Intermittenent Fasting Help
PLGlass131
Posts: 50 Member
I was looking into doing a 20/4 IF, but I have a few questions about it first. 1. Can I still workout? 2. How much am I suppose to eat during the 4 hours?
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@kirkor might have more to say...
But- yes, you can. Just stay hydrated and keep electrolyte levels up. You might want to monitor yourself as you are adjusting though.
- How much do you eat? That depends on your goals. In general, eat until you are satisfied. Not stuffed until you explode, but satisfied. You might overeat the first few days in compensation, but you're body will soon adapt and you appetite will level out.
Anyone else have thoughts about it?
You might want to read through the IF group to see what others have to say in the way of tips.0 -
I might suggest Dr. Jason Fung's videos on Youtube. Here's one that explains the IF concept in about half an hour.
Drs. Phinney and Volek have a book out (and quite a few vids) on low carb performance.0 -
I've been doing IF for 5 weeks now. Not an expert. I workout while fasting - lifting heavy weights with no problems.
On a side note- a lot of IF sites recommend LCHF which is why I'm here. I got alot to learn. Dr jason Fung is awesome. Watch his youtube videos0 -
@baconslave I usually eat about 1500 cals and 15-20 net carbs a day. Most of the time I have to force my self to eat that much to make sure I get enough to support my exercise. Do I need to maybe eat one meal at the beginning of the four hours and one meal towards the end or just eat small meals throughout the 4 hours.0
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PLGlass131 wrote: »@baconslave I usually eat about 1500 cals and 15-20 net carbs a day. Most of the time I have to force my self to eat that much to make sure I get enough to support my exercise. Do I need to maybe eat one meal at the beginning of the four hours and one meal towards the end or just eat small meals throughout the 4 hours.
You could do that. Try it and find what works best for you. As long as you are adhering to your window, from what I understand, you should still reap the benefits whether you have only 1 meal or 2.
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@baconslave Final question, Am I suppose to still be trying to hit my food intake goals during that 4 hours or only eat enough to be satisfied?0
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I have been doing 16/8 for a few weeks, and I will work out or take a long walk before breaking the fast. The logic is to exercise while you are in your highest fat burning mode. As mentioned just stay hydrated and up on electrolytes. If you feel dizzy stop, go eat.
I don't try to reduce calories, I prefer larger meals. But I've noticed the calories have dropped a bit naturally anyway, especially as I get more and more used to IF. I refuse to go hungry, so I always listen to my body first. In the beginning week i rarely made it 16 hours, now it is much easier.
Here is a link to a great breakdown of IF
http://www.burnfatnotsugar.com/intermittent-fasting.html
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I might suggest Dr. Jason Fung's videos on Youtube. Here's one that explains the IF concept in about half an hour.
Drs. Phinney and Volek have a book out (and quite a few vids) on low carb performance.
Fung now has a book called Obesity Code which is about combining LCHF and IF (everyother day). It's a pretty good book.
I'll often eat in a 4-8 hour window, and occassionally I will skip eating for a day or two. I am keto adapted so I barely notice the difference when I don't eat. In fact I find I get hungry AFTER I eat... it's weird.
I will exercise fasted. I usually eat normal calories for a day, just in a shorter period of time. If I really am not hungry I will just go with it though.0 -
I know it stays to only drink water during the 20 hours but can I have green tea as well?0
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baconslave wrote: »@kirkor might have more to say...
PLGlass131 wrote: »@baconslave Final question, Am I suppose to still be trying to hit my food intake goals during that 4 hours or only eat enough to be satisfied?
If you're already having to force yourself to hit your goal of 1500 calories without doing 20:4, then if you do decide to reduce your feeding window then I'd say DEFINITELY make sure you hit your goals. IF + LCHF are likely to moderate your hunger cues even more, and so you run the risk of creating too big of an energy deficit. This will lead to poor gym performance and well, just a poor life experience in general. Maybe try a longer feeding window than 4 hours, as you adjust to IF and see how it fits in with your lifestyle and eating preferences.
Any non-caloric beverage is fair game.I know it stays to only drink water during the 20 hours but can I have green tea as well?
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@kirkor I may try the 18/6 then. I already dont eat after 4pm each day. The only other thing I don't get with IF is do you do it everyday or like for a week then go back to normal just LCHF. I have read of people doing both so I am not which is correct.0
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@PLGlass131 daily IF is not something you can really jump in and out of, since the windows are too short to get the therapeutic benefits of longer fasts and without long stretches of consecutive consistent shortened feeding windows your hormones will never adjust and you'll end up being hungry at odd times and lose the deficit management benefits of IF.
I think the people that do it on and off are looking for a "hack" or a "fix" and that's not the right approach IMO.
Doing weekly IF per Pilon or Fung would be the way to do it in the event you find the daily style isnt' a good fit.0 -
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My goal is 18:6 but more often ends up closer to 20:4.
I have iced coffee in the morning which technically breaks fast, but it doesn't seem to effect my hunger at all.
Then I usually have breakfast/lunch around 1pm and dinner between 5:30-6pm. Between those two meals I tend to mostly hit my calorie goals but admittedly sometimes fall below. That can be easily remedied though by adding an extra tablespoon of oil when cooking or maybe popping a fat bomb or two.0 -
>I have iced coffee in the morning which technically breaks fast, but it doesn't seem to effect my hunger at all.
Just black coffee + ice, or milk & sugar too?0 -
