Intermittent fasting for muscle growth and to lose weight

Here comes a bold claim “intermittent fasting is the easiest way to lose weight fast”. Bam now I have your attention. Intermittent fasting helps for muscle growth and weight loss. This diet is getting more popular by the day. Besides that we two doing it, there are now even alternatives doctors in America who treat patients with cure cancer by fasting them. Fasting has the following effects:

• It increases the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes that the immune system sends to the tumor sends.
• It increases your energy level at a cellular level (slows down the deterioration of your mitochondria which your cells stronger and makes you more energetic)
• It improves your focus (because less blood goes to your stomach and therefore more blood goes to your brain).

In addition to having a much more positive impact on your cells, hormones, it is used as a detox, it stabilizes your insulin level and it even ensures that your skin ages less quickly, it also increases your growth hormone. So much so that, after 20 hours of fasting, your percentage of growth hormone is 2000% higher than when you are not fasting. This ensures that you build muscle more easily.

As you can see I could go on for hours listing the benefits, but you can also find them all online. Now let's move on from the 'why' to 'how' you do it.

The 'how' I have divided into three parts: (1) When to fast, (2) during fasting and (3) how to end the fast.

When

Let's start with when to fast. If you really want to do it right, it is not as easy as fasting every day. When you fast every day, your metabolism adjusts accordingly. Your metabolism slows down, so you burn fewer calories. Therefore, it is ideal to fast every other day. In addition to fasting every other day, you can give your health an extra boost by fasting 24 to 48 hours once a month. Up to 48 hours, it has been scientifically shown that the health benefits continue to increase. But don't do this more than once a month.

What to eat during a fast

Now that you have planned your fasting days including a full day that you can starve yourself, it is of course nice to know in addition to what you can't do (take in calories), it is also nice to know what you can to do. On your fasting days, you fast for 16 to 20 hours. I myself do it from 4pm to 12pm or from 6pm to 2pm the next day. I built it up slowly myself, so started with until 10 then 11 then 12 o'clock in the morning etc. This works very well. Because you only get hungry because your body is used to eating. When you build it up slowly, your body doesn't have that and the chance that your housemates will find you crying in front of the closed refrigerator is smaller.

Sure it will be difficult in the beginning. You will feel sluggish in the morning and have less concentration for the first week. BUT: This disappears quickly. After that, I can concentrate even better when I have not eaten than when I do have breakfast. This is because no blood goes to your stomach for the digestion of food, but everything can go to your brain. During the fasting period you can drink anything without calories or too many sweeteners (coffee, drink green tea, water and sparkling water and add salt to everything). The salt improves your focus. Salt reduces the chance of cravings (cravings are often caused by too little salt, but your body thinks it wants sugar, when it actually wants salt).

Intermittent fasting for muscle growth and weight loss

After all, exercising at the end of your fasting period works wonders. Because besides that intermittent fasting helps to lose weight, it also helps for muscle growth. You then have more energy and it is easier to build lean muscle mass. You also have a large insulin peak at the end of the fast, which makes your muscles recover faster.

Exit fixed

Now we come to the last part: how do you end up fast. After you have fasted for 16 to 20 hours, it is wise to start with a small meal, containing proteins and carbohydrates. This is because otherwise you will give your body too much of a shock and there is a good chance that you will overeat. I often do a protein shake with carbohydrates in it, but if you are still someone who eats bread, you can also eat 1 sandwich. An hour later you can have your first big meal.

BONUST TIP! Finally, I have a bonus tip for the people who really want to lose weight and build muscle to walk on the beach like a Hercules without bearskins over your back this summer. Here it comes. Your body can only absorb a limited number of proteins and carbohydrates at the same time. But you actually want to be able to absorb as many carbohydrates and proteins as possible for the recovery and growth of muscles after exercise. I always compare this to buses.

Normally there is only 1 bus to take these carbohydrates and proteins. But when you take caffeine, omega 3, salt and fructose in addition to your proteins and carbohydrates immediately after exercise, there are suddenly 3 buses (coffee, Himalayan salt, fish oil pill and a piece of fruit with a protein shake with oatmeal in it). This will greatly speed up the process of building lean muscle mass. Now you know everything about intermittent fasting. Good luck with your fasting for muscle growth and weight loss.

Read here more about getting more energy.