The summer months have seen me use my 2 days per week  intermittent fasting routine to keep a steady weight. After reaching my lowest weight in 20 years, I was happy to take a little time out from trying to get leaner. I didn’t plan it that way, but with Holidays, and Kids at home, that is how it worked out. So though I have not last any weight in last 2 months, I didn’t gain any either.

Now with the summer coming to an end, and the kids going back to school, I’m looking to drop from 165lbs down to 161lbs.

One thing that has surprised me, is how much leaner I needed to be than I originally thought was necessary in order to see my abs. I made the mistake of looking at Brad Pilon and thinking because he is the same height as me, I would need to be around the same weight as him… WRONG !.  Brad does much more heavy lifting than me, and clearly has built up more muscle over the years. I do bodyweight exercise for resistance training, but I even at 165lbs I still am not there. Yes I am in a healthy weight range, but my target this year was the 6 pack abs in my mid 40′s, and though on  some days they show ( usually on a fasting day )  I still have a little to go.

What was interesting was I noticed a big difference in the mirror, between 166lbs and 165lbs. Only 1lb , which seems nothing, but on this occasion most of the fat was lost from my lower belly.

The thing is for me now to go from 165lbs to 161lbs  isn’t such a long way off.  I may even find I don’t need to actually get to 161lbs, or indeed I may find I need to go even lower to get the result I want, but I guess the next couple of months will give the answer.

The main rule of this test is still the same. My aim is to prove I can get 6 pack abs, but just eating less. That means I will still be drinking my beers, and eating the foods I like. I will though look to cut the calories . But there will be no ” eating clean ” as always, nothing is off limits.

September is a good month for me to be a little more disciplined, I don’t like to miss meal times with the family, but once everyone is back out during the day, it is easy for me to just work and skip lunch. Again for me this is easy to do. I have used fasting for weight loss for 20 months now, so in that time I have figured out my own routine for what works for me.  It is important you do the same, but in my case , when I don’t have the family around, I find it easy to fast and can easily get through the day without eating. I would not avoid a social lunch, but if I am by myself, I find it no problem to get through the day with my black coffee or my green tea with mango.

So as September arrives, and from the look of the UK weather, summer is leaving, it’s time to get my focus back on my abs experiment. Just for the record, I don’t need to lose this weight because I am overweight, the reason for the experiment is because I believe the same myths surround getting 6 pack abs, that surround weight loss. I am of the opinion that my abs will show based on getting lean enough ( which of course is diet ) not by any special exercise regime, or eating ( or not eating ) certain food types.  Now it is time to stop my talk, and make it happen while staying true to the retired dieter philosophy

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One of the questions I get  asked is how long do I fast for. I thought the best thing I could do is show my flexible intermittent fasting  times. This should give some idea of how you can use flexible fasting within your own lifestyle. The time quoted is when i finished eating, not when I started my last meal, again this is just my own take on things.

Thursday 12th March  Intermittent Fasting start time 7pm.

Friday 13th March. Fast ended at 7pm at Pizza Express . left restaurant at 8.30. did not eat again that night, as I was stuffed !.

Saturday 14th March. A normal day, had breakfast at around 10 am. and then ate as I wanted through the day.

Sunday 15th March.Ate breakfast and lunch as normal  Started Fasting at 7.30pm Sunday evening after our main Sunday family meal.

Monday 16th March. Ended Intermittent Fasting at 6.15pm.  On weekdays I now fast  evening to evening, so I started fasting again at 7pm.

Tuesday 17th March Intermittent Fasting Ended at 6pm.  New Fasting period from 7pm

Wednesday 18th March Intermittent Fasting ended at 7pm.   New fasting peroiod started 8pm.

Thursday 19th March . Intermittent Fasting ended at 6.45pm . New Fasting period  commenced 7.30 pm

Friday 20th March. I finished fasting today at 4.30pm with a cafe latte and a toasted hot cross bun with butter |!.

So as I write this, am going into Friday evening, and my next fast will not be untill around 7.30pm Sunday evening.

The details above are typical. As you can see, my shortest intermittent fasting period was the one I finished today at 21 hrs. You can also see I completed one full 24hr period without food. If you are new to flexible intermittent fasting for weight loss, this is just one way that you can use it. I have found for me this suits my lifestyle, but that does not mean this example is best for you. The main benefits for fasting for fat burning is between 18 and 24hrs , so you don’t have to be exact every time. If you are only fasting one or 2 days per week, which is what I would suggest if you are just starting out, then I see no reason not to do a full 24hrs . I started using Flexible Intermittent Fasting to lose body fat at the start of this year. I started with 2 fasts per week. It is only because I found it easy to do, and noticed that from doing the fast that I was not missing eating during the day that I adapted my eating window  accordingly. To lose body fat we have to reduce the calories we eat. For me this is the easiest way I have found to do it.

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Intermittent Fasting has proven an easy way for me to reduce body fat. As the weeks have passed, I have found my fasts have become easier to do. Other than not eating for a set period of time, there are not really any rules to follow. I have been using the intermittent fasting plan of not eating from 6.30 pm to 6.30 pm  twice a week.
The first week I started, I fasted from a Thursday evening ( this was New Years Day ) to Friday evening. I then ate normally over the weekend, and started my next fast after my evening meal on the Sunday. The fact my first fast went well for me, meant I was happy to do a second fast a few days later. I have then continued with these 2 days ( Sunday evening and Thursday evening ) as my I.F. fasting days. This works for me, but you may be different, you start with only one fast per week and build up once you get used to it. The great thing about Intermittent Fasting is you get it to fit around you, you don’t fit your life around a diet, I have certainly found this to be one of the main benefits for me. This week, because I am finding using intermittent fasting so easy, I am experimenting a little. I realise I eat more on weekends, this is because of social gatherings , visiting family etc. I also find that during the week, while working I find I am not hungry at what would be lunch time. I think with the greater understanding of hunger I have developed over the last month or so, means, if I don’t actually feel hungry at a set time , I now don’t eat.In the past I would have been concerned at missing a meal. I guess you would say I have developed a more ” eat when I am hungry ” mentality. If I am on a day I am meant to eat, I simply wait until I feel hungry. I have found that this means my first meal was getting pushed back towards mid afternoon. With this in mind I have decided to see how I get on with waiting the extra 3 hours to my evening meal.

On a weekend I am unable do this.When we visit my parents, we arrive for lunch, and eat around 1.30. Not eating at that time is not an option.The routine I have got into on a Saturday is that I just have coffee in the morning and then we set off to my Parents for lunch. I actually find that when I arrive , the smell of food soon triggers the stomach to rumble, so I can’t say I have problem to enjoy it !.

If you are considering using Intermittent Fasting to reduce your weight, I would liken the process a little to training for a marathon or a fun run. You would not just turn up on the day of the race and just run, you train for it. So is the case with Intermittent Fasting. I have in effect trained myself over the last 7 weeks to listen more to my body, and also develop my own routine for using I.F that fits around my lifestyle. The way I am using Intermittent Fasting to reduce body fat, may not be what works for you. I want to try an increased fasting period during the week because it seems to fit my daily life. I have come to that conclusion only after reviewing how I have been using Intermittent Fasting over the last 7 weeks. Again there are no rules, if tomorrow I am going to meet someone for Lunch, I will go, I will not think I can’t go because I am fasting. It just so happens that for me , and the way I work, restricting calories during the week is easier for me.

Intermittent Fasting does not need you to buy any special foods or supplements, if you want to try it, all you need do is pick a time to try it and then give it a go. The only thing to remember is no calories.  During my fasts, I drink black coffee, fruit and herbal teas ( I  just can’t drink normal tea without milk ! ) diet drinks such as diet coke etc. I do use 1 Splenda sweetener in my teas and coffee.

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