As I write this article it has been at-least four months since I’ve had a morning breakfast meal. In fact I go until 2 pm everyday before my first meal. To be honest skipping breakfast and fasting is one of the best things I’ve ever done!

In this article I am NOT going to tell you why you don’t need breakfast, why fasting won’t cause you to burn muscle and why fasting will not slow down your metabolism. If you still believe in these ridiculous myths I suggest you read this article here - http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

Instead in this article I am going to share with you some incredible benefits I have received by fasting 16-18 hours every single day (9-10pm until 2-3pm). Now Let’s get to this!

1. My Face Cleared UP! WOHOO

Through my teens and into my adult years I have always suffered with acne and regular breakouts despite eating a healthy diet and washing my face regularly. Once I started pushing my first meal later into the day my skin started to gradually improve. When I would go back to breakfast my skin would breakout again. Eventually I made the connection that daily fasting is the best cure for acne. I have no idea why this works all I know is that it freaking works! If I had to take a guess I would say that giving your body an extended break from digesting food allows your body to detox itself. Digesting food constantly throughout the day puts a lot of stress on your body and that stress comes out in many ways.

2. Breathing Conditions Improved

For the past few years I have suffered from some shortness of breath at times. At its worst my ability to enjoy life would be reduced significantly. Not being able to suck in a nice, big satisfying breath can drive you nuts and make your life somewhat miserable. Cutting out gluten, limiting dairy, injecting myself with vitamin b12 shots weekly and avoiding all fragrances and secondhand smoke improved my breathing conditions greatly.  Once I added intermittent fasting to the mix my breathing got even better and now gives me no problems to this day (except when I expose myself to second hand smoke, fragrance, gluten or too much dairy). On a side note if you are the type of person who wears excessive cologne or perfume on a regular basis and even worse – does so to the gym then I HATE YOU.

3. I Crave Healthy Foods

Once I started skipping my breakfast and fasting I have began to crave healthy, natural foods. Go 16-20 hours without food and naturally you will gravitate towards healthy foods. Eat food on a regular basis several times a day and you take the healthy stuff for granted and junk food becomes tempting.

 4. And I CAN COOK TOO!

My friends still don’t believe me when I tell them that I cook for myself everyday. Rewind a few months ago before I started this intermittent fasting thing and cooking seemed like the biggest pain in the A$$. I would rather drive to a restaurant and pay $20 for a meal then to make a meal for myself. Once I started fasting I gained a strong appreciation for cooking BIG Healthy Meals for myself. Never in my life did I ever think I would
a) regularly cook for myself & b) actually enjoy it

5. I CAN EAT BIG A$$ MEALS and Get/Stay Lean

There is something manly about eating big meals. Ever notice that women love it when they see a fit man eat a LOT of food?  I feel like this goes back to our tribal days when the Alpha Males would get the most food. Women are inherently attracted to alpha men. In the past when I followed traditional dieting of 5 small meals a day I felt like a little girlyman/wimp. In addition to this I could never stay satiated on small meals and all I would think about throughout the day was food. Now I can get super lean and maintain while having nice, big, healthy massive meals.

My favorite method is to eat a regular size meal at 2pm and again at 5:30 and then a BIG A$$ KING SIZE Meal at 9pm.

6. Getting Shredded is EASY With Intermittent Fasting 

Believe it or not fasting is an effective appetite suppressant. Once you adapt to it you do not get hungry during the fast. Instead you feel a sense of mental clarity and determination. In addition fasting lowers insulin, boosts HGH and increases catecholamines putting you in the ultimate fat burning state. Stubborn body fat no more. As well taking in caffeine in a fasted state increases the stimulatory effects.

7. Bulking Up is Also Easy with Intermittent Fasting 

Bulked up here (10 lbs heavier then the picture before) fasting 16 hours everyday and strength training only 3x per week. Most of the training was done on an empty stomach after ingesting 10g of BCAA (to increase protein synthesis and prevent protein breakdown). BIG high carb and moderate protein post workout meals were emphasized here to maximize lean muscle gains when my body was the most primed for growth. Fasting increases insulin sensitivity which allows you to better store and utilize carbohydrates in muscles. No need for tupperware containers and regular shakes. I could enjoy life without worrying about getting 30g of protein every couple of hours.

8. Incredible Mental Clarity with Fasting

Watch the trailer of Limitless and you will understand what I’m talking about.

Fasting is like taking NZT! I was blind but now I can see. Since I have skipped breakfast I am more productive, determined and have better focus. Everything is clear. I know what I need to do and I do it.

9. I Never Get Colds Anymore

Before I started this Intermittent Fasting Thing I used to get sick quite often. Like everyone I’m sure I can’t stand being sick coughing and sniffling all the time. YUCK! Well now I rarely get sick! Even when everyone around me is getting sick and I’m getting their germs I stay healthy and vibrant. It is AWESOME! I love it when people are like, “stay away from me, I’m sick.” I just respond, “That’s okay, I don’t get sick”

10. I Now Wake Up with a PANT BUSTING BONER every Day!

Excuse me if that last one was too much! Just thought I  would add it because I think it’s awesome. For men that don’t know a strong morning hard on represents high testosterone levels. Ever since I started daily intermittent fasting I have noticed a big difference in the morning. Why intermittent fasting improved my morning testosterone, I have no clue. Maybe it’s my body providing a little kick start to give me energy to go out and hunt for food (my hypothesis). Don’t ask me for the scientific reasons or explanations. I don’t have them. I’m just telling you what I noticed.

How to Get Started With Daily Intermittent Fasting? 

I will keep this quite short and concise for now. I will expand in another article. For daily fasting I like to go 16-18 hours without food. So If I finish eating at 10pm I will go until 2-4pm the next day until my first meal. Coffee, water and tea can be consumed during the fasting hours. I keep a 6-8 hour eating window where I consume all my calories. I like to have 3 meals within this time frame spaced evenly apart and avoid snacking between these meals. If my goal is fat loss I will keep my first 2 meals smaller and my last meal will be the biggest (this allows me to keep calories low without too much trouble). If I am bulking I will make the post workout meal the largest.

If I train around 12:30-1pm I will workout fasted after ingesting 10g of BCAA or whey protien. If I workout in the afternoon (3-5pm) I will eat 1 small meal (20% of daily calories) 2-3 hours before training and 2 more meals after training.

If I workout in the evening 7 or 8pm then I will have 2 pre workout meals (2pm and 5pm) each of roughly 20% of total calories. Then I will have one big post workout meal after training (roughly 60% of total calories).

Bonus Video

Checkout this video I made recently. Doesn’t have anything to do with IF (intermittent fasting) but I decided to add it for fun.

Next Article – How to Incorporate Intermittent Fasting into Your Routine to Boost Muscle Growth & Maximize Fat Loss 

For more information on Intermittent Fasting for muscle building and fat loss visit Leangains.