AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT (PART 2)
Apr 28, 2016
WILL SKIPPING BREAKFAST AND PUTTING BUTTER IN YOUR COFFEE
HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT AND INCREASE YOUR MENTAL FOCUS?
Welcome back to my tale of trying Something Completely Different in order to break through the walls I was hitting during the Nautilus Challenge in reaching my weight goals.
If you missed last week’s blog, you can catch up here. By way of quick review, I had started the Challenge with the goal of losing 10 lbs. of weight…all of which I wanted to come from body fat. And at Week 6 of the Challenge, I was not seeing any new progress in meeting my goals and I was “stuck”. So, I decided to try something completely different—Bulletproof Coffee.
So, did skipping my traditional breakfast and adding Bulletproof Coffee to my regimen help me breakthrough and reach my weight loss goal? Boy, did it ever! In the last 3 weeks of the Challenge, I got down to 163 lbs., with 8% body fat.
Read on my friends… because I am now a true believer. I dropped 10 lbs. of body fat after adopting this new habit and I’ve never felt better in my life.
In all fairness, I have to admit that what I took out of my diet during the Challenge is as important as what I added (Bulletproof Coffee). What did I remove from my diet? I removed almost all processed carbohydrates (breads, pastas and anything in a box (crackers, cookies), in addition to all fruit as a way to eliminate as much sugar as I could).
My results were amazing… in total, I lost 12 lbs. of body fat and I gained 2 lbs. of muscle. It worked.
But more importantly was the fact that I was less hungry, had fewer cravings, and I had unbelievable mental focus and energy. Especially in the mornings, when I skipped my usual breakfast (i.e., I didn’t break the fast of sleeping with my usual meal) and instead, drank my Bulletproof Coffee.
WHY I THINK IT WORKED
Like many fitness professionals (and the general public), we are taught that FAT is the enemy and LOW FAT is the way to go. However, as you can see by our country’s battle with obesity, it’s not working.
I won’t try to give you all the science behind why low-fat diets aren’t the way to go, but I am including links to some great podcasts and books to reference, should you decide to try some of this fasting-and-adding-fat-to-your-diet stuff yourself.
There has been a lot of research about intermittent fasting (going 12-14 hours or longer, without eating) and the benefits of it. The problem with fasting is that if your body gets the “I’m starving” signal, it freaks out, gets stressed, thinks it starving, and begins holding on to fat and slowing metabolism. This is why STRESS is not good for losing weight: stress releases hormones (like Cortisol) that cause your body to HOLD ON TO FAT and tells your body instead to first burn stuff like sugar and muscle.
So the idea behind skipping your traditional breakfast and drinking coffee with some butter and MCT oil in it is that you “feed your fast” with fat. Fat is a great energy source and, more importantly, does NOT cause the pancreas to release insulin. And, by avoiding SUGAR as long into the day as possible, you avoid getting on the roller coaster ride that sugar puts your body on first thing in the morning. So overall, you eat less calories, you feel energized and focused, and most importantly, you are telling your body to use FAT first as an energy source, not sugar.
WHY I (CONTINUE) TO DO IT
For the last 20 years, I have been getting up early… like, 4:00 AM early. I have clients and classes and I have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to bring my “A-Game” at 5:30AM. When I used to eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day (says the cereal, orange juice and pancake companies), I would feel OK. But I found that within 2 hours of being up, I’d be hungry again, my energy would drop and I’d have cravings.
Now, I am mentally alert and focused all morning. I find that I have incredible energy all morning and this includes my daily workout, which I do, without eating any breakfast. I am now eating my first meal of the day around 10am (14-16 hours after my last evening meal) and I feel fantastic. Alert, focused, and energized.
I didn’t think I could work out without eating, but I am surprised to feel that my workouts have improved. I feel able to train harder, focus better and I feel … well, bullet proof!
FIND OUT MORE DETAILS HERE
Here are a few videos, books and podcasts that will give you more information. I’ve even included my own video of how I make the coffee every day in less than 5 minutes.
- Podcast
This is a great podcast to hear the research behind SUGAR and its impact on your health. - Books:
IS IT FOR YOU?
And let me just say, like everything else, you have to try it. See if it works, see if it fits your lifestyle, and see if it’s for you. WARNING: Don’t add additional fat (healthy fat) to your diet and keep eating processed carbs and sugar. That won’t work, I can tell you that right now.
But, like any good strategy, if it doesn’t work, try something else, or tweak it so that it does work for you. But if you are going to try it, do it the right way, and do it with commitment for at least 10-14 days. I like the idea of grabbing different strategies that are out there and finding what works for you!
While you’re at it, why not give up a little processed carbs at the same time, and cut back on the sugar? Who knows what you might be able to accomplish with more energy and a better, sharper mental focus?
Phil Dozois, Owner, Breakthru Fitness
Hey!
