Intermittent Fasting

Will_Run_for_Food

So. Intermittent fasting (i.e. eating your day's food over the period of 8 hours, for example between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.). Thoughts? Have you done it? Does it work for you? How does it affect your workout schedule?

Personally, I am considering giving it a try but I always work out in the early a.m. and need something to fuel up in the morning. I would have a hard time eating my last meal at 2 p.m...

tacticalhippie

I did pretty good with it.
But my workouts were in the afternoon and I could time my food around them.

obscuremusicreference

I do it from 3:30ish until I eat my last snack (generally around 10:30). This works for me because I'm not usually hungry during the day anyway, but I've always struggled with night snacking.

jacksonpt

I have. It's just another approach to help with calorie management. I have no problems lifting fasted, but longer duration and/or higher intensity cardio suffers.

Caffeine is great for a morning pick-me-up, and is a good pre-workout stim.

Steff46

I'm currently doing IF, my weekday workouts are near the end of my eating window so I usually just lift or swim those days and eat my last meal before 7pm. I work out fasted on the weekends and it seems to be working well for me. It took some getting used to because I was in the "must eat breakfast crowd". I am on day 76 and have lost only 5.5 pounds but I have lost 4% body fat (from 29% to 25%) which I love! My SO has lost 16 pounds and dropped his body fat by 5%.

robinsnest02

I've been IFing for a couple of weeks now (11-7) and really enjoying it. My morning cup of black coffee with pumpkin pie spice holds me over till 11am and I make sure to drink 128oz of water a day which helps in the evening. It feels like I'm eating more during my 2 meals even though I'm not and the pounds are falling off (and I don't have much to lose). It really fits my lifestyle. Have to admit I'm only doing it Monday-Friday though, I tend to eat and drink later on the weekends.

LaarainNYC

Just started last week, using the 12-hour window. I fast until 12 or so, depending on whether I'm working out or not. I'm not used to working out fasted yet. My goal is to make it to 8/16. I've lost 3 lbs so far, which is great considering I haven't been all that strict about my eating otherwise.

And caffeine definitely helps.

Showcase_Brodown

Been doing it for maybe a year and a half. I like it.

My schedule is no morning meal, breaking the fast at 2 pm or thereabouts, and closing my eating window about 10 pm. Coffee helps me get through the fast no problem, and by now I am used to the schedule.

I haven't noticed that fasting negatively affects my lifts. I actually prefer to go in while I'm still in my fasting window, but normally I end up going in the evening before my larger meal.

What I love most is the convenience of only worrying about 2 meals and the satisfaction that comes from being able to actually eat a large meal.

Just be sure that you realize calories still work the way they always have, this is just an approach that is preferred by some.

feisty_bucket

Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »

Have you done it? Does it work for you? How does it affect your workout schedule?

Yes, I'm currently eating in a 16:8 daily pattern and a once-a-week 24-hr fast.
I think it's great - eating this way has fixed my mindless eating/snacking tendencies. I'm also eating post-workout meals properly, which is a huge positive for me. So I plan on eating this way for the foreseeable future.

As for workout schedule, I just start my eating window and then do my exercising after a couple hours. Some people do it with only BCAAs (which I tried) but I wasn't nuts about that.

I would have a hard time eating my last meal at 2 p.m...

Eh, sometimes that's when I wrap up my food window. It's all about the same, maybe try it?

watto1980

It's good for me so I don't overeat. I eat between 10am-6pm and do all my training, both strength and cardio fasted in the morning.

It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the diet but then it's good.

MikeSanchez2323

This sounds like something I can benefit from but I am still unclear 100%. If I typically eat dinner at 8pm and don't eat again until 12 does that count as fasting or no since I am sleeping for a good portion of that time?

feisty_bucket

Mike: sure, sleeping time counts. That would be a 16-hour fast.

There are a few good books (Eat Stop Eat, 5:2), though the leangains site itself is probably the best.

honkytonks85

I did Eat Stop Eat (24 hr fast 2 days a week) for about 2 years total. The first year I did it I lost about 20kg and managed to keep it off for a while. I got pregnant and stopped fasting until I had stopped breastfeeding. I tried it again but it has been a year and I've lost nothing. I realised I was basically destroying my efforts because I was binging over the weekend so cancelling out the deficit. I decided to go back to calorie counting and get my eating under control. I may go back to it. It's a great tool for giving you more flexibility but it's not a magic bullet!

Qskim

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

Will_Run_for_Food

Thanks, everyone!

kbeard26

Actually you should train while fasting. I've read a few articles that you actually burn fat training while fasting. Now if you're use to eating breakfast then it will take some time getting use to it but I prefer training in a fasted state. I feel like I train harder than eating a meal before the gym. I'm an intermittent faster for life it seems. I've been using IF for 2 years. I lost about 20-30 pounds just regular calories in and calories out and training hard. Then I discovered IF and it helped me drop another 60 pounds and still counting. It takes some getting use to but it works. You will have to switch up routines at times to keep your body guessing. I started out doing 16 hour fast, then I did 20, then I tried 23 hour fast daily and I enjoy it. Eating one huge meal with lots of veggies keeps me full. I also do a few water fast a year. If your nutrition is junk everyone should try a 3 day water fast to help clear up cravings for junk food to get you eating healthier (if you have health problems contact a dr before you fast). As long as you eat nutrient dense foods you will go a long way with IF. When you feel like your weightloss has stalled throw a carb cycle in there to get you back into fat burning mode or even a 24 hour water fast then go back to eating clean. Its worked well for me.

SnuggleSmacks

I'm rarely hungry in the morning, so my body tends toward IF anyway. I work second shift, so I sleep until late morning, eat sometime between 1 and 3 p.m. and then have a snack at work, and dinner between 6 and 8 p.m.

I find that if I have a snack when I get home, it sets me up to be hungry when I wake up, particularly if it was something sweet. And if I eat breakfast when I wake up, I tend to be hungry all day. I'm sure this has to do with blood sugar fluctuations, but what works for me is to simply wait until I'm hungry, and don't snack after dinner.

This also allows me to have larger meals with more bulk and/or fats, so I feel full and satisfied for a longer time.

My boyfriend is the opposite...he has to eat every few hours or he feels that his energy level drops. I sometimes have a hard time resisting snacking when he does, but I feel better when I don't.

missiontofitness

If you have any doubts, don't anchor yourself to something. I personally wouldn't like it; some days I'm ravenous at 8AM, other days I can tide myself over until lunch. I would say to listen to your body's cues, and go with that.