Intermittent Fasting - Links / Advice

[Prospect]

Are any of you guys who are experiencing with IF, exercising in the morning? If so do you eat in the morning say 7am-3pm or so or do you hold off until say 11am-7pm? I’m looking to experiment with this in efforts of cutting a few pounds but with my schedule I workout at 5:30 am. Thinking about holding off on food until lunch but would like to hear others thoughts on this.

 

[mr_meanor]

Are any of you guys who are experiencing with IF, exercising in the morning? If so do you eat in the morning say 7am-3pm or so or do you hold off until say 11am-7pm? I’m looking to experiment with this in efforts of cutting a few pounds but with my schedule I workout at 5:30 am. Thinking about holding off on food until lunch but would like to hear others thoughts on this.

Depends on your goals. I only IF when im cruising on a TRT dose and cutting up. And even then i do a smaller IF like a 14/10. I do not believe the longer fasts are optimal for muscle growth or my personal goals at this time. When blasting I personally do not believe IF is optimal at all and eat as many clean calories as often as my body will accept them.

 

[Prospect]

Depends on your goals. I only IF when im cruising on a TRT dose and cutting up. And even then i do a smaller IF like a 14/10. I do not believe the longer fasts are optimal for muscle growth or my personal goals at this time. When blasting I personally do not believe IF is optimal at all and eat as many clean calories as often as my body will accept them.

I’m on TRT 200 mg a week. Currently weigh 250 lbs at 6’1”. My goals are to maintain muscle mass and burn belly fat. I have cut my carb load in half over the last 6 weeks or so and it’s helped but that’s eating meals from 6am-9:30pm daily. I’m wanting to fit about the same caloric intake but in a smaller timeframe. 14-10 would be easier. If I worked out at 5:30 am would you suggest I eat my first meal at lunch about 11:00 or so and eat for a 8-10 hour time frame or should I eat earlier after workout at 7:00?

 

[mr_meanor]

I’m on TRT 200 mg a week. Currently weigh 250 lbs at 6’1”. My goals are to maintain muscle mass and burn belly fat. I have cut my carb load in half over the last 6 weeks or so and it’s helped but that’s eating meals from 6am-9:30pm daily. I’m wanting to fit about the same caloric intake but in a smaller timeframe. 14-10 would be easier. If I worked out at 5:30 am would you suggest I eat my first meal at lunch and 11:00 or so and eat for a 8-10 hour time frame or should I eat earlier after workout at 7:00?

IF is great for losing fat and as long as you eat all the calories you need during your window and maintain your training you should not lose any lean mass. There are alot of health benefits to fasting and I do a longer fast about once a month, but right now Im trying to pack on size.

They say that fasted workouts do not make you burn more fat necessarily but they do deplete glycogen stores and will set your body up to use the carbohydrates you consume later in the day more efficiently.

 

[JoeBlob12]

I’m on TRT 200 mg a week. Currently weigh 250 lbs at 6’1”. My goals are to maintain muscle mass and burn belly fat. I have cut my carb load in half over the last 6 weeks or so and it’s helped but that’s eating meals from 6am-9:30pm daily. I’m wanting to fit about the same caloric intake but in a smaller timeframe. 14-10 would be easier. If I worked out at 5:30 am would you suggest I eat my first meal at lunch about 11:00 or so and eat for a 8-10 hour time frame or should I eat earlier after workout at 7:00?

Usually you want to workout in your most fasted state. It’s not so much that you should break your fast directly after a workout because protein synthesis continues for over 24 hours after a workout. The myth is that you must eat directly following a workout to optimize protein synthesis. So really it doesn’t matter too much but I would personally eat my last meal early and then break my fast with breakfast. Whatever you’re most comfortable with though. I do a 18/6 window but only 3 days a week. Other days are maintenance and then a 24 hour fast every Saturday.

What you break your fast with is just as important as the fast itself though. You become extremely insulin sensitive while fasting and you will amplify the effects of what foods you eat good or bad. I break my fast with 4oz of lean protein only, and then have my normal meal 1 hour later. Do not mix carbs with fat when you break it.

 

[JoeBlob12]

IF is great for losing fat and as long as you eat all the calories you need during your window and maintain your training you should not lose any lean mass.

There are different opinions on this, but I have found that alternating days of IF gives me the most benefit in the long term. Monday I will eat maintenance calories with no IF, and then Tuesday I will fast and shock my body with a 500-800 calorie deficit. Then the next day I will eat maintenance no IF. Then following that will shock my body with a deficit again by using IF.

This is so that my body doesn’t adapt to the deficit on a daily basis. If you do this consistently, what happens when you don’t do IF for a day and over eat? You will store those extra calories as fat simply because your body is so used to running on fewer calories that it doesn’t need them. And I know you’re talking about eating at maintenance calories in your window, but your body is still at a deficit for the majority of the day. I’m not sure why everyone looks at calories in a 24 hour span. If you’re eating, you’re in a surplus at that exact point in time. If you’re not eating, technically you’re in a deficit. I like to look at my deficit over the period of a week and try to end up at 3500 deficit regardless of how I got there.

 

[mr_meanor]

I agree for the most part, especially about the 24 hour window. I Iike your approach of alternating days. You still get the benefits of completley digesting everything in your stomach but just do it every other day.

 

[mr_meanor]

What you break your fast with is just as important as the fast itself though.

Absolutley! Great point. I usually break my fasts with something small then wait 30 to an hour to eat a big meal like a glass of water mixed with ACV, lemon juice, Himalayan salt and creatine monohydrate. Or Sometimes I break it with bonebroth, creatine, salt and MCT oil when im on a carb free day. This I think would be goal specific.

 

[Demondosage]

Yes humans have absolutley evolved due to changes in diet and habit, I agree with this thought. But my thought would also be that for the average human it has not been a healthy evolution

Humans also used to die at 30 years of age too, I think we have done a lot better than we used to, hahaha.

 

[mr_meanor]

Diet has been the catylist for obesity, heart disease and diabetes epidemic over the past 60 years in my opinion. If it wasn't for modern medicine to treat these things people would be dying at the same young ages or changing the way the eat.

 

[ergomaniac]

Effect of intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk: A randomized 1-year trial. - PubMed - NCBI

"The intermittent energy restriction group was advised to consume 400/600 kcal (female/male) on two non-consecutive days."

i think this is a different strategy than the op was asking about.

Yes I read that part too. So lower test and igf-1 in order to lose a slight more amount of fat? I’ve never said intermittent fasting doesn’t work or has no benefits. But the study I posted was a 1 year trial so I think that overrules your little 8 week initial greater fat loss.

id favor results over transient lab numbers.
and I'm not sure why its "my" little 8 week initial greater fast loss, i didn't post the study. and who's "cutting" for much more than 8 weeks?

you can also maintain and gain by periodically fasting. the discussion has shifted to things that weren't even in the op's question.

 

[ergomaniac]

Humans also used to die at 30 years of age too, I think we have done a lot better than we used to, hahaha.

perhaps they should have eaten more "meals".
that statement is inaccurate, and I'm sure there were other contributing factors to premature death.
"used to" is also somewhat vague.

 

[ergomaniac]

What are some good sources for information on Intermittent Fasting?

I’m trying to make some changes and I’m curious if this is something that could be a long term kind of deal.

If you have some good advice for someone just getting started, post up.

Cheers!

i follow Mark Sisson. i like him and what he has to say. here's something recent, and more if you look
Top 10 Fasting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them | Mark's Daily Apple

i also follow this guy/site.
ergo-log. Intermittent fasting

this was the first book i read on the concept. more philosophical than scientific...but.
i ordered it along with dan duchaine's "underground body opus".

 

[LeoTC]

Here’s one study out of maybe 100 that I could’ve found. Intermittent fasting group ended with a 16% loss in body fat vs a 2.8% decrease in the standard 3 meals a day group. That’s just the fat loss.. also lower inflammation markers and higher hgh levels in the fasted group.

Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males | Journal of Translational Medicine | Full Text

The truth is.. you can find a study to support almost anything you want to believe. But recent science in the last 4-5 years is debunking the old science that says there’s no difference.

You realize that a good number of these studies are put together to push an agenda, correct?

The vast majority are barely degree level and horribly executed.

That's seriously not true of just IF, but Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian, Carnivore, Etc.

So fucking tired of zealots going on about their magic fucking beans.

If you can maintain, it's a good option. If you can't, it isn't going to get you good results.

It's all about caloric restriction.

That's it.

Per. Fucking. Science.

/Thread

 

[ergomaniac]

/Thread

but i may have more to add

 

[ergomaniac]

...what happens when you don’t do IF for a day and over eat? You will store those extra calories as fat simply because your body is so used to running on fewer calories that it doesn’t need them.

metabolism isn't static.
this statement is inaccurate.
and if you do overeat, eat more protein, and carbs.

 

[LeoTC]

metabolism isn't static.
this statement is inaccurate.
and if you do overeat, eat more protein, and carbs.

Bro.

Respec mah authorita.

 

[Biggles48]

So many different things work for so many different people. I’m 48, been off cycle for 6 weeks. Currently TRT @150-175 test/wk.

Been living the keto life for 16 months, I.F. every day, workout fasted in the A.M. after slamming some black coffee. On cruise, energy and intensity was noticeably less so I switched to doing just one body part a day-it’s helped me focus my energy on that one body part and things have improved. So far, I haven’t noticed any muscle loss despite slight strength decrease. Still vascular and get great pumps. Back on cycle I’ll go back to two body parts a workout because I turn into a machine.

Despite what many told me, I gained lean mass on keto and fasting and I’m keeping it...fingers crossed

 

[mr_meanor]

So many different things work for so many different people. I’m 48, been off cycle for 6 weeks. Currently TRT @150-175 test/wk.

Been living the keto life for 16 months, I.F. every day, workout fasted in the A.M. after slamming some black coffee. On cruise, energy and intensity was noticeably less so I switched to doing just one body part a day-it’s helped me focus my energy on that one body part and things have improved. So far, I haven’t noticed any muscle loss despite slight strength decrease. Still vascular and get great pumps. Back on cycle I’ll go back to two body parts a workout because I turn into a machine.

Despite what many told me, I gained lean mass on keto and fasting and I’m keeping it...fingers crossed

I did keto a few years back for almost a year. It changed my perspective because I also gained lean mass and got more shredded than I have ever been. I did hit a plateau about a year ago. I started a targeted keto approach, which is really more of just a low carb diet, where i consume high carbs post workout only, and i started to grow again.

 

[JoeBlob12]

metabolism isn't static.
this statement is inaccurate.
and if you do overeat, eat more protein, and carbs.

If you fast everyday your basal metabolic rate will eventually adapt to the calorie deficit. Fasting should be the exception rather than the rule. 3-5 days a week. It also maintains effectiveness this way and shocks your body each time you do it. If you do it everyday it just becomes the norm and your body expects it and doesn’t respond like it did in the beginning.