Today we’re here with the best-selling author of Eat Stop Eat, intermittent fasting extraordinaire, and modern day Adonis, Mr. Brad Pilon.
You folks have been begging me to get him on the show for a while now, and I don’t blame you. He’s a totally cool dude. We talked for 2 hours. (Don’t worry, the show is only an hour. But we could have talked for 6.)
Through appearing on National Television, speaking at National Scientific Conferences and his best-selling book Eat Stop Eat, Brad has definitely done his part to help millions of people become aware of the amazing health benefits of fasting.
Brad has a super cool story. After watching too many episodes of “The Incredible Hulk,” he caught the muscle bug. By 14, he had a subscription to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and by 16 he was selling supplements to bodybuilders at his local supplement shop. He went on to earn an honors degree in Applied Human Nutrition and eventually worked his way up to Research and Development Manager at a top supplement company.
He traveled all over the world, meeting with leading researchers in the field of muscle building and fat loss. Brad had meetings with Mr. Olympia champions, dinner with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and workouts with 400 pound strong men.
Then something surprising happened. “I discovered that a number of things I believed to be true were in fact false, AND I discovered that much of what I thought to be false was actually true.” (Sound familiar?)
He dove back into academia and originally focused on proving that intermittent fasting was complete bunk. He found the opposite, promptly realigned his relationship with the universe, and became one of the most prominent figures in fasting research and is largely responsible for bringing IF to the public eye.
And if you’re still worried that your muscles will shrivel up and die if you don’t stuff protein down your gullet every three hours, here’s what fasting 1-2 days a week looks like…
“In the first picture (taken 6 years ago) I LIVED body building. I had dieted for 4 long months before this picture was taken. I had followed the high protein lifestyle, I did cardio in the morning, weights at lunch and then cardio again after work. I took every single supplement I could get my hands on. And, it worked. The results were awesome and I was really happy with how I looked. But, I wasn’t necessarily happy with the process.
The middle picture was taken three years ago. I was about 3 years into Eat Stop Eat. I was lean, I didn’t have to do a harsh diet for 4 months to take the picture, I was still very happy with how I looked, but I was even happier with the process, since it was significantly easier.
The last picture was taken this past February. Nothing other than a spray tan, a quick shave of the chest and some water loading was needed for that pic. I’m now extremely happy with the process. I’ve even changed my body since the second picture. I’m increased the width of my shoulders while becoming a little less chesty (I took a LONG break from any sort of chest training). Eat Stop Eat has let me get rid of almost all of my Obsessive Compulsive Eating. I don’t worry about macro-nutrient profiles, calorie cycling, food combining or any of that stuff.
So the big difference between these three pictures was the approach to getting lean. The second difference is the hair.”
“Eat Stop Eat” is absolutely one of the best resources out there for those just getting started with fasting.
If you haven’t already checked it out, “Eat Stop Eat” is a great read and I highly recommend it. For being such a smart and heady dude, Brad’s writing style is accessible and entertaining. Another cool thing – since it’s an eBook, it’s an evolving document and is constantly updated with new findings and research. He’s already updated it 5 times! Check out “Eat Stop Eat” and “How Much Protein?” below.
In the show, Brad and I chat about:
- Why you don’t need to abandon your social life and lead a miserable “fitness model lifestyle” to have a fitness model physique
- Why it may be acceptable to break your fast if you just crashed your brand new car into the curb
- Why you don’t need a $400 supplement pack to “cleanse” your body
- Why BCAAs may be overrated
- How much protein to eat (or not eat) for optimal fat loss and muscle gain
- How life is too short not to enjoy single malt scotch and cigars
- And Brad answers listener questions about Bulletproof coffee, how many calories snap you out of “fasting mode,” and how and when to exercise during a fast
Sweet. Here’s the show.
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If you’re curious about Intermittent Fasting, Check out Brad’s book below.
LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD
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Nicole Essink says
Thanks so much for this podcast! It has quite possibly changed my life! I’ve struggled with binge eating and almost uncontrollable sugar cravings for years. After just one 24 hour fast I was shocked by how great I felt! Thanks again, love your podcasts!
Abel James says
Nicole, that is so awesome to hear! Keep it up!
Christopher says
I’ve listened to many podcast interviews and this one is hands-down one of the most helpful I’ve heard. I’ve known a lot about ESE but Brad’s take on things is pretty awesome in general. Great to hear his advice first hand.
Abel James says
Ya, Brad’s a pretty sweet dude.
Danielle says
Thank you so much for this podcast. I am THAT 5’2″ girl. I’ve had weight issues my entire life and it took me time to really get that I should be eating mostly real food, and since I have type II diabetes, I also have to watch my carb intake. Eating low carb helped me get my A1c back into check and shed some weight. However, it’s a real pain never eating carbs and having to track BG every four hours to see if I could eat another unsatisfying meal. If I eat grains/startches/sugar, I would have to wait a long time before my BG dropped and I would be very hungry. BY fasting and reducing my eating window, I’m able to broaden my food selection and enjoy my meals. The excess weight is also coming off. It’s a big burden off my shoulders. Thanks for sharing this information.
Abel James says
That’s awesome Danielle! So glad you’re having success with fasting. I just ate my first meal of the day and it’s 3:30pm. 🙂
Rick Osborn says
Abel, just found you the other day via another podcast. I’ve been checking out your site and your info and have listened to a couple of podcasts. I have to say that you rock! You do an awesome job and I’m thrilled to have found you. Keep up the good work, my friend! Oh yeah, and I loved listening to this podcast too!
Emily Dewey says
Glad you’re enjoying it! Welcome! – Emily, FBM Team Coach
MT says
Really great podcast. Loved his discussion with bulletproof coffee and just “over-doing” on healthy food.
I really enjoy your podcasts Abel, highest quality among all the other ones I’ve heard. Very objective and informative.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers from Canada.
Abel James says
Thanks so much for the kind words! We’ll keep ’em coming. 🙂
Dave says
Abel,
I was really hoping to listen to this podcast but can’t seem to find it back in the log? is there any way i can find it online and listen to it?
Dave
Abel James says
Hi Dave, you can listen to the full episode (and download it to your computer) right on this page. (iTunes only lets me put 100 episodes in the podcast feed, and I’m now over 150! 🙂
Prasad says
Great Podcast !!!