Don't Make These Top 3 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes

Intermittent Fasting gets lots of attention in the media, and more people are trying it on their own—but making mistakes that can actually do more harm than good. Learn the three most common mistakes of Intermittent Fasting and how to avoid them!

Here at the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we’ve been talking about Intermittent Fasting for years—SEVEN, to be exact.

In recent times, the rest of the world seems to be catching up with what some would call a “trend,” as it’s garnered quite a bit of attention at the national level in the past few years.

• Intermittent Fasting continues to be one of Google’s most-searched “diet” term. People are incredibly interested in learning about how Intermittent Fasting works. 

• CNN, Forbes, and countless others have published articles about a recent study that found Intermittent Fasting can help you live longer. The study was done by a Johns Hopkins researcher.

• Hoda and Jenna from the TODAY Show did their own Intermittent Fasting experiment, casting lots of attention on this approach to nutrition. 

Obviously, the benefits of Intermittent Fasting are buzz-worthy. It’s no shocker that the world is beginning to realize what we here at the FASTer Way have known for a while: Intermittent Fasting works for fat loss and is critical in getting truly lean and healthy. 

A quick list of Intermittent Fasting’s benefits include:

• Improved hormone profile - this is particularly important for women who experience high levels of stress

• Increased life expectancy 

• Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass - muscle mass is directly related to your metabolic rate. The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism will be. 

• Decreased blood glucose levels 

• Boosted immune system

• Decreased insulin levels and increased insulin sensitivity - this has a direct impact on your metabolic rate. 

• Increased lipolysis (the breakdown of fats) and fat oxidation - Intermittent Fasting turns your body into a fat burner

• Increased uncoupling protein-3 mRNA - this is important for the production of energy inside the cell

• Increased norepinephrine and epinephrine levels - this leads to an increase in fat breakdown 

This list could keep going—Intermittent Fasting is an absolute game-changer for weight loss, overall health, and longevity!

We LOVE the national attention on Intermittent Fasting, but... 

it’s actually a double-edged sword, because when you try intermittent fasting on your own, with no guidance, you risk doing some serious damage to your hormones and health. 

The FASTer Way to Fat Loss was designed with intention. It combines a safe approach to Intermittent Fasting with other science-backed strategies that have proven effective for well over 297,000 clients.

Clients come to us all the time after trying (and failing) to effectively implement Intermittent Fasting on their own.  

We’re here to set you up for Intermittent Fasting success so you can experience the benefits of this all natural strategy!

Common Mistakes When Trying Intermittent Fasting on Your Own

Intermittent Fasting Mistake #1 - Undereating

When people begin Intermittent Fasting on their own, they often think it’s as simple as cutting out one meal per day - or more. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Undereating for a long period of time can actually work against you. Eating in a calorie deficit for prolonged periods of time is scientifically proven to slow down your metabolism and cause your hormones to go into overdrive—eventually fatiguing them.

Intermittent Fasting is best utilized when paired with an appropriate whole-food, nutrient-dense diet (and the right macronutrient and micronutrient balance for your body). That’s why we don’t focus solely on intermittent fasting in the FASTer Way, but combine it with several other strategies that are proven to work while keeping hormones nice and balanced.

We teach our clients how to use Intermittent Fasting to rev up their thyroid function, increase metabolism and energy, and create a sustainable lifestyle.  

Intermittent Fasting Mistake #2 - Not Dealing With Underlying Issues

One major mistake people make when they start Intermittent Fasting is diving into it without taking the time necessary to understand possible underlying health issues, such as adrenal fatigue. If you don’t ease your way into Intermittent Fasting and have a condition like adrenal fatigue, you can exacerbate these underlying issues and make things far worse. Not only will your weight loss efforts be futile, but there’s a host of other health concerns that arise when your body is overly stressed and your thyroid is not functioning optimally. When beginning an Intermittent Fasting protocol, you need to know where to start, how to listen to your body, and how to course-correct when your body gives you valuable feedback in terms of energy, digestion, and fat loss. 

That’s why the FASTer Way is NOT a one-size-fits-all approach. Our coaches help clients troubleshoot individual issues so they can reap the benefits of Intermittent Fasting without exacerbating any underlying issues. We focus on healing those underlying issues FIRST, then using our protocols to get the results our clients want. 

Intermittent Fasting Mistake #3 - Going Too Extreme

For some, trying Intermittent Fasting on their own proves to be a success. But then they decide to take things up a notch, and will often move to more extreme variations of Intermittent Fasting. For example, if you’re doing a 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol that’s going well, you might decide to take things up to a 20/4 protocol. However, more is not always better. If you don’t have your nutrition dialed in before you start utilizing more extreme models of Intermittent Fasting, you are risking long-term metabolic damage. 

Additionally, if you’re regularly fasting and exercising at extreme intensity levels, or fasting while also practicing a low carb lifestyle, you can severely stress your adrenals (which is bad news for your hormones). 

Moral of the story… don’t try Intermittent Fasting on your own.

The Best Way to Learn Intermittent Fasting

The best way to learn Intermittent Fasting and succeed in the long term is to start under the guidance of a coach or other credentialed professional. Google and Pinterest can give you all the free information you want, but only an experienced professional can help you stay on track with a personalized approach that works for YOUR body.

The FASTer Way is very intentional—our workouts are paired with our carb cycle and Intermittent Fasting protocol for maximum results and minimum stress. We ensure our clients are eating the right foods at the right times and for the right reasons in order to increase their metabolic rate and burn fat more effectively.

Intermittent Fasting is truly a revolutionary approach to nutrition and has a significant impact on weight loss and overall health. Approach it as a lifestyle, not a quick fix, and don’t be afraid to ease your body into it. We want you to see incredible results without over-taxing your hormonal system. 

If you haven’t given the FASTer Way a try yet, let’s make this the LAST time you ever resolve to lose weight and get healthy! We’ll help you implement Intermittent Fasting for results like you’ve never imagined. Don’t go it alone - let us guide you through it set-by-step!

Intermittent Fasting: What It Is, and How It Works

Intermittent Fasting has quickly become one of the most popular trends in health and fitness. It has risen in popularity in recent years as people have used it as a simple strategy to burn fat, lose weight, and anchor an overall healthy lifestyle. 

You’ve probably heard the term Intermittent Fasting and have wondered what it is and why so many people are raving about it. Here, you’ll learn what Intermittent Fasting is and how to utilize this simple, free strategy to improve your health and accelerate your fitness goals.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is not a diet. It’s simply an eating schedule. 

Your body is always in one of two states: fed or fasted. In the fed state (any time your body is digesting food), your body’s insulin levels make it difficult to burn fat. However, in the fasted state (8-12 hours after your body finishes digesting), your insulin levels are lower and your body is better able to reach into fat stores for energy. 

That’s why so many people are using Intermittent Fasting as an effective strategy to burn fat and lose weight.

The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting encourages the body to burn fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. During a fast, insulin levels drop while levels of human growth hormone and norepinephrine rise. At the same time, cells switch from using glucose as the primary fuel source to using fat. This combination of changes can aid fat loss, as well as a host of other benefits.

Here’s how it works: After you eat, your body works hard to digest your meal. As you break down your meal in your digestive tract, nutrients are released into your bloodstream. That means your body often has excess fuel, and that excess gets stored as fat. 

When you fast, your body has to rely on its energy stores by burning fat and glycogen. So, through Intermittent Fasting, cells switch from using glucose as the primary fuel source to using fat, training your body to burn fat instead of storing it.

What Are the Benefits?

As Intermittent Fasting grows in popularity, more and more studies are being conducted to determine what benefits it may have and the extent of those benefits. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, research shows that fasting can help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and control diabetes. Other research shows that Intermittent Fasting can lower cholesterol, slow the progression of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and reduce cancer risk — all in addition to helping people shed unwanted fat and lose weight.

Additional benefits of Intermittent Fasting include (but are not limited to):

• Improved hormone profile

• Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass

• Decreased blood glucose levels

• Decreased insulin levels

• Increased insulin sensitivity

• Increased lipolysis (breakdown of fats) and fat oxidation

• Increased growth hormone levels (preserves muscle mass) 

How Do I Get Started with Intermittent Fasting?

You already fast intermittently each night while you sleep. That’s why the first meal of the day is called “breakfast” — because it breaks your fast. Intermittent fasting can be as simple as extending your overnight fast for a few more hours until lunchtime.

There are several different Intermittent Fasting protocols; however, the method recommended in the FASTer Way program is the daily 16:8 method. This protocol calls for 16 hours of fasting per day with an eight-hour eating window. This allows your body to reset daily without feeling too restricted, which makes it a strategy that’s easy to sustain long-term. 

If you want to learn more about Intermittent Fasting and how you can effectively implement it into your lifestyle, take our Intermittent Fasting quiz. Here, you’ll find out what the right fasting protocol is for you and you’ll receive our free Intermittent Fasting guide, which includes tips and strategies to help you enjoy the benefits of a healthier lifestyle through Intermittent Fasting.

---

Here’s what’s new in the FASTer Way Shop:

FASTER WAY LEGGINGS

CLICK TO ORDER

FASTER WAY COMFORT FLEECE CREW

CLICK TO ORDER

Unlock True Wellness with the FASTer Way + Functional Medicine

If you’re frustrated with your health or fitness—or you’ve been told you just have to live with your symptoms—there is hope! When you combine functional medicine with the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, you’ll get to the root of the issue and solve it in a way that heals your body and eases your mind.

Amanda Tress, founder and CEO of the FASTer Way, and Alex De Oliveira A.R.N.P. were invited to chat with Carmen Brown of OFF-AIR with Carmen about finding better health with functional medicine and the FASTer Way.

Listen to the full episode here:

What is the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?

The FASTer Way to Fat Loss is a holistic approach to healthy living. It focuses on science-backed strategies including:

• Intermittent fasting

• Carb cycling

• Macronutrient tracking

• Whole food nutrition

• Quick & effective workouts that pair with the food log

While it may sound like a lot of strategies, it’s actually a very simple lifestyle—and all clients learn under the guidance of a certified coach. Someone who is on your side, available to answer your questions, and supports you daily!

The REAL Problem

Many people, women especially, will visit a conventional doctor because they can’t lose weight even though they exercise regularly and eat well. Rather than getting the answers they need, they hear comments like:

“This is normal during/after menopause.”

“It’s normal to gain weight at your age.”

“You’re not exercising enough.”

“You need to change your habits.”

“You need to eat healthier.”

Friend, we are here to say it’s NOT your fault.

We know these doctors mean well, but countless people leave these appointments discouraged and defeated, thinking there’s nothing they can do or they just aren’t trying hard enough.

There’s a Better Way

Carmen Brown of “OFF-AIR with Carmen” was one of these women, discouraged with her health. She couldn’t lose weight and she was always tired. After meeting with Amanda Tress and making significant positive changes through the FASTer Way program, she knew something was still off. At Amanda’s urging, she scheduled an appointment with functional medicine hormone specialist Alex De Oliveira at Young Foundational Health. 

After working with Alex, while maintaining the FASTer Way lifestyle, Carmen couldn’t believe the difference in her energy levels nor her weight loss. In fact, Carmen was so blown away by her test results that she asked Alex to share them on the podcast! Listen to the full episode to hear the incredible changes she saw in less than a year.

The Problem with Standard Medicine

Standard medicine doesn’t offer prevention outside a few basic tests. This is a lost opportunity to detect imbalances, precursors to disease (such as type 2 diabetes), and inflammation in the body. Issues that are preventable but have a significant impact on health (and weight) when undetected and untreated.

We can change the current narrative, and through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss and functional medicine. We are doing that one client at a time!

---

Listen to the full interview above to hear more about these golden nuggets of wisdom:

• It’s not so much what you should take, it’s how you should live your life.

• It’s never too late to start. What matters is that you start now.

• Type 2 Diabetes is 100% reversible.

• Elevated insulin could be due to low thyroid, menopause, or even prescription medication (seizure, depression, anxiety, etc.) 

• You can fix insulin resistance through exercise, whole-food nutrition, and intermittent fasting.

• The gut needs to rest.

• Excess weight is a symptom of what’s happening in your body.

• Your bloodwork will tell you everything you need to know.

Thanks to Carmen for hosting Amanda and Alex to spread the word about the path to wellness!

---

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FASTER WAY TO FAT LOSS

• What Is Intermittent Fasting?

• 3 Ways People Get Intermittent Fasting Wrong (and why you shouldn't try it on your own)

• What is Carb Cycling?

• FASTer Way Time-Saving Hacks

• How Do Our Live At-Home Workouts Actually Work?

5 Tips for Teachers Intermittent Fasting During the Summer Break

Teachers are being asked to do more than ever right now. Even when class is not truly in session due to COVID-19, you are being asked to restructure entire curriculums during a global pandemic to fulfill the education needs of your students to finish out the year. So what happens during the summer when that schedule goes away? You might say “sweet freedom”, but the relaxation from such a structured lifestyle might have you feeling like “well now what?”

The easy answer: now is the time for YOU! If your fitness isn’t getting a passing grade, it’s time to focus on getting well and staying well.

We’re hosting a special program just for teachers with $49 savings as our way of saying thank you for all you do. We’ve written lesson plans for your fitness and nutrition as you enter the summer. Our plans are centered around whole foods, plenty of exercise and intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is safe for everyone and is a great way to lose weight because it doesn’t restrict WHAT you eat but WHEN you eat. Typical schedules range anywhere from 12/12 to 16/8. The first number is how long you go without food and the second number is the window you are clear to eat. We recommend starting slow and working your way up. The benefits of intermittent fasting are vast.  

After you stop eating and your body ends the digestion process, it will enter a state of rest. During this time, it will start repairing itself by healing damaged cells, reducing insulin levels, reducing inflammation and improving cholesterol and blood pressure.

OTHER BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

·        Improved sleep

·        More energy

·        Quicker recovery

·        Hormone level increase

·        Better immune system

It’s a bit easier to do intermittent fasting during the school year because teachers are so busy, it’s nearly impossible to grab a snack and munch throughout the day. But during the summer, when your schedule is wide open, it can be easy to relax your eating patterns. Here are a few tips to keep you from falling back into your old habits.

1.      Create a morning ritual – It’s ok to drink coffee, tea or water during the fasting window, so when you wake up, feel free to curl up to a hot mug and start your day. You might enjoy running or walking in the morning, although it’s recommended you do these activities in the daylight. Getting exercise in the sun gives you a dose of vitamin D and melanin, which is known as the happy hormone. If you forgo the early morning activity, try to build in some kind of routine like catching up on local news. Any routine you can build in the morning will distract you from eating until your meal window opens.

2.      Forgive yourself – The FASTer Way doesn’t promote a diet, but a lifestyle change. We put the scale in the closet and don’t focus on numbers because it’s more important how you feel. Sometimes you will break a rule. You will second guess and wish for a mulligan on decisions you make. That’s ok. If you break your fast early on, or want to enjoy a summer food you love, it’s completely fine. Remember, it’s about progress not perfection.

3.      Make your main meal count – Early on, it might feel like forever until your fasting window closes. It will get better with time, but one thing you’ll learn is you should make dinner count. Make sure you feast on nutritious foods that are filling and delicious. Don’t force yourself to choke down foods you don’t like just because it feels like a healthier choice. The more you enjoy your lifestyle, the more likely you are to continue it.

4.      Don’t break your fast with sugar or carbs – After you’ve gone 12-16 hours without food, you’ll want to break your fast with something that will sustain you. Foods like eggs, nuts, oatmeal or avocado are filled with protein and fats for sustainable energy that will burn for a while. The last thing you want is to spike your blood sugar with sweets and bread because you’ll have a crash that creates a roller coaster effect. That’s not sustainable and will deter you from continuing your IF practice.

5.      Make a schedule – It’s summer. We get it. You don’t want to live and die by the hour-by-hour structure you have during the year. But teachers are creatures of habit after all. It helps to have some kind of guide for the day so you can plan your meals. It’s a good idea to pre-make lunches and some healthy snacks like egg salad so you have something to grab in a pinch. 

Are you ready to get rolling? We’re celebrating teachers this week with a special FASTer Way group dedicated to the educators who have helped our children navigate this crazy time. Not only are we offering awesome discount, we’re also providing tips and help to keep you on track this summer and into the fall. Join us on May 11 for our community wide, teacher’s round at the link below!

---

ITEMS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

***NEW CLIENT*** Success Planner

CLICK TO ORDER

FASTer Way Black Tank Top

CLICK TO ORDER

How to Do Intermittent Fasting If You’re a Healthcare Worker

You sacrifice. You care for us. Right now, as a healthcare worker, you are on the front lines of an unprecedented pandemic and are putting your community ahead of your own health.

With a hectic schedule, thinking of yourself can easily be put on the backburner. But you don’t have to take on a stringent diet or restrictive plan to improve your wellness. You can start with intermittent fasting as a natural way to improve your metabolism, immune health and reduce joint pain. It’s a step you can take that produces incredible results. And you can easily fit it into your schedule whether you have a consistent schedule or take shifts.

To help those in our community, we created the FASTer Way to Fat Loss for Healthcare Workers program which makes it easy to get started at a fraction of the regular price. It’s our way of spreading generosity to those who have already given so much.

If you want to learn more, we also created this handy guide.

WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING

Good place to start, no?

If you’re a healthcare worker, you already have an understanding of the body, but we do have a whole breakdown here.

IF is basically creating two windows: one where you can eat and one where you eat nothing at all. Typical windows of fasting are in 12-, 14- or 16-hour increments, depending on your comfortability.

The reason to fast is this: When we eat, the food is broken down by our digestive systems for use in our bodies. Carbs and sugars are burned right away for energy, and any of it we don’t use gets stored as fat. Insulin is what puts sugar into fat cells. When we don’t eat for a period of time, our insulin levels go down and the excess sugar is released and burned off, so we lose weight.

Fasting also improves the immune system because it’s not busy scanning all the food we put into our gut, so it can spend more time attacking threats and repairing.

It does more for your body than just burning fat. Science-backed research also shows IF improves metabolism, lowers blood sugar and inflammation, repairs damaged cells and removes toxins from the body. Some people have shown to have an improved metabolism even before they lose a single pound.

It is a mind shift but it’s so worth it!

Like with anything, timing is key. Research is showing that the timing of the fast is important (1) so if you can fit it around your daily routine, you’re more likely to stick with it.

THE BENEFITS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS

It might seem like it’s impossible to have a healthy lifestyle when you’re just trying to keep it together. With a hectic work schedule, it’s easy to eat at irregular times and grab anything you can snack on but IF makes things a lot more straightforward. You won’t be looking for windows to eat high-carb or high-sugar snacks to fuel you and your body won’t be going through chemical swings. You need to focus on your work without being pulled by food during a crash.

There ARE approved things you can consume during your fast window like coffee, tea and water. These beverages can curb any lingering hunger without busting your routine. You will be hungry at first, no doubt. It isn’t a super easy thing to master right away, which is why we recommend starting slow with a 12/12 fast early on and slowly work up to 16/8. But after a few days, you’ll notice you have less hunger alerts and a decreased appetite because your body is back in sync.

Another huge benefit is improved sleep! Your body all along has evolved to go with the natural ebbs and flows of day to night. We muck it up by eating late before bed or right away when we wake up. You’ve probably mixed and matched every weird late-night snack out there, but no matter the nutritional value, your body isn’t at rest if you’re digesting.  

When you finally get your body back to a natural flow, you’ll be surprised how much more energy you have during the day.

HOW YOU CAN FAST AS A HEALTHCARE WORKER

We are big believers in skipping breakfast and this is also a great recommendation for healthcare workers on the front line. The morning is typically the busiest time and you may feel you need the energy at first, but after a few days, your appetite will change, and you’ll be so busy you won’t even notice. Try to make it through the morning with just coffee and tea and then take your first meal at around noon (whenever you have a break). Then follow up with another snack around 3pm before consuming your biggest meal whenever you have another break, or your shift is over.

WHAT DOES INTERMITTENT FASTING LOOK LIKE FOR YOUR SCHEDULE?

Depending on where you work, your schedule could vary. If you are in an office, it’s probably more predictable. If you are in a hospital, on the front lines or are doing shift work, it’s probably different by person. But this is a general guide of what IF would look like if you do a 12-hour work shift several days per week.

Skipping breakfast is the biggest adjustment, but if you are involved in procedures early in the morning, you are probably too busy to eat and will adjust pretty quickly. We recommend drinking something if you get pangs and your hunger will usually go away. Over time, those pangs will subside completely.

The schedule below is based on a 16/8 protocol, but if it seems like too much, you can always scale it back to 12/12 to begin.

• 7am: Tea or water

• 9am: 16 oz water, black coffee

• 11pm (or breaktime): Lunch or snack

• 3pm (or breaktime): Snack

• 7pm: Dinner

WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING WORKS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS

As a healthcare worker, you are exposed to so many different patients during the day with unpredictable schedules and workloads. IF gives you something predictable and controllable to keep your body from pulling itself towards quick-burning snacks and draining your immune system. Whether you’re in an office setting or right in the thick of it, we know how physically and emotionally draining it can be!

Intermittent fasting is NOT a diet, but you will see improved results when you combine nutrition strategies. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we use IF with whole-food nutrition, carb cycling, balanced macros and workouts. We keep it simple for all our members with weekly meal plans, community help and workouts.

We have a passion for showing gratitude and as a healthcare worker, you are sacrificing your health and wellness for our community. You give everything to us and we want to give back to you. We want you to have the energy to keep doing the job you love and live a healthy lifestyle even when that seems impossible. It IS possible. That’s why we’re offering the FASTer Way to Fat Loss for Healthcare Workers. program includes video training, nutrition recommendations, workouts and community support. We’re here for you! It’s time to think of your wellness and for your families! If you know a healthcare worker looking for a way who would benefit from our program, pass this article along and help us reach them with words of encouragement and hope!

1https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

---

ITEMS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

FASTer Way Black Tank Top

CLICK TO ORDER

***NEW CLIENT*** Success Planner

CLICK TO ORDER

How Intermittent Fasting Can Protect You Against COVID-19

We’ve all seen the news. Every day it seems there’s a new breakthrough or a lead to stop the Coronavirus outbreak across the globe. And while there are some interesting medical trials, there is one fact we can’t get away from: most of the serious sufferers have underlying health issues.

Friends, it’s more important than ever to focus on your health and wellness to prevent disease before it even begins. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss believes in Intermittent Fasting as a lifestyle choice not only to burn fat, but to also help your body rest and repair.

We sat down with Dr. Matt Ferenc to discuss the immune-boosting qualities of intermittent fasting and how it can help protect us against COVID-19. Ferenc is an ER physician in Florida who spoke on the FASTer Way to Fat Loss podcast at the beginning of the pandemic.

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

To understand why IF is beneficial during these times, it’s important to know what it does for our immune system in general. Most of our immune system is in our gut and is always looking towards our food for targets. When we’re constantly eating, our immune system is constantly at work. When you do IF, you give your immune system a break so it can work in other parts of the body.

When we are not digesting, the immune system is exploring for cancer cells, damaged cells and disease.

WHY IS COVID-19 SPREADING SO QUICKLY?

Coronaviruses have been around for a long time but this particular strain is so new and so contagious that it has quickly crossed continents. It has been compared to the 1918 Spanish Flu, but the difference today is travel. Modern technology allows us to cross the globe without a thought and so many people are interacting with each other. That wasn’t the case in 1918 or any time before.

 This virus is also very “sticky”. It clings to cells in your body and travels all around. So it’s important to build up your body with a force that can fight it off once it’s in your system. Social distancing, wearing masks and gloves and staying home are doing a good job of slowing the spread, but it’s vital that we also protect ourselves on the inside.

WHAT CAN INTERMITTENT FASTING DO FOR OUR CLIENTS HOPING TO PREVENT DISEASE

The numbers don’t lie. 60% of the ER patients you see are suffering from lifestyle-related illness like heart disease and stroke. Dr. Ferenc believes everyone should be participating in some sort of IF program because it prevents these underlying issues, decreasing your risk if you are exposed.

If you are new to IF, check out our guide with tips and information to get started and build your way up.

WHAT DOES IF DO FOR YOUR BODY?

• Creates younger blood vessels – When you fast for a period of time, your body absorbs all the nutrients from what you ate, then starts looking elsewhere. Some research shows when your body gets to the end of the fast period, it starts sending signals to your blood vessels to start regenerating. Your lungs, heart and brain also start regenerating to create more elasticity.

• Can extend life expectancy – Our chromosomes have something called Telomeres that shorten every time we produce new cells. Telomeres can only shorten a finite number of times before cell regeneration stops. This is aging. Intermittent fasting can help because when your body is in fast mode, it can signal Telomeres to stop shortening, thus extending the life cycle of your cells.

• Goes after your body fat as a source of fuel

HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU START INTERMITTENT FASTING?

The beauty of intermittent fasting is you can begin Day One. You can wake up today and start on a program. We recommend reading this helpful guide to get started because it is a transition and a slow start will make it more likely you continue. We especially recommend going slow if you have a pre-existing condition like hypertension or diabetes. But we also recommend joining our 6-week program filled with motivational material, workouts, meal plans and a network of members to keep you going.

The silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic is people are starting to realize how important it is to live healthy and prevent disease. We want all our members to achieve the health goals they’ve been putting off and the motivation is on every channel right now. Viruses like COVID-19 will always be a part of our life, just like influenza is. We can wash our hands, wear masks and sanitize every day, but there is nothing like a healthy immune system.

Don’t forget, it’s always best to consult your doctor, especially if you’re taking any medications, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or wish to become pregnant, or have a chronic condition, such as heart disease or diabetes.

---

ITEMS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

FASTer Way Yoga Mat

CLICK TO ORDER

FASTer Way Water Bottle- Black

CLICK TO ORDER

HOW TO USE INTERMITTENT FASTING TO AVOID THE QUARANTINE 15

Intermittent Fasting is a way to gain control of something in your life right now. But if you’re not sure if NOW is the time with many people stuck in their homes and uncertain about food supply, we’re here to help. The Coronavirus has many people wondering if it’s safe to fast, but we’re here to tell you YES! When you do it safely and have a plan in place, you can lose weight and create a healthy lifestyle with fasting.

As you know, the FASTer Way to Fat Loss is based on several cutting-edge nutritional strategies: Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro counting. However, the key distinguishing factor is our emphasis on fasting.

While the idea of withholding food during a global pandemic seems daunting, it’s actually quite simple once you have a plan! In fact, it usually ends up being some of our clients’ favorite things about the program! At a time when so many things are out of your control, food is something you can control.

And right now, it’s more important than ever to keep your health goals in place. With so many people in isolation, it’s easier to use food as a crutch and gain the trending “Quarantine 15”.

We realize food can become a coping mechanism to relieve stress and power through, but that is a SHORT-TERM fix. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss is all about creating healthy habits that are sustainable and will benefit you long after the COVID-19 outbreak is over. Being stuck in your home can make you feel isolated, but you are not in this alone! You are part of an entire global community helping you virtually. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss has helped more than 115,000 women and men regain the health and confidence they thought they’d lost. Imagine that kind of a support system right now.

So, is now the time to start fasting for long periods each day? If you take it slow and follow tips from those of us who have been there, yes!

Why Try Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a powerful nutrition strategy on its own, but when combined with balanced whole-food nutrition, carb cycling (another natural, highly effective fat-burning strategy), plus strategic workouts that maximize the fat loss cycle, you’ll experience results you never dreamed you’d achieve.

An unhealthy diet adds more stressors to your body like blood sugar spikes, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. Fasting is all about regulating your system and getting rid of these things.

You’ll reduce inflammation, maximize your metabolism, and naturally detoxify your body, just to name a few. It’s one thing you can feel GOOD about.

You may be thinking I’ve tried all the diets and quick fixes, I’m sure this won’t work either. Friend, no matter how many other programs have failed you, you can still experience incredible fat loss, improved health, increased energy and so much more—when you start giving your body what it needs.

BUT HOW DO YOU SURVIVE INTERMITTENT FASTING RIGHT NOW? HERE ARE A FEW TIPS!

Start Slowly

We practice 16/8 Intermittent Fasting: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating. With many foods being stockpiled and stressors coming into our lives, it’s a good idea to start mildly. Especially if this is your first time and aren’t used to going long periods without food. We highly recommend starting with a 10-hour fast. Cut off your eating at 7 or 8 pm, then don’t eat breakfast until 10 hours later. It’s very doable and is probably a period of time you already fast. You can gradually increase the length of your fast an hour at a time, until you reach the 16-hour mark. In addition, don’t feel as though you have to start fasting every day. We recommend starting with Friday. Cut your eating window off at 7 pm on Friday night, then don’t eat anything until late-morning Saturday, when you aren’t preparing for work or any other weekday obligations. This will help you dip your toe into the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed.

Recognize if Food Is a Coping Mechanism

Many of our members are working from home right now, which means the company fridge is suddenly your fridge. You have more food available at an arm’s reach than you normally do. Be aware of it and stick to the plan. Seek out other ways to make it through the day like calling a friend or family member, meditating, going for a walk or doing housework. The benefits of fasting are extremely effective and sustainable, but you have to make it a part of your lifestyle. If you are someone who has always relied on food as a pick me up, you’ll have to look at this as a lifestyle change, not a short-term way to lose five pounds.

Stay Hydrated

When routine is thrown off, we tend to forget those little moments of self-care that are so important throughout the day. Even during normal circumstances, it’s really important to stay hydrated during your fast. Water is essential for keeping your joints pain free, flushing out toxins and fighting off hunger. Did you know the same signal that tells us we are hungry is the same signal that tells us we’re thirsty?  True story! Understanding this will help when you feel those initial hunger pangs. Many of our clients reduce or eliminate their hunger signal just by adding in a few extra ounces of H₂O when they feel the urge to eat throughout their fasting period. In addition to water, it is totally acceptable to drink black coffee, herbal teas, and BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids—choose a clean brand!).

Stay Busy

This is a big one right now as many people are facing boredom and mind tennis. Staying active and productive is helpful during this period of time and it happens to be a great tool for making it through your fasting period is to stay busy. In fact, productivity is one of my favorite side effects of Intermittent Fasting. Because you aren’t worried about fixing your next meal (or scarfing down a quick snack) you can focus on work and getting things done. Plus, staying busy keeps your mind from thinking about food and helps you get through your fasting period with ease!

Find Accountability

As day-to-day life leaves you feeling in a rut right now, overly bored, or just full of excuses (yes, we know the feeling!), it’s easy to fall back into old habits. A strong support system can make all the difference. Try it with a friend, family member, or even your spouse. You can share your struggles, thoughts, or even just motivate each other. But guess what? Through the FASTer Way, you’ll also be greeted with a community of thousands of VIRTUAL members that took that initial step to lasting health, just like you. We will celebrate your wins and, on the hard days, we’ll encourage you and remind you why you started. But that’s just it. YOU HAVE TO START! So grab a colleague, your bestie, or a neighbor and go!

Put It All Together

Intermittent Fasting is a highly effective strategy, but when you combine it with whole foods, balanced macros, effective workouts, and carb cycling, you will become a fat-burning machine!

“Left, the day I started FASTer Way. I was 7 months postpartum and continually gaining weight, despite doing everything (paleo, a few boutique workouts here and there) that had worked in the past. Embarrassed and wearing baggy shirts to hide it. Desperate for someone to drag me out of the weight loss noise and confusion and give me a healthy, sustainable solution. On the right, about 8 weeks later. Holding much less fat, mood balanced, more energy, eating more than ever, doing a few 30 min workouts per week… HAPPY. Amanda Tress cracked the code, friends, trust me, I cannot stress this enough.” –Shea, FASTer Way Community Member*

*Results may vary from person to person.

FASTer Way clients know the power of Intermittent Fasting. Try it out for yourself!

---

ITEMS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

FASTer Way Mini Resistance Bands

CLICK TO ORDER

FASTer Way Yoga Mat

CLICK TO ORDER

Three Ways People Get Intermittent Fasting Wrong and Why You Shouldn’t Try it on Your Own

The health benefits of intermittent fasting are clear: fat burning, improved immune function, and increased energy. However, these benefits (and more!) only happen when intermittent fasting is utilized correctly. Learn the three ways people get intermittent fasting wrong and why you shouldn’t try it on your own.

Just like restrictive diets, when intermittent fasting isn’t done properly it can end up damaging your metabolism, your hormones, and even cause you to gain weight! Because of that, it is incredibly important you take the time to understand how to use IF properly.  

Because intermittent fasting is not a diet—it’s an eating schedule—it’s less about restricting calories and more about nourishing your body, as well as giving it time to effectively heal and repair itself. This only happens during a digestive rest (fasting).

While you can absolutely try intermittent fasting on your own, you don’t want to mess around with it if you haven’t done your research and know exactly how to nourish and heal your body the right way during your eating periods. 

The reason the FASTer Way to Fat Loss is so effective is that we combine intermittent fasting with carb cycling, nutritious whole foods, the right macronutrient balance, and 30-minute workouts to help you turn your body into a fat-burning machine.

Here are three ways people get intermittent fasting wrong and why you shouldn’t try it on your own!

1. Not Eating Enough

We recommend the 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol. This means you have an 8-hour eating window and a 16-hour fasting window. 

This doesn’t mean just skipping a meal or two. 

Or starving yourself. 

In fact, this is one of the biggest mistakes we see from people who are trying intermittent fasting on their own... not eating enough during their eating window. 

Your body needs fuel.

Any time you aren’t getting adequate calories, you can cause serious damage to your hormones and slow down your metabolism. 

When you focus on cutting calories during your fasting window rather than giving your body the energy it needs to think clearly and function properly, you are not optimizing your body’s fat-burning potential—you are shutting it down. 

The results? You’ll feel terrible, your energy will tank, and your weight loss will stall. 

2. Poor Nutrition

Another common mistake we see from people doing intermittent fasting on their own is eating whatever they want during their eating window rather than focusing on nutritious foods. 

It’s not enough to just eat within your 8-hour window. The benefits of intermittent fasting won’t take full effect if you aren’t fueling your body with whole foods.   

At the FASTer Way, we focus on carb cycling and a balanced, nutritious whole-food diet. So, while you can have a donut or a soda at various points throughout the week, we focus on eating nutrient-dense foods like:

• All the fruits and vegetables!

• Beans and legumes

• Nuts and seeds 

• Healthy fats

• Lean proteins

By focusing on whole foods during your eating window, you’ll make sure that your nutrient intake isn’t being compromised, or your ability to see and feel the benefits from your intermittent fast. 

3. Eating Too Much

Some people have a tendency to binge-eat during their eating window if they don’t purposely pair IF with a nutrient-dense diet.

For those who have never fasted, jumping into the 16/8 protocol can be difficult.

Rather than easing into fasting with a 12/12 split, or taking out an hour here and there, or starting with just one day a week (all things we recommend to those who are brand new to intermittent fasting), they end up eating far too much during their eating window. 

Often, this means going completely overboard with unhealthy foods. 

At the FASTer Way, we focus on helping our clients eat enough of the right macronutrients and micronutrients to optimize their intermittent fast and keep them full—all while increasing their metabolism, burning fat, maintaining lean muscle, and creating daily habits that will help them thrive.  

The benefits of intermittent fasting happen when we give our bodies time to heal and proper nutrition. 

Ready to Get Started? We Can Help!

We believe in progress, not perfection. At the FASTer Way, we’ll help you ease your way into these sustainable lifestyle changes so you can start healing your body, start seeing results, and start feeling better than ever! 

Our next round starts soon and we’d love to have you join us. Use the button below to register for our next round!



How Intermittent Fasting Improves Immunity

We are living in a critical time for our health and safety and that of our families. The coronavirus (which causes the illness COVID-19) is the main buzz right now and it’s plaguing communities, governments, and nations with fear as it continues to spread. Stay safe (and worry less!) by learning how intermittent fasting improves immunity!

Families are searching the internet for answers and stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizer to be prepared for the coronavirus. However, we must remain calm! There are many resources and practical steps we can take in order to best protect ourselves and families from contracting this virus. 

While there are lots of things we can’t control, there is one thing that we can control… and that is our health choices! We have to make choices every day that will either feed or fight the spread of illness. Focusing on a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet—paired with regular exercise, intermittent fasting, and plenty of sleep—can help build up the immune system and aid in the prevention of COVID-19.

Here at the FASTer Way, one of our main focus areas for our community is intermittent fasting.

You may have heard of intermittent fasting before, as it has become increasingly more popular in the health and fitness industry. While fasting is an ancient practice, today it is mainly used to capitalize on its many health and fat loss benefits. Intermittent fasting, simply put, is an eating schedule. Our bodies are in one of two states: fed or fasted. In the fed state, our bodies focus on digesting food. In the fasted state, our bodies focus on healing and repair.

Here are just a few of the many benefits of intermittent fasting:

• Fat loss

• Natural detoxing

• Cellular repair 

• Decreased insulin levels (helping you burn fat)

• Reduced inflammation

• Improved hormone profile

• Improved immunity 

However, what you may not know about intermittent fasting is that it also aids in building your immunity. Yes, you read that right! Intermittent fasting can help your body fight off infection and disease! At such a critical time, with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, we must be diligent in taking the necessary steps to protect ourselves against contracting the virus. Intermittent fasting is a great place to start!

Let’s talk about the immunity-boosting benefits of intermittent fasting:

Fasting helps improve the body’s immune system. Valter Longo’s 2014 research on prolonged fasting (2–4 days) has since lead to a lot of promising research on shorter-term intermittent fasting. These studies suggest that T cells, B cells, white blood cells, and inflammatory responses are all positively impacted by fasting. 

Angus Chen’s article discusses three different studies that demonstrate improved immune responses that are directly correlated to intermittent fasting. One exciting example is how T cells improve immunity:

“In Belkaid’s study, she found that memory T cells, which produce molecular weapons to kill pathogens and cancers, suddenly became supercharged when they retreated to the bone marrow [during fasting]. ‘Not only were they able to survive, they were also optimized, and these T cells were able to protect [the body] better,’ Belkaid says.”

Another powerful effect of intermittent fasting is the reduction of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, but we are not meant to be in a chronic state of inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease and stroke, and may also lead to autoimmune disorders. But there’s good news! New research shows that during fasting, inflammatory cells called monocytes are 1) less active in the body and 2) fewer are released into the bloodstream. This means the inflammatory response is naturally reduced. For more information about monocytes, you can read the study here.

There is so much exciting new research coming out all the time that continues to confirm that intermittent fasting supports and improves our immunity. Keep yourself healthier and better able to fight off infection by practicing intermittent fasting!

How to get started with intermittent fasting:

Intermittent fasting is safe for nearly everyone, but we recommend it for adults age 18 and older. However, please refer to your doctor before beginning a new health regimen—especially if you have any health concerns that are affected by diet (such as diabetes). If your doctor is not current on his or her intermittent fasting research, make sure to do your own! You may even consider seeing a functional medicine doctor, as they are usually up-to-date on strategies like IF.

When you’re ready to start intermittent fasting, simply decide what you want your fasting window to be. Stop eating after dinner (usually around 6 pm–8 pm), and then break your fast 16 hours later (around 10 am–12 pm). That’s it! If that seems like too much all at once, you can ease into with a shorter fasting window (12 hours is a good starting point), or try fasting once or twice a week. Gradually increase your fasting window or the number of days you fast each week, and soon you’ll be practicing daily!

As you make these changes to your health during this critical time, we want to reassure you that there is no need to fear! Rather than going into panic mode, stay calm and focus on pairing proper nutrition with intermittent fasting. See what works best for your body; whether it be a 12/12 protocol (12 hours fasting/12 hours eating) or a 16/8 protocol (16 hours fasting/8 hours eating). Let’s use the tools we have and focus on the things we can control, rather than what we cannot. Together, we can set our bodies up for success and give them all the necessary tools to stay healthy and fight off infection. 

Are you ready to start incorporating intermittent fasting and whole-food nutrition into your daily health routine? Join the FASTer Way family as we build immunity and stay healthy together!

*To learn more about the spread of the coronavirus, visit the CDC website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

How To Survive Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is the talk of the fitness industry and you really want to try it out… but you’re not sure where to start? Use these Top 5 Tips for surviving (and thriving through!) IF as you begin this new aspect of your health journey!

As you know, the FASTer Way to Fat Loss is based on several cutting-edge nutritional strategies: Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro counting. However, the key distinguishing factor is our emphasis on fasting.

While fasting may sound a bit intimidating, most of our clients find that it’s actually much simpler than they thought it would be. In fact, it usually ends up being one of their favorite things about the program!

If you aren’t familiar with this trending term, here’s a deeper dive into why we use it as a highly effective strategy to burn fat throughout the program. Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet or quick fix, it’s a lifestyle that incorporates periods of eating with periods of withholding food. There are several ways to practice Intermittent Fasting, but in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we suggest the 16/8 protocol. This means each day you will fast for 16 hours and consume all your food for the day in an 8-hour window. We do not cut calories, we simply eat them in a shorter window during the day.

Why Try Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a powerful nutrition strategy on its own, but when combined with balanced whole-food nutrition, carb cycling (another natural, highly effective fat-burning strategy), plus strategic workouts that maximize the fat loss cycle, you’ll experience results you never dreamed you’d achieve. You’ll reduce inflammation, maximize your metabolism, and naturally detoxify your body, just to name a few. 

You may be thinking I’ve tried all the diets and quick fixes, I’m sure this won’t work either. Friend, no matter how many other programs have failed you, you can still experience incredible fat loss, improved health, increased energy and so much more—when you start giving your body what it needs. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss has helped more than 115,000 women and men regain the health and confidence they thought they’d lost. 

But how do you survive Intermittent Fasting when you’re brand new? Here are a few tips!

Start Slowly

We practice 16/8 Intermittent Fasting: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating. However, if you’ve never fasted before, you don’t have to start with such a big fasting window. We highly recommend starting with a 12-hour fast. Cut off your eating at 7 or 8 pm, then don’t eat breakfast until 12 hours later. You can gradually increase the length of your fast an hour at a time, until you reach the 16-hour mark. In addition, don’t feel as though you have to start fasting every day. We recommend starting with Sundays. Cut your eating window off at 7 pm on Saturday night, then don’t eat anything until late-morning (or after church!) on Sunday. This will help you dip your toe into the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed.

Stay Hydrated

It’s really important to stay hydrated during your fast. In addition to water, it is totally acceptable to drink black coffee, herbal teas, and BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids—choose a clean brand!). Use these to get through your fast with ease and to keep your mind from wandering to the various snacks in your pantry! Did you know the same signal that tells us we are hungry is the same signal that tells us we’re thirsty?  True story! Understanding this will help when you feel those initial hunger pangs. Many of our clients reduce or eliminate their hunger signal just by adding in a few extra ounces of H₂O when they feel the urge to eat throughout their fasting period.

Stay Busy

The best tool for making it through your fasting period is to stay busy. In fact, productivity is one of my favorite side effects of Intermittent Fasting. Because you aren’t worried about fixing your next meal (or scarfing down a quick snack) you can focus on work and getting things done. Plus, staying busy keeps your mind from thinking about food and helps you get through your fasting period with ease!

Find Accountability

As day-to-day life leaves you feeling in a rut, overly busy, or just full of excuses (yes, we know the feeling!), it’s easy to fall back into old habits. A strong support system can make all the difference. Try it with a friend, family member, or even your spouse. You can share your struggles, thoughts, or even just motivate each other. But guess what? Through the FASTer Way, you’ll also be greeted with a community of thousands of others that took that initial step to lasting health, just like you. We will celebrate your wins and, on the hard days, we’ll encourage you and remind you why you started. But that’s just it. YOU HAVE TO START! So grab a colleague, your bestie, or a neighbor and go!

Put It All Together

Intermittent Fasting is a highly effective strategy, but when you combine it with whole foods, balanced macros, effective workouts, and carb cycling, you will become a fat-burning machine! Learning these other key strategies—which make the FASTer Way the most effective program in the marketplace today—is critical when it comes to taking back control of your health and weight through a sustainable lifestyle.

“Left, the day I started FASTer Way. I was 7 months postpartum and continually gaining weight, despite doing everything (paleo, a few boutique workouts here and there) that had worked in the past. Embarrassed and wearing baggy shirts to hide it. Desperate for someone to drag me out of the weight loss noise and confusion and give me a healthy, sustainable solution. On the right, about 8 weeks later. Holding much less fat, mood balanced, more energy, eating more than ever, doing a few 30 min workouts per week… HAPPY. Amanda Tress cracked the code, friends, trust me, I cannot stress this enough.” –Shea, FASTer Way Community Member*

*Results may vary from person to person.

Because the benefits of Intermittent fasting are so phenomenal, our clients now understand how to burn fat effectively and feel their absolute best. The overall improvement in health, energy, and productivity makes this strategy a lot simpler to implement you might expect. In fact, most people are not usually hungry at all during the fasting window AND find that the longer they practice IF, the more accustomed to their bodies become! 

FASTer Way clients know the power of Intermittent Fasting. Try it out for yourself!

Can I Try Intermittent Fasting On My Own?

Intermittent Fasting is everywhere these days! Everyone is talking about it, and maybe you’ve wondered, “Can I try Intermittent Fasting on my own?” But there’s more to it than simply skipping breakfast. Amanda Tress, founder and CEO of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, appeared on Bloom TV to talk about Intermittent Fasting and what everyone needs to know about it.

Who is Amanda Tress?

Amanda struggled with health issues beginning in her teenage years including high blood pressure and a metabolic disorder. She set out on a journey to solve her own problems and eventually became a certified personal trainer and certified nutrition coach so she could empower others to change their lives as well. 

She developed the FASTer Way to Fat Loss in 2016, which incorporates Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, whole-food nutrition, and effective 30-minute workouts. Her clients saw incredible success and the program spread quickly—the FASTer Way has now served more than 130,000 clients.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is NOT a diet. Rather, it’s an eating schedule with defined windows for eating and fasting. We are either digesting or healing—our bodies can’t do both at the same time. Intermittent Fasting allows us to heal, burn fat, improve the immune system, and increase energy.

The Problem with Intermittent Fasting

A lot of women come to the FASTer Way after trying Intermittent Fasting on their own—and failing—because they didn’t have the proper guidance and they didn’t do it correctly. Many people try IF without doing any research. They usually limit calories and undereat long term, which means they could damage their metabolism, promote weight gain, cause hormone imbalance, and other issues.

What Intermittent Fasting ISN’T

The fasting window is NOT an excuse to eat junk food and it’s NOT a way to limit calories. Most people who Try IF on their own are severely undereating, which is compromising their goals as well as their health.

It’s important to eat enough of the right foods at the right time, and it’s vital to eat enough of the right macronutrients and micronutrients so we can optimize metabolism, burn fat, maintain lean muscle, and receive all of the incredible health benefits. 

Should I check with my Dr before I start IF? Many traditional doctors are not familiar with IF as a beneficial nutrition strategy. Do some research, speak with someone on the FASTer Way team, or speak with a functional medicine doctor. Find an expert who can give you sound advice.

Should Everyone Do Intermittent Fasting?

Yes! Everyone should be doing a minimum of a 12/12 Intermittent Fasting protocol, which means the feeding window and fasting window are each 12 hours.

Most people are able to go up to a 16/8 fasting protocol and see incredible benefits, and this is where working with a professional will be hugely beneficial. They’ll help you figure out what’s best for your body. 

Many women struggle with adrenal fatigue, hormone imbalance, suboptimal thyroid function, etc. It’s important to know how to modify fasting to work for you so it doesn’t contribute to your problems rather than promote healing. Work with a credentialed professional to find the best protocol for you.

Find more information about Intermittent Fasting!

• Tips for Intermittent Fasting

• Hoda and Jenna Try Intermittent Fasting on TODAY

• FASTer Way to Fat Loss FAQs

• Carb Cycling Made Simple

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a popular weight loss (as well as fat loss) strategy that’s trending in both the fitness and health industries because of all the incredible things it can do for the body. Learn how to utilize this simple, free strategy to improve your health and accelerate your fitness goals!

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is simply an eating schedule, NOT a diet. Any type of food can be eaten while you’re Intermittent Fasting, but whole, unprocessed foods are always the best option for a healthy lifestyle (and the best results). 

There are various ways to practice IF, but at the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we promote the 16/8 protocol. This simply means you’ll fast for 16 hours and then consume all of your food (or calories or macros) within an 8-hour window. This gives your body the time it needs to do several things that you can’t see or feel including:

• Lower insulin levels

• Reduce liver fat

• Lower cholesterol

• Improve blood pressure

• Reduce inflammation

• Engage in autophagy (removing damaged cells in the body)

• Use fat for fuel

How to get started with Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is safe for everyone, but we recommend it for adults age 18 and older. However, it’s always a good idea to refer to your doctor before starting a new health regimen—especially if you have any health concerns that are affected by diet (such as diabetes). If your doctor is not current on his or her Intermittent Fasting research, make sure to do your own! You may even consider seeing a functional medicine doctor, as they are usually up-to-date on strategies like IF.

When you’re ready to start Intermittent Fasting, simply decide on your start date. Stop eating after dinner (usually around 6 pm–8 pm), and then break your fast 16 hours later (around 10 am–12 pm). That’s it! 

If this seems like too much all at once, you can ease into with a shorter fasting window (12 hours is a good starting point), or try fasting once or twice a week. Gradually increase your fasting window or the number of days you fast each week, and soon you’ll be practicing daily!

How Many Hours Should I Fast Every Day?

In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we typically practice the 16/8 protocol. This is a great fit for most people, however, it’s important to listen to your body! This is especially true if you have an underlying issue such as adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, suboptimal thyroid function, etc. In this case, start with a 12/12 split and gradually increase (again, while listening to your body).

Everyone should be doing a minimum of a 12/12 daily intermittent fast. This isn’t an extreme timeframe, it’s actually a very average eating window for many people who aren’t purposely practicing IF. A typical 12/12 window would be finishing dinner at 7 pm (which begins the fast) and having breakfast at 7 am (which ends the fast). With this protocol, you can still eat three meals at typical intervals!

Can I eat or drink anything during my fast?

Eating will break your fast, so that should be avoided during your fasting window, but we encourage you to drink LOTS of water! This will help flush out those toxins that your body is naturally detoxing. You may also drink black coffee or tea—usually without breaking your fast. Read this article for more information about whether or not black coffee will break your fast.

What if I get hungry in the mornings?

If your body is accustomed to eating breakfast, it could take a short adjustment period to break the habit. You may feel hungry, but if you do, don’t be afraid to scale back on your fasting window by an hour or two while you get used to your new schedule.

Pro Tip: sometimes thirst actually feels like hunger! If you feel hungry during your fast, try drinking a glass of water. Wait for 5–10 minutes and see how you feel. You may be surprised at how quickly your hunger goes away and you can go all the way to the end of your fasting window with no problem!

If you still feel hungry after that, assess what you ate the day before. Did you hit your goals or come up short? If you under-ate, your body may be telling you it’s time to eat. Don’t be afraid to listen to your body! If you need to break your fast early, that’s okay. It’s most important to give your body what it needs. But just remember, if you’re fueling correctly on a daily basis, you should be able to fast without too much trouble.

Are there any risks associated with IF?

When done correctly, IF is safe. However, we see a lot of bad advice out there, and when done incorrectly—like anything else—IF can cause problems. 

One of the biggest issues we see with IF gone wrong is UNDEREATING. Your body NEEDS proper fuel, and when you don’t get it, it can depress your metabolism, push you into a plateau, and negatively impact your overall health. On top of all that, it can even cause weight gain if you don’t eat enough. Please make sure you’re eating properly to meet your body’s needs!

The easiest way to avoid risk is to work with a coach that specializes in Intermittent Fasting. A coach can answer your questions, provide sound advice and helpful tips, and hold you accountable so you can reach your goals and feel your best!

Maximize Your Intermittent Fast!

On its own, Intermittent Fasting is a powerful tool that can accelerate your goals and help you achieve real health and wellness. But can you make it work harder for you?

YES!

When you combine other safe and effective strategies with Intermittent Fasting, you’ll see even better results. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we combine IF with carb cycling, whole-food nutrition, balanced macros, and effective workouts. We simplify everything for you, even providing weekly meal plans so you can get healthy, delicious meals on the table with less effort. We know you’re busy and you just don’t have time to do it all. That’s where we come in! We’ll bridge the gap between wanting to live a healthy lifestyle and truly living your best life.

For more information about the FASTer Way strategies:

• Thriving through pregnancy with the FASTer Way

• Carb Cycling for Women

• Can Vegans do the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?

• Intermittent Fasting & Carb Cycling: the effective duo

---

How and When to Use Peloton Workouts

One of the many things our clients love about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss lifestyle is the flexibility it provides. And not only when it comes to nutrition—the FASTer Way is flexible enough to incorporate your favorite workouts, too. A common question we receive is if clients can still enjoy their Peloton workouts in the program, and we’re excited to let you know that the answer is YES! Read on to find out how and when to use Peloton workouts in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss.

Matching Your Workouts to the FASTer Way Macro Cycle

If you’re familiar with the FASTer Way, you know we’re big on macros (or macronutrients) and we practice a 7-day macro cycle that strategically pairs workouts with our nutrition for maximum fat burning. While the FASTer Way program and VIP Membership include workouts that can be completed at home or in the gym, you can absolutely opt to get your sweat on using your Peloton instead!

We suggest swapping out your FASTer Way workouts for the Peloton on low carb and active recovery days. High-intensity Peloton trainings are perfect for getting your heart rate up on low carb days, while a longer, more relaxing ride is a great option for active recovery days when your muscles need rest. 

Why Strength Training Matters

While we certainly love the Peloton as much as you do, the awesome workouts lack a strength training component that is absolutely necessary in developing lean, calorie-burning muscle. Try to avoid using the Peloton (other than for a warm-up or cool-down, of course) on strength training days and instead follow along with the given FASTer Way workouts to really maximize building muscle that will leave you feeling strong and lean.

Are you intimidated by the idea of incorporating varying workouts into your lifestyle? Don’t be! The FASTer Way provides workouts for every fitness level and plenty of low impact modifications. Many clients come to the FASTer Way with no experience in working out and end up falling in love with the FASTer Way lifestyle. We demystify Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and whole-food nutrition so you can live a healthy lifestyle that you LOVE.

“Ooooooo!!! This post makes me incredibly nervous. Be kind y’all. 😱 That girl on the left was exhausted, not sleeping well, having lots of indigestion & heartburn, feeling winded after the smallest amount of physical activity. She was scared of how bad she felt, and worried about where she was heading if she didn’t make a serious change. That was me just 3.5 months ago. I was ready for change, but the very last thing I wanted was another unsustainable diet.

Thank God for Amanda Tress and the FASTer Way to Fat Loss! I’ve found a new way of eating and working out that has literally changed my life.

Not only am I focused on whole food nutrition, but I’m working out on a regular basis. This girl is doing sprints… you heard that right, SPRINTS!! On top of losing (at last weigh-in more than a month ago) almost 30 lbs and more than 25 inches, I have loved what I’m learning about how to fuel my body for a lifetime. I am not deprived and I’m eating ALL THE CARBS & FATS!!! I’ve loved it so much that I interviewed, was selected, studied and passed my exam to become a certified FASTer Way Coach!! Y’all, a health and wellness coach! I mean, LIFE CHANGED!! And now I’m on a mission to help others begin their own transformation.”*

*Results may vary from person to person.

How Going Vegan Could Be A Game Changer

If you’re a die-hard meat eater, the veganism documentary on Netflix, The Game Changers (TV-MA), may just change your mind! It’s a fascinating study on the effect of plant-based eating in people ranging from top athletes to firefighters to grandparents. It doesn’t just offer testimonials about feeling better or getting healthier, it provides some really interesting scientific exploration that will give you some “food for thought.” 😉

Dr. Robert Vogel said, “What you eat immediately before an athletic endeavor can have major impact on how you perform. There’s a direct correlation between a meal and endothelial function. The endothelium is the lining of blood vessels. It regulates blood flow throughout the body. Plant-based meals allow the endothelium to open up. Animal-based meals restrict it.” This is why the athletes in the documentary were able to go longer and harder after they switched to plant-based.

According to The Game Changers, a single hamburger can increase inflammation by 70%, while a plant-based diet reduces inflammation in the body. This has a huge impact on athletic performance, especially recovery! Not only that, plant-based foods contain, on average, 64 times the antioxidants of animal-based foods. In fact, iceberg lettuce has more antioxidants than salmon or eggs!

Top plant-based athletes highlighted in the film include:

• Morgan Mitchell (2-time Australian 400-meter champ)

• Dotsie Bausch (8-time USA national cycling champ, 2x Pan-American gold medalist, at 39½ Dotsie is the oldest person—male or female—to win gold in her event)

• Kendrick Farris (only male weightlifter from the US Olympics in 2012 and 2016, broke 2 American records, won the Pan-Am games)

• James Wicks (MMA champion & documentary host)

• Nate Diaz (beat UFC champion Conor McGregor)

• Scott Jurek (record-breaking ultra runner, won Badwater Ultramarathon 7 times in a row, set a new record for the 2200 mile Appalachian trail)

• Patrick Baboumian (multiple world records: front hold, keg lift, log lift / set a new record: carried 1,224 pounds for 33 feet)

• Arnold Schwarzenegger (we all know Arnold!)

• Lewis Hamilton (5-time Formula One World Champion)

But non-meat eaters aren’t just emerging on the sports scene, they’ve been winning gold at the Olympics for more than 100 years!

Vegan and Vegetarian Olympic gold medalists include:

• Emil Voigt (gold in 1908)

• Paavo Nurmi (9 gold medals from 1920–1928)

• Murray Rose (4 gold medals from 1956–1960)

• Edwin Moses (2 gold medals from 1976–1984)

• Carl Lewis (9 gold medals 1984–1996)

And if you ask the athletes who switched from meat-based to plant-based, it’s had everything to do with their success. Many of them actually began breaking and setting new records after their transition to eating vegan!

But how will I get my protein in? Plants aren’t complete proteins!

Well, as stated in the film, every single plant contains all the essential amino acids in varying proportions. As long as the proper amount of amino acids are consumed, the source is irrelevant. 

We often use the idiom “strong as an ox” to describe someone who is unusually strong, but how often do we stop to think about what an ox eats? That’s right, a plant-based diet! They aren’t consuming animal protein in order to build muscle and increase strength, it’s all done with plants! Other strong herbivores include:

• Elephants

• Hippos

• Horses

• Gorillas

• Rhinos 

• Bison

So the perception that we must eat meat in order to be strong or see gains is actually false. 

“The quest for truth is only useful if you’re prepared to take action on what you find.”

-Bruce Lee

Environmental Concerns

Veganism isn’t just about what it can do for our bodies, it’s also about what it can do for our planet.

There was a slew of interesting facts in The Game Changers, including:

• Roughly ¾ of all the agricultural land in the world is used for livestock production.

• Meat, dairy, egg, and fish farming use 83% of the world’s farmland, yet provide only 18% of the world’s calories—on average, animals consume 6 times more protein than they produce.

• More than 70 billion animals are consumed globally each year 

• The single biggest source of habitat destruction is the livestock sector.

• 25% of rivers in the world no longer reach the ocean because we’re taking out so much water for animal feed.

• 27% of freshwater consumption goes to produce animal foods.

• In the US, farm animals produce more than 50 times more waste per year than the entire human population, polluting rivers, lakes, and groundwater all across the country.

But what can eating vegan do? In the US, where meat consumption is three times the global average, shifting away from an animal-based diet would reduce agricultural emissions by up to 73% and save 1 million liters of water per person per year. This would free up an area of land the size of Africa. 

Can I eat Vegan on the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?

The vegan lifestyle has steadily grown in popularity over the years. In fact, in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we’ve seen such a big increase in vegan clients that we now offer a vegan meal plan in addition to our regular meal plan. One of the most common questions we get is: “Can vegans do the FASTer Way?” and the answer is a resounding YES!

As long as you focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods, we don’t require a certain pattern of eating, which is one of the most appealing aspects of the program. We teach sound principles but let YOU decide what to eat—while providing plenty of guidance, should you want it.

We believe you should eat the way that best suits your body, but we also believe in arming you with all the best knowledge so you can make an informed decision. If veganism is the right fit for you but you aren’t sure how to incorporate it with other healthy strategies like Intermittent Fasting, Carb Cycling, and macro tracking, then we’ll teach you how in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss!

Learn more about The Game Changers here. This film is FULL of interesting facts, studies, and observations that will help you decide if a vegan diet is right for you.

For other interesting Netflix documentaries focused on nutrition, check out

What The Health (TV-PG)

Forks Over Knives (PG)

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (TV-14)

Have YOU tried eating plant-based? If you’re intrigued but not sure how you’ll do it, try going plant-based one day per week. Let us know how it goes!

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager try Intermittent Fasting on TODAY

Intermittent Fasting has been in the media spotlight for the last couple of years, but TODAY Show hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager have recently decided to try it! 

They wouldn’t be the first—celebrities from Jennifer Aniston to Kourtney Kardashian to Hugh Jackman (and many more!) have all talked about their Intermittent Fasting lifestyle… and for good reason. Intermittent Fasting is a popular strategy for weight loss as well as overall health because it can help the body burn fat, regulate hormones, and even detox on a cellular level.

When people start Intermittent Fasting, they usually report less brain fog and bloating with more energy and confidence. And that’s usually just the beginning. We hear all the time how much it simplifies busy mornings, helps people get lean and strong, and even helps IFers sleep better at night. 

Worried it will put you into starvation mode or tank your metabolism? Put those fears to rest, the science shows that, as long as you do it correctly, you’ll steer clear of starvation and even increase your metabolism!

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

We can’t wait to see what it does for Hoda and Jenna, who said they’re doing it to be healthy rather than to lose weight. While many people do practice Intermittent Fasting in order to lose weight, it’s also beneficial for so much more!

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting include:

• Improved brain health

• May prevent some diseases

• Improved insulin sensitivity

• Cellular repair

• Increased levels of human growth hormone

• Reduced inflammation and oxidative stress

There are several popular Intermittent Fasting strategies, but Hoda and Jenna will be using the 16/8 protocol (the same one we use in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss). Sometimes called Time-Restricted Feeding, this is a popular strategy because it’s simple and easy to do on a daily basis. All it requires is fasting for 16 hours, then eating within an 8-hour window each day.

How to Track Progress 

In order to “track progress,” Hoda and Jenna weighed themselves on live TV to set a starting point. If you’re familiar with the FASTer Way, then you know we like to track progress through other important markers like body measurements. 

Why don’t we use weight to track progress? Simply put, it doesn’t mean much. As you lose fat and gain muscle, your weight may not go down at a steady pace even though you’re making progress and seeing gains. Muscle is denser than fat, which means it’s heavier when you compare equal volumes of each. This means you may not see a big drop in weight if you are engaging in strength training in order to boost your metabolism and burn fat faster. If weight is the only milestone you’re tracking, then you may feel frustrated and disappointed—even though you’re actually going through a significant change in body composition!

For More information About Intermittent Fasting:

Expert Tips for Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting and Carb Cycling 101

Intermittent Fasting Implementation FAQs

Have you tried Intermittent Fasting? Tell us about YOUR experience in the comments!

Why Restrictive Diets Won’t Help You Long-Term

Elimination diets are all the rage, and for (a somewhat) good reason! More people are better understanding how food can affect so much more than just their waistbands. These diets are great for eliminating common inflammatory foods to figure out what might trigger symptoms and can help people feel better than they have in years. But unfortunately, while paleo and Whole30® programs might pack lots of great short-term results, restrictive diets won’t help you long-term.

The Dreaded Plateau

Eliminating entire food groups and cutting out processed junk will often lead to an unintentional calorie deficit, which helps with weight loss… for a time. Drastically reducing calories will help shed weight until your metabolism slows down, and then you hit the dreaded plateau. You may try to eliminate more food or reduce your calorie intake, but that stubborn plateau won’t budge because your body may be trying to tell you that it actually needs more food than you’re giving it.

Restrictive Diets and Burnout

The biggest complaint about restrictive diets? Burnout. There’s a reason why these programs only last 21 or 30 days. People can only deprive themselves of their favorite foods for so long. In addition to burnout, practicing restrictive diets long term can lead to disordered eating.

Discovering True Food Freedom

So what’s the answer? Well, the ultimate goal is to discover true food freedom! Eliminating inflammatory foods while still enjoying your favorite treats and eating more than you have in years—all while burning fat and building lean, calorie-burning muscle. 

That’s the beauty of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss. We combine the science-backed strategies of Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro tracking with intentional workouts. We don’t believe in diets, we believe in whole-food nutrtion (and enough of it!), which is why we created this flexible lifestyle for every size, shape, and stage of life!

“I can’t say enough about this program! 10 days in and I’m already seeing great results inside and out. I am fairly active (cross-fit) and eat well (Paleo and Whole30) but I just wasn’t seeing results. I have learned so much and now have a better understanding of why things weren’t working. I’m a full-time working mom of three and I have still managed to find time to fit in all of the workouts, plus my regular cross-fit sessions. I underestimated the value of daily check-ins and the group support but it has made all the difference and I’ve really enjoyed my virtual cheerleading group! I highly recommend the program!” – Claire*

*Results may vary from person to person.

Top 5 Tips: How To Survive Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is the talk of the fitness industry and you really want to try it out… but you’re not sure where to start? Use these Top 5 Tips for surviving (and thriving through!) IF as you begin this new aspect of your health journey!

As you know, the FASTer Way to Fat Loss is based on several cutting-edge nutritional strategies: Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro counting. However, the key distinguishing factor is our emphasis on fasting.

While fasting may sound a bit intimidating, most of our clients find that it’s actually much simpler than they thought it would be. In fact, it usually ends up being one of their favorite things about the program!

If you aren’t familiar with this trending term, here’s a deeper dive into why we use it as a highly effective strategy to burn fat throughout the program. Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet or quick fix, it’s a lifestyle that incorporates periods of eating with periods of withholding food. There are several ways to practice Intermittent Fasting, but in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we suggest the 16/8 protocol. This means each day you will fast for 16 hours and consume all your food for the day in an 8-hour window. We do not cut calories, we simply eat them in a shorter window during the day.

Why Try Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a powerful nutrition strategy on its own, but when combined with balanced whole-food nutrition, carb cycling (another natural, highly effective fat-burning strategy), plus strategic workouts that maximize the fat loss cycle, you’ll experience results you never dreamed you’d achieve. You’ll reduce inflammation, maximize your metabolism, and naturally detoxify your body, just to name a few. 

You may be thinking I’ve tried all the diets and quick fixes, I’m sure this won’t work either. Friend, no matter how many other programs have failed you, you can still experience incredible fat loss, improved health, increased energy and so much more—when you start giving your body what it needs. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss has helped more than 115,000 women and men regain the health and confidence they thought they’d lost. 

But how do you survive Intermittent Fasting when you’re brand new? Here are a few tips!

Start Slowly

We practice 16/8 Intermittent Fasting: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating. However, if you’ve never fasted before, you don’t have to start with such a big fasting window. We highly recommend starting with a 12-hour fast. Cut off your eating at 7 or 8 pm, then don’t eat breakfast until 12 hours later. You can gradually increase the length of your fast an hour at a time, until you reach the 16-hour mark. In addition, don’t feel as though you have to start fasting every day. We recommend starting with Sundays. Cut your eating window off at 7 pm on Saturday night, then don’t eat anything until late-morning (or after church!) on Sunday. This will help you dip your toe into the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed.

Stay Hydrated

It’s really important to stay hydrated during your fast. In addition to water, it is totally acceptable to drink black coffee, herbal teas, and BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids—choose a clean brand!). Use these to get through your fast with ease and to keep your mind from wandering to the various snacks in your pantry! Did you know the same signal that tells us we are hungry is the same signal that tells us we’re thirsty?  True story! Understanding this will help when you feel those initial hunger pangs. Many of our clients reduce or eliminate their hunger signal just by adding in a few extra ounces of H₂O when they feel the urge to eat throughout their fasting period.

Stay Busy

The best tool for making it through your fasting period is to stay busy. In fact, productivity is one of my favorite side effects of Intermittent Fasting. Because you aren’t worried about fixing your next meal (or scarfing down a quick snack) you can focus on work and getting things done. Plus, staying busy keeps your mind from thinking about food and helps you get through your fasting period with ease!

Find Accountability

As day-to-day life leaves you feeling in a rut, overly busy, or just full of excuses (yes, we know the feeling!), it’s easy to fall back into old habits. A strong support system can make all the difference. Try it with a friend, family member, or even your spouse. You can share your struggles, thoughts, or even just motivate each other. But guess what? Through the FASTer Way, you’ll also be greeted with a community of thousands of others that took that initial step to lasting health, just like you. We will celebrate your wins and, on the hard days, we’ll encourage you and remind you why you started. But that’s just it. YOU HAVE TO START! So grab a colleague, your bestie, or a neighbor and go!

Put It All Together

Intermittent Fasting is a highly effective strategy, but when you combine it with whole foods, balanced macros, effective workouts, and carb cycling, you will become a fat-burning machine! Learning these other key strategies—which make the FASTer Way the most effective program in the marketplace today—is critical when it comes to taking back control of your health and weight through a sustainable lifestyle.

““FASTer Way has completely changed my life! Truly. When I started I felt lethargic. I was constantly out of breath, tired, and had no control over my appetite. While FASTer Way has allowed me to lose the weight and exhaustion, I gained a few things as well. I gained a community of women that hold me accountable, a newfound confidence in myself, the ability to get rid of clothes bc they’re too big (hallelujah), and a toned figure. I can’t be happier with the progress I’ve made, and am still making. FASTer Way all the way!”⁣” –Martha, FASTer Way Community Member*

Because the benefits of Intermittent fasting are so phenomenal, our clients now understand how to burn fat effectively and feel their absolute best. The overall improvement in health, energy, and productivity makes this strategy a lot simpler to implement you might expect. In fact, most people are not usually hungry at all during the fasting window AND find that the longer they practice IF, the more accustomed to their bodies become! 

*Results may vary from person to person.

FASTer Way clients know the power of Intermittent Fasting. Try it out for yourself! Check out the next round of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss and learn how to lose that stubborn weight, find more energy, and feel like YOU again!

5 Benefits of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Carb Cycling

Throughout time there have been some pretty incredible dynamic duos:

• Eggs and bacon

• The beach and a fruity drink

• Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani

• Pumpkin spice and, well—everything

Thousands of FASTer Way clients would all agree to add another to the list: intermittent fasting and carb cycling!

Intermittent Fasting 

Not only does this power-punched duo come with a significant impact on your health, but research has shown it can aid in weight loss, which will leave you feeling more radiant than Rachel and Monica!

But let’s get down to it: what exactly are these strategies and why do you need them in my life?

Intermittent Fasting and carb cycling are two of the best ways to achieve your goals in terms of fat loss. Period. In fact, we’ve shared testimony after testimony of women who have lost inches in their mid-section, gotten stronger, and improved their health through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss—which is based on these two nutritional strategies that make up this dynamic and effective duo.

Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet or quick fix; it’s a lifestyle that incorporates periods of eating with periods of withholding food. Although this strategy is all the buzz in the industry, it’s actually been practiced for thousands of years! 

The best part? It’s free and convenient for even the busiest of people. There are several ways to practice Intermittent Fasting, but in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss we suggest the 16/8 protocol. This means each day you will fast for 16 hours (most of which while you’re sleeping) and consume all your food for the day in an 8-hour window. 

We do not cut calories; instead, we simply eat them in a shorter window during the day, thus simplifying our lives in the process. Although this window can be flexible, most people like to start their eating window around noon and end around 8pm just before catching their favorite rerun of Friends. 

Carb Cycling

Remember when everyone decided to ditch carbs hoping for a quick fix? Oh wait, it’s actually happening now! But not without its downfalls. Not only do our bodies need carbs, but it may cause internal damage from removing them from our diets. Science shows that restricting carbs intensely over time can add up to a struggling metabolism. 

Carb cycling is a safer strategy that can help many frustrated clients break through plateaus. This strategy allows an intentional variation of carbohydrate intake each week with some days being higher in grams than others. In the FASTer Way, we base our macro cycle on the workouts we will be doing to maximize fat burn and energy levels. 

Fun fact: Jennifer Aniston tried to remove carbs from her diet when filming Friends, and soon after reported that she switched back over to a healthy balance of fats, proteins, and—you guessed it—CARBS! 

So does that mean we suggest enjoying donuts along with strategic planning? YES! Can we guarantee that you’ll look like Jennifer Aniston? No! 

But what we CAN say is that carb cycling can help with fat loss, higher energy levels, and improvement to overall body composition. So you’ll optimize fat loss by increasing thyroid output and controlling hunger. This will leave you jumping for joy with more excitement than Phoebe!

5 Benefits of Combining Intermittent FASTing and Carb Cycling

1. Increased Energy

Countless clients have reported an incredible increase in energy after just a couple of weeks living the FASTer Way. This is by far the most consistent side effect reported, and the one that we get the most excited about. The truth is, the world around you deserves your best self, and energy is definitely a requirement for being the best version of you!

2. Better Sleep

Perhaps one of the reasons our clients are seeing such an increase in energy is because they are sleeping better. This lifestyle positively affects hormone levels—so you sleep like a baby!

3. A Happy Gut

Good-bye bloating and discomfort, hello happy gut! FASTer Way clients tell us that after just a few days in the program they are feeling less bloating and discomfort almost across the board. Who doesn’t love a happy gut?!

4. More Time

Having all of that time in the morning, without having to worry about what to eat OR clean up means you can be more productive each day. This is a side effect that we love because as busy people, we all know the value of a few extra minutes!

5. A Better Mood

So many of our clients report far better moods after just a couple of weeks living the FASTer Way. This, again, is due to the effect of Intermittent Fasting and carb cycling on hormones. Not only that, our focus on whole-food nutrition has a big effect on feeling better—good food tends to do that! In addition, the workouts paired with these nutritional strategies can also have a positive effect on mood and anxiety levels.

“I don’t have a ton of before/after in the same clothing because, quite honestly, I was anxious to get rid of everything that was TOO big. I thought it would be too tempting to revert back if I had “safety clothes” that I held onto. But, you can ask Clay, any time I purge my clothing, I have a really tough time getting rid of anything Carolina related. I have an irrational fear someone else won’t take care of them like I do (I said it was irrational) 😂 It’s yucky outside, I’m feeling a little under the weather, and my plans today involved ONLY school work. So getting ready was not in the cards today. I just threw on this pullover and some leggings. And then I remembered my sister snapped the picture on the left a couple of years ago. And I love it because I love my sweet little niece, but man, what a difference. Not just a difference in what I look like, but a difference in how I feel, how I see myself, how I fuel my body, and how I treat myself. It’s amazing what a little guidance, a little tracking app, some macros, and some knowledge can do for you.” 

–Stephanie, FASTer Way Community Member*

*Results may vary from person to person.

When it comes to winning the weight loss battle and improving body composition, Intermittent Fasting and carb cycling are the way to go! Reward yourself with that treat after your effective workout and you are living your best life. Are you ready? 

FASTer Way Snack Ideas

In our FASTer Way family, we work with busy parents, professionals, and students who are striving to improve their overall health. While many of them eat meals on the run, snacks are often essential to ensure our clients are hitting their daily macro goals. Not sure where to start with planning or packing your snacks on the FASTer Way? We’re here to help!

Changing Your Mindset

The FASTer Way program emphasizes balancing macros (carbs, fat, and protein) at each meal, with the exception of a piece of fruit here or there. We always focus on whole foods to get the very best in nutrition, but sometimes clean pre-packaged snacks are a must. 

In planning some snack options, it’s helpful to change your mindset. Prior to the FASTer Way, your snacks may have consisted of whatever you could grab from the vending machine or a leftover donut from the breakroom. Instead, think of snacks as a mini-meal. Whether that means a clean protein bar, or packing some organic deli meat with veggies to enjoy on the run, prioritize balanced macros.

Another mindset shift to make is in regard to portion control. Mindless grazing is always a temptation in snacking. While we don’t mandate exact measurements for everything you eat (nor do we think that’s healthy for your mental state), instead of plowing through a bag of beef jerky, shoot for limiting yourself to one serving size. Changing the way you think about snacks will help you be more intentional with your macros and ultimately help you reach your daily goals.

Snack Ideas

You’ve changed your mindset about what a snack is and how much to have. But what in the world should you eat?? We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite clean snacks. Consider combining two or three of these for a balanced mini-meal snack.

• Clean beef jerky

• Nuts

• Veggies (carrots, celery, tomatoes, or cucumbers) with hummus

• Berries

• Smoothie with almond or coconut milk and 1 cup frozen berries

• Hard-boiled egg

• Clean protein bar (Larabar, RX Bar, Perfect Bar)

• ½ avocado topped with Everything But The Bagel seasoning

• Lean organic meat (turkey or chicken)

• Edamame

• Apple with peanut or almond butter

• Oatmeal with honey

What are your favorite FASTer Way snacks? Share with us in the comments!

If you’re not a FASTer Way client yet and you’d like to learn more about our strategies, check out these articles!

Intermittent Fasting and Carb Cycling 101

What are Macros and Why do we Track them in the FASTer Way?

How to Make the Most of Your Leg Day

Can Vegans do the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?

You love your vegan lifestyle, but you’d really like to try the FASTer Way lifestyle. Good news, you don’t have to choose—you can do both! A plant-based lifestyle fits seamlessly with the FASTer Way because we’re all about real health and true wellness (and all the whole foods you can eat!).

Each aspect of the program is totally compatible with plant-based whole foods. But if you’re still not sure what that looks like, let’s break it down!

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is the cornerstone of our program and a vegan diet isn’t impacted by this in any way. This type of eating schedule simply tells you WHEN to eat, not WHAT to eat each day. What you choose to eat is totally up to you!

Carb Cycling

Carb Cycling is 100% possible when you eat a vegan diet, you simply have to be intentional about your low carb days because, if you’re like most vegans, a good deal of your protein typically comes from sources that also contain moderate to high carbs. Based on our many vegan clients and coaches living the FASTer Way, we know it can be simple and effective to carb cycle.

Whole Foods / Macros

This one is easy—you’re probably already eating a whole-food diet if you’re plant-based! We firmly believe that real health is achieved when we consume a healthy diet full of vibrant, flavorful, mostly unprocessed foods, and we’re pretty sure you believe that too. Eating balanced macros is still important because the body still wants those ideal ratios no matter where you’re getting the carbs, fat, and protein.

Workouts

Strength training and HIIT workouts won’t be affected by a vegan diet. Again, as long as you’re fueling properly with balanced macros, you’ll see the same gains and progress!

Best of All!

Due to popular demand, we now offer VEGAN MEAL PLANS to our VIP membership clients! This has been a really fantastic addition to our traditional meal plans and we’re thrilled with the great response. This meal plan makes it easier than ever to prepare balanced, nutritious, simple meals the whole family will love.

Not only that, we’ve created a small group in our VIP Membership specifically for vegans and vegetarians. This gives you a super supportive community of other women traveling the same nutritional road as you.

If you’re ready to jump into the FASTer Way (now that you know it won’t get in the way of eating vegan!), then be sure to join us for our next round. We can’t wait to see you there!