Intermittent Fasting Support Group?

live4turns

Xtend Blueberry is real tasty too.

pyro13g

I do once week. usually happens from Friday to Saturday.

hpsnickers1

Bump. How is everyone doing? I have been doing ESE once a week and sporadic with my eating window but I feel good. When I do have days with several meals I miss the feeling of an empty stomach, lol

Me too!! Since I cut out most carbs I don't get the weak shakiness usually associated with hunger (blood sugar crash). I get to enjoy an empty tummy.

Teemo

I would tend to agree except (1) it's hard as hell for me to gain muscle and I'm terrified of losing it, anecdotal science or not, (2) Xtend isn't that expensive, and (3) watermelon Xtend is delicious.

Lol. Xtend watermelon is amazing....also cures the monotony of plain water.

Watermelon is outstanding. I also like Purple Wraath but it's much more expensive than Xtend.

I use both depending on what I feel like and cost-wise it actually works out about the same. So really it's whichever one you prefer taste-wise.

Limeinthecoconut

Hey there IFers!

I've been wondering about starting leangains (14hours into a fast now) and was hoping someone could answer a few questions for me...

Do you eat your exercise Calories back?

Is there a specific time to have a big meal or not? Eg first meal after fast.

What is the optimum time to workout? During fast? In the 8hr eating window?

Do you eat more on workout days? If so, how much?

Thanks for being patient with me

Teemo

Do you eat your exercise Calories back?

Yes, although I don't think of it in those terms. Borrowing one of my prior posts:

"Let's say your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is 1,800 calories. That means, if you lay in bed all day and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING your body would need 1,800 calories to maintain its current level of functionality. Now, most of us don't have that luxury () -- we work! We walk around, we jog to catch buses, and we workout and bust our butts at the gym! That means your calorie requirements INCREASE.

So 1,800 becomes (for example) 2,100. That means, given your daily requirements, you would need 2,100 calories to maintain the same level of muscle/fat.

Now, you're trying to lose fat. So you need to have a caloric deficit... let's say a daily deficit of -500 (which would give you a healthy fat/weight loss of ~1 lb/week). So 2,100 becomes 1,600.

And that's how you end up at 1,600 as your daily target."

Is there a specific time to have a big meal or not? Eg first meal after fast.

Biggest meal should be your post-workout meal. HOW big it is depends on which LeanGains schedule you follow.

What is the optimum time to workout? During fast? In the 8hr eating window?

I do my workout at the very beginning of the hour eating window (around 5-6 pm). I train "fasted" with the exception of BCAAs (either Xtend or Purple Wraath). And then I eat 99% of my calories for the day in my post-workout and bedtime meal.

On nonworkout days I usually split my calories into 3 smaller meals. One around 3:00-4:00 p.m. consisting of 30-40% of my calories, my regular post-workout one around 8:00 p.m. and then the remainder at bedtime.

Do you eat more on workout days? If so, how much?

Yes, approximately 300-400 calories more on workout days, due to eating 200g or more of carbs (while on nonworkout days I keep carbs around 80-100g) on workout days.

bubbles1791

I am starting this tomorrow! Wish me luck!

4theking

Thought I would mention for anyone wanting to try this, if you find it hard or unbearable to go that long without food, drink a low carb protein drink to get you through. As your body gets more used to the fasting you can eliminate the shake if you would like. It took me a while to adjust but the protein helped me.

LdyGeko

Hi there - I'm excited to find this thread! I have been doing this for about a month - doing a 24-hour fast one (or two) days a week - eating a meal at dinner one day and then not eating again til dinner the next day - making sure to get enough fluids in throughout those 24 hours.

It has really helped me maintain my weight loss. I am currently unable to do strength training due to a back injury - really not able to do any major cardio or strength training. About all I am able to do is mow the lawn and walk the dog. It's unfortunate but what I have to deal with right now. IF has been a Godsend in the maintenance department!

It's great to see so many others practicing the IF and lower-carb lifestyle!

YvetteBabich

Well, yesterday I failed at a weekly 30 hour fast for the first time in a year! I have no idea why that happened, fasting has been easy for me for a really long time.

Oh well, my resolve is strengthened for take 2 today...

I guess my point is to keep in mind that if you do the 24 hour non-daily fast thing, there is always tomorrow if you it ends up just not working out. (To a point, obviously. I don't really advocate the "oh well I'll do it tomorrow" attitude.) Love the flexibility of ESE!

Teemo

Well, yesterday I failed at a weekly 30 hour fast for the first time in a year! I have no idea why that happened, fasting has been easy for me for a really long time.

Oh well, my resolve is strengthened for take 2 today...

I guess my point is to keep in mind that if you do the 24 hour non-daily fast thing, there is always tomorrow if you it ends up just not working out. (To a point, obviously. I don't really advocate the "oh well I'll do it tomorrow" attitude.) Love the flexibility of ESE!

I would imagine a weekly fast would be more difficult than a daily fast since leptin would cause you to be hungry/starving at the times when you usually eat.

112girl

have never heard of this. am curious though... to know if it works and if it's safe.

BR1986FB

It seems safe to me. I fast daily and am having amazing results.

YvetteBabich

Well, yesterday I failed at a weekly 30 hour fast for the first time in a year! I have no idea why that happened, fasting has been easy for me for a really long time.

Oh well, my resolve is strengthened for take 2 today...

I guess my point is to keep in mind that if you do the 24 hour non-daily fast thing, there is always tomorrow if you it ends up just not working out. (To a point, obviously. I don't really advocate the "oh well I'll do it tomorrow" attitude.) Love the flexibility of ESE!

I would imagine a weekly fast would be more difficult than a daily fast since leptin would cause you to be hungry/starving at the times when you usually eat.

It's surprisingly easy after the first few times, and my weekly fasting days are usually the most productive and highly energized days of my week. Obviously with yesterday being an exception (I'm going to blame that on the fact that I spent 3 hours yesterday writing a menu for a restaurant. Focusing on food tends to be a killer). Today is going just fine though, and I've been crazy productive!

Limeinthecoconut

Ok, I'm on day 3 of IFing, and so far so good! I'm finding it so much easier to stay within my allotted calories. Hopefully this will bust me through my plateau...

A question to ye who exercise: how do you fit it in to IF? I've been slacking off with exercise lately, but one thing at a time I think.

Also, with ESE, do your overall weekly calories stay the same? Or do you have a larger deficit when you fast that one day. I.e.if I were to try that one day this week, do I eat MORE in the days surrounding the fast day?

Only 3 hours to go!

pyro13g

Ok, I'm on day 3 of IFing, and so far so good! I'm finding it so much easier to stay within my allotted calories. Hopefully this will bust me through my plateau...

A question to ye who exercise: how do you fit it in to IF? I've been slacking off with exercise lately, but one thing at a time I think.

Also, with ESE, do your overall weekly calories stay the same? Or do you have a larger deficit when you fast that one day. I.e.if I were to try that one day this week, do I eat MORE in the days surrounding the fast day?

Only 3 hours to go!

I don't try to make the calories up. My little fast goes Friday to Saturday night and workouts are never on those days anyways. Usually yard work or snowboarding on Saturday. I consider it a break for my digestive system and figure no reason to give it extra work making up calories.

YvetteBabich

Ok, I'm on day 3 of IFing, and so far so good! I'm finding it so much easier to stay within my allotted calories. Hopefully this will bust me through my plateau...

A question to ye who exercise: how do you fit it in to IF? I've been slacking off with exercise lately, but one thing at a time I think.

Also, with ESE, do your overall weekly calories stay the same? Or do you have a larger deficit when you fast that one day. I.e.if I were to try that one day this week, do I eat MORE in the days surrounding the fast day?

Only 3 hours to go!

If I am not mistaken the idea behind ESE is that your weekly calories would be the same as a regular diet. Meaning that the calorie deficit you create on your fasting days should be spread just about evenly throughout your non-fasting days. (ie, you wouldn't eat more only on the days surrounding a fast, but you would eat a little bit more on every normal eating day than you would be able to if you didn't fast.) I think the ultimate goal of the lifestyle is to make counting calories unnecessary, because with the added calories on eating days you should be able to incorporate basically whatever you feel like.

BR1986FB

Finally bit the bullet. I had been fasting from about 5am to 7:30pm, daily. I wanted to do it the "proper" LeanGains way so I worked out this morning at 4:30am to get it done. Let me tell you, 350 lb squats for reps (StrongLifts5x5) that early is NO fun. LOL...Last meal was about 7:30pm last night so I won't be eating until around noon. Glad the workout is done in that it's supposed to be 95-98 degrees here in Ohio today. Think I'll be doing my workouts in the AM from now on.

LdyGeko

Been fasting since dinner last night - hoping to make it til dinner tonight. This is my typical Thursday routine, but I'm a bit hungier than normal. Probably because I had quite a few carb-y things this week <sigh>.....

rileysowner

Fasting today. I have been really munchy the last few days, and I figured I would do a fast day today to see if that breaks me out of it. So far so good, when I have gotten hungry water seems to do the trick.

irisannRN

I have been reading all of your posts and am extremely intrested in trying IF. I am going to give it a go this week starting out with the lean gains approach. I have a hit a wall in my weight loss and I think this is just the thing that I need. Thanks to you all for you motivation

cutmd

I have been reading all of your posts and am extremely intrested in trying IF. I am going to give it a go this week starting out with the lean gains approach. I have a hit a wall in my weight loss and I think this is just the thing that I need. Thanks to you all for you motivation

if that is you currently in your profile pic, you are way done! You look very skinny!

irisannRN

[
if that is you currently in your profile pic, you are way done! You look very skinny!

Thanks I am just trying to tone up and drop some lingering body fat.

So, the only information I can find is HOW to fast. I want to know why this works??? Say I use the lean gains approach (18 hours fasting, 6 of eating) .... I am still consuming the same amount of calories in a day as if I weren't fasting right (just in smaller window of time) ??? So why does it work?

rileysowner

The best thing I have read about what fasting does is Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. He gets into much of what goes on when you fast. Part of it is that your body really starts burning fat when in the fasted state, but the better explanation is found in the book.

cutmd

[
if that is you currently in your profile pic, you are way done! You look very skinny!

Thanks I am just trying to tone up and drop some lingering body fat.

So, the only information I can find is HOW to fast. I want to know why this works??? Say I use the lean gains approach (18 hours fasting, 6 of eating) .... I am still consuming the same amount of calories in a day as if I weren't fasting right (just in smaller window of time) ??? So why does it work?

I agree it's more concisely explained in the eat stop eat ebook, though the lean gains author makes mention in his articles. http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Articles. The benefits involve up regulating fat burning enzymes (which makes sense since your body is getting ready to use them for reserves), increasing metabolism (so you can get ready to seek food), and allowing you to have large meals the rest of the time and still meet your calorie goals. With the eat stop eat you are actually using those 24 hour periods to hit your calorie deficit and eating at maintenance the rest of the time, like extreme zig zagging. It makes sense to me tha this would be the best way to burn fat since that is the whole reason our bodies store fat - to use when food is not available. The ESE book is a good read with lots of references if you want to check it out

LdyGeko

Hmm, forgot my lunch today and have a chiro appt, so I'm just gonna make this an impromptu IF day. I signed up at Brad Pilon's website for his updates and articles, and have been getting daily e-mails from him. Hope to spend a little $$ and get his book soon..... I really like his attitude....

Marlinedorcinvil

just recently heard about Intermittent Fasting and am really considering doing it along with my Atkins. Im only afraid that i will not be able to make it because i have tried cleanses and fasts before and found that i was always hungry. how do you get over the hunger??

irisannRN

The best thing I have read about what fasting does is Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. He gets into much of what goes on when you fast. Part of it is that your body really starts burning fat when in the fasted state, but the better explanation is found in the book.

Thanks !!! I will definitely look into getting that book !!

LdyGeko

I drink a lot of water and have a couple of cups of coffee with real cream, and that seems to tide me over and deal with the hunger....

just recently heard about Intermittent Fasting and am really considering doing it along with my Atkins. Im only afraid that i will not be able to make it because i have tried cleanses and fasts before and found that i was always hungry. how do you get over the hunger??

rileysowner

just recently heard about Intermittent Fasting and am really considering doing it along with my Atkins. Im only afraid that i will not be able to make it because i have tried cleanses and fasts before and found that i was always hungry. how do you get over the hunger??

Lots of water.