Intermittent Fasting

Don't believe everything they say, man!

 

An update on my latest in experiments with intermittent fasting.

Mad gains, man. Mad gains.

So I started off with alternate-day fasting back in April, which is fasting every other day for 24 hours. Then I gave eat-stop-eat fasting a try, which is a 24 hour fast two times per week. The best results I have seen have been in the past 4 weeks now that I have been doing primarily Leangains fasting, developed by Swedish nutritional consultant and personal trainer, Martin Berkhan, which is a 16 hour fasting window and an 8 hour eating window. My eating window is closer to 6 hours -- sometimes 4 -- with a 18-20 hour fast daily, and may be even closer to Ori Hofmekler's 'Warrior Diet'.

I have never had more energy, and I NEVER feel hungry or like my blood sugar is low. That's because intermittent fasting actually stabilizes your blood glucose and insulin levels.

It's no wonder that people who eat less often live longer and have greater longevity. The body simply isn't made to take in food every 2 hours, and in hunter-gatherer times, food wasn't always available like it is today around-the-clock.

I am telling you, if you want to become lean while building muscle, this is the only real way to go. But don't take my word, do the research for yourself.

 

I researched this a little after you mentioned it in another thread. It's definitely interesting. It makes sense though. I might try it out for a week or two and see how it affects my workouts.

P.s. don't you love when you find something that works for you, and people come in and tell you how wrong you are?

 

Well, it might take a few weeks to get used to it. However, after that you should definitely notice an improvement in that you will have more energy. Your focus should also be increased. I am telling you, there are so many health benefits to this.

Look at some before and after pictures of people who tried intermittent fasting. The results are quite staggering.

 

Hm. Well, maybe August will be a trial month for it.

 

Careful...you may not want to go crazy and jump off the deep end like Martin has done.

 

Fitzy, have you ever been involved in an intermittent fasting regimen?

From your older posts, it looks like you were involved in some competitive swimming and had a very good physique. Curious about what your eating and exercise regimens were at that time.

 

Yes, I've used a few different variations of IF.

I was a competitive swimmer through college.

I'll respond more later tonight when not on my phone

 

Ok. Thanks.

 

When I was competitively swimming, I was not using an IF approach, nor would I recommend IF. I was up in the morning at 5am doing bodyweight work/running (3 days a week). 2 hours a day in the pool (5 days a week), with competition day on Saturday and Sundays off. 2-3 days a week I was in the gym lifting weights.

Would it have been possible to use IF? Maybe...for some...but i wouldn't have been able to adhere to the principles of it at the time. I wouldn't have been able to consume the needed calories and nurtrients that would fuel everything i did. This is right around the time Martin's blog had just started to gain traction and conversations with other top level nutritionists were going on - around 2008...so it certainly wasn't as popular of a diet as it now is.

I've had my best results with modified diets. I've done the lean gains style and just didnt' like it. Adherence is the important piece of any dietary approach you choose. Lean gains works great for some people...and others, not so much.

For me, i've used a protein sparing modified fast (keto diet) for fat loss, which worked wonderfully. I've used this twice, on a short term basis. First time, i included the traditional ephedrine+caffeine stack. 2nd time I didn't. I got better results the 1st time around.

the other successful diet i've used in the past couple years was a modified warriors diet from Ori Hofmekler - Ori's way isn't really suited for those who strength train. So there's a modication for it. Basically on training days, instead of actually fasting, you undereat (20-25grams protein, shake is best + some fruit {carb source} or a fat = ~200 calories) a couple times...then you train, and then you can have your feast (4-6 hour window, depending on what your following)...on non-training days, you can choose to do the fast as a normal fast, or supplement with BCAA+EAA...and then have your feast.

^^this is something i'm making progress back to doing...but right now i'm doing some sort of bastardized approach - not quite there yet, but getting there lol

so in essence, personally, i'm able to adhere to a modified approach best. it fits my goals and personality, and i'm still able to go out and enjoy a night out with drinks.

plenty of ways to get to your goals, whatever it may be. IF (whether a standard or modified approach) is just one of them. Not magical by any means. works for some and not others.

 

I've been reading "The 8 Hour Diet" and I'm on day 7 of intermittent fasting. No real change yet. I'm still getting used to it, but it's not too hard.

 

Thanks for the detailed info, Fitzy.

 

And I agree with Fitzy in that IF is probably not recommended for people who regularly do high intensity cardio like competitive swimming.