Breakfast, a term coined because it "breaks the fast" after eight or more hours of sleep and rest, is being pushed back further by dieters hoping to increase health and lose weight. Fasting is increasingly becoming a well-discussed topic in diet and exercise circles. With professionals such as Dr. Michael Eades, of "Protein Power" fame, as well as the "Eat Stop Eat" program and others like it claiming that prolonged fasting can help with blood glucose levels as well as weight loss, more attention is being given by medical professionals and researchers to the benefits of fasting for these purposes.
Eat Stop Eat
Written by Brad Pilon, a former sports supplement industry insider, Eat Stop Eat advocates 24 hours of fasting followed by 24 hours of healthy eating at least two days per week. Pilon, after researching, states that prolonged periods of calorie restriction during fasting produce optimal health and weight loss. While there are no set rules for what can be eaten, or how many calories should be taken in during eating times, Pilon states that a healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, lean protein and spices are the best choices and that people should avoid refined sugar and flours.
Protein Power
Michael R. Eades, M.D. and co-author of the Protein Power diet plan and its ensuing books, advocates fasting to "reduce blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure, increase HDL levels, get rid of diabetes, live a lot longer, and still be able to lose a little weight." Eades and his wife, after experimentation, have advocated the same eating schedule as Pilon, allowing meals from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by fasting from 6 p.m. until 6 p.m. the next day, where the cycle begins again. One day you get supper, and the next you get breakfast and lunch. Eades doesn't restrict foods to fruits, vegetables and lean meats, however, though he does advocate a lower-carbohydrate diet for satiety.
The Fast 5 Diet
Tom Coghill, former holistic program director at St. Theodore's Hospital in the Phillipines, has retired from the medical world to advocate his program of intermittent fasting, called The Fast 5 Diet. Contrary to the other plans, Coghill asks the dieter to follow a five-hour rule where fasting is concerned. You as the dieter choose a "window" of time each day that lasts five hours, in which you can eat normally, and fast for the remainder of the 24-hour day. In this way, those who tend to be early-morning eaters can eat a normal diet during the morning hours, while those who prefer to eat in the evenings can open the "window" during that time.
Lean Gains
Martin Berkhan, a nutritional consultant and personal trainer, developed an intermittent fasting plan designed for those who want to lose weight but also gain muscle in strenuous workouts. His general plan advocates the fasting phase last throughout the night and during the morning hours, to be broken at noon or shortly thereafter -- this is based on arising at 6 or 7 a.m. Afternoons and evenings are spent eating normally.
Exercise and weight training are done on an empty stomach several hours after the first meal, though Berkhan does advocate a 10-g protein and amino acid solution prior to the workout, which does not count against the fasting period. The pre-workout meal should be light, while Berkhan says the post-workout meal is the heavier one for the day.
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