Why the Mini-Fast With Exercise Program Works

Learn what sets the mini-fast with exercise apart from other diet plans

Many of you have probably been on diets before and no doubt wonder why the mini-fast with exercise is so much more effective than other weight loss programs. There are two key reasons:

Reason #1: The mini-fast with exercise allows you to significantly cut calories without feeling hungry.

Not eating breakfast will automatically reduce your caloric intake by about 30 percent. Plus, you won’t feel hungry because the other program requirements—morning exercise and optional thermogenic supplements—stimulate fat burning, and fat burning results in a sense of satiety (feeling full).

Reason #2: The mini-fast burns fat, which is the ultimate goal in weight loss.

The preferred fuel for the body is carbohydrates in the form of glucose. Between meals, when there’s no fresh supply of glucose in your blood, energy is derived from stored carbohydrates, or glycogen. Once these limited supplies are exhausted, the body begins burning fat.

When you wake up in the morning, your glycogen levels are low because the 10–12 hours between dinner and breakfast is ample time for your body to have depleted most of its carbohydrate stores. If you eat breakfast and replenish those stores, you again begin to burn carbohydrates. But if you do not replenish them and instead extend your overnight fast, your body will have no choice but to burn fat. And adding exercise during that time dramatically speeds up fat burning.

Read the Research

Don't believe me? Read it for yourself. A study published in the journal Medical Hypotheses tested the mini-fast with exercise and found that after 12 weeks, the study participants lost an average of 16 pounds of fat and 3 inches around the waist. In addition, the group’s fasting insulin fell by one-quarter, into the normal range.

Try the mini-fast with exercise and see for yourself. This weight loss program really works!

More Dr. Whitaker Advice on Weight Loss

• Daily weigh-ins for weight loss
  
• How to curb hunger and appetite naturally
  
• Multivitamins for weight loss