The Double-Double is the BBP-branded eating strategy better known as Intermittent Fasting.
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating style where you have periods of the day when you’re eating and periods when you’re not. Basically you eat all of your calories within a specific set time period, and fast the rest of the time. Contrary to what most people think, IF is not an actual diet, but more of a lifestyle choice or an eating strategy as I call it.
You’ll benefit from this strategy if you:
- Don’t like eating in the morning
- Do enjoy eating bigger meals
- Eat out on a regularly
- Don’t like meal prepping food
The most popular way to run IF is the 16:8 method, which means you’d fast 16 hours and eat for 8 hours each day.
An example would be eating your first meal at 12pm, finishing your last meal right before 8 PM, and then fasting until 12pm the next day. That eating window can vary from 12pm-8pm, 1pm-9pm, 11am-7pm, etc.
Although some people actually prefer longer fasting windows (18, 20, or even 22 hours).
For most of us, fasting longer than 18-20 hours won’t work.
Our approach to fasting, The Double Double is much more lifestyle convenient.
How To Use The “Double Double” Eating Strategy
Our specific way of eating is a twist off of the actual intermittent Fasting strategy that we call the Double Double. With this strategy, you’ll push your first meal back 4-8 hours into the day depending on the time you wake up. After you have your first meal, you’ll have your last meal 6-8 hours later. I provide an example below.
Here’s an example:
- 6 AM: Wake Up
- 12 PM: Meal #1
- 3 PM: Snack
- 7 PM: Meal #2
- 9 PM: Snack #2
Another example:
- 7 AM: Wake Up
- 10 AM: Snack
- 1 PM: Meal #1
- 8 PM: Meal #2
If you’re used to eating breakfast and you’re trying to switch over to IF, you might wake up in the morning feeling hungry, having some caffeine from coffee or tea can help curve your appetite. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, which can make it easier to push that first meal back.
Once you get into IF for few weeks, you’ll get used the method and the morning hunger will subside, but if you’re getting uncomfortably hungry, strategic snacking can help.
Use your snacks as your secret diet weapon. Have some fruit at whatever time you feel yourself getting hungry before or after meals. Whether that’s 10am or 10pm, just make sure you don’t go over your calories…
I recommend snacking on whole fruit and/or protein.
The water, fiber, and volume of fruit will help keep you full (We recommend melons or berries due to the large amount you can have while consuming minimal calories. )
Protein, for reasons we already talked about, will help you stay full as well.
Aim to keep your snacks around 200-300 calories.
Some of my favorite snacks for fasting include:
- Fruit (ideally melons or berries)
- Rice cakes
- Vegan protein bar
- Nice cream
- Seaweed snacks
- Protein shake
Intermittent Fasting Recap:
- Wake up & skip breakfast.
- Drink lots of water throughout the day.
- Use black coffee/tea to suppress your appetite.
- Have your first meal 4-8 hours after waking up.
- Have your last meal 6-10 hours after your first meal.
- If you need a snack, choose whole fruit and/or a protein source.
- Keep snacks around 200-300 calories.
How Would our Homies Tim & Tina snack?
Tim: 2300 Calories & 130g of Protein Minimum
- Wake Up (7 AM): Coffee: (50 calories with a lil sweetener)
- Snack (9 AM): 300 Calories & 20g Protein
- Meal #1 (12 PM): 750 Calories & 50g Protein
- Meal #2 (7 PM): 850 Calories & 55g Protein
- Snack (8:30pm): 350 Calories & 15g Protein
Total: 2200 Calories & 140g Protein
Tina: 1800 Calories & 110g of Protein Minimum
- Wake Up (5 AM) Tea (40 calories with a lil sweetener)
- Meal #1 (12 AM): 600 Calories & 50g Protein
- Meal #2 (6 AM): 800 Calories & 70g Protein
- Snack (8 PM): 300 Calories & 10g Protein
Total: 1740 Calories & 130g Protein
Intermittent Fasting FAQ’s
Q: Do I have to fast every day?
You don’t have to.
However, one benefit fasting every day is that it’ll help your body get into a productive routine that it depends on with hunger signals to train yourself to be hungery at those times.
But if you don’t want to fast every day, you don’t want to. As I mentioned earlier, I fast Mon-Friday and on the weekends I eat breakfast. Some of our clients will just use fasting as a strategy on days when they know they are having a larger dinner or go out on a Friday/Saturday night.
Q: What if I get hungry before it’s time to have my first meal?
- Wait. (usually, slight hunger will pass after 10-20 minutes)
- Drink coffee or water.
- Have a snack as previously outlined.
- Just have your meal a bit earlier.
Remember, fasting is just a tool, and you don’t have to be perfect with it.
Q: Isn’t it bad to skip breakfast?
Nope, There’s no research to suggest that not eating first thing in the morning is unhealthy, and it’s especially not necessary for losing weight.
It doesn’t matter if you eat most of your calories earlier or later in the day…
Whether it’s split between 1, 4, or 10 meals…
What matters most for weight loss is that you’re consistently eating in a calorie deficit.
Q: Can I workout fasted?
Yes! I would just make sure you have your first meal at least 2 hours after working out, and make sure there’s protein in that meal too.
Q: Can I still drink liquids?
Yes! Any zero-calorie or low calorie liquid like water, black coffee, tea, or diet soda/pop is fine.
Q: Will I lose muscle from fasting?
No, As long as you’re eating enough calories & protein and working out regularly, you won’t lose muscle.
Q: What if I don’t want to fast anymore?
Don’t do it, at the end of the day, it’s all about the calorie deficit, and fasting is just one way to do that. Try the other eating strategies that we suggest in the program.