How to Lose Weight With CrossFit
I Wasn't Losing Weight Doing CrossFit Until I Started Doing These 4 Things
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After eight months of CrossFit, I loved my newfound confidence and strength, but I was frustrated. I was working out at 5:45 a.m. five times a week and still not reaching my body goals. It became clear that I needed to change my diet. I was finding that after those intense morning workouts, I wanted to eat all day long — and I did!
That's when I started intermittent fasting. I gradually worked my eating schedule to follow the 16:8 method, where I ate from noon until 8 p.m. I noticed a difference in my face and belly (where I tend to carry extra weight) within the first month of intermittent fasting.
After one year of intermittent fasting, I not only looked leaner, but I felt more energized, had more mental clarity, slept better, and had overcome my issues with chronic bloating.
Aaron Hinde, MD, who focuses on sports medicine added that, "while all bodies respond differently to any diet or exercise program, many CrossFit athletes have experienced increased success with building lean muscle mass and decreasing body fat percentage by practicing intermittent fasting by sticking to a consistent, smaller window for consuming calories daily." He reiterated that focusing on a diet that's high in protein and healthy fats will aid in weight loss.
Intermittent fasting not only made reaching a calorie deficit easier, but being in a fasted state longer also kept my insulin levels low, which Jason Fung, MD, a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and author of The Complete Guide to Fasting, explained in a previous interview, is the key to tapping into stored body fat for energy.