IF - Seeking input on your experiences

Options
LuluProteinFueled
LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Next year, with the goal of dropping BF and retaining as much LBM as possible, I will be calorie cycling. Eating TDEE or slightly above on lifting days, and at a 400-500 cal deficit on non-lifting days.

I would like to try IF on my non-lifting days to make the deficit easier and my meals more enjoyable. I tend to backload my cals now anyway, eating more and more as the day goes on. Ideally, I'd love to fast until lunchtime on my non-lifting days and have a happy window of food.

The problem is, at the moment I can't go 3 hours without eating. I start getting ridiculously hangry and snappy, get the shakes, a foggy head. That is, until I eat something with carbs again. I have even tried not eating anything until about 10am, but my body just won't let me do this. It just screams at me to eat.

Currently I eat 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat. My macros are pretty solid, and most days I'm slightly under carbs so I'm eating slightly less than 200g per day. I can't think of why my body reacts so dramatically to not receiving food in such a short time. Diabetes does run in my family history, but I am at a healthy composition and I figure my blood sugar shouldn't be so sensitive. Previous blood tests have shown my sugars to always be completely normal, or on the lower side.

I have read things about IF where sometimes it just isn't suited to some people. women especially. Sorry, I can't remember where I read this.

Basically my question is... have you had a similar experience and managed to overcome it and use IF successfully? Are some people just not designed for it? Is some of this "blood sugar drop" psychosomatic with me... can I train my body to overcome my current habits? Any input is welcomed, even if you want to critique my plan. But I'm comfortable with it. Just looking for knowledgeable IF people, as I have no experience with it.

I love food, my reasons for wanting IF to work are purely so that I can enjoy big meals and feel satisfied on days with a larger deficit. But I'm willing to accept that it might not work for me.

Thanks.
«1

Replies

  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    Options
    Bump. I was thinking the exact same thing. Unfortunately, the only time I ever tried IF, I thought I was going to die of starvation.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Options
    I do IF because eating small meals piss me off. The first 2 weeks I had headaches but not anymore. I have to say that naturally, before calories counting, I was doing IF naturally so it fit in my lifestyle without problem, it is not for everybody. I also do not believe it has magical power to help fat loss lol
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Options
    Took me a few weeks to get used to it. Getting though the fasting period with a few cups of coffee is a breeze now.

    That said, there's nothing magic about IF. If your current eating pattern is working for you, stick with it.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Options
    Took me a few weeks to get used to it. Getting though the fasting period with a few cups of coffee is a breeze now.

    That said, there's nothing magic about IF. If your current eating pattern is working for you, stick with it.

    ^ that.

    And if you decide to IF, I am guessing it would be much easier to do it daily rather than on just rest days. I'd do it on training days too.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
    Options
    Thanks! Nope, not looking for any wizardry here, just looking to make a deficit more pleasurable lol
  • spangey13
    spangey13 Posts: 294
    Options
    I'm new on this bandwagon, so not sure how valid any of my comments are from a beginner.

    I thought that I would be the same - that I'd be ready to chew my arm off. I found that cups of tea got me through, but also (I don't know if you can buy these in your part of the world), but little sachets of "water booster". They contain loads of vitamins and you just tip one sachet into your water bottle and sip away at that. It really does help.

    On Thursdays I stop eating about 3.30pm (I usually try and have a decent lunch and afternoon snack) and then have my first meal at about 9.30am the next day, so really I just skip dinner and have a late breakfast. I find this easy enough. On other days I try to have an early dinner and then last until about 11am.

    Its about working it into your routine... and I think part of it is psychological too. I have found it much easier to differentiate between "hunger" and "boredom" after giving this a go.
  • Stella_Leigh
    Stella_Leigh Posts: 189 Member
    Options
    This is probably a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway. What is IF?
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    Options
    It took me a few days to get over the growling stomach (at about 10-11am was the noticable time for me too). Once I got through that I was fine. I don't really do IF any more, but that's more of a lifestyle choice, I just eat a bit randomly now. Some days I'll fast til lunchtime, other days mid morning, and sometimes I'll eat breakfast.

    What worked for me was a milk coffee (ie latte) at mid morning, and that put enough in my stomach to satiate me til lunch. Of course this is not acceptable if you're fasting, but to keep cals low and give yourself room for bigger meals in the afternoon it works well.
  • homeyjosey
    homeyjosey Posts: 138 Member
    Options
    Before i started Leangains (a version of IF) I used to eat every 3 hours and if i didnt I'd get light headed and couldnt function. After a week or two and a lot of coffee my body got used to fasting and was fine without eating every 3 hours. I felt a lot better actually. Now being on leangains for about 1.5 years I have never been healthier, stronger, energetic and I'll never go back to "normal" eating again.
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
    Options
    Took me a few weeks to get used to it. Getting though the fasting period with a few cups of coffee is a breeze now.

    That said, there's nothing magic about IF. If your current eating pattern is working for you, stick with it.

    ^ that.

    And if you decide to IF, I am guessing it would be much easier to do it daily rather than on just rest days. I'd do it on training days too.

    yes i think committing to it every day would help you adjust better
  • envy09
    envy09 Posts: 353 Member
    Options
    I myself considered starting an IF program, that was until I did some research on how it affects women differently than men. Here is an interesting article on the subject:

    http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

    Although I'm not Paleo, and never plan to be Paleo, she does have some interesting points that she backs up with all the limited research that has been done on the subject of IF.
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Options
    This is probably a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway. What is IF?

    IF = Intermittent fasting.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Options
    Bump. I was thinking the exact same thing. Unfortunately, the only time I ever tried IF, I thought I was going to die of starvation.

    This. Can't do it. It sucks. Also, a 400-500 deficit on rest days will be really really really hard. why such a high deficit?
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Options
    I myself considered starting an IF program, that was until I did some research on how it affects women differently than men. Here is an interesting article on the subject:

    http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

    Although I'm not Paleo, and never plan to be Paleo, she does have some interesting points that she backs up with all the limited research that has been done on the subject of IF.

    I also read that--not worth it to me.
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
    Options
    Next year, with the goal of dropping BF and retaining as much LBM as possible, I will be calorie cycling. Eating TDEE or slightly above on lifting days, and at a 400-500 cal deficit on non-lifting days.

    I would try cycling carbs, drop the fat intake to about 10% and make it up with a mix of proteins and carbs. I am guessing about what IF is but I assume it is fasting for a short period of time. If you want to do a cut cycle then you need regular intakes of nutrients to keep the fat burning. Otherwise you will stall your progression. For more information of this look up articles on Bodybuilding.com or some Livestrong.com to get some good information.
  • Tina180130
    Tina180130 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    Hiya Lulu, I'm currently doing IF (my 2nd week now)...I stop eating at 8pm then break my fast at 2pm the following day. I have found the hunger is kept at bay. Before IF, I never ate until 12noon and stopped eating at 9pm ish...so the slight transition was easy. I eat around 1900 cals per day in my 6 hour window.
    It may help if you ate Carbs that spike your insulin levels: white pasta, bread etc..try more wholegrain foods, complex carbs..this may help curb those cravings.
    Women as well as men can benefit from IF...just like its a myth that women shouldn't lift weights like a man..and we all know that's a load of crap!!!
    I workout (Lift) in a fasted state and I feel fine...I would say concentrate on curbing the carbs and see how you go...I'm sure you'll be fine though.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Options
    Next year, with the goal of dropping BF and retaining as much LBM as possible, I will be calorie cycling. Eating TDEE or slightly above on lifting days, and at a 400-500 cal deficit on non-lifting days.

    I would try cycling carbs, drop the fat intake to about 10% and make it up with a mix of proteins and carbs. I am guessing about what IF is but I assume it is fasting for a short period of time. If you want to do a cut cycle then you need regular intakes of nutrients to keep the fat burning. Otherwise you will stall your progression. For more information of this look up articles on Bodybuilding.com or some Livestrong.com to get some good information.

    and why would you do that? 10% fat--no thanks. I like a properly functioning endocrine system (as much as possible while cutting).
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    Options
    I've been doing IF for about a year now with great results. In fact, I've managed now to work my eating window down to 1-3 hours (depending how "clean" I'm eating) and the benefits are just amazing. I also do it partly for convenience and personal preference.

    HOWEVER, if you're a female, I would do more research before trying IF. Most of the research done showing positive effects was done on male subjects, and hormonal differences do play a huge role. There's actually some research done showing females responding NEGATIVELY to fasting, here's a few studies to consider:

    ■ One study (1) found that while IF improved insulin sensitivity in male subjects, female subjects saw no such improvement. In fact, the glucose tolerance of fasting women actually worsened. (ouch)

    ■ In another study (2) in response to fasted cycling training, men showed greater skeletal muscle adaptations when fasted. Women had better muscle adaptations when fed.


    (1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833943?dopt=Abstract
    (2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20452283
  • Tina180130
    Tina180130 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    Should read: It may help if you ate Carbs that DO NOT spike your insulin levels: white pasta, bread etc..try more wholegrain foods, complex carbs..this may help curb those cravings.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
    Options
    I myself considered starting an IF program, that was until I did some research on how it affects women differently than men. Here is an interesting article on the subject:

    http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

    Although I'm not Paleo, and never plan to be Paleo, she does have some interesting points that she backs up with all the limited research that has been done on the subject of IF.

    This is what I had read. Thanks :)

Categories