Skipping Breakfast and Fasting – The key to maximum fat burning, laser like focus and energy
For maximum fat burning and overall health benefits I am a strong believer in skipping breakfast for weight loss. But how could this be? I mean unless you live in a cave you’ve probably heard over and over again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most people are told to eat like a King for breakfast, a Queen for lunch and a Pauper for dinner.
Well I tried that approach and it never seemed to work for me. For one, I wasn’t particularly hungry in the morning and stuffing food in my face when I wasn’t hungry in the morning seemed to be illogical especially when trying to get lean. (Sometimes I would feel hungry in the morning but that was false hunger that would go away soon after).
Secondly, a big morning breakfast would make me hungrier throughout the day. In addition, a big breakfast would make me sluggish and tired. I thought this was unusual but after talking to a bunch of people, they’ve had similar experiences. Wow, talk about counterproductive.
Lastly, eating like a king for breakfast and a pauper for dinner isn’t very convenient. I love to have big dinners with my friends or family. Rarely do people get together for breakfast (except maybe the occasional weekend brunch).
So I flip the script! One of the strategies I talk about in my Warrior Shredding Program is where I wake up in the morning and push my first meal later into the day. I blunt my hunger with 1-2 cups of black coffee and then around the afternoon, I break my fast with one or two pieces of fruit. I found this to be a powerful strategy that satisfied me and allowed me to eat huge meals!
Wait, Isn’t Skipping Breakfast Bad?
Is missing breakfast bad for you? Why is skipping breakfast bad, if at all? If you don’t eat in the morning won’t your metabolism slow down and lose muscle? The short and sweet answer is no. You won’t lose muscle and your metabolism will not change. In fact in one study, researchers found that when they made people fast for 3 days, their metabolic rate did not change.
In addition, fasting for 72 hours did not cause an increased breakdown in muscle, nor did it slow down protein synthesis. This is 72 hours without food. So much for needing to eat every 3 hours.
NOTE – I found out all of this info from Brad Pilons book Eat Stop Eat. Eat Stop Eat is definitely a great read and allows you to let go from all the dieting myths that have been holding you back.
Ori Haufmekler, author of the Warrior Diet explains why humans are inherently night eaters and why eating big meals in the day will shut off fat burning and cause you to be tired. His key points are:
1. Humans are better off using body fat for fuel not food. This is because using fat for fuel stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) which promotes alertness, focus, creativity, energy and strength.
This makes complete sense because back in the hunter/gatherer days humans had to hunt for food. They did not have a bowl of cheerios waiting for them when they woke up. They had to rely on their fat stores (stored energy) to provide them with energy to catch their prey.
2. When you have a meal you shut down the sympathetic nervous system and turn on the para-sympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation, rest, recuperation. This is why when people have big breakfasts or big lunches they become tired and sluggish a couple hours after.
And the results of not just me, but thousands of others who have been following the Kinobody approach to intermittent fasting take my breath away!
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
The Warrior Approach to a Chiseled Spartan Physique
In the book the Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler recommends having one major meal at night. I prefer to split that up into 2 separate meals. Both equal in size which will allow you to have big, satisfying meals.
The benefit of this approach is that you can do it every day! Another benefit is that by spacing your meals out, your body adjusts to eating at certain times so you won’t feel hungry until right before your next meal.
After adjusting to intermittent fasting, you’ll be able to fast all day, allowing you to experience amazing productivity benefits.
What is the optimal Daily Fast Length?
I have found that 16-20 hours is ideal for me. Usually my fast lasts around 18 hours. I wake up at 10am and have my first meal at 5pm. In Brad Pilon’s book eat stop eat he explains that the ideal fasting period is 24 hours. This is because from 18 hours to 24 hours HGH levels steadily increase.
Brad only recommends doing these 24 hour fasts once or twice per week. Whereas I prefer a more flexible approach by just fasting for 4-7 hours after you wake up in the morning to burn fat. And since you are going to be working out on an empty stomach your HGH levels will already be maximized therefore you won’t need to fast the full 24 hours. (You can throw in a full 24 hour fast once per week if you are up for it).
Empty Stomach Training
One of the greatest benefits of daily fasts lasting for 16-20 hours is that you get to perform your workouts on a completely empty stomach. In fact, intermittent fasting workouts cause you to use fat for fuel (thereby stimulating the sympathetic nervous system which will give you a kick of energy) and Human Growth Hormone is maximized (HGH is the strongest fat burning hormone in the human body and HGH is also beneficial for building muscle).
Furthermore, when you workout on an empty stomach protein synthesis is higher during your post workout meal. NOTE – I like to have some caffeine before my workouts to give me some extra energy. I find this very helpful.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER Cutting Plan Example for a 150 lb male
1-2 cups of black coffee (fasting 4-7 hours after waking).
A couple pieces of fruit to break fast and stave off hunger (apples or bananas preferably).
Lunch 2-4pm -65g protein, 25g fat, and 70g carbs
- 300g of lean meat (93/7 turkey or beef, flank steak, sirloin steak or salmon)
- 350g of baked potato or sweet potato
- Broccoli or Cauliflower
- 1 tsp butter/oil for cooking
Dinner 7-9pm – 65g protein, 25g fat, and 70g carbs
- 300g very lean meat (chicken breast, tilapia, tuna or turkey breast)
- 350g of potatoes/sweet potatoes (mashed, wedges or rosti)
- 5 tsp of butter, coconut oil or 100% olive oil for cooking
- Broccoli, cauliflower or spinach salad with rice vinegar and cucumbers/peppers/onions
TOTAL = 1700 to 2000 calories
The results?
I have fine tweaked this eating style after only a few weeks but it has helped me tremendously in terms of getting leaner. Here are some recent pictures of me.
As you can see there I haven’t lost any muscle and I have become quite lean. I am going to continue this style of eating to drop another 5 pounds of fat. From there I will increase the size of the meals slightly to maintain.
Tips if you are Hungry
- Drink tea or coffee throughout the day (my favorite is Fasting Fuel). Helps reduce appetite and increase energy.
- In addition working out before your first meal is helpful as exercise temporarily shuts off hunger.
- Pay attention to whether your hunger is real or whether it is psychological. If you are craving meat and vegetables than your hunger is probably real. However if you are craving high carb processed foods than that is a false hunger.
The Warrior Shredding Program
If you want a full blown intermittent fasting workout routine for dropping body fat effortlessly and getting into shredded condition, check out my Warrior Shredding Program. It takes intermittent fasting and strength training to the next level to strip off fat and reveal incredible muscle tone.
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Hi
Is it a good option to go to the gym in the morning at 6 o’clock right after I wake up. And after the gym eat the first meal. Should I eat a light meal before going to the gym? I don’t eat breakfast, but I was just wondering will the workout in the morning be as good as any other time of the day?
Thanks!
If you’re training fasted and you want to get the best overall benefit then I recommend taking just 10g of BCAA before the workout. Working out in the morning is perfectly fine and you don’t even have to eat right after training. You can wait a few hours until your first meal.
So, how would you work around working out two times a day? I am trying to lose a lot of fat, I would say I am around 20-22%. I would like to get down into the low teens. I am planning on doing cardio in the mornings, and then lifting at night. How you would you recommend I space my meals? Thanks
You could have your first meal around lunch time, a light afternoon meal and a dinner after lifting. Then again, there’s really no need to train 2x per day.
Hey Greg,
i am a real big fan of your’s,and i just love your dieting techniques…….i wanted to ask that you mentioned “you can have tea…..coffee….and water!!!” (during the fast)…..milk should be included in tea and coffee or not???
i mean tea if taken with milk has about 45 to 50Kcal
and similar calories are found in coffee……
so is it neccessary for us to take tea and coffee in raw form….balck form(without milk)?
Consume tea and or coffee, black! No sugar, creme or milk.
Hello Greg, can we use Stevia leaf instead of Sugar?????, thanks.
Yes
Hey Greg,
Could you please describe the 2 shake and chicken salad diet with more detail (like the shakes and salad macros and calories)?
I`m following VIMB but I might not be able to buy the protein, so I` d like to know the macronutrients of the diet so I can create my own similar diet ( I`m thinking of replacing the shakes with milk and the salad with beef or omelets).
Thanks.
It’s a very strict diet and don’t really recommend it. IF you’re going to do it then it’s pretty much just lean protein, veggies/greens and 1-2 apples per day. You’re looking at about 1.25g of protein per pound of bodyweight, 50-100g of carbs and 30-50g of fat.
Hey,
I’m trying to put on weight and also doing your football workout / Alan Ritchson workout.
Would you still recommend this method, maybe increase the cals though? Or is this more of a maintenance / fat loss diet?
Cheers,
Alex
This can actually work extremely well for building muscle, provided that you get in the nutrients.
Hey Greg,
I Just a few quick questions. I’m a fan of you and Rustys approach to getting lean and muscular and ave been following VI these past months. I’ve incorporated a lot of your “eating styles” (I.e. everyday IF for 16-18 hrs) and have been doing great. I’m down to those last few “hard pounds” of fat to lose around my midsection and have been having trouble reducing that for the past 2 weeks! The results were coming, at a quick rate, but now they’ve kinda halted. I would say that I just need about 5-7 more pounds to lose in order to lose that last bit. About 3 days ago, I started the “shake and salad diet” to see if that would help. My questions are 1: would still following VI phase 3 where rusty advises HIIT after every workout would be too much? (Too much meaning, do you think id be overdoing a daily calorie defecit). I’m asking if it would be too much due to the mandatory PT the army’s making us do right now (2 mile run minimum everyday for fast times). 2: if I stick to phase 3 and the mandatory runs everyday along with the shake and salad diet, how long do you think it’ll be till I lose those last pounds? And 3: I’m getting ready to start the Bonus Phase in about 2 weeks, right before I head back home, (currently deployed in afganistan) will my gains from the Bonus Phase still be good if I somehow don’t get rid of those last few pounds? Again, I really appreciate your response and everything you’ve contributed to my transformation. Thanks Greg!
The last 5 lbs can be tricky. The biggest mistake you can make it to up your training and lower your calories. Don’t add any interval cardio on top of your training. You don’t need it. Sounds like you’re already very active. Additional cardio will just increase your appetite.
Bring up your calories to about 500 under maintenance. You don’t want to lose more than 1 lbs per week in this fragile state of very close to your lean goal. Also this will make it more easy to transition into maintenance mode.
Ok cool thanks Greg. Also, would the gains I make on the bonus phase (shrink wrap) still be good if I don’t reach at least 10% body fat? I’m currently at 12%. I understand the “shrink wrap effect” won’t be as great as it can be if I reach my lean goal of course, but will I still look pretty ripped or bigger after I finish? And I am planning on using Creatine for this part. Thanks again man.
Yes you will. With that said you need to be under 10% to get the shrink wrap look
Hello, I was just wondering, if your having your first meal at 1pm , (one) what would you have to eat and, (two) how do you maintain energy levels whilst working out. I usually train at around 4.30/5.00 pm every day. I’m scared that if I follow this fasting thing I will not have enough energy to perform my reps thus not being productive in the gym. I would like to try it because I was 20% BF and I have dropped to 13% BF but I get seem to get below 13%
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The human body is a highly smart and capable machine. I have found that I have my best workouts while on an empty stomach. Strength and endurance is maintained even when fasting for up to 24 hours and longer. If you don’t believe me you can look into a book called eat stop eat which has plenty of studies to show this.
In your case you will be training after eating so I don’t even understand your hesitation. Protein, veggies and a piece of fruit makes a pretty good meal to break a fast.
This article actually made me wonder something… gyms and fitness trainers will always tell you to eat a lot. Is this possibly a way for them to just keep you fatter so you’ll keep paying to work out there?
If fitness trainers are telling overweight clients who want to lose weight to eat a lot then they have no grasp of fat loss and should lose their jobs. I doubt trainers/gyms would want to see their members stay fat. When results aren’t coming people will be less motivated to keep putting in the time and effort. If they lose the weight they will still need to go to the gym to keep it up or perhaps they will have new goals.
It could also be that many overweight people go on crazy crash diets that fail in the end, when they get off them they put all the weight on and then some. Therefore it is possible trainers are telling their clients they need to consume more then the 800 calorie crash diet they did before hiring a trainer.
This is absolutely true !!!! I have stuffed myself in morning again and again
it didnt work…. now I fast till 11:00 am and I have big meal at 11. My sugar
levels are really stable after this morning fast and feel more energetic…
I am loosing at the rate of 2 pounds per week, ofcourse I have been doing 2-3 times
high intensity running for 2 -3 times week with some weight lifting… but I have never
seen such success in last 4 years of repeated attempts of trying out everything…
I STRONGLY recommend please fast in the mornings and skip breakfast…IT Works ! It might be harder initially but you will get used to it…. the only thing I consume is a 3/4 gallon of water and it literally flushes everything bad out…its a great feeling….
Hi Greg,
Do you skip breakfast every day, or is that only for when you are dieting?
Mark.
I like to skip breakfast everyday now. I have my first meal at 1 pm and my last meal around 9 or 10pm usually. Although sometimes i’ll have breakfast but not most of the time.
do you still recommend this diet plan for a 15 yr old guy who is at 13 percent body fat trying to get down below 10 percent but an athlete? Also, how long do you think it will take me to get down below 10 percent if i fast 2-3 times a week..?
I like daily fasting. Keeps me mentally strong and helps me create a calorie deficit. It all depends. You are going to have to drop 6 lbs of fat to get under 10%. Give yourself 3 weeks.
Hey, how are you doing. Thanks for all those useful posts and advices, but let me ask you a question I’ve been struggling with for quite a long time: is any reliable and more or less accurate method of calculating how many calories are burnt during various (sports) activities. I mean I know there are formulas to calculate the base metabolic rate; I can calculate/estimate my daily calorie intake based on nutritional data tables; what I don’t really know is my daily calorie expenditure. How can I figure out how many calories are burnt during jogging, boxing, HIIT or even the one-hour workout itself. Thanks a lot for your answer!!! :)
Nevermind, I just read that myoplex has been found to have lead, arsenic, and cadmium! :(
Yah its not good quality at all.
What about myoplex? They sell the ready-made shakes.
Speaking of protein shakes, are there any brands of ready made protein shakes you approve of for losing fat and as a meal?
Most of the ready made protein shakes are made with artificial sweeteners and the such so I don’t recommend them.
My favorite protein is by a supplement company called prograde
——> http://kinobody.getprograde.com/protein-powder.html
Other options are harmonized protein by progressive and gold standard all natural whey
Thx Greg. And 1 last thing, i promise :) i have to fast from dawn 3-4am to dusk 8-9pm (religion) and i cant eat or drink during that time. It fron 8/1 to 9/1 and i had an idea. I could use this 16-17 hr fast to my advantage. I was thinkin using your 3 day split with low intensity cardio daily. I wanna do HIIT too because i enjoy the feeling i get from completing it and it really improved my running endurance. So i wanted to know what days i should do it. I was starting this workout program 8/4. Thx again
Haha i forgot to write my second question. Can i do the ultimate fat burning cardio more than 4 times a week? Please explain why or why not thanks again – Marcus
Hey Greg, just want to say love you (no homo!) for all your post vids ect. And i had 2 questions. 1. How much weight do you think i can lose if I fast 20 hours everyday do your 3 day split workouts and do your ultimate fat burning cardio (5 min warm up 12 min HIIT 10-20 min steady cardio) for 2 weeks? Btw i eat lots of protein in the 4 hours but very few calories to create a bigger deficit. Please reply soon – Marcus
With strict dieting and ample exercise you can lose 10-14 lbs in 2 weeks. However some of this weight will be water and stored glycogen. When you eat low calorie and low carb your body holds onto less water. Assuming you create an average daily defecit of 1500 calories you can expect to lose 6 lbs of fat in 3 weeks. This is the equivalent of a 3% drop in body fat. A huge difference.
Just trying to clear this up. So if I fast for 20 hours everyday is ok? And can I do your ultimate fat burning workout 6 dayand your 3 day split workout or is that too much, ’cause i need to lose some weight in 17 days. PLEASE reply. Thanks a bunch :)
Fasting 20 hours everday is okay but it is not necessary. When in a strict calorie defecit you will not have the energy to perform intense intervals every single day.
I would recommend fasting 20-24 hours 2 times per week to create a large calorie deficit. After these fasts only give yourself 600-1000 calories. The other days I recommend eating a high protein breakfast, lunch and dinner with a decent amount of healthy fats and low carbs (1500-2200 caloriest tota). By keeping your carbs low you will keep your body in a constant fat burning state. This is because your body will be forced to use fat for fuel. Makesure that you perform low intensity cardio for at-least 45 minutes daily. But only perform intervals 3-4 times per week to avoid burning out.
Wow, you are right it is so the opposite of everything that is out there. I’ve been eating small meals 6 -8 times a day for a while now. But I am ready to try something new. I am super lean, but I would like to try this method anyway, just to switch things up a bit.
Yah, most people don’t realize that there is absolutely no benefit to eating more meals every single day. My eating schedule has changed around a bit since this post. Since I am dieting I am in a pretty large calorie defecit and I wake up pretty hungry.
As a result I have a morning protein shake with chia seeds (incredible super food that is high in fiber and omega 3’s). My morning shake is usually around 9pm and then my next meal won’t be until 3 or 4 pm usually. I’ll have dinner around 6:30 and a high protein / high fat snack around 9:30 pm. So I will have around 4 meals per day. With the majority of my calories coming later in the day and after my workout. I really like this method because it allows me to eat a low calorie diet without going to bed hungry and feeling deprived in the evening when its about enjoying life with your friends and family.
Yo Admin i am allergic to avocado’s do you now an alternative for avocado’s? Btw how do i get immense chest muscles? I mean a normal body like you but BIG chest muscles?
You can have 6-8 walnuts or a handful of almond instead.
Here is a great article on training for a big chest –> https://kinobody.com/262/best-workout-for-chest-part-1/
Hi I have a few questions?
1) Am I suppose to follow this plan everyday or do this 2-3 times a week?
2) When I do fast is it okay if I can take my protein shake (just water & protein powder) because on some mornings I lift and i really want to have a recovery drink after.
You can do the 16-18 hour fast pretty much everyday. This is a set up that a lot of people really enjoy. Especially those that don’t feel the desire to eat breakfast.
If you are working out in the morning than I recommend having a protein shake after your workout.
Great results!
I’ve used this approach myself and am a big fan of Ori. What I really enjoyed was being liberated from having to spend the day worrying about my next meal and popping open a protein shake. Life’s too short!
Michael
The studies I’ve read over and over usually don’t note any negative side effects until the 60-72 hour range, and actually, I’ve seen many studies highlighting the benefits of the 12-20 hour range.
Excellent points and I agree with them all. One thing I have read is that the average person tends to eat less after having a breakfast including some protein. That definitely doesn’t hold true for me though. I find that I do best when I save those calories for later in the day.
Yes I heard that too. I remember reading about that in the four hour body. I suppose that if you switch your regular muffin, toast or cereal breakfast to that of a protein shake or omolette than you will be less hungry later.
Hey Greg! I’ve been eating like this for three days now and i am finding it awesome. I am currently seventeen and tomorrow i start writing my exams. My first exam is at nine and i was just wondering if i should eat breakfast because i need to be able to concentrate. Will no food in my stomach be bad for concentration?
If you can focus better and think more clearly skipping breakfast than I would do so. Many people including me find this to be the case. However if you just started skipping breakfast it can take sometime to get used to it so you get the positive benefits.
If you find you work better with a breakfast than I would do that because exams are important. If you have breakfast than have something really healthy. Example – Eggs, fruit and advocado.
Excellent points that I agree with.
I tried eating like a horse especially at breakfast and I could never lose weight.
As soon as I cut my brekky down to a slice of toast, light snacks during the day and a normal dinner my body fat started to shift.
So I guess its also working out what is the best for each person. Possibly this wouldn’t work for others?
Raymond
I have been doing pretty much the same thing for about a month with great results too. I had tried intermittent fasting before (where you fast from like 6PM one day until 6PM the next day) and found it hard to follow due to hunger and inability to focus as I got past like 2PM.
But once I switched to just skipping breakfast and combined it with a low carb/higher protein and fat eating program like the one you are following, the hunger went away pretty fast, and now I barely even think about eating until mid-afternoon or even later. My energy levels are excellent, and my mental focus has been great too.
And when you think about it from the perspective of biochemistry, it all makes sense. Fasting and low carb/high protein-fat both work to bring down insulin levels in line with glucagon levels. This essentially lets your body operate the way that it should: you store fat when you eat, and you burn off that same fat when you are not eating. And when you burn fat, you release ketone bodies, which your brain then uses as fuel instead of strictly using glucose, giving you the sense of heightened focus.
So as long as you are creating a daily caloric deficit by eating fewer calories than you burn (and the average guy burns like 2500-3000 a day), you will burn fat, keep the ketones flowing, keep energy levels high and constant, and maintain that state of mental clarity. All good stuff.
Tried it but I can’t seem to sleep well from a big dinner at 8 straining my metabolism and to much energy
Hey Greg! I’ve got a question… from the reading I’ve made, they all agree that a low calorie/fasting state for more than 3 days will slow down your metabolism. In your diet you go way beyond the 3 days… so… how does this work? are you constantly on diets or do you have a “normal” eating plan?
I think you misunderstood the study I mentioned. The study showed that going 3 days without food did not slow down the metabolism at all. I am only fasting 16-20 hours per day. This has no effect on the metabolism. What it does do is force your body to use fat as fuel (thus burning fat). Another study I read about from Eat Stop Eat showed that when people went on an 800 calorie diet their metabolism did not slow down. Nor did they lose any muscle as long as they engaged in strength training 3x per week. 800 calories is practically nothing and I don’t recommend reducing calories to that extent.
It seems that you are a Martin Berkhan’s method user. Well actually i do follow his principles about fasting. What a genius!
Before i read what he said i used to fast every single day but drinking coffee mixed with milk which is not strictly a fast. I switched to black coffee only which i found more satiating than just water.
Well i couldn’t agree more with you. Incredible effect of fasting than few people actually knows but it is in our genes!
I feel actually better fasting than feeding myself. And trust me i don’t spend my day lying on a bed. People who didn’t do that should definitely give it a try.
Good work, good thought Greg.