I’ve been quite religiously following a quite strict intermittent fasting schedule the last 2 years (no breakfast or lunch, only a massive dinner), and here are some practical tips and intermittent fasting hacks which have helped me (based on my own personal experience):
- Drink lots of black coffee, black tea, green tea, and water (still or sparkling) during the day. Caffeine is a good appetite suppressant.
- When you’re hungry, go to the gym and lift some weights. I’ve found that this is an effective way to fight hunger; by channeling your hunger to deadlift and squat more at the gym!
- If you’re super hungry during the day, distract yourself with media. Play a game, watch John Wick 1 (and 2), read a book, etc.
- During the day to suppress hunger, have a handful of cocoa nibs (a good stimulant as well!)
- When breaking your fast (I usually break my fast at around dinner-time), allow yourself to go “ham” (hard as a motherfucker). Allow yourself unlimited meats, eggs (including yolk), and leafy greens. If you don’t want to gain body fat, avoid starchy foods (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cauliflower, brussel sprouts), sugary foods (fruit), and dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk).
- Why fast? The biggest reason I’ve found is to be more intellectually productive during the day, and more physically vigorous. When I’m fasting during the day, I have 10x more energy (than if I eat breakfast or lunch, which often slows me down).
- For myself, I’ll break my fast at around 5-6pm, and I’ll allow myself to eat as much meats and fats until I sleep, usually around 11pm or midnight). I’ve found that even when eating lots of protein and meat at night (midnight), I don’t accumulate body fat.
- Treat fasting like a fun game: See how you can beat your own “high score”! For example sometimes I’ll fast until 10pm, just to see if I’m strong enough! I don’t think we should willfully “torture” ourselves with fasting because it is “good for us”. Only fast if you want to.
- Benefits of fasting: More mental focus, increased artistic productivity, lower body fat percentage, and more physical vigor and energy during the day. Also when you break your fast, food tastes 1000x better! So ironically if you want to maximize your pleasure from food, intermittent fasting is the way to go.
- Fasting ain’t that hard: Common, during Ramadan all the people who fast (no food or water during sunrise to sundawn) in 120 degree heat; that’s hard! The weakling fasting we have in America and the west is child’s play.
- Fast to show off to yourself: Test your own strength and personal resilience. Fast as a form of impressing yourself to determine how strong and willed you really are!