My favourite weight-busting fasting protocol

This summer has been one of big changes and major transitions, which is a guaranteed route to stress. And of course, one of the major contributions of stress is to raise cortisol levels in our bodies, which almost always results directly in weight gain, or plateaus in weight loss. If you're struggling with this at all yourself, here is the fasting protocol that I've found works best for really getting your weight loss rolling again: the 42x3! 

Here's how it works: you fast for 42 hours three times in a week. A typical schedule could look like this: 

Sunday night: eat dinner at 6pm. Start fasting. 

Monday: fast all day. 

Tuesday: fast until 12pm. Eat lunch. Eat dinner at 6pm. Resume fasting. 

Wednesday: fast all day.

Thursday: fast until 12pm. Eat lunch. Eat dinner at 6pm. Resume fasting. 

Friday: fast all day. 

Saturday: fast until 12pm. Eat lunch. Eat dinner at 6pm. Resume fasting if you want, and repeat!

I guarantee that your numbers will start moving again if you follow this fasting schedule! And if you haven't read my earlier posts about what you can consume during your fast, here's your complete list: 

• Water: still or sparkling, as long as there are no added sweeteners of any kind!
• Tea: any kind, but especially green tea, which contains a natural appetite suppressant! It's best without anything added, but you *can* add a splash of milk to your black tea. No sugar or sweeteners!
• Coffee: black is best, but you *can* add up to 1 tbsp of cream or milk. No sugar or sweeteners! Spices are a great addition if you don't like black coffee. Try adding or brewing it with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla extract, etc. 
• Bone broth: homemade only. Store-bought is inevitably disgusting, trust me, and if it's an instant bouillon powder/cube/concentrated paste, it will absolutely have sugars added!
• Diluted apple cider vinegar: I personally find this disgusting, but many people enjoy it!
• Pickle juice: small quantities only. The vinegar aspect is good, again, and apparently people enjoy this. 

My personal method is to stick to water and green tea, maybe the very occasional cup of black tea with milk or coffee (black or occasionally with cream). I used to drink a powdered bouillon as well, but have weaned myself off it once I realized it was full of corn syrup solids (sigh...). Either way, this 42x3 is a fantastic protocol to follow and I highly recommend giving it a try!