Jillian Michaels just hopped on Instagram TV to talk about intermittent fasting. The former Biggest Loser trainer gets a lot of questions about intermittent fasting, and now she's sharing all her answers.
Jillian's never been one to shy away from giving strong opinions (remember her epic keto diet rant?) so this should be good...
Jillian says you should definitely eat on a fasting diet.
"A lot of people make the mistake of thinking fasting is synonymous with not eating or dramatically reducing your calories, which it isn't," she says. "Fasting is simply a period of time when you're not eating. It doesn't mean you're eating less, which isn't a bad thing if you're trying to lose weight but it's a separate issue."
Intermittent fasting is super trendy right now (hello Jennifer Aniston follows it) but it has been around for many, many years. Most people fast overnight for a period of about 16 hours, and eat only within an eight-hour window.
Yes, she thinks it really is good for your health.
According to Jillian, intermittent fasting "benefits your immunity and your anti-aging, helps you stay younger longer."
She actually thinks it's a pretty damn good way to stay healthy and strong. "Intermittent fasting is really good for staying your most vital self for as long as possible," she says.
But yeah, Jillian does not think fasting is going to help you lose weight.
"It isn't actually good for weight loss. That's just not true," she says. "The only thing that works for weight loss is calories in, calories out."
Jillian goes on to clarify that you still need to watch your calories while on an intermittent fasting diet. "If you eat more energy than your body needs in a day, then you'll store that energy as fat, period," she says. "If you want to lose weight, it doesn't really matter when you consume your calories. It just matters how much you're consuming and how much you're burning."
Her best intermittent fasting advice? "I recommend eating every three to four hours, so it automatically gives you an overnight fast period of minimum 12, maximum 16 fasting hours. That is it."
Catch the full video here:
Well, there you have it.
Jennifer Nied is the fitness editor at Women’s Health and has more than 10 years of experience in health and wellness journalism. She’s always out exploring—sweat-testing workouts and gear, hiking, snowboarding, running, and more—with her husband, daughter, and dog.
