love and eat healthier.

5. Make My Own Dressing

Eating salad is healthy, isn’t it? But don’t forget the dressing which makes you fat. I start making my own dressing after reading this article - The Salad Dressing To NEVER Eat. It’s quick and easy, however delicious and healthy, and I’m never tired of it. 

Finally I’d to remind you of the 5 simple cooking methods that I mentioned in my earlier post: grilling, poaching, steaming, boiling and raw. Read the full article: Simple Life and Weight Loss 

These are my simple health and fitness rules in terms of eating. I’ll continue with my workout rules.

I wish you eat well!

Win Weight Loss Battle in Two Days or Two Months ?

I went on a short trip to Thailand with a friend recently in June to celebrate my birthday. After that we both went back to our normal life.

Last week I met my friend again and she was complaining that she was unable to get rid of the extra weight she gained out of the binge eating over the Thailand trip.  I was shocked, as I went on the same trip, ate as madly as she did, but I didn’t have the same problem.  

Now is early September, already two months after our Thailand trip.  She said she worked very hard only to have lost 1 pound.  I did gain some weight as you know it was my birthday and holiday, I just couldn’t stop eating.  But once I returned to work and resume my intermittent fasting (IF) eating style, my weight went back to normal in a few days.

We then discussed the subject of weight loss and I introduced the idea of short term intermittent fasting, quoting myself as a live example of easy weight loss.  But you know what?  Here’s what she said:

    No breakfast – no way!

    No food for 24 hours – I’m going to die of starvation!

I don’t know how hard she worked to lose that one pound.  But if she applied any of the IF methods, losing one pound was as easy as breathing.

Weight loss seems to be more of a mental battle than a physical one. Sure there are some hunger cravings to deal with every now and then, but 90% of the battle is in your mind. If you can win the battle in your mind you can also win the battle around your waist or butt (or wherever you store your fat).

The most important thing you can ever do to lose weight is to re-program the way you think to believe that not only fasting is for some people, but that it’s possible for YOU.

Whatever thoughts you hold in your mind will become reality regardless if they are positive or negative.

As in my friend’s case, it’s up to her to struggle or to change her mind to learn to accept that fasting can help to lose weight. And if she doesn’t believe she can fast, she’s never going to take action to win the weight loss battle.

If you have positive thoughts about fasting weight loss…All you need is a plan.

If you want to look at the skip breakfast plan, take a look at Mike O’Donnell’s website; he calls himself 2 Meal Mike.

If you want to explore the 24-hour fasting plan, visit Brad Pilon’s website; his plan is called Eat Stop Eat.

You can also read my previous article about the 5 Intermittent Fasting Windows that Produce Great Results.  If you are willing to try any of the IF methods that I suggested, then you are on your way to build a new lifestyle for yourself.  

My friend has been brainwashed that breakfast is the single most important meal in a day, she’s not willing to give up breakfast in any case. But she can still try the 5:2 method. Remember where there is a will, there’s a way! It all depends if she has a will to lose weight.

I must say IF is not for everyone. If you are willing to make little changes in your eating habit to acquire big changes in weight loss results, IF is another tool in your fitness tool box.