I tell everyone that I love intermittent fasting because of its fat loss results and health benefits. People then say to me, “But that’s so hard!”

But it’s also so simple.

Simple doesn’t mean easy, but do you want a method that’s easy or one that works?

I value simplicity. A decade ago, I was in fitness competitions and counted every gram of protein, fat and carb daily to hit a certain number of macros and they HAD to all add up perfectly. This meant that if, at the end of the day, I had all my protein and carbs but not all the fat I had to drink a measured amount of straight olive oil. If I had all my carbs and fat but not protein I had to eat a measured amount of egg whites from a carton. This was not fun and not psychologically healthy. I was a slave to my spreadsheet and obsessed with the next meal.

When I “retired” from these events, I vowed to never do a diet where I had to count anything. I would happily eliminate entire food groups as long as I didn’t have to count and plan. I jumped on the “Paleo” bandwagon (although I have always hated that term. Nothing about modern day farming and eating is like Paleolithic days, but whatever…) and got great results.

These results were because the Paleo diet eliminates refined carbs. Eliminating refined carbs meant I was eating foods that caused less of an insulin spike. And from what I know, insulin – not calories – causes weight gain.

There are many ways to lower insulin levels. One is through a diet low in refined carbs. Another is through intermittent fasting (IF) because with IF even if you do eat refined carbs, your body has a chance to regulate insulin before you eat again. But if you want quick results or have a long way to go, the real magic happens in combining the two.

In my experience, there is no simpler way to lose weight and lean out than to combine intermittent fasting with a diet that is low in sugar and refined carbs.

The cool thing about intermittent fasting is that it fits into any diet and any schedule. As Jason Fung says:

You’re Paleo? You can fast.

You’re a vegetarian? You can fast.

You’re an omnivore? You can fast.

You travel a lot? You can fast.

You don’t have time to meal prep? You can fast.

Jerry Seinfeld said, “People want a show about something. This is a show about nothing.”

Well, this is a diet about nothing. You are taking something off your plate (pun intended) not adding shopping and measuring and prepping and counting. It’s so simple.