Eat Stop Eat is a non-traditional dietary plan designed by Brad Pilon. It has helped many people lose weight without resorting to counting calories or dramatically altering what you eat. Instead, you focus on when you eat.
The Fed State vs. The Fasted State
The foundation of the program is based upon scientific research demonstrating the difference between a state of eating and a state of fasting, or in Pilon’s words, a “Fed state” versus a “Fasted State”.
It also has a scientific basis in observations of how most animals, and presumably ancient man, ate in the wild. In other words, our ancestors almost certainly did not eat three square meals a day. They ate whenever they successfully hunted and fasted in between.
One hurdle to losing weight is that we are in the fed state about 20 hours a day. We rarely have an opportunity to burn extra calories off. Ancient man might get a meal, only to go hungry until he hunted again. Our bodies seem to be naturally predisposed to the fed state alternating with the fasted state.
When we fast, there are certain biochemical changes taking place in our bodies. For example, levels of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) are higher in the fasted state than in the fed state. In ancient man, this provided extra energy for hunting and encouraged the burning of stored fat and the building of lean muscle mass.
In addition to promoting the burning of stored fat, the Eat Stop Eat Program has other benefits like maintenance of muscle mass, decreased blood glucose levels, decreased insulin levels, and increased HGH levels. HGH levels increase as much as six-fold during a short fast.
The Eat Stop Eat program is not, strictly speaking, a diet. It is simply taking advantage of Nature’s response to the fasted state by observing short-term intermittent fasting once or twice a week.
How does it work?
A big advantage to the Eat Stop Eat program is its simplicity. You simply forgo eating — typically for a 24 hour period. For example, you could eat lunch on a Saturday and eat the next time at lunchtime the following day. This way, you are not going a day without eating and about eight of those hours you’ll be sleeping.
Will I be hungry?
Surprisingly, most people experience no true hunger during the process. Any hunger is purely psychological. You should have enough energy to get through a normal day because your body is using stored fat for fuel.
During periods that you are eating, simply consume your normal caloric intake. You may drink tea or water during your fast. Drink the same amount of fluids you normally would during the day.
Author Bio:
This has been a guest post from Australia’s Eat Stop Eat program website. If you’d like to know more about how the program can help you reach your ideal weight, get onto their site.