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An Interview with Brad Pilon, the Bearded Guru of Fasting

About two years ago, I had just started to looking into intermittent fasting. Although it’s a mainstay of my dietary practice these days, it seemed new to me. So, I sought out one of top experts in the world to learn about it: Brad Pilon. 

In addition to being the author of one of the definitive books on fasting–Eat Stop Eat–Brad is one of the few fitness professionals I would describe as truly open-minded. Because of that, he dislikes dogma and misinformation. 

Brad became an indispensable resource to me, and through our conversations and the research he pointed me to (not to mention that research cited in ESE), I began to build a very high level of knowledge about fasting.

I interviewed Brad about a number of things, and it was one of my more popular posts at the time. Now, with the recent release of the 7th Edition of Eat Stop Eat, I thought it was more relevant than ever. Both Brad and I are busier than either of us could manage, so instead of conducting a second interview covering the same information, I’ve simply followed up. 

What appears below is a combination of old and new questions. For the sake of maintaining a cohesive voice, the entire thing is written from the perspective of having been conducted today. 

Read, enjoy, and share.

 

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ROMAN: I’ll start by saying that some people may live under rocks, and may therefore not know you, or much about you. Let’s bring them up to speed: can you give us a brief introduction to who you are? Not in the existential kind of way–but just what you do, what you’ve written, who you help, and all that.

 

pilonPILON: Sure thing. My name is Brad Pilon and I write about building muscle and losing fat. My background starts in sports supplements where I worked in Clinical Research and Product Development for over six years, before getting a little bored of that industry and deciding to go back to school for graduate work. This is where I started studying short term fasting. It was this graduate work in fasting that led to me writing Eat Stop Eat.

But, before you start thinking of tree-hugging yoga type stuff, let me assure you, I’m still a bodybuilder at heart – so when I say fasting I want to you think ‘getting lean’ instead of ‘getting skinny’. I also have an interest in the ‘controls’ of muscle mass…what makes us grow, what stops us from growing out of control – incredible hulk style. This is what led me to write both How Much Protein and Anabolic Again. Other than that I’m your typical Canadian Family man.

 

ROMAN: Cool stuff—I think it’s fair to say that most people think of you more as a fat loss and nutrition guy than a bodybuilder, so it’s good to set the record straight. I want to talk more about those projects in a bit.

But first, some fun stuff. The first time I met our [now-]mutual friend Craig Ballantyne, he told me a bunch of lies about Canada, since I’d never been there. Having been there twice now, I have a bit more perspective. Since you’re also Canadian, riddle me this: is it true that everyone in Canada still wears jean jackets? I know Vince Del Monte is heavily influenced by Bryan Adams, but I’m not sure how much carryover there is.

 

pilonPILON: I’m willing to bet you that by the end of the year, Jean Jackets will be back in style. It’s a little known fact that most trends start in Canada and travel south.

Oh, and you guys are going to LOVE Bel Biv Devoe.

 

ROMAN: Ha! I did not realize that most trends were Canadian in origin…I’m going to get my fact checkers on that. Thanks for the BBD reference. Okay, next question: you are one of the only fitness professionals who opts to wear a beard year-round. Is this because you are Canadian, or because you are a hippie? Or, are you secretly a lumberjack, as Craig has tried to tell me?

 

pilonPILON: True story – When I was working in the supplement industry my then employer wanted me to start appearing in those ads: you know the ones—6 pages long, lots of science terms and guys in white lab coats playing with beakers full of colored liquids? I grew the beard to get out of a photo shoot…and it just sort of stuck. I’ve shaved it once in the last decade…for my wedding, and I still regret that decision (my wedding pictures are basically a red-headed woman with some guy who looks like he’s about 17 years old).

 

Roman: Well, you’re not a hippie in the technical definition of the word, but you DO occasionally talk about being veggie and vegan and the benefits of that. What I like about you is that you don’t spend your time proselytizing about it and telling everyone else they suck.

 

 

pilonPILON: I hate that as much as you do. Here’s the truth – I’m the farthest thing from a vegan, and I’m the farthest thing from a Paleo person. I consider myself a Diet Agnostic. There are so many cultures around the world and through our history… all with different diet beliefs and practices…and there are healthy and unhealthy people in all of these cultures…so how can we say that there is one perfect diet for everyone…or even suggest that the human body is so horrible at adapting that we have to eat ‘perfectly’ every day? So I talk about vegans like I talk about carnivores…because they all have something that we can learn…both good and bad.

 

ROMAN: I like that term—dietary Agnostic. We’ll talk more about that in a bit. Now, I’m a carnivore and I love steak almost as love as I love…actually I can’t think of anything to compare that to. Mainly because I love steak so much. Mmmm…steak. So, here is your opportunity: convince me why I should be vegan.

 

pilonPILON: I’ll do one better: I think you should take vegan cooking classes. Ignore all the dogma and gospel, but learn how they prepare their food (because a lot of it is out-of-this-world awesome), then add some steak on top of whatever you make. Best of both worlds. The number one thing that we can ALL learn from vegans is how to make some amazing meals from just veggies.

 

ROMAN: Haha okay, I get it, you have no intention of trying to convert me. I appreciate your acceptance of my love of meat. Now, I know that both Craig and John Berardi have done successful experiments where they have gone vegan (or mostly vegan) for a few weeks or months at a time. In Craig’s case he was able to maintain his physique, and in JB’s case he was able to re-gain muscle and stay lean. So there is some merit, I’m not questioning that.

However, one of the things we see a lot in the industry is pro-Vegan people pointing to bodybuilder X or athlete Y being vegan and having a good physique.

In almost all cases that I can think of, though, those people haven’t been lifelong vegans. Now, I have trained 3 lifelong vegans and I have to tell you it’s hard as anything to pack mass on these guys. I’ve never seen someone with a truly well-developed physique that’s a life-long vegan.

Which brings us to the question: If I have twin sons (let’s say I name them Romulus and Remus, in honor of the old Roman legend) and decide to raise one as a vegan and one as a omnivore, and train them the same way, what happens?

Romulus eats meats and veggies, and Remus gets a comparable amount of protein and nutrition from a vegan only diet. They have identical genes and identical training programs.

This is actually a more than a thought experiment, because 1) I may genetically modify any and all of my offspring and 2) depending on your answer the outcome may be affected.

So, let’s hear it.

 

pilonPILON: Best. Question. Ever. OK…since you brought up the bodybuilders first I’ll answer like this:

If they are on the same ‘doses’ there will be no difference. Protein just isn’t the rate limiter in muscle growth…it may effect the RATE in which we build muscle, but it doesn’t control the ‘end point.’ So if you had a bit of an ‘injected boost’ I’d say “no difference” Otherwise I’ll be honest…I have no clue. But since they’re going to be the offspring of you and Neghar,  I’m guessing they’ll be genetic freaks, I’m sure they’d be fine either way.

 

ROMAN: Hahaha okay, well I wasn’t planning on making steroids part of the equation, but I guess once you admit to wanting to genetically engineer your kids, it’s a reasonable assumption. Good answer, though.

Let’s transition away from nutrition for a moment. I read an incredible piece on your blog that I really enjoyed called, “How to be Awesome.” The main thrust of it is basically being true to yourself and doing stuff you like, which will in turn make you happy and allow you to make others happy.

You give the example of a sort of bodybuilder vs. a crossfitter internet debate. I like that you said you should “own your LIKES” — which basically means that if (in this case) appearance is more important than performance to our bodybuilder, he should train in the way that makes him happy.

WOW. This flies in the face of most of the dogmatic bullshit you see on the interwebz. On a lot of the forums you have people from various camps spewing the most base, vitriolic inanity at each other because they don’t agree with someone’s goals–and that goes for a good number of “guru’s” or fitness pros. For example, I caught a lot of flack when I said I wasn’t going to back squat anymore.

I’ve always been intensely repulsed by dogmatism of any kind, so this really spoke to me–can you expand on your thoughts about just sort of letting people do their thing, and why it’s important to focus on what makes you happy?

 

pilonPILON: Sure thing…the “awesome” line of posts came at a time when I was just sick of writing about nutrition, because everyone wanted me to attack the idea of being vegan or paleo or defend fasting against every naysayer with a keyboard. What I came to realize is that to some people these ways of eating are like the new religions. They are true, die-hard belief systems. Right and wrong. Black and white. I also realized that a large portion of health and fitness writing is more ‘belief system propaganda’ than it is education (and to be honest, I can be just as guilty at this as the next person…it’s hard to avoid)

To make matters worse, thanks to amazing marketing people are constantly jumping from belief to belief, based on what I like to call “goal hijacking”.

Here’s an example: you start off wanting big arms. So you go on-line and look up ‘how to get big arms.’ You get a basic workout program and start it. Pretty soon some ‘expert’ at your gym is telling you your workout sucks and you should go to website X to get ‘educated.’

On website X you learn that training for big arms is stupid and you should really be doing the major compound lifts. So you get a bit deeper into training and really start getting into these ‘core lifts.’

Then one day you read about powerlifting and decide to give it ago because it’s cool. So you get into powerlifting and learn that the general powerlfiting consensus on this particular site is to get big at all costs…so you forsake your 6 pack and start putting on some mass.

After a while you find out that having a big bench press isn’t cool, and the squat is the coolest exercise in existence, so you decide to become a ‘squat specialist’

But you’re still not happy because one day you’re surfing the net and you see a pic of John Romaneillo and you think to yourself…man, I want arms like that guy. And end up right back where you started…you just wanted bigger arms.

You let you goals get hijacked over and over, by people telling you your goals aren’t cool. You can’t allow this. You have to own your goals. They are yours – no one else’s.

I decided long ago that I train for looks. My goal is to get a perfect Adonis Index, and I’m steadfast in this goal. When people ask me my squat or deadlift or bench numbers, I can confidently answer I don’t really care – that’s not my goal.

Or, take fasting – It fits my goals perfectly. I want to be as lean as possible while enjoying the foods I like to eat. I don’t care about what YOU like to eat, or whether or not you have a gluten or dairy allergy…my goal was to eat what I want to eat while being lean. I’m proud to say I own this goal.

That’s a large part of being awesome. Not letting people attack your goals. You need to own the things that make you happy.

 

ROMAN: That is really, really quality stuff. Basically, being awesome means, “be you” and “don’t hate.” And actually it sort of relates to my next question.

You’re one of the intermittent fasting dudes–and the IF guys have come to be known for being…well, a bit aggressive, going to the point of lambasting anyone who preaches any other sort of nutritional approach. In your “Awesome” piece, you said, “[t]o me, fasting is awesome. I hope you like it too, but it’s not going to bother me if you’re not a fan.” That sets you a bit apart (and, if I may be frank, above) some of your fellows–and I don’t doubt such openness is one reason why your book has become so successful.

So, before we talk more about the differences between some specific IF-ers, let’s get a definition. Can you first give us a general definition of what Intermittent Fasting is? Then, can you tell us specifically about your approach.

 

pilonPILON: Easy – The purposeful abstinence from food for a predetermined amount of time, typically between 12 and 72 hours, used intermittently with periods of eating. Basically it’s the concept that it’s OK to take the occasional break from eating now and again.

 

ROMAN: Cool, I like that definition: nice and simple. Now, a LOT of people are seeing great results with IF, but there is more than one way to starve skin a cat. How does your method differ from other variations?

 

 

pilonPILON: Eat Stop Eat is what I like to call a flexible form of intermittent fasting. You fast once or twice a week for a 24 hour period spread over two days…and you keep it FLEXIBLE. So if you were planning on fasting on Monday at 3 PM, but all of a sudden you get called to a lunch meeting, it’s not a big deal, just move your fast.

Eat Stop Eat is also about being flexible in general. While it is completely possible to get really lean by eating SUPER clean, my goal is to help people get lean while eating ‘So-So’ clean. Lots of Fruits, Veggies and the occasional Cinnabon. That sorta thing.

Think along the lines of a long term strategy to get lean and stay lean, while still eating the foods you like…that’s ESE.

 

ROMAN: That fits in well with your overall personality.
Okay, back to Canadian questions: is it true that in Canadian Football, the punter can actually run downfield, pick up the ball and run it back after he has punted it?

 

pilonPILON: Yep, it’s called a rouge. The bigger difference is that we’ve got 12 men on the field, which itself is both longer and wider. We’ve only got 3 downs, so it’s a lot of passing. AND, our balls are bigger too. Send me your address and I’ll mail you Canadian Football…you’ll love it.

[[Roman’s note: since the time of this interview, Brad did send me a Canadian football. It’s smaller than a rugby ball, bigger than an American football. Hard to throw if you have small hands.]]

 

ROMAN: That’s…that’s just messed up. I think I want to play this kooky Canuck version, if only to really confuse myself. Okay, next question. Before we return to IF stuff, general nutrition. I know this is simple shit, but people still don’t get it. Do you count calories? If so, why/why not?

 

pilonPILON: Yes and no…I have rough goals, and even rougher estimates. I read your calorie recommendations on your blog and mine are pretty similar. I like to AIM for about 10-12 x ideal body weight…so for me around 1,700 to about 2,000 calories as a ROLLING average. (This does NOT mean this is how much I eat, it’s just what I aim for)

Obviously, like everyone else I’m going to overshoot these numbers, but like I said they’re a rough goal. Next, I know the general calorie counts of my favorite foods, then I just work from there. I’m a realist; I know that if my weight is slowly creeping up then I’m eating more than I need to, so I just cut back a little.

Mean that I take a body-centric approach as opposed to a calorie-centric approach. I eat whatever amount of calories I need in order to maintain the weight I want, as opposed to the calorie-centric approach of trying to work around eating a specific number of calories with blind hope that this will end up giving you the body you want.

Overthink Calories or pretend like these things are exact measurements (which they are not) and you are going to A) hurt your weight loss efforts and B) drive yourself nuts measuring every aspect of your nutrition.

 

ROMAN: Interesting perspective, and one I share. I have said that ALL Calorie formulas are, at best, a crapshoot—at least in the sense that we have no idea about “exact” numbers. However, I always like to give people Calorie and macronutrient goals so that they have a way to measure food intake.

As people get more and more experience, they can use less and less dedicated structure. So I guess for the beginners and the very advance (fitness competitors) I thinks it’s necessary, but for other people I think it definitely helps but you can wing it. Cool.

 

pilonPILON: Exactly. The more experience you have, the less you need to focus, it just becomes sort of ingrained.

And, again, nothing is exact, anyway.

 

ROMAN: Word. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty and talk about fasting–specifically as it applies to the NEW Eat Stop Eat. As fasting has gotten more popular, we’re seeing the pendulum swing the other way–people are saying fasting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Specifically, for women. As a result, in the new version of ESE, you have a whole section on fasting for teh laydeez. Without giving too much away, can you give me your general opinion on that thought process?

 

pilonPILON: You’re absolutely right, the pendulum has swung the other way. This is something I talk a lot about in the newest version of Eat Stop Eat. In 2007, I had to convince people that it was OK to fast, that it was worth giving it a try as an easier, simpler way to lose weight. Now, I have to convince people to not fast so much, that you do actually need to eat on occasion.

It really isn’t a man vs woman type of thing, either. People like extremes, and they like results, so when something is working the natural inclination is to do more. This happens with weight training, cardio, dieting and now fasting. The problem is there is always a sweet spot, and to make matters worse, that sweet spot changes over time.

My goal now is to help people understand that fasting is an incredible tool, but also that it is only a tool, to be used when needed. Basically I want people to have the freedom to take an occasional break from eating, without feeling like they’ve done something wrong EVERY time they eat.

 

ROMAN: That’s a worthy goal. And it sort of leads into the next question. You said people sometimes feel like they’ve done something wrong by eating. In one article specifically, it was stated that, “If you didn’t have an eating disorder before you started IF, you will afterwards.” What are your thoughts on that?

 

pilonPILON: Wow. That’s a horrible statement, and a perfect example of why I try not to read too much internet stuff. Most likely it was written for shock-value and the author probably knows that the true etiology of eating disorders is far more serious and far more complex then simply being something that arises from taking an occasional break from eating, they are serious mental illnesses and are often symptoms of a more complicated underlying problem. We shouldn’t dismiss them as just ‘dieting gone wrong.’ People can be heartless in their pursuit of internet traffic and expert-status glory.

 

ROMAN: That was pretty much my thought. I know a lot of people who have struggled with eating disorders–and perhaps for people who have dealt with that issue, fasting should be approached cautiously. But to say that fasting is going to cause an easting disorder seems both extreme and unwarranted. But, I digress. Let’s move on.

Because ESE uses alternate day fasting (as opposed to a daily 16 hour fast), conceivably you could just fast on your off days, and eat on training days. What have you found in terms of the relationship between exercising and fasting–necessary, helpful, or useless?

 

pilonPILON: Really, we’re talking about a 24 hour fast once or twice per week, and that fast is divided between two days, so that leaves between 5 and 6 days of normal eating, but you do eat every single day. Because of this You can arrange your workouts so that you are always ‘fed’ when working out by putting them in between fasts, or make sure you have 2-3 days of eating recovery by training shortly after a fast, the options are really limitless, so best bet is to play around with it and track how you feel. If you’re fasting twice a week and training 4 times per week and can’t make it ‘fit’ then I think you’re probably being either too inflexible with your fasts, or too inflexible with your workout schedule. It all comes down to what feels best.

 

 ROMAN: One of the questions I get most often is about the timing of the fast–I often recommend 16 hour fasts, usually breaking the fast post workout. But, let’s say that do to scheduling it was really only convenient for someone to feed from 6 or 7am for about 8 hours, then fast until bedtime. In other words, this person can’t fast upon rising. I addressed some of this in a post, but I’d like your opinion. Would you expect to a difference see there?

 

pilonPILONReally we are taking minutia for the vast majority of people. Here’s the best advice I can give…keep this stuff flexible so you can do it long term…if you get caught up in overanalyzing everything and you are going to burn out quickly.

You have to do what fits into your lifestyle, you simply cannot try to fit your lifestyle into your diet…that just doesn’t work long term.

 

ROMAN: You’re now in your 7th version of Eat Stop Eat. You’ve helped thousands of people with this book directly. Indirectly, you’ve helped thousands more, because you’ve helped to push the fasting movement forward, and been a great ambassador of both IF and common sense. What would you say about the book, looking back after all these years–either in general, or this version specifically?

 

pilonPILON: Firstly, I’ve been incredibly pleased with the response to the book. The people that like Eat Stop Eat like it a lot. If you are looking for diet dogma, rules, and lists this is not the diet for you. So you really have to examine your goals – are you looking for a diet or a way to get lean. It’s for people who want to get lean.

The best thing about Eat Stop Eat is that it’s a long-term solution. I still hear from people who bought ESE more than 5 years ago and are still using it to this day. They used it to lose weight, then they used it to maintain their new weight. Not many diet programs can say that. I’ve been really proud of every version of the book, especially this one.

I think the fact that IF has become so popular has helped me make the book better–IF hitting the mainstream has brought up new questions, which has led me to do more research and new insights. The stuff about fasting and training, or fasting and women…that might not have happened if so many people weren’t trying IF, whether it’s ESE or another variation.

And because I’ve been able to answer those questions and address those concerns, I think the book is going to help even more people than previous versions.

 

ROMAN: You’re spitting the truth with that one. Personally, I would say that the new information makes the book not just important, but perhaps an essential addition to the library of anyone who is interested in fasting. Not to mention every single trainer/nutrition person in the world, because they are definitely going to get these questions, so they should be able to answer them.

Let’s wrap up with something fun. Final question: both you and Jason Ferruggia will be at my wedding this September. You’re both smart, you’re both jacked, you’re both into fasting. So, the obvious question is, which of you will eat more cake? Please cite examples supporting your answer.

 

 

pilonPILON: Excellent question. I do have a sweet tooth, but I don’t really have a large appetite any more, and Jay can EAT. That being said, I have a large and growing afro to feed, whereas Jay is afro impaired. Jay has more tattoos, but I have more beard. I suspect those cancel each other out. Further, we’re both known to be Kings of the Dance Floor (I’m pretty sure we could have starred in one of those Step Up sequels), so we’ll both be working up quite an appetite.

If I had to guess, I’d say we’d both be perfect gentlemen and only have one small piece each so as to ensure that all your guests are able to enjoy the cake…. ‘Cause that’s how we roll, all gentlemenly-like.

 

ROMANHa! Well, it just so happens we’ll have at least three cakes, so there is plenty to go around. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see–but know that I’ll be posting the results of that epic battle. Until then, thank you so much for your time and for giving us some great info.

 

pilon

 

PILON: Anytime, man. Thanks for a great interview.

 

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Okay! Quite a long interview, but full of awesome information. Now, while there are a lot of great resources out there, I honestly believe that when it comes to understanding the science of IF, Eat Stop Eat is basically the top of the line.

As we touched on in the interview, the latest version–just released this week–answers all of the questions and concerns that have been voiced about fasting over the past year or so. ESE is a tremendous resource, and, I honestly believe an essential addition to the library of any fitness professional, or serious fitness enthusiast.

Now in it’s SEVENTH Edition

To celebrate the release of the 7th version of ESE, Brad is running a special, and giving a bonus coaching call for anyone who orders before midnight on July 19th.

Just to show you how much I personally believe in ESE, and Brad’s information, I’m going to sweeten the deal. Anyone who purchases Eat Stop Eat at any point before July 22nd is going to get MY intermittent fasting program, Fat Loss Forever, completely FREE. Just my little way of hooking you up.

Yours FREE when you pick up ESE v.7

Again, this is awesome, and makes MY life a lot easier since I don’t have to answer the questions all the time. It’ll do the same for you. You’re going to love when you pick it up–and when you do, you’ll be getting my program, for zero dollars.

For more info about Brad, check out his Blog.

Questions or comments for the man himself? Post below and Brad will get to them as soon as he can. Which shouldn’t be too long, since, ya know…he’s not busy eating.

About the Author

John Romaniello is a level 70 orc wizard who spends his days lifting heavy shit and his nights fighting crime. When not doing that, he serves as the Chief Bro King of the Roman Empire and Executive Editor here on RFS. You can read his articles here, and rants on Facebook.

Comments for This Entry

  • Lauren Cohen

    LaurenLosAngeles;-)-do women need to fast differently than men to lose fat fast? If someone is already on a a VLCD(very low cal diet ie 500cal or less) is fasting still beneficial? This issue was never discussed.xoxo

    April 21, 2014 at 3:31 pm

  • Why Are You Working So Hard? — Fierce For Life

    [...] Now, whatever your reason is, it’s cool by me. I’m not gonna judge if you train solely to look good. Plenty of people do that – even respected health professionals. [...]

    October 14, 2013 at 9:51 pm

  • Jim

    Great interview. I learned something new and laughed out loud numerous time. Good stuff Roman and Brad!

    July 25, 2013 at 2:58 pm

  • Costa

    Intermittent fasting for women. Are there are any changes to take in?

    July 20, 2013 at 5:16 am

  • John Hoelmer

    Roman, I just bought Eat Stop Eat from Brad Pilon's site, how do I get your Fat Loss Forever Program? Thanks

    July 19, 2013 at 10:19 pm

  • Benjamin

    H Guys, great Interview. Brad's and your's ressources helped me so much this last year !! I just ordered my copy,, and I wondered how I'll get the Fat loss forever product ? Cheers !

    July 19, 2013 at 10:22 am

  • Joy Curry

    Thanks so much for this... great reading.. have been eating veg for the last month and doing a 30 day cleanse...I feel great..but missing meat...slowly will be adding it back..but not mixing it with carbs since my body is happiest when I eat either carbs or meat. Moving my carbs towards less grain and more amaranth and quiona...and having fun trying new recipes. Thanks for your post. I love reading and seeing what your doing to get more people to interact with your post. :)

    July 19, 2013 at 8:05 am

  • William Stephen

    ESE is one of the best fitness books I've read. I don't fast usually though, just track macros and eat for performance and body comp goals.

    July 19, 2013 at 5:19 am

  • Matt Cieri

    Hi Roman or Pilon, if you are working on a slow metabolism should I even think about IF or should I eat the regular 3-5 meals til I get that figured out. Thanks!

    July 19, 2013 at 1:44 am

  • Cone Nueve Once

    Pilon Vs. Ferruggia: Make it happen Roman!

    July 19, 2013 at 12:28 am

  • Meredith Evans

    I've been IF'ing for probably the last 6 months. I like it, I've been losing weight (I have a lot of weight to lose.. over 100 lbs). On a few message boards, people have been brining up metabolic damage and also IF causing hormonal damage in women. Do you have information about this? Is this just people freaking out? Or is there truth behind this?

    July 18, 2013 at 11:17 pm

  • Mal Damage

    I'm a dietitian and I'm doing a shit right now.

    July 18, 2013 at 11:12 pm

  • Susy Natal

    What an excellent read. I recently started IF after 5 months of a depressing "eat every 3 hours, never really be hungry, never really be satiated, never get to eat bacon" body building diet to prep for some comps. I love how I feel with IF and I'm about to buy ESE because I'm very curious to read the section for women because I have copped many a rap on the knuckles from people who are all obsessed with the idea that it's terrible for women, and which personally I'm highly dubious about. I look forward to reading both ESE and hope to get an update on who wins the battle of cake.

    July 18, 2013 at 10:58 pm

  • Jaime Mormann-Richardson

    Oh, and one more thing, Roman. Why do you like the 16/8 fasting approach as opposed to Brad's twice a week fasting?

    July 18, 2013 at 10:32 pm

    • John Romaniello

      It's just easier for me to manage with my schedule, since I have business dinners/meetings nearly every night

      July 19, 2013 at 2:34 pm

      • Jaime Mormann-Richardson

        Oh, okay. That makes sense. It usually makes sense for me, too, because I have kids and I don't want them always thinking I'm on a diet. If I eat dinner with them every night, things are more normal. Thanks for answering all my questions, Roman!

        July 19, 2013 at 3:09 pm

  • Jaime Mormann-Richardson

    Okay, so here's my question (which you promised you'd answer in the email you just sent, just sayin'): I've been trying IF for awhile now, and it seems to work for a little while, and it's awesome, and then it doesn't work. Should I be doing something different as a woman? And Roman, what's up with cheat days for women? I tried a cheat day the other day, and it has set me back an entire week. Any thoughts??

    July 18, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    • John Romaniello

      Heya Jaime, question: are you monitoring your calories at all? I'd be curious to have that info before I speculate on anything else!

      July 18, 2013 at 10:32 pm

      • Jaime Mormann-Richardson

        Yes, my daily calories should be in the 1400 range, so on days when I'm not working out, I eat about 900, and days when I do work out, I eat about 1000. On my cheat day that I was talking about, I ate about 2500-2700, buy who's counting?

        July 18, 2013 at 10:39 pm

      • Jaime Mormann-Richardson

        Oh, AND, I did the extra long fast after the cheat day like you suggested in Man 2.0. That fast lasted about 36-40 hours.

        July 18, 2013 at 11:04 pm

  • Bente Maalen

    Question: any thoughts on IFing after pregnancy? Specifically while still nursing?

    July 18, 2013 at 9:35 pm

  • sophistimom

    Oh my goodness, Brad has put into words everything I have been experiencing lately. Especially the part about getting big arms... not that I want big arms... but the whole concept of "goal hijacking." Totally brilliant.

    July 18, 2013 at 8:42 pm

  • Guillermo Muñoz Mireles

    Hey Roman. Great interview. The link doesn't seem to work. I click it and it redirects me to eatstopeat, but when I click on Add to Cart it just closes. It only happens if I do it from your website, not if I go to the page directly. Do I have to do it from your link to also get Fat Loss Forever? Cheers dude!

    July 18, 2013 at 7:56 pm

  • Nickjaa

    Roman you said in some post ages ago that vegetarians are half-assed, (I believe you said they use the protein digestibility corrected amino acid score to 'justify their half-assery), have you changed your mind since then, chatting to dudes like this who you don't seem to think suck very much?

    April 5, 2011 at 10:38 pm

  • nove

    Brad's ESE change my life forever. Diet dogma n myths make your life harder. ESE is the solutions for enjoying your life while loss fat. I follow ESE from 2 years ago. I get my sixpacks now and still enjoying my ice cream , chocolate and my favorite beverages, coffee :) thx brad

    December 3, 2010 at 11:40 pm

  • João

    Hi Brad, I am 17 years old but I´m doing something mine. I fast all day, then workout on a fast(best workouts ever),and I only eat my post shake and then the slow release protein,before bed. Almost all protein of course,I'm growing. It keeps me satisfied and i have the best of both worlds, 2 meals a day, 18 hour fast,4 eating and sometimes, I skip the meals and I have the 36 hours fast. What do you thing?

    November 2, 2010 at 3:24 pm

  • Dave MacMillan

    Awesome interview! I'm back on track with owning my goals, but it's so easy to be swayed by fads.

    October 20, 2010 at 11:29 pm

  • Glenn

    Great link to the "Being Awesome" blog - I loved it! I also love Brad's attitude: if religions could be so accepting and open-minded towards other's personal beliefs the world would be a much better place.

    October 17, 2010 at 4:01 pm

  • Sheryl

    How about Screech, eh? *snicker* ok.. I'll stop now. ;)

    October 16, 2010 at 6:42 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Nevermind, I wiki'd it. It's a beanie. A beanie, sir.

    October 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm

  • Brad

    All lies from Sheryl. Canada invented some of the best accessory fashion pieces of all time. Where would fashion be without toques, mittens and hockey sweaters? ;) I'm kidding of course. (But I am going to send Roman a CFL football.)

    October 16, 2010 at 2:21 pm

  • Brad

    Yiwa, Yes, I find that many people need the flexibility allowed from once or twice a week, but start to 'burn out' on the three times a week scenario Honestly, 3 times a week is OK for some people, the key is to find the method that works best in your life, rather than trying to change your life to fit the diet you've chosen. B

    October 16, 2010 at 2:17 pm

  • AD

    Cliffs Notes please.

    October 16, 2010 at 1:53 pm

  • Zlatan Cizmic

    ESE is the shit and i can vouch for that...I also combined it with Visual Impact and now Adonis Index workouts and have lost 15 lbs and am at ~4.5% body fat. Now im trying to gain some muscle, and ESE keeps me lean while letting me build at the same time.

    October 16, 2010 at 11:45 am

  • Sheryl

    @jeff - that was my first thought too, but then I decided to be safe. It's notoriously hard to transmit tone to text, and while I was reading in a certain tongue-in-cheek mindset (it *is* Roman, after all) I decided that after the last run-in with Canadians, I'd just make sure. ;) We all know Roman is too smart to be taken in by such people, and he only pretends to believe them to make them feel better. Obviously! :D

    October 16, 2010 at 11:10 am

  • jeff

    Sheryl, I do believe he was being facetious

    October 16, 2010 at 10:53 am

  • Sheryl

    I can't do fasting because of blood sugar, but I had to speak up anyway. (It does sound like an interesting concept though!) Roman, man.. he's pulling your leg. Bel Biv Devoe is an old R&B band from late 80s/early 90s. Remember 'Poison' ? That's them. Oh, and they're from Boston, MA btw. Fashion comes from Paris, Milan, and sometimes NY; and of course we all know trend-setting is best done in Rome...an. I have relatives in Canada, and New Foundland. I'll protect you. ;)

    October 16, 2010 at 9:43 am

  • Doug

    Just my personal opinion. I started using ESE about 3 years ago and have been using it ever since. Since then a few of my friends have asked about it and started it as well. Most of them are still doing it to. One is even a serious diabetic! It's VERY simple and it works. If you eat exactly what you always ate before, yet now are only eating 5 days a week (on average), you just cut your calories per week by 28%. You absolutely positively know when you're cheating, so it's easy to monitor. Did I eat since breakfast yesterday? No... good, I did it right. I found it very hard the first few times and after I realized that was mental not physical, it's got very easy. I don't even think about it anymore. Saves on food bills too! It may not be for everyone (my wife hated it... physically or mentally it bothered her), but for those who it works well for, it's the simplest program out there. I have not impacted any gains in the gym with this program either. I AM building muscle, but I am not a bodybuilder either, so I can't speak to that personally.

    October 16, 2010 at 9:36 am

  • Ylwa

    OK. Thanks. Another question: why two fast days? Have you found that that's an "upper limit" for what most people can handle on order not to overeat on your eating days? Or can one throw in a third fast day each week if you want to speed up progress or create room for a greater calorie day, if you for instance know that you'll be attending a big party that week?

    October 16, 2010 at 12:48 am

  • Holly

    I have learned that reducing stress is ever more important in my life. Brad's relaxed approach to efe is a welcomed change. You don't have to throw it all away just because you changed your fast day.

    October 15, 2010 at 9:45 pm

  • Brad

    Hi Yiha, I wouldn't say more effective, just more flexible. B

    October 15, 2010 at 9:28 pm

  • Brad

    Thanks for the kind words everyone. Mike - No not really. B

    October 15, 2010 at 8:55 pm

  • BikiniMommy

    Ahaha hilarious :D Love ESE!

    October 15, 2010 at 6:48 pm

  • Ylwa

    I've been on Joel's Cheat Your Way Thin for over a year now and you know how much I love it. Right now, though, the 6 meal a-day apporach doesn't work for me. I work til at least 8 pm 4 nights a week and with my commute I'm home at 9pm. Definetely not up for a dinner or cooked food. So thanks to you I now read ESE and so far I like it. It's a new take on thing but it all makes sense. I do have a question for Brad though: Your ESE is recommending 24 hour fasts. Is that more "effective" than doing a 16 hour fast, 8 hour eating? And/or does a 24 hour fast mean that you can be more "flexible" on the days when you eat compared to a 16 + 8 approach? Right now that fits better into my lifestyle.

    October 15, 2010 at 6:18 pm

  • Clement

    I can certainly identify with 2 of tge points you've mentioned there, as I've been guilty of overthinking and overanalyzing the minutiae. 1) I know what it's like to continually be programme-hopping and have different goals. People normally say that ability is tied to your look - you have to train like an athlete, with a heavy volume of conditioning - to look like one, or you have to continually get bigger if you want to look good. But what if you feel that the Hollywood look is perfect, and you don't want to look like Arnold? That's when you'll find that you may lose track of your original goal. 2) you shouldn't worry about the minutiae or you'll burn out and find that nothing works for you. Instead, you should start with the simple rules and then slowly add to them. If you're extremely far away from your goal, who cares about how much protein you're supposed to eat or when you should eat following exercise? All these things would only matter when wanting to get 5-6% bodyfat-lean. I've grown to use the time frame of eating that's worked best for me. I don't eat breakfast in the morning, as I'm often not hungry. I eat 2-3 moderately sized meals throughout the day. I train semi-fasted and have a meal post-workout. I fast for 24h twice a week following this post-workout meal and typically don't do any intense training on these days. Sometimes, I challenge myself and fast from 6pm (after dinner)through the whole of the next day and only eat on the third day, when I'm hungry. But the most important thing I've learnt is to only eat when I'm hungry. Thank you, Brad, for changing my perspective of food. Thank you, Roman, for continuing to increase the Awesomeiometer reading of your blog.

    October 15, 2010 at 6:06 pm

  • mike

    Sorry my post got screwed up. Brad, do you recommend taking any BCAAs while fasting?

    October 15, 2010 at 6:00 pm

  • mike

    *Correction: I meant BCAAs.

    October 15, 2010 at 6:00 pm

  • A

    I've actually been using Intermittent Fasting with Joel's Cheat Days for a month or so now and I love it. I tend to fast for 36 hours at a time, 1 to 3 times a week. (So if I have supper at 10 p.m. Monday, I don't eat until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Approximately.) The weight is consistently coming off, I don't feel deprived at all, and if I overdo it one day - I know I'll compensate for it on my next fast day. If I feel demotivated and icky - I just look forward to my Cheat Day (when I tend to nom sushi to my heart's content, have a little sake and a glass of red wine and generally end the day thinking I should have eaten more to REALLY cheat...though I never seem to want to eat as much as my eyes expect me to.) Oh, yeah, I'm a petite female. And Roman - I so have a crush on you. ;-D

    October 15, 2010 at 4:04 pm

  • Mark

    Is there some place where I can read testimonials from people who have been doing ESE for years?

    October 15, 2010 at 3:53 pm

  • Pats

    Really nice and funny interview. I never tried ESE before and this just sparked my interest!

    October 15, 2010 at 3:45 pm

  • Matt

    I can vouch for that last statement... I LOVE ESE! I've used ESE to lose 50 pounds and still use it 1.5 years later to keep the weight from creeping back on. It's now just a part of my lifestyle and I don't plan on stopping it any time soon. Thanks for a great product and great interview from both of you - that was funny!

    October 15, 2010 at 3:19 pm

  • Markku

    What a great interview! I even missed a lot of the great Law and Order.. I love Roman's sense of humor and Pilon was not bad, either. The great thing is that both of these people are so different than most of the fitness industri's gurus who are self-serving, dogmatic *censored* ;)

    October 15, 2010 at 3:03 pm

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