A 20 hour fast can be a safe, effective way to burn body fat and improve your health, but it has to be the right strategy for you. For example, I had a health coaching client who did not want to count calories, but she wanted to lose over 20 pounds quickly. She tried counting calories in the past and found it too challenging to keep up. Plus, whenever she lost weight counting calories, she always put it right back on when she stopped.
After talking to her, I suggested that she try a 20 hour fast. We first discussed numerous fasting schedules such as 16:8, where you fast for 16-hours and eat for 8-hours. But, what she decided to go with was fasting for 20:4, where you fast for 20-hours and eat for 4-hours two times per week. This resulted in her losing 22 pounds in less than three months.
Let’s go over her exact 20-hour intermittent fasting schedule and workout plan.
- Two 20-hour fasts twice per week on non-consecutive days.
- On the 20-hour fast day, she only ate two meals (2MAD) with no snacks. But she did drink black coffee and peppermint tea during her 20 hours fast. * The two fasting days per week put her in a calorie deficient for the week.
- She ate a low-carb whole food natural diet which consisted of a lot of vegetables, some fruits, and protein. She prioritized protein in every meal such as fish, red meat, poultry, eggs, and plain greek yogurt.
- She stayed away from sugar, bread, pasta, rice, and junk food.
- Plus, she tried a weight-loss hack where she drank one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in mineral water every morning to help control blood sugar.
- Every morning she walked for 30 minutes on an empty stomach.
- Three days per week on consecutive days, she did bout 10 to 15 minutes of resistance training—two sets of bodyweight squats, lunges, modified push-ups, and planks.
In three months, she lost 22 pounds and was thrilled by following a 20:4 fasting schedule twice per week.
Best – Mike Cola Health Coach
