Eat Stop Eat is an extremely easy and flexible lifestyle that promotes weight loss and a lean healthy body. It is based on the combination of intermittent fasting and resistance training.
To make Eat Stop Eat even more effective, consider following an exercise program that some basic 'cardio' training like walking and possibly some more advanced interval training.
Research has shown that resistance training (weight training) is a key stimulus to help preserve lean muscle mass while dieting. Research has also shown that high intensity exercise like interval training can improve your conditioning level by improving your recovery abilities to a greater degree than with prolonged low intensity exercise (Brockman et al, 1993).
High Intensity Interval Training programs may also help you lose undwanted body fat. In clinical research interval training produced a more pronounced reduction in subcutaneous adiposity (the fat just under your skin) compared with a traditional endurance training program despite its lower energy cost. (Tremblay et al, 1994).
Japanese sports scientists designed protocols (exercise regimes such as the Tabata protocols) for training athletes using interval training. Their research showed that; "high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly" (Tabata et al, 1996).
The downfall of interval training is that it is a highly demanding exercise program that may be to stressful for some people, especially when combined with high intensity weight training. Experts still argue that for the general public low intensity, long-duration exercise is preferable because it "results in a greater total fat oxidation than does moderate intensity exercise" (Thompson et al, 1998), and because in general it is viewed as a less stressful form of exercise.
The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight then you MUST start with your diet. Next, you should be following some form of a resistance training program to maintain your muscle mass. Once you are following a weight loss lifestyle like Eat Stop Eat then try adding in exercises like interval training, and see how you like it. If you start to feel lethargic and 'drained' then consider cutting back on your interval training (DON'T blame your diet).
Remember your diet is the key to your weight loss results, so adjusting your diet so you can do more interval training will most likely result in poorer weight loss results.
Also, don’t be afraid to use traditional long slow cardio like walking as part of your fitness program. It can help both physically and mentally!
My advice is as follows – Eat for weight loss and workout to maintain or even build your muscles. If you have extra time, the consider trying interval training or even traditional walking to see if you get an added weight loss benefit. If you do, then great. If not then don’t be afraid to drop the interval training and try something else.
