Intermittent Fasting? (IF)

Preparation, Preparedness & Prevention Fitness and Nutrition
1

Those who have tried it care to comment?

I’m fairly fit already, workout regularly, and eat pretty good (beer weakness notwithstanding). I’m within 5-7 pounds of my “fighting weight” (and I maintain that with some effort), so I’m not looking for some miracle diet or massive lifestyle change, but I’m curious enough to try something different. Conventional wisdom talks about 6 meals a day (which I subscribe to - and have done with success).

But being the open minded, 21st Century, global citizen that I am (right?), I’m open to trying this to see how it affects me. I searched this forum and read some of the flamewars in the diet threads and did a search for IF specifically. I’ve read much of leangains.com and bodyrecomposition, so all I’m looking for is some personal experience and success/fail stories in this particular group. From reading here, it seems some have tried it.

2

You’ll just be tired when you fast, and if you do it to the point where you lose weight your cal maintenance will go down, so you will gain it back when you stop the intermittent fasting. The problem with any diet that greatly limits calories is you will lose at much lean body mass as fat, so even if you see results on the scale you won’t look any better, feel any better, or be in better shape anyway. 6 meals a day is good. Just eat cleaner and you will get fast results.

3

I disagree. IF works and many people have a lot of success with it. The whole 6 meals a day makes sense only if you are trying to keep your caloric intake under 500 per meal in order to avoid an increased insulin response. The whole “keep your metabolism up” is bull from what Ive seen lately.

Like any diet involving calorie restriction it should be cycled a few weeks on (2-3) and one week off in order to avoid having your body adjust to the lower intake.

-Rick

4

More than weight loss, IF is best suited for detoxification, cleansing and cell purification… all related to your overall health. Now days, with the “manufactured food” we have, IF can help you live longer and be more healthy…

Rmpl

5

I’m a fitness and nutrition professional, 16 years running.

Fasting is probably the WORST thing you can do to your metabolism and lean muscle mass.

Combine all the elements of the top accepted dietary regimens out there, from the American Heart Association, Diabetes Association, Zone, Palio, Atkins, South Beach, etc, etc, etc… Find what 90% of them have 80% in common, and you’ll find the truth.

This is a low simple/processed carbohydrate, modestly high protein, high fiber diet, with significant healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake, emphasizing real food, and lots of water, spread over 5-6 smaller meals per day.

Your body will function best here, and with a decent amount of exercise, and proper calorie intake, reach ITS genetic maximum/optimum body composition. For some people, this is single-digit fat levels and a 6-pack. For others, this is simply healthy and “teens” BF%.

Radical departures from this are generally unhealthy, but exceptionally lucrative if you’re trying to sell a book… since desperate people will do anything for a quick fix, or to “prove conventional wisdom wrong”. Conventional wisdom exists for a reason. Science.

A few VERY unique individuals have found UNIQUE results from unique diets, workouts, etc… But for 90% of the population, the formula is the same.

JeffWard

6

Jeff, would you care to critique/read this with an open mind?

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

FWIW, Martin only sells consultations, and he may have a book in the future, but he is not a charlatan like some of the schmoes out there. He has posted on a number of forums giving out advice and refining his methods for years.

7

No, I won’t. I feel fine. I even lift on an empty stomach (with BCAAs beforehand) often.

and if you do it to the point where you lose weight your cal maintenance will go down, so you will gain it back when you stop the intermittent fasting.

Metabolic slowdown requires substantial weight loss. Google “Minnesota starvation experiment” for an example.

The problem with any diet that greatly limits calories is you will lose at much lean body mass as fat, so even if you see results on the scale you won’t look any better, feel any better, or be in better shape anyway.

It doesn’t work that way. It CAN, if you train and eat in a retarded fashion (see: pro BBer contest prep). Keep intensity (weight on bar) high, eat lots of protein, and don’t drop calories retardedly low.

6 meals a day is good. Just eat cleaner and you will get fast results.

“Clean” eating is nonsense. There is no such thing as “clean” and “unclean” food.

8

I appreciate all the input, and the discussion.

Like I said, I have no need for fast weight loss, etc. I’m pretty much where I need to be. I imagine that a lot of people that see this stuff are looking for the next “3 week path to losing 20 lbs of fat” idea. That’s not me.

I’m more interested in hearing if it works from someone who’s tried it. I already know it goes against “conventional wisdom” (which I use successfully), but that does not mean alternatives don’t exist.

I have a hard time eating in the am. My job keeps me on the go until early afternoon. I’m on the go and getting in the good food often enough can be a challenge (that I can pull off fine). If IF fits my lifestyle better and it does no harm, then it may be worth a shot. The functional statement being “if it does no harm”. I workout at 5:30am daily (heavy lifts and intermittent trail running). I end with a fairly robust protein shake. Replacing that with just BCAA’s before and after is one of my biggest hurdles. After that I might actually find it easier.

Then again, I may turn into a tired sack of blubber and bones by noon on the first day. :laugh:

9

It’s not supposed to be a quick fix diet, and most of the people who tout it’s use say that:

A. There may or may not be any physiological/partitioning benefit from IF
B. It certainly isn’t for everyone.

It isn’t supposed to be magical, it’s supposed to be an alternative way for people to structure their feeding schedule. There is, for many, a huge psychological benefit from eating larger meals, for not worrying about food all the time, for not having to haul around 6 tupperwares full of chicken, etc. Some people, like yourself, don’t like to eat breakfast.

Many people even find mental bonuses to the fasting period, e.g. increased energy and focus due to increased SNS output.

I can’t handle the morning fasting period, so I don’t use the whole IF template. I do, however, find value in many of the tenets of the system, such as cycling calories around workout days, fasted training, and others.

10

I guess I missed this the first time I read your post, but this argument seems to ignore all the advances we have made by challenging paradigms throughout history.

Flat Earth, relativity, manned flight, you name it. If we had stuck to conventional, conservative science none of these would have been possible.

In the 80s, we KNEW that eating fat made you fat.
In the 90s, we KNEW that eating CHO made you fat.

The 6 meal a day paradigm isn’t based in much science, just the ramblings of genetically gifted, PED-using BBers, and backed by the supplement industry and its’ propaganda arm, the muscle and fitness magazines.

There is nothing wrong with measured skepticism, but dismissing a concept out of hand isn’t good science.

ombine all the elements of the top accepted dietary regimens out there, from the American Heart Association, Diabetes Association, Zone, Palio, Atkins, South Beach, etc, etc, etc… Find what 90% of them have 80% in common, and you’ll find the truth…
Radical departures from this are generally unhealthy, but exceptionally lucrative if you’re trying to sell a book… since desperate people will do anything for a quick fix, or to “prove conventional wisdom wrong”.

So you attempt to marginalize those who promote IF because they may have a financial incentive, but a couple of paragraphs before that, you cite Atkins and Zone as being the standards for nutrition?! I would wager that those two combined are at least a billion-dollar industry.

11

This ^^ defines my interest.

Can you describe this or point to a link? I cannot recall seeing this.

Thanks

12

http://www.leangains.com/2008/06/sure-fire-fat-loss.html

5-6 paragraphs down.

13

People don’t understand what IF is about. It’s about insulin sensitivity for one, and NOT about calorie restriction. Intermittent fasting is also intermittent, it’s not about starving oneself.

I have done it before, and I do it on occasion now. I like it. It’s not a cure all, or magic, but I do enjoy it sometimes. It CAN also help trim some fat off while maintaining muscle if done carefully and correctly.

14

Yeah, unfortunately people see the name and automatically assume it means restricting calories. The truth is, many people use IF as a bulking template and gain muscle.

This is why I said concepts should not be dismissed out of hand.

15

Finally,some pants on bottom, real advice. You should post more here, just to keep the durp down.

16

Again, intermittent fasting is a lot more than just not eating. You should look into it a little bit.

17

Care to explain your issues with IF instead of posting trite little quips?

Have you inquired enough to know what you’re talking about?

18

You mad brah? I certainly believe thou is mad.

I think its funny. All these fad diets seem to attract a certain type of “athlete” . Right now, its way to easy for my to lol at the crossfitter/paleo-zone/IF crowd, because they believe soo hard they have found “the way” and the rest of us are brainwashed by conventional wisdom and held in shackles by the food pyramid,forever doomed to a life of gluten and bench presses. My diet is very close to paleo and I do CF style shit soo it’s easy to see where the people stop drinking water and wearing 5fingers, and start drinking koolaid and wearing air jordans.

All of these different camps will swear they are right, the other guy isnt, and here’s some “facts” why. Yeah, everybody’s bodies are different, and you can marshall a lot of disperate facts to support your camp, but dont get mad when those of us not waiting on the comet at least snicker in your general direction.

19

Nobody said its the only way. Only that there can be benefits for some, and its not the same as starving yourself.
You still haven’t come up with any real reasons why IF isn’t a viable option, really you have only made it clear you like to snicker at people who do different things than you.

20

And who in the IF camp is saying it’s the only way? Have you even read any of it? Or are you making dumbass assumptions?

I think it’s the latter.

As stated, some people find it’s easier to eat a few big meals later in the day than eat little meals every few hours. That’s basically IF, cut and dried.

The thing is, I don’t care what YOU do. I just don’t want people asking for information to be shackled by the broscience 6 meal a day paradigm because the geocentric types can yell louder than than everyone else.