Read time: 7 minutes

Let me tell you how I first learned about intermittent fasting.

I was 22, freshly arrived in New York, and absolutely convinced I was on my way to becoming the next big thing in fitness modeling.

Ah, the optimism and naivety of youth at its best. 🤣

I had just been “discovered” by the same agent who discovered Greg Plitt. If you don’t know that name, stop and Google him. I’ll wait.

He was the Michael Jordan of fitness modeling. Seeing him on the cover of Fitness RX was the reason I pursued fitness modeling.

The guy looked like he had been carved out of stone by Michelangelo.

Greg and I were signed to the same agency, but there was a small difference between us. He was THE guy in fitness modeling. I was just the latest set of abs.

Ironically, I never actually met him.

Every time I went into the agency, Greg was somewhere shooting another cover. So I started asking my agent questions trying to learn everything I could.

How often does he train? How long are his workouts? What does he eat? How much protein? What supplements does he take? Does he sleep?

Is he even human?

My agent had the patience of a saint, which was probably his only redeeming quality. The stories about modeling are… horrific. Maybe I’ll share those another time.

One day, somewhere around my 67th question (I'm hilarious) he casually mentioned something that stopped me mid-interrogation.

I stared at him like he was speaking Chinese.

“What do you mean… he doesn’t eat?”

Wouldn’t he go catabolic and lose muscle? Or go into starvation mode and store body fat?

(Both of those ideas are myths. But in 2007 they were considered gospel in the fitness world.)

Back then there was almost zero information about intermittent fasting online...

No podcasts. No influencers. No endless threads breaking it down. The concept barely existed in mainstream fitness.

I later learned Greg had stumbled into IF during his time in the military. As an Army Ranger, he often went long stretches without food.

I was fascinated, so I tried it.

At first, it felt impossible. But I kept trying, adjusting, and learning until fasting became part of my daily routine.

In fact, it was one of the biggest levers I used to go from ~10% body fat down to 5%, where I lived for almost a decade.

By 2016, I believed in it so strongly that I wrote an entire chapter about intermittent fasting in my Amazon bestselling book, 7 Secrets for Chiseled Abs.

I was evangelical about it.

Not even borderline. I was full-blown annoying. I wouldn't eat until 4pm every day until after a two-hour workout.

I was even featured in a documentary in Germany where a camera crew followed me around for 24-hours to watch how I (didn't) eat.

Which makes what I'm about to tell you a little awkward.

Let’s dive in. 🚀

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I Was Right... But I Oversold It

Ten years ago the fitness world believed intermittent fasting had almost magical properties.

Skyrocketing growth hormone. Special fat-burning windows. Metabolic resets. Autophagy unlocking your inner superhuman. Some even claimed it could cure disease.

It felt like when mankind discovered fire.

The more honest version is that most of those claims, while not entirely false, were dramatically overstated. Especially for fasts under 24 hours.

What intermittent fasting does well is much simpler:

It helps you eat less.

That’s it. That’s the whole trick.

By shrinking your eating window, most people naturally consume fewer total calories. And a calorie deficit is the only thing that drives fat loss.

High protein works. Low-carb works. Whole30 works. Macro tracking works. Even Ozempic works.

(Keto still sucks, btw.)

They all work for the same reason. They create a caloric deficit. Intermittent fasting is just one of many ways to get there.

Even Dr. Rhonda Patrick, who has studied fasting extensively, landed in the same place after a major meta-analysis made the rounds earlier this year:

Dr. Rhonda Patrick @foundmyfitness A lot of people are sharing this new meta-analysis as proof that “intermittent fasting has no benefits.” I don’t think that’s what it shows. What it does show is pretty straightforward. In controlled trials (where calories are matched), IF produces weight loss similar to 8:50 PM • Feb 18, 2026 62 Retweets 888 Likes Read 84 replies

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The magic was always in the math. The engineer in me loves that.

But fasting also does two things really well that don’t get enough credit.

1. The Hidden Power of Structure

If you're someone who eats, grazes, and snacks all day and night — you're basically in a near-constant fed state.

This is more common than you think. Most people in America eat like this today.

An eating window creates a simple boundary. For a lot of people, that structure alone dramatically reduces mindless calories.

And most people are mindlessly eating 200 to 400 extra calories per day.

As a former engineer and current Porsche owner who color-codes his Google Calendar, I have a deep appreciation (or OCD obsession) for order and discipline.

An eating window is just like a schedule for your stomach.

2. Why Awareness Matters

We live in an environment where food is everywhere...

Highly processed, calorie-dense, engineered-to-be-addictive "food" is available 24/7.

Most people aren’t eating because they’re hungry. They’re eating because they’re bored, procrastinating, or trying to escape an uncomfortable emotion.

Fasting forces a reset. It also forces you to face those uncomfortable emotions.

Not in a couples therapy type of way, but in a sitting with discomfort long enough to realize you're not actually starving if you don't eat for a few hours way.

It also reconnects you with what actual hunger feels like. You learn that if you go a few hours without eating, nothing bad happens.

• You won’t lose muscle.
• You won’t go catabolic.
• You won’t enter starvation mode.

You’ll just be a little uncomfortable. And that's okay, even beneficial.

When I’m trying to lose fat, I often remind myself:

“Hunger is my friend.”

Not the dizzy, miserable kind I had when prepping for a photoshoot. Just the mild hunger that reminds you that your body is tapping into stored energy.

How I Use Intermittent Fasting Now

I’m not a daily 16:8 guy anymore.

Life changed. A son, a growing business, and social dinners out with the wife and friends.

So I stopped treating fasting like a religion, but I still use it strategically:

1. When I'm traveling.

Airport food is mostly overpriced garbage, although it is getting better. In a pinch, you can usually find decent options.

But if I have a long travel day, fasting is often the better option.

2. Once a month I do a 24-hour fast.

I stop eating Sunday at 6pm and eat again Monday at 6pm.

It’s easier than it sounds. You sleep through a big chunk of it, Monday is usually busy, and by dinner your hunger signals feel noticeably reset.

It also creates a meaningful calorie deficit without changing anything else.

That’s it. No more waiting until 4pm to eat.

Just two uses that actually fit my life.

Upgrade Your IF Toolkit

I've updated my recommendations since the book. See below.

EAAs instead of BCAAs

In my book, I recommended BCAAs during fasted periods. I've switched to Essential Amino Acids.

The reason is simple: to support muscle protein synthesis your body needs all nine essential amino acids, not just the three found in BCAAs.

EAAs give you the full set.

I recommend them for two situations:

1. Before or during any fasted workouts.
2. If you're very hungry during a fast, but want to delay your first meal.

Yes, technically both BCAAs and EAAs break a fast.

But we're talking about ~40 calories, and for fat loss the trade-off is usually worth it if it helps performance and allows you to extend your fast.

That said, if you're already hitting your protein targets through whole foods, you probably don't need them.

They're just a tool, not magic.

🧬 My current pick is Thorne Amino Complex.

No affiliation. I like it because it has a full EAA profile, low calories, and it's third-party tested.

Electrolytes

During a fast, dehydration and hunger feel almost identical. Keeping electrolytes up can significantly reduce feelings of hunger.

That being said, I think electrolytes are overdone these days.

One serving per day is fine unless you're in Vail snowboarding the back bowls while sipping on Rabbit Hole Bourbon for liquid courage.

💦 My current favorite is Legion Hydrate.

Unlike most electrolyte drinks that are basically glorified sugar water, Legion Hydrate has zero sugar and zero artificial junk.

Also, the travel packs are incredibly convenient.

Sparkling water

Almost too simple, but carbonation creates a sense of fullness.

My favorite right now is Hop Water although Pellegrino, Bubbly, or any other brands will do.

Many people still believe that sparkling water doesn't hydrate you. That's a myth. It's not great for your teeth, but lots of rich people have terrible teeth. 🤷🏼‍♂️

See any image of Robert Kraft. 🤭

Legion Forge (read this part carefully)

Forge is a fat-burning supplement designed specifically for fasted training.

When insulin is low, your body can finally access stubborn fat stores, but it also starts breaking down muscle.

Forge targets both problems:

1. Yohimbine unlocks stubborn fat cells
2. HMB protects your muscle from breakdown

It's not a traditional pre-workout. It's a precision tool for a specific situation.

That said, it's stimulant-based. If you're sensitive to caffeine, skip it entirely.

If you do try it, start with half the recommended dose on the bottle. Once it's in your system, you cannot get it back out.

I learned that lesson the hard way. I've never worked out on cocaine, but I imagine this is what it feels like. Be careful.

🔥 Get Legion Forge here.

Should YOU Use Intermittent Fasting?

Here's the honest answer I give clients now.

Use intermittent fasting if it helps you eat less, fits your schedule, and doesn't make you miserable. If it works, keep using it.

Stop intermittent fasting if it makes you binge when your eating window opens, tanks your workouts, doesn’t fit your lifestyle, or makes you miserable.

You're not David Goggins. There's no prize for suffering just for the sake of suffering. If you are Goggins, I apologize sincerely. 😳

Use it selectively as needed. Think long travel days, busy work sprints, once a month for a reset, or the day of a big dinner out.

Flexible beats rigid every single time.

The goal was never fasting for some form of religious or spiritual enlightenment like our ancestors.

The goal is making it easier to eat less calories. That's it.

I started this whole journey trying to reverse-engineer Greg Plitt through my agent in a NYC modeling office.

Seventeen years, one bestselling book, and several updated opinions later, my approach has evolved, because that's what honest coaches do.

I still believe in fasting.

I just believe in it differently now.

🚨 Reminder: I'm giving away free Legion supplements to 3 lucky winners. Enter here for your chance to win your pick of any Legion product. Takes 30 seconds.