Eat Stop Eat – How to Lose Fat and Preserve Your Muscles Without Traditional Dieting
16 Nov
I found out about Brad Pilon’s ebook Eat Stop Eat from my friend Rusty Moore. I had a few weeks before my summer vacation trip and he wrote a post in which he mentioned the eat stop eat book.
So I decided to get it and was amazed how easy it was to follow the plan. I quickly lost 5-7lbs and kept it off during the vacation even though I ate whatever and whenever I liked there. It was hardly a diet
[Here is a photo from the vacation, sporting the Magnum P.I. Hawaiian shirt. No I'm not in the desert 
]
The Eat Stop Eat Plan
The idea is simple – twice a week you don’t eat anything between, say 6pm and 6 pm the following day. Any other combination is also possible – for example – from 8am to 8am the next day, from 2pm to 2pm, etc. You can drink water, coffee and tea but no sugary drinks. This puts you in a 20-30% weekly caloric deficit and you lose weight.
It is possible to not eat all day and still exercise. You see, when we eat the food converts to sugar and then goes to be stored in the liver and in the muscles as glycogen. The neat thing is that sugar cannot leave the muscles and can be burned off only with exercise. So even though you may be fasting today, the food that you ate last night has fueled up your body with energy for quite a workout.
You Won’t Lose Muscle While Fasting
Because of the specific hormonal activity, you will not lose muscle mass while fasting. Brad however emphasizes that the Eat Stop Eat program is a combination of fasting 1-2 times weekly for 24 hours and resistance training 3 times per week.
This combination preserves the muscles from wasting away when there is no food. If you don’t train, however, the body will eat up the muscles. This is called atrophy – muscles shrink from not being used.
[In this video Brad explains how intense exercise and fasting have similar effect on your body. In both cases insulin levels drop and growth hormone goes up. This causes free fatty acids to be released in the blood and this means increased fat burning.]
The Hunger of Fasting Goes Away Quickly
It is true that you will sometimes feel hungry on the program. However you will quickly get used to this feeling and won’t be bothered much by it. Brad Pilon mentions the numerous health benefits of following the Eat Stop Eat plan.
Among them are decreased insulin levels and increased insulin sensitivity – which means increased fat burning, increased glucagon levels – which means less fat storage, increased epinephrine and nor epinephrine (also known as adrenaline and noradrenaline) levels – which causes mental alertness and clarity.
Currently, as part of my fat loss transformation challenge I train with weights on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday and fast on Tuesday and Thursday. I find it I have more productive workouts when training on days I don’t fast. That being said, I still do Turbulence Training body weight circuits on fasting days because on them progressive overload is not my main concern. Burning calories is. You should be flexible and fit your diet and training around your life and not the other way around.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fasting
No training or diet plan is perfect. The negative things are that it is a form of restriction and that you may feel the urge to overeat after a fast which can hinder your progress. Until you get used to it after 1-2 weeks, the sense of hunger can be distracting too.
The advantages however far outweigh the negatives. I really like the flexibility of the plan – you can start and stop the fast whenever you like. I really appreciate the mental alertness, clarity and warrior-like feeling I get from the epinephrine/norepinephrine surge. Also, on days you fast you don’t have to worry about preparing food. Plus, on this plan you can enjoy going out to parties and restaurants, as well as eating deserts and drinking with your friends.
How to Make Sure the Plan Works for You
Here are some mistakes to avoid. Make sure you don’t overeat – you need to continue to eat normally on off days. Also, make sure to train with weights 3 times per week – this is what will preserve your muscles.
If you want to test drive the plan – choose two days when you feel it would be least intrusive for you to fast. I recommend weekdays so you can enjoy weekends with your friends and family fully. The day before you fast eat your last meal, say dinner at 8pm. The next day, wait until 8pm to eat again. You can drink water, tea and coffee throughout the day.
Incoming search terms for this article:
eat stop eat plan,eat stop eat program,eat stop eat muscle,eat stop eat,eat stop eat coffee,eat stop eat muscle gain,fasting all day just eat at dinner,if a body builder started doing calisthenics would he loose muscle mass?,how to preserve during fasting,how to preserve large quantities of flourRelated posts:
- Intermittent Fasting – Does It Make You Weaker in the Gym?
- Workout Duration and Frequency — Don’t Waste Your Life in the Gym
- Beginner Strength Training – Build Bigger Muscles Fast With The Strength And Size Full Body Workout
- Relative Strength Advantage – What Is Fitness?
- Bulk or Cut? If You Don’t Lose Fat Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later
Excellent feedback. Great to hear from folks who are there living the right lifestyle, and not getting obsessed with eating every 2 hours on the dot. Hope you had a great vacation. Stay strong!
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Craig,
Thanks for the support!
Really interesting idea. I fast about once a month for religious reasons, but I never thought of doing it as part of a ‘diet.’ I will agree that someone starting out on this would really need to be careful not to overeat when they come off the fast. That’s what I always feel like doing after fasting!
I believe fasting is present in religions for health and spiritual reasons. You simply become tougher when you exercise your will against the desire to be constantly fed. Haven’t practiced it for religious reasons myself.
Thanks for visiting my Intermittent Fasting Squidoo Lens and leaving your link to this page. Brad Pilon is a great guy and has stumbled upon a powerful tool in the pursuit of health and better body composition. I don’t know if you noticed, but you can also get a lengthy audio interview with Brad by signing up for my newsletter. There is a sign-up box in my blog (linked to my name above).
I really like what you are doing with your site. Glad to have discovered it.
Cheers,
Adam
Adam
I agree, Brad is a cool guy who has discovered an easy way to lose weight and get healthier without going crazy. You lens is really well done.
Keep it up!
Yavor
Does this mean i can eat any kind of food i want just as longas i stay within the guidelines?
Al,
pretty much all kinds of foods. But be careful – the meal before the fast should be a normal one. Don’t ‘prepare’ or ‘load’ with a bigger meal. Same goes for the meal after the fast. Don’t over ccompensate with a food feast. Just eat a normal meal – as if you hadn’t fasted at all.
Use common sense – don’t stuff yourself with junk if you are trying to lose weight.
Other than that – no food is off limits. No need to go low fat or low carb here.
Good luck!
Thanks. I read about eat stop eat on fitness black book.com and reading it here has me intrigued to try it out. It is so hard to count calories, watch carbs and all that other junk. All of that does is make you think about food all the time. Eat Stop Eat seems much simpler.
Al,
that’s where I found about it too. Give it a shot, you got nothing to lose. You don’t even need the book to give it a try, though I like it cause it gives all the science behind it + motivates me (read it twice lol)
You will see the first real results after your 3rd or 4th fast. See here my results after two weeks http://relativestrengthadvantage.com/turbulence-training-fat-loss-transformation-update/
Btw, ALL diets work. Find the one that you can stick to and you will succeed. That’s why I like this one. No hassle here.
Yavor
My biggest problem with my diet is that i think that the only way for me to get lean is to eat super clean all the time? Can you help me ease my mind on this subject, PLEASE? If it takes me to eat super clean to get lean than so be it, but you don’t know how many times and how much i think about this going back and forth on deciding which diet is best for me in the long term. THANKS!
Al, calm down man. I assure you, once you get a caloric deficit IN ANY WAY OR FORM, you will start losing that extra weight. Super clean won’t help if you eat excess calories. So no, it is NOT obligatory to eat super clean.
In fact, this is one of the pitfalls people get caught in – they eat super clean, but eat TOO MUCH. And they don’t lose weight.
Just think about a way you can eat less and do it. Here are a few suggestions:
1. the eat stop eat way – fast for ~24 hrs 2x per week
2. no dinners
3. or each meal is a fistfull (I’m takling about size here) of meat + lots of veggies
And so on and so forth.
Don’t get caught in the hype, relax, think about which way of eating less is your way (or even come up with your own way) and DO it!
You can do it buddy!
Yavor
THANKS! You have no idea how much that helps. “EATING LESS YOUR WAY (OR EVEN COME UP WITH YOUR OWN WAY) AND DO IT” makes the most sense of just about anything dealing with weight loss i have ever heard.
You said that i need to eat normal the other 5 days. My problem is that i am 50 pounds overweight because i eat too much food and most of that food is due to fast food and eating out. Do I need to focus on eating normal first before i start my fasting or should i start fasting right away? Suggestions?
Al,
those are very valid questions.
Start changing your habits gradually and one at a time. For example – sweetened drinks such as Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, etc, are KILLING your results.
Also, it IS possible to fast and NOT LOSE weight if you overeat the other days.
The problem with junk/fast food is that it spikes your insulin and makes you eat too much. Also, it lacks enough fiber/protein/vitamins.
The good news is it is easier to get from overweight to decent (10-12% bodyfat) than it is to get from decent to ripped.
Regarding fasting, start with 1x per week and increase to 2x per week once it gets comfortable.
Use your head, you already know what is right and what is wrong. I am not saying to count calories or carbs – but don’t drink sugary stuff and skip KFC..
Yavor
I believe in your thinking on the idea of making simple changes instead of drastic ones. I was going to go from fast food to eating super clean all of the time and I do not think i could have handled it. Maybe once i get my bodyfat to a decent level (10-15) percent, by that time i may be able to handle sdomething more extreme. Your thoughts.
Here is what I think and I will also give a few examples of clients and friends that have successfully lost weight.
I believe it is best to change things up gradually. But this means to DO it and not just think about it. So – this means each week cut off one habit that is hindering your progress and add a new one that gets you closer.
That being said, here are 3 examples of people losing weight.
1. My best friend in NY. He thought low carb diets weren’t working for him. In reality he was drinking outrageous amounts of Pepsi – liters per day. So no way could he lose weight like that. He found success only with clean eating with precise calories. In reality, simple whole foods would have worked for him but WITHOUT the Pepsi.
2. One of my first clients. She quickly lost around 15 lbs on her very small frame (she got a beach bod with abs) in a few months by adopting a whole food approach – meats and veggies, no counting calories, but no sugar or flour stuff either.
3. Another client – her appetite was just too big to lose weight with whole foods. Again, for her the only winning approach was to eat super clean on a drastic diet.
4. A bodybuilder I know – he cuts weight by very gradually easing into cleaner eating.
Scott Smith @ Motivationtomove.com has been advocating a similar plan for a few years. I think he refers to it as 8-to-8, but he does it every day.
PhitZone, I will check him out, thanks!
-Yavor
I have no problem belieiving that eating clean is the best way to get lean and i would if i could but my problem is that i just don’t like eating fruits and vegetables. I can’t get the taste for them. Should i try to find other healthier alternatives, but that will be hard because you can’t get any healthier than fruits and veggies. Suggestions.
Al,
again I’m afraid you are over thinking it my friend… But eating clean can come from meats, eggs etc. Just avoid sugar and flour.
You are absolutely right, i am overthinking it all: diet, exercise. I am just trying to find a diet that is simple (in theory and rules, not so much in practice) but find one that I CAN STICK WITH FOR A LONG TIME. It is very hard for me. I am interested in the “avoid sugar and flour” concept. It seems that it is low carb stuff. I worry about the low carb eating philosophy though. It doesn’t seem healthy.
Al, most diets advise avoidance of sugar and white flour. In fact, even low fat diets, as practiced by body builders, caution against eating sugar.
So it is not low-carb, but general advice.
Just pick a plan, try it for a couple of weeks. Check for two things:
1. results
2. how easy it is to stick to the plan.
You are falling in the paralysis by analysis pitfall. Watch out cause you won’t get results from thinking alone!
Cheers,
Yavor
I am curious. What is your opinion on the whole LOW-CARB STUFF. I mean, are carbs the reason why everybody is fat and obese? Is one macronutrient causing everybody to gain weight, or is it more than that? Your thoughts.
Al,
for the extremely obese people, I think that yes, processed sugar is the number one reason. Especially in the US, people have easy access to large quantities of cheap and seemingly delicious food. It’s really easy to eat many thousands of calories per day of this stuff. It is easy to get addicted to this stuff.
For the normal people, I think the reason for their being out of shape is not that they eat too much carbs, but the general lack of movement and exercise AND overeating (with all kinds of foods).
From what i have read from your site along with others like yours, it seems that is i find SOME WAY TO EAT LESS THAN I DO NOW ALONG WITH SOME EXERCISE THEN I WILL LOSE WIEGHT. I am not trying to look like the statue of david or anything, i just want to get in shape and to finally get rid of some fat. that is all. Is it that simple: EAT LESS AND EXERCISE?
Yes Al. It is that simple. And if people could put this in a pill, they would.
That’s why I like the eat stop eat plan – it acknowledges this fact and allows for a simple way for people to lose weight while not going crazy with calculations and fad diets…
Does it matter what time you fast? For example 11am to 11am.
Nate,
just pick whatever is easy and seems the least intrusive. 11am to 11 am seems great. You wake up, have breakfast at 11, go through your day and the next day have breakfast again at 11 and continue your day normally. Simple stuff
p.s. I am planning an article on the right time to start/end a fast, etc.
Yavor
it seems to be quite a unique ways to weight loss n health manage but i m thin enough but still i have tummy fat around me,will this program help?
Benny,
Any program that will make you eat a bit less so that you burn the excess body fat will help. What I like about this one is that it is very simple.
Cheers,
Yavor
Hi Yavor two questions if thats ok, first, what are you thoughts on intermittent fasting while also slightly restricting calories on the other days you dont fast?
Also if your not restricting calories on the non-fast days am I right in thinking on those days you dont fast your supposed to just eat enough but dont track calories and dont overeat?
Thank you
John,
on your first question – it is a good idea, as long as it is manageable (i.e. you can do it long term and don’t get obsessed with it.) Remember, the whole idea of the ESE approach is to stop obsessing over food/diet.
On your second question – yes, you don’t overeat, and don’t tracj calories. Basically, Brad’s message is to eat normal and varied food, but try to enjoy it also. Experience the taste, experiment with different vegetables, different recipes, different spices and herbs – as opposed to stuffing yourself with junk food.
Hope that helps!
Yavor
p.s. My experience is that you will have noticeable results after the 4th fast…
Hi Yavor
My problem is that i dont have any breakfast and have very little lunch…the only meal that i have properly is dinner….so how do you suggest that i do this diet coz i do seriously want to lose weight.
Thank you for your help.
Nid,
this is not really a problem. You just need to find a way of eating less that work for you. Here are two suggestions.
1. without Eat Stop Eat:
- find what foods you can eat very little of (in terms of calories) and feel full. for example a two eggs (high fat foods satisfy hunger) or lots of celery (fiber keeps you full). it doesn’t matter the food, what matters is that you consume few calories.
- then eat your normal small lunch and eat a small dinner.
2. with Eat Stop Eat.
- eat the way you normally eat
- once-twice per week skip lunch (drink coffee or green tea – it helps fight hunger) and have a small dinner.
That’s it!
but the thing is that at times i even skip lunch on a normal day so then hw wud eat stop eat make a difference. Coz even if i did it from 8pm to 8pm i wud be still having dinner which is actually the only meal that i have. Do you think that i shud somehow skip dinner??? will i then have to have lunch that day so that i can start the diet after lunch…..sorry am a little confused
There is no magic in the diet. The fact that you eat only lunch/dinner or even only dinner and don’t lose weight means you move very little.
So in order to lose the excess weight (you can!!!) you need to decrease the calories. A lot.
You will be eating very, very small amounts of food.
There is no secret, unfortunately…
Thanks Yavor….will try and decrese my food intake and step up on my workouts…thanks again
I have a question about the Eat Stop Eat – does this do anything to your metabolism? I’ve read and heard that by not eating (even for a day or two), your body can go into starvation mode and then store everything you eat as fat? What are your thoughts on this?
AJ,
here is Brad Pilon’s (author of Eat Stop Eat) response:
Cheers,
Yavor
p.s. I don’t lose muscle with fasting either
Just found this site by chance and wanted to say THANKS for all the good tips!
Tam,
no problem – if you decide this approach is something you might fit in your lifestyle, don’t hesitate to post any questions you might have here.
Y.
I LOVE doing a fast day after a big fat cheat day
It allows my body to rejuvenate from all the food I took in the day before.
And true, hunger pangs occur, but they also pass pretty quickly. I usually get about 3 per fasting day, but no sweat. Not to mention my energy levels around mid-day are through the roof! Some of my best workouts have been on my fasting days.
This is a great post on Eat Stop Eat… very thorough. Nice work Yavor!
I think this makes sense and the only problem seems to be the hunger feelings that cause people to over eat after the fast.
What do you think would happen to the effectiveness of the diet if one were to combat the hunger pains by say…a small handful of almonds every few hours?
Is this diet effective in your opinion because of the complete lack of calories for 24 hours, or just the large reduction of calories?
Great site! Thanks! I figure this and running stairs should get me in great shape without too many
headaches!
Also I’m curious if you know about what is required to keep from losing one’s muscle mass during fasting. In your article you mentioned you weight lift three times a week. I’m only doing calisthenics three times a week. Weight lifting isn’t needed is it? Any resistance training that works the muscles is OK right?
Phil,
if you are eating almonds, you are not fasting
Try black coffee with no sugar(very effective!) or tea or water with some lemon juice squeezed in instead.
The effectiveness comes from calories (of course
). But Brad, the authopr of the eat stop eat book, believes there are big benefits from the HGH surge coming from complete lack of food.
As for exercise – calisthenics is ok. If i were you though, i’d do calisthenics 5x per week – before bed and after i wake up, I’d do 5 total sets of pushups and squats immediately after that.
Here’s why:
-The weekends are completely free
-you train really hard so you will up your calorie expenditure.
-you can do house/daily chores while resting between sets (brush your teeth, tidy your bedroom, shave, iron stuff, make breakfast, whatever) so you really are saving time too!
Yavor
Do I get it right, that by fasting you mean EATING NOTHING AT ALL? Just staing hungry |abstaining from any food.
How much water do you drink on such days? Just plain water?
Mykola,
that’s right – no eating. You drink water, black coffee, tea…
Hi Yavor! I think your site and the site from Craig Avera are really good! lots of useful and acurate infos
I wonder if I start a “eat stop eat” routine with bodyweigth workouts as well as HIIT (e.g spartacus), will it ok in order to keep my current muscle mass ? (as I am between ectomorph and mesomorph type, more ecto)
Or should I do some weigth workout in a gym aside ? As my goal for summer is to increase definition and density to my muscle will bodyweight/calisthenics help me to achieve my goal or should I follow a myofibrillar workout in a gym?
Thanks in advance for your reply and sorry for my english (I’m a swiss guy speaking french u know ^^)
Just forgot to mention that I’m now at about 8-9 % bodyfat
Marc,
ESE with bodyweight/calisthenics will do the job.
For more density – you need to do either:
1. light bodyweight exercises (for example pushups) to failure
2. light bodyweight exercises very explosively (like explosive pushups or calpping pushups)
3. hard bodyweight exercises (such as one arm pushups or hip pushups ==>
Thank you very much for your quick response! and I’m also thankful to you for making me discover your youtube channel
hi im from the philippines, good work on your site!thanks for all the info..1 quick question,i started working out 3 months ago, i lost 8 pounds,but my goal was to add muscle mass/weight bcause im a bit skinny..im only 5’6″ and 121 lbs ryt now.the thing is i still have lower belly fat, my 4 pack is slightly visible(when i tense/flex my waist)and i really want to have a solid 6 pack and strong core..dya think i still need to lose a few pounds?..im just worried cause i look skinny with my clothes on and my friends are freakin out and telling me that im too thin..thank you and mabuhay!
Gil, i’m going to answer your question here ==> http://relativestrengthadvantage.com/the-high-bar-get-up-finally-an-ab-exercise-that-works/
Quick question. Can a teenager follow the eat stop eat diet plan? It says in the book that Brad Pilon does not recommend it but just becuase it was not tested. Would it be unhealthy for a developing teen to fast? Thank you
Jordan, first off – I’m not a doctor so don’t take this as medical advice
Brad wrote this in the book, because everything he writes is based on research. As there’s no research, he can’t comment.
That being said, millions of Muslim teens fast during Ramadan. In my opinion it’s not really necessary for teens. But it is WAY healthier than being overweight.
Yavor
What kind of diet would you suggest for a teen? I have tried different things but it is confusing. There is so much conflicting information on the net. I have found that it is easier for me to stay lean if i eat 5 – 6 meals a day. But it is alot of hassle with school and everything. Would three healthy meals a day be enough to stay lean and gain muscle? And why isnt fasting necessarry for teens? Thank you . alot of questions! haha
Jordan,
1. to a teen i’d suggeest a diet of fruits, vegatable, meats, eggs, etc. – unprocessed foods as much as possible.
2. regarding conflicting information, remember that the ONLY common thing between diets is CALORIC RESTRICTION. So any plan that makes you eat less is effective.
3. To stay lean and gain muscle, you can follow the “eat like a king” approach. Basically eat a nice breakfast, a moderate lunch and a small/modest dinner (for example a salad.
4. Fasting isn’t necessary because teens are typically very active. I do hope you play some kind of sport. Life in highschool is just more fun in a team
That being said, there’s no harm in doing a fast after a weekend of heavy meals.
p.s. to see what I’m talking about when i say that all diets have caloric restriction in common, you can read this free report:
Wow! thanks a bunch! Thats some great information right there! So with the eat like a king approach, I would only eat 3 meals a day, not 5 – 6?
Yup. Only three meals. And just to clarify – Eat Like a King comes from the popular saying: “Eat breakfast like a king (i.e. generous), lunch like a prince (smaller) and dinner like a pauper (i.e. very modest or even none at all.)
Cheers man,
Yavor
Thanks man. I’ll see if that works to keep me lean with basketball and other activities. That philosophy wold be so much easier than eating more throughout the day. I do love to eat…but we’ll see. once again thanks a million
Hi,
I have stumbled upon this program and it has sparked some interest in me and a few concerns. I haven’t started the program yet because I am worried about acid reflux problems and possible ulcers way down the line. I say this because I have acid reflux problems from time to time. It has happened several times “usually when I don’t eat for a prolonged period of time, like 10 + hours.” but not always. Is the Eat, Stop Eat plan for me? I want to give it a shot but I am worried about the acid and possible ulcers. I was told an ulcer can come about with these type of condition. Thanks for the help.
Lu,
I wouldn’t do ESE if I were you. The program is about making your life easier, not harder. That being said, for weight loss I would try to apply the principles of the pogram. Maybe in your case instead of fasting consume salads and fluids (if that is not counter indicative in case of acid refluxes). Hope that helps – I really have no experience with hew symptoms of the acis reflux.
All, the best,
Yavor