Fasting?

charlieaulert
charlieaulert Posts: 127 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

So the last week or so I’ve been trying out a little fast and it seems to be working…

I try to stop eating around 8-9pm and then don’t eat until 10:30am the next morning (I’m up at 6am). I drink a BCAA drink in the morning and take some tablets during the day to try and maintain my muscle mass.

I plan on starting 20 mins HIIT every other morning. I go to the gym 4-5 times per week.

I’m on 2000 kcals a day.

Info: 5ft 8, 72kg, body fat below 13-14%.

Just wondering if that 12-14 hour fast would work or if it’s actually beneficial?

Replies

  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    edited May 2017
    Ha! This is almost exactly what I do too! I am up at around 3:45 AM and chug my iced coffee w/aminos. Hit the gym by around 7:30 am, have my shake about 9 am and then eat my real breakfast at about 10-10:30 am. I stop eating by about 6 pm at night, usually in bed by 9ish. The only exceptions are Tues & Wed I have late Muay Thai classes so have to have at least a snack when I get home from that. I'd say that I love the fasting... makes me feel better overall... less hungry throughout the day, less likely to snack, etc. Generally feel lighter on my feet, less bloated by the end of the day :smile: I also lift 6 days per week, yoga and running on Sunday. HIIT 3x per week. It works for me. I am in prep for a November competition.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    beneficial for controlling calories? sure. if that works for you.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    curious, what are the tablets that make you retain muscle mass??
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    curious, what are the tablets that make you retain muscle mass??

    sounds like he meant he takes bcaas (in drink form) and tablet form.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    edited May 2017
    charlieaulert wrote: »

    Just wondering if that 12-14 hour fast would work or if it’s actually beneficial?

    I do something similar when trying to cut calories and find it helps me stay within my goals. I believe there is a version of IF (intermittent fasting) that uses this theory as well, so that is something you may like to look into.

    In general, if you are hitting your goals, eating a variety of foods, and feel content you are probably on a good track for you.
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    curious, what are the tablets that make you retain muscle mass??

    Also would like to hear more about this.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    charlieaulert wrote: »
    Just wondering if that 12-14 hour fast would work or if it’s actually beneficial?

    Beneficial in helping adherence to your calorie goal? That's very individual.
    What other benefits are you thinking of?

    Rather than BCAAs during your eating window why not just have a complete protein source?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    If it helps you stay on track calorie-wise, it works for you. It's pretty much like people who eat dinner at 5 or 6 and then eat breakfast at 7 or 8 the next morning.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    charlieaulert wrote: »
    Just wondering if that 12-14 hour fast would work or if it’s actually beneficial?
    Not eating for 12-14 hours isn't really a fast. Fasting would be at least 24 hours without eating and possibly drinking. Meal schedules can vary widely and still be considered normal.

    Intermittent fasting is just a faddy word for not eating all the time. It's sad that we need a faddy term in order to not eat all the time. Eating all the time can easily lead to overeating. But it's a good thing if the faddy term can make us trust our body's ability to handle not being fed all the time and reduce overeating.

    What do you mean by work? If you want to lose weight, you have to consistently eat less.

    It will be beneficial for weight loss if you find it easy to stick too without overeating. But you still have to eat less.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    You say this fasting is working.. but what is it doing for you?

    The amount of fasting your are doing is only an over night fast (which we all do) with a short delay in "break fast", so this is just a window of time you have given your self to eat your calories.

    The BCAA's I take have calories in them, if you are drinking these early in the a.m., you are essentially breaking your fast earlier. I do not use BCAA's to maintain muscle mass, so unclear as to this statement you made in your OP..

    Not sure what you expect the fasting to actually do besides possibly adherence to calorie goals, however sticking to your calorie deficit (no matter when you eat your calories) and being consistent with your exercise/workouts provides all the benefits you need for fat loss.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I wouldn't do proper HIIT fasted... It kills me even when I have eaten!
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    Fasting is not effective.
    To improve health, the goal should be to lose weight by reducing the total amount of calories consumed, suggests Freedland, rather than focusing on when those calories are consumed.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680567/
  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
    cee134 wrote: »
    Fasting is not effective.
    To improve health, the goal should be to lose weight by reducing the total amount of calories consumed, suggests Freedland, rather than focusing on when those calories are consumed.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680567/

    Where exactly in the linked article does it say that fasting is not effective?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    At Sub 15% BF, you're going to have to be more clear with describing your goals before you'll get any meaningful advice. Since you've surpassed the "general diet and weight loss" threshold

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