Michelle is the author of Exercise For Your Muscle Type: the Smart Way to Get Fit and creator of Prevention Magazine’s ULTIMATE FLAT BELLY DVD series. She currently runs Lovitfitness, a Beverly Hills based training company that is known for getting clients in remarkable shape. Her background in Exercise Physiology is why her methodology and results reside in heart rate based training. Michelle’s signature training method, Train Smarter Not Harder, gives her clients educational tools that help them understand their bodies, lose body fat, get stronger, stay motivated and enjoy a better quality of life. She has a loyal following and a reputation for getting her clients in remarkable shape.
What is intermittent fasting? Is it safe to do, or another dangerous diet fad? It’s become such a hot topic over the last few years, and the word fasting can intimidate a lot of people. But what does fasting actually mean in this context? As it turns out there are a lot of misconceptions about intermittent fasting and its intensity. I asked my friend and personal trainer Michelle Lovitt for all of the answers, and she delivered! Get the details on intermittent fasting and how to make it work for you and your lifestyle in our conversation below. And of course, please consult your doctor before making changes to your diet or fitness routine.
This is an excerpt from my Instagram Live conversation with Michelle Lovitt on Feb. 3, 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity. For our full conversation, click here.
Carrie Ann: Joining me today is someone who knows a lot about fitness. She’s incredible. She’s a personal trainer to stars like Courtney Cox, Alicia Vikander, Amber Valletta, plus many more. And I’m going to include me in that list, even though I don’t really think of myself as a star. She’s also a nutrition coach, an author, and basically a physical health guru. She is amazing. Okay, Michelle, I’m going to ask you this right off the bat. It’s a hot topic, people are wanting to know about it. What is intermittent fasting and does it work?
Michelle Lovitt: Intermittent fasting has been around forever. It’s what our ancestors used to do when they were out chasing down buffalo and bears. It is basically timed eating, rather than eating throughout the day, having a set time that you eat. Whether it’s 7 to 7, 10 to 6, there are different fasting levels. But fasting is so important and so good for your body because it actually reduces cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone in your body. Because it’s not being fed constant fuel, whether it be carbohydrates, protein, or fat, it’s actually utilizing stored body fat through these random crazy processes. You know me and my big words – gluconeogenesis. This process is breaking down body fat and little amino acids from protein for energy sources. It actually helps clear brain fog, and helps us lose body fat more efficiently, more effectively. There are different apps that keep you timely with it, so that when that buzzer goes off, you know your eating is done until the next period or the next day. So it really helps keep you accountable. And it always reminds you to drink water, which is a huge, huge thing as well. So intermittent fasting and hydration go a long way and they go together, hand in hand.
Carrie Ann: Oh, I love that. You know, I never even thought about intermittent fasting and then making sure that you’re getting enough hydration along the way. And I just want to ask you – can you work out when you’re fasting?
Michelle Lovitt: What you don’t want to do is do like a high intensity interval training type of workout. Because when you are in a fasted state your body is basically out of glucose. Your body can store two and a half hours’ worth of energy coming from glucose, which is called glycogen – that’s what your muscles hold onto. So once that glycogen is gone, your body will go into body fat and muscle tissue. So if you are doing high intensity interval training, or really hard workouts, your body doesn’t have the fuel from sugar, so it’s going to go into breaking down muscle tissue. So if you want to build those big, big, strong muscles, you’re not going to be able to do that. But if you want to lose body fat, you can do more of an aerobic, slower intensity type of workout and get amazing results with that.
Carrie Ann: Oh, that’s amazing.
Michelle Lovitt: You don’t have to get out of breath either, so you can actually talk to your friends. So it’s good.
Carrie Ann: So how long is the time period, I just want to make sure everybody understands what intermittent fasting is. How long of a time period is recommended if you’re going to do it?
Michelle Lovitt: Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. But some people can go with a 20 hour fast and only a 4 hour eating period, which is, it’s insane. It’s crazy for a lot of people. But that works for some people. What I have found in working with my clients, and seeing and reading different researchers’ reports, is that 18 / 6 is usually something that’s doable for people. Or 16 / 8. So if you go 16 hours without eating, and you eat for 8 hours, that’s basically eating from 10 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock in the afternoon. And I don’t mean eating, like, oh my god, I only get eight hours to eat, so I’m gonna eat everything. Make healthy choices, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and hydrate. That also helps with the feelings of being hungry and all of that. It’s a quick way to lose body fat, and maintain muscle mass. And it’s not hard to do. Mentally it is, until you’ve done it for a couple of days. And then you’re like, oh, it’s not that bad. I actually feel better. I’m actually thinking clearer. I think everybody should give it a go, give it a try once and see if you like it.
Carrie Ann: You know, I’ve been doing it, and I like it. It’s made a big difference. It was kind of scary when you said 18 / 6. Because I’m like, what does that mean? It sounds very intimidating. But when you start to think about it, or 16 / 8, I actually like that version better, then you can eat during normal hours. And it’s not that intimidating. I think it’s just a scary idea, the word fasting makes it sound intimidating. But it sounds like a great way and it’s been working.
Michelle: My sister tried it, and I gave her an app to follow. And she was like when the app binged I knew I couldn’t have food anymore, but I would get up and still go look in the refrigerator. She said the only difference is that when she opened the refrigerator, she knew she couldn’t take anything out of it. Whereas before it was just mindless, you just take something out and eat it. And your body doesn’t need that many calories, especially if you’re not getting out and being active.
So what do you think? Is intermittent fasting for you? Leave a comment below if you learned something new or want more videos and articles with Michelle! You can view our full conversation on my Instagram pages, @carrieanninaba @carrieannconversations for more on all things fitness and even a live demonstration of some core strengthening moves. Be kind and stay well!
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