Intermittent fasting and getting enough calories…

[liberatusdeus]

Hey guys, I have been doing IF daily for just two days and am not going to lie… having trouble having a large enough appetite to a) eat enough and b) I'm actually not even sure how many calories I need to be getting in?

How did you guys figure how many calories you need?

I do about 1.5-1.75 hours of weight training 5 days a week… each day is a different body group. I do moderate volume and I am beat by the time I'm done. Ideally I'd like to gain a lb. of lean mass every 1.5-2 weeks.

[BroFoods]

If you having trouble with IF, then just eat like a normal person. IF isn't magic. Read the stickies to help determine your caloric needs.

[beastlymandude]

1) Go here to calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and macros: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156380183

Add a 10-20% surplus to your TDEE to gain about 0.5 lb per week. Keep in mind that your TDEE is just an estimate, so you'll need to monitor your weight weekly/biweekly until you're gaining the amount of weight you want.

2) You'll need to start tracking your food intake so you know how many calories you're consuming on a daily basis. Buy a cheap food scale and start weighing your food.

3) Why are you following IF if you're having trouble eating enough? It's not a special diet plan; it's just an eating schedule. Consume your calories when your schedule allows and when you're hungry.

4) I'm curious about your routine. Are you an advanced lifter? Do you just prefer a body-part split or are you just following what you see/hear advanced lifters doing?

5) I also suggest reading through the Nutrition stickies.

[AlwaysTryin]

I don't get why you're doing IF?? If you have trouble eating the calories, don't do it!!

Clearly it's not optimal for you

[Kauzs]

As others said, IF is not a silver bullet to dieting. However, for those who are very busy throughout the day, it is very convenient. I started 5 days ago and at first I thought I was going to puke. Packing 4,700 calories in 8 hours was tough.

However, now it's not bad. I'm glad I stuck to it. My appetite has increased a lot since I'm used to doing it. When my fast ends at 3PM I can slam 1000 calories (food, not shakes (That being said, shakes are great way to get calories, though leangains seems to disagree.) no problem and be ready to lift 1-1.5 hours later.

Give it some time, but remember, don't put yourself through unnecessary suffering if this isn't a convenient diet for you.

[E90335i]

The amount you need to eat is anything more than has been keeping you at current weight. That simple. Everyone is different.
You've only been doing IF for 2 days. Give it 2 weeks! My god, ADD much?

[colesprouse]

I would suggest you this:
Fast and feast regularly: Fast for a certain number of hours, then consume all calories within a certain number of hours.
Eat normally, then fast 1-2x a week: Consume your normal meals every day, then pick one or two days a week where you fast for 24 hours.
Fast occasionally: Probably the easiest method for the person who wants to do the least amount of work. Simply skip a meal whenever it’s convenient.

[ErikTheElectric]

Hey guys, I have been doing IF daily for just two days and am not going to lie… having trouble having a large enough appetite to a) eat enough and b) I'm actually not even sure how many calories I need to be getting in?

How did you guys figure how many calories you need?

I do about 1.5-1.75 hours of weight training 5 days a week… each day is a different body group. I do moderate volume and I am beat by the time I'm done. Ideally I'd like to gain a lb. of lean mass every 1.5-2 weeks.

Then you have no business doing IF.

[sa7soon]

I would suggest you this:
Fast and feast regularly: Fast for a certain number of hours, then consume all calories within a certain number of hours.
Eat normally, then fast 1-2x a week: Consume your normal meals every day, then pick one or two days a week where you fast for 24 hours.
Fast occasionally: Probably the easiest method for the person who wants to do the least amount of work. Simply skip a meal whenever it’s convenient.

Please ignore this chit OP.

[AlwaysTryin]

I would suggest you this:
Fast and feast regularly: Fast for a certain number of hours, then consume all calories within a certain number of hours.
Eat normally, then fast 1-2x a week: Consume your normal meals every day, then pick one or two days a week where you fast for 24 hours.
Fast occasionally: Probably the easiest method for the person who wants to do the least amount of work. Simply skip a meal whenever it’s convenient.

What are you on about?

[ErikTheElectric]

What are you on about?

Oh the nutrition section.. *sigh*

[Domicron]

personally, i don't know how you IFers do it. if i miss a meal i'm freaking starving and always overeat. then i feel terrible; bloated and sleepy and i'm lucky if i don't have an upset stomach later. and that's still no guarantee i'll hit my calorie goals or i'll go way over. i'll stick to my 2-3 meals a day thanks.

to the OP, you could try change your diet habits for a week or two, but unless it fits your schedule, i would just eat more often

[ErikTheElectric]

personally, i don't know how you IFers do it. if i miss a meal i'm freaking starving and always overeat. then i feel terrible; bloated and sleepy and i'm lucky if i don't have an upset stomach later. and that's still no guarantee i'll hit my calorie goals or i'll go way over. i'll stick to my 2-3 meals a day thanks.

to the OP, you could try change your diet habits for a week or two, but unless it fits your schedule, i would just eat more often

I don't understand how people eat 3-4 meals a day.. let alone 5-6.. I just think it would be too tedious.. haha

[AnderzMan]

If needed I can get 3000+ calories on IF in two meals but that's just me, if you can't then either add more meals or don't do IF...simple as that.

As for calculating calories, if you can't do that then I don't understand why you're doing IF? I'd want a basic understanding of nutrition before messing with eating patterns personally.

[ialspach]

I don't understand how people eat 3-4 meals a day.. let alone 5-6.. I just think it would be too tedious.. haha

Amen!

IF FTW

[liberatusdeus]

Got busy, so here is my generic response to the posters:

I'm doing intermittent fasting because I don't have time to eat at my new job during the day so I see it as a way to get in all the calories I need for the day when it is most efficient. Also, in trying to gain muscle I find the argument that bulking the traditional way and gaining 15+lbs for a handful of muscle is more dangerous than fasting could be in messing with your body...

It has been six days since I started and I think my body is now adjusting to eating more in a shorter window more and more. When I started I think it was still used to several meals throughout the day.

Hunger in the morning isn't so bad anymore either as work is always busy enough to not think about it.

I also feel more comfortable getting the calories in after looking at what certain foods average caloric value.

[AlwaysTryin]

Got busy, so here is my generic response to the posters:

I'm doing intermittent fasting because I don't have time to eat at my new job during the day so I see it as a way to get in all the calories I need for the day when it is most efficient. Also, in trying to gain muscle I find the argument that bulking the traditional way and gaining 15+lbs for a handful of muscle is more dangerous than fasting could be in messing with your body...

It has been six days since I started and I think my body is now adjusting to eating more in a shorter window more and more. When I started I think it was still used to several meals throughout the day.

Hunger in the morning isn't so bad anymore either as work is always busy enough to not think about it.

I also feel more comfortable getting the calories in after looking at what certain foods average caloric value.

You're still going to gain fat bulking on IF

Clearly IF doesn't make it easier for you to eat at night but, you struggle getting the calories in

Confused

[Domicron]

I don't understand how people eat 3-4 meals a day.. let alone 5-6.. I just think it would be too tedious.. haha

oh yeah? well i don't understand your face

Hunger in the morning isn't so bad anymore either as work is always busy enough to not think about it.

I also feel more comfortable getting the calories in after looking at what certain foods average caloric value.

i'm glad you're starting to have success, but i don't understand why you don't eat breakfast before work and then a big dinner when you get home from work. that means you aren't as hungry in the morning and then you have fewer calories to stuff in your face at night.

[ErikTheElectric]

oh yeah? well i don't understand your face

Even further: I don't understand why people have avi's of their faces on a bodybuilding.com forum.

[liberatusdeus]

You're still going to gain fat bulking on IF

Clearly IF doesn't make it easier for you to eat at night but, you struggle getting the calories in

Confused

If you read what I said, I said I'm not having as much trouble getting the calories in... and if you research IF its about getting enough calories in that it is enough for muscle growth - no fat gain.

[liberatusdeus]

oh yeah? well i don't understand your face



i'm glad you're starting to have success, but i don't understand why you don't eat breakfast before work and then a big dinner when you get home from work. that means you aren't as hungry in the morning and then you have fewer calories to stuff in your face at night.

Because that completely ruins the hormonal change that the fast induces at 16 hours. What your proposing is a 12 hour fast from breakfast to dinner, but no where in the literature does anyone recommend a 12 hour fasting period.

Also I've eaten breakfast my entire life so of course I'm going to be hungry in the morning because my body is used to eating at that time... again if you read the research this is a normal part of starting IF for about two weeks...

Fak had I known a bunch of critics would pick apart minor shat instead of advice I wouldn't of posted.

[beastlymandude]

If you read what I said, I said I'm not having as much trouble getting the calories in... and if you research IF its about getting enough calories in that it is enough for muscle growth - no fat gain.

There's no way to gain strictly muscle without accumulating some fat. A caloric surplus will result in some fat gain, no matter what. You seem to be confused about what IF actually is. IF isn't some special diet plan that prevents you from gaining fat; it's solely an eating schedule.

[liberatusdeus]

There's no way to gain strictly muscle without accumulating some fat. A caloric surplus will result in some fat gain, no matter what. You seem to be confused about what IF actually is. IF isn't some special diet plan that prevents you from gaining fat; it's solely an eating schedule.

Yes but it's different than in bulking when you pack on excessive extra fat to gain some muscle.

[beastlymandude]

Yes but it's different than in bulking when you pack on excessive extra fat to gain some muscle.

No it's not. Bulking, essentially, is the consumption of extra calories in an effort to gain weight. This rate of weight gain will be determined by how large the caloric surplus is. You're referring to a "dirty" bulk (which is generally not advised), which is a larger excess of calories and will result in a lot of fat gain. A 10-20% surplus above one's TDEE is recommended for a slow and steady rate of weight gain that minimizes fat accumulation.

Bulking while following IF and bulking while following an entirely different eating schedule will result in the exact same weight gain in the same individual, if the caloric surpluses are identical. Overall caloric intake is what will determine weight gain/loss. When you eat is independent of this, for the most part.

[ErikTheElectric]

Even further: I don't understand why people have avi's of their faces on a bodybuilding.com forum.

Bump because I'm curious.

[sonnydfrizzy]

If you read what I said, I said I'm not having as much trouble getting the calories in... and if you research IF its about getting enough calories in that it is enough for muscle growth - no fat gain.

*sighhhhhhhhhs a longgggg sigghhhhhhhhh*

[AlwaysTryin]

If you read what I said, I said I'm not having as much trouble getting the calories in... and if you research IF its about getting enough calories in that it is enough for muscle growth - no fat gain.

Nope. You're believing in fairytales.