stimulants give me energy and give me a power boost in the gym... however, in the long run it appears to affect my stress levels and mood.. which i am not a fan of. i cut out all preworkouts... occasionally, i'll have black coffee with protein when i need to get my self going

Hey I'm Marvin 27yrs old 184lbs waist:32

I've been trying "Intermittent Fasting (IF)" for almost 2 weeks now. I did days of research beforehand of course. I tried a 24hr fast with success, however, it was not easy, but nothing that's worth it is! I'm now doing the leangains schedule; which is a 16hr fast with an 8hr eating window (best for bodybuilders/strength training), though i try to fast for up to 20hrs some days, depending on how much I can eat at a time.

I carb cycle from 2200 to 2600 cals depending on the level of exc of that day., which has proved successful for me in the past. I've done this for some time but wince I implemented IF I'm losing weight and gaining strength at the same time, I feel like I'm cutting while bulking.

PS: I'll post pics in a few months to show results!
This are pros and cons I've experienced so far:
Pros:
Increased energy+++ lots and lots
Increased sex drive+
Increased strength++
Increased focus+
Improved mood+++
Better eating choices++
and of course a 6 lbs weight loss in a week (mostly fluids)
about the weight loss: the weight dropped by 4 lbs in the first day (from 190.7 to 186.7) then gradually till my current weight 183.9 and going.
note* This is the best I've felt in years, I feel like I'm 16! I've told my active friends to try it, told them everything they have to do and how, and they've all loved it, and are having success with it and the same ways I am.

These are the things you'll go through, the CONS:
24hr fast cons
Though this only happened on the 24 fast ill share it anyways. I was dizzy and lightheaded after 6 hrs (because i was used to 6 meals a day) I felt so weak that I had to lay down for around 1 hour. Around every 2hrs I would get a wave of hunger and mild stomach cramps, BUT, afterwards, I would get a surge of energy, as though I had just eaten a clean meal. I also had a few headaches, but since I was well read in the subject, I knew that this would only happen in the beginning and would minimize over time.

18hr fast cons
Like I said before; If you're a bodybuilder of any kind, then this is the approach for you
All the headaches, dizziness, and downs were almost gone by the second day. Everyone is different, I had a few slight downers the first 2 days, but my friends had none.
Junk food MUST be kept at a minimum (strangely, I'm not craving it as usual) I did the mistake to eat 1200 cals in a burger ,fries and chk wings, and I had a HORRIBLE workout the next day and low energy. I switched back to clean foods and felt %80 full power the next day, then %100 the day after that.
Supplements are to be kept at a minimum(whey protein, preworkout, multi vitamins, fish oil, amin acids, creatine are all ok), Do NOT make your first meal after your workout a damn shake like I did. It made me feel "catabolic" and had to lay down for 3 hrs. You can accompany your first meal WITH a shake but do not substitute it.

I hope this helps my friends
If you have more questions, let me know, I can send you links to free in-depth articles and other info about this subject.


PS: I will post pics in a few months, remember You have to put in hard work and dedication to see greatness, nothing comes without some sort of sacrifice. personally I love "IF"

Pros:
Increased sex drive+

*really? Never heard of that one


Yes, really. Increased sex drive(not the only one), can it be due to something else? yes it can, but I'm simply stating the changes since I've implemented IF, there can/may be correlations, however this advice is a single persons results and opinions, there haven't been any mass studies, keep that in mind whenever reading and taking advice from ppl that are trying to help others for free. at the end of the day you may do what you feel is right, while taking in "consideration" others prior exp.


18hr fast cons
Junk food MUST be kept at a minimum (strangely, I'm not craving it as usual) I did the mistake to eat 1200 cals in a burger ,fries and chk wings, and I had a HORRIBLE workout the next day and low energy. I switched back to clean foods and felt %80 full power the next day, then %100 the day after that.

*That's a subjective point. I prefer IIFYM style eating with IF & have made PB's with pop tarts and peanut butter pre workout or fasted or with "clean" foods. Remember, you're body doesn't see food names just macros and micros.


Yes it is. So is bodybuilding as well as diets to an extent, and pretty much anything, we are all different... Again, this is what happened to me, I'm not saying this WILL happen to everybody, but I thought it was implied. There are people who don't respond well to protein shakes or preworkouts, and so they will share how they affected them, so that other people are aware that there is a chance that they will exp the same as well. Any healthy person will tell you how much of a difference clean foods have on your mood, energy, and overall well being. I'm not saying my way is the best, but it works for me and MOST people. I love burgers and junk food, but if you decide to fill your Ferrari with cheap inferior gas and never change the oil, it wont run as well. Keeping your diet clean and some sort of physical activity are essential for a healthy lifestyle and physique. Can you eat junk food and be healthy? Yes, some more than others, But I bet that not many people who are serious about change and really need it are going to or should be focusing on eating bad foods, ESPECIALLY if they are endomorphs (full frame body) or have a bad relationship with food. you are clearly an ectomorph, and may have a high metabolism, and already have a healthy looking body, but would you really be stuffing Twinkies, if you were 50lbs fatter lol? Even with the same macros? Or would you do all that's necessary to meet your goals? That depends on how bad you want change and how dedicated and focused you are. So in conclusion did the junk food affect me if nothing else changed??? YES IT DID


Do NOT make your first meal after your workout a damn shake like I did. It made me feel "catabolic" and had to lay down for 3 hrs. You can accompany your first meal WITH a shake but do not substitute it.

*Can you elaborate? I don't normally have shakes anyway but as long as there is sufficient cals I can't see the difference between liquid cals & solid besides satiety.

Liquid or synthetic nutrition does not have the same bio-availability as real food, and therefore is not as effective, basically you can't live on shakes forever.
I have a very strong stomach, and for a protein shake to make me feel very down is very strange, especially since I've been taking supplements for years, so it's another point that is worth taking in consideration.

PS: please write out acronyms at least once, not every body knows what they stand for...

yes I agree, whole foods are overall better. but Ive never heard the other way around is better, and I would like to know how so? Do you have any links to this info? thanks for the info by the way, its always good to keep learning in my opinion.

Firstly, wasn't having a go at you.

Pros:
Increased sex drive+

*really? Never heard of that one


Yes, really. Increased sex drive(not the only one), can it be due to something else? yes it can, but I'm simply stating the changes since I've implemented IF, there can/may be correlations, however this advice is a single persons results and opinions, there haven't been any mass studies, keep that in mind whenever reading and taking advice from ppl that are trying to help others for free. at the end of the day you may do what you feel is right, while taking in "consideration" others prior exp.

very interesting. I'm going to have to try non IF for a while to compare

18hr fast cons
Junk food MUST be kept at a minimum (strangely, I'm not craving it as usual) I did the mistake to eat 1200 cals in a burger ,fries and chk wings, and I had a HORRIBLE workout the next day and low energy. I switched back to clean foods and felt %80 full power the next day, then %100 the day after that.

*That's a subjective point. I prefer IIFYM style eating with IF & have made PB's with pop tarts and peanut butter pre workout or fasted or with "clean" foods. Remember, you're body doesn't see food names just macros and micros.


Yes it is. So is bodybuilding as well as diets to an extent, and pretty much anything, we are all different... Again, this is what happened to me, I'm not saying this WILL happen to everybody, but I thought it was implied. There are people who don't respond well to protein shakes or preworkouts, and so they will share how they affected them, so that other people are aware that there is a chance that they will exp the same as well. Any healthy person will tell you how much of a difference clean foods have on your mood, energy, and overall well being. I'm not saying my way is the best, but it works for me and MOST people. I love burgers and junk food, but if you decide to fill your Ferrari with cheap inferior gas and never change the oil, it wont run as well. Keeping your diet clean and some sort of physical activity are essential for a healthy lifestyle and physique. Can you eat junk food and be healthy? Yes, some more than others, But I bet that not many people who are serious about change and really need it are going to or should be focusing on eating bad foods, ESPECIALLY if they are endomorphs (full frame body) or have a bad relationship with food. you are clearly an ectomorph, and may have a high metabolism, and already have a healthy looking body, but would you really be stuffing Twinkies, if you were 50lbs fatter lol? Even with the same macros? Or would you do all that's necessary to meet your goals? That depends on how bad you want change and how dedicated and focused you are. So in conclusion did the junk food affect me if nothing else changed??? YES IT DID

I didn't say to rely on junk foods as that is not what IIFYM is about. It's about fitting "junk" foods into you're diet without sacrificing you're goals. The whole in moderation thing

And I'm definitely not an ectomorph. You know what they say about genetics, the harder you train the better they become
I was 50lbs fatter 5 years ago.

PS: please write out acronyms at least once, not every body knows what they stand for...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133634471 If it Fits you're macros. Yeah, I get a bit tired of telling people and assume that most know about it by now. Sorry.

Good stuff buddy

IMO IF & IIFYM just go hand in hand Just not living off junk food but being able to fit a treat in here and there.

When you think of it like you are aiming for 80% typically "clean" foods and 20% "dirty" you could do that daily or other people prefer to be 100% "clean" for most of the week and then have a bit of a cheat day. (I do that from time to time also) Whatever works for the individual for long term diet adherence is going to be the most successful method.