Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss

[caa5000]

well judging by recent research that claims that the PWO window is actually more or less in the 24-hour range, this seems as though it could be more ideal. Where as with traditional IF you're condensed daily window of some time less than 8 hours your fed period would be about 72 hours with this method. Now I'm not sure at what point the body goes from anabolism to catabolism depending on amount eaten, but what we'd want to truly avoid is the breakdown of proteins to form exactly what protein should do... repair. Assuming you wouldn't workout for 24 hours before your fast begins it'd require that you don't do any intense exercise the day of your fast. However, let's say you fast from noon-noon. If I workout the night before my fast begins at say... 5pm, this would give me 19 hours of actual "fed" time (which would be noon the next day). If your last meal is at noon, then we're talking nearly 24 hours with digestion included. You take the day off (or do some lighter end cardio) and resume feeding at noon the next day and workout at 5pm. This should provide more then enough energy for the workout.

However to make a concise arguement I'd need to know more about protein synthesis and its timetable

[L.1.3]

That method is the Eat Stop Eat which the book is a good read because it provides so many scientific studies to back up what the author was saying.

Basically he was saying you will not lose your muscle if you fast for 24 hours. It would take much longer fasts to do that. But the biggest thing that people forget to do is that his method only works if you do resistance training at least 3x a week also.

If you think you can fast 2x per week with the Eat Stop Eat method and not lift weights at all or exercise at all then the results will surely disappoint you.

Good thing is people in here are lifting weights so it's a good method for people with crazy scheduling and can't commit to IF per day since their hours of eating changes so much.

The method does work and you see many losing pounds of fat while not losing muscle most gain muscle in a couple of weeks or months.

[Ted Nugent]

That method is the Eat Stop Eat which the book is a good read because it provides so many scientific studies to back up what the author was saying.

Basically he was saying you will not lose your muscle if you fast for 24 hours. It would take much longer fasts to do that. But the biggest thing that people forget to do is that his method only works if you do resistance training at least 3x a week also.

If you think you can fast 2x per week with the Eat Stop Eat method and not lift weights at all or exercise at all then the results will surely disappoint you.

Good thing is people in here are lifting weights so it's a good method for people with crazy scheduling and can't commit to IF per day since their hours of eating changes so much.

The method does work and you see many losing pounds of fat while not losing muscle most gain muscle in a couple of weeks or months.

i can agree with the not losing muscle in a 24 hour period. im just kinda wary that a 24 hour fast might not be the best idea for optimal recovery. idk if this method is better suited for lower rep/intensity workouts, it just seems that if your busting ass with alot of volume/intensity you would want to give those muscles all the support they can get. even the standard 16/8 fast gives plenty of time for the benefits of fasting without compromising getting daily protein/nutrients for recovery/growth. i would be interested to see how the 24 hour fasts worked for a hard training athlete. i could def see this working great for a older/middle age person that doesnt train hard 5-6 days a week.

[_OZ_]

That method is the Eat Stop Eat which the book is a good read because it provides so many scientific studies to back up what the author was saying.

Basically he was saying you will not lose your muscle if you fast for 24 hours. It would take much longer fasts to do that. But the biggest thing that people forget to do is that his method only works if you do resistance training at least 3x a week also.

If you think you can fast 2x per week with the Eat Stop Eat method and not lift weights at all or exercise at all then the results will surely disappoint you.

Good thing is people in here are lifting weights so it's a good method for people with crazy scheduling and can't commit to IF per day since their hours of eating changes so much.

The method does work and you see many losing pounds of fat while not losing muscle most gain muscle in a couple of weeks or months.

I follow the Eat Stop Eat method. It's the most convenient fasting method for my lifestyle. In 4 months my waist has gone from 36 to 31.5 with no visible or measurable muscle loss. See my profile for pics. No cardio, just weights.

[lookingforgains]

Just started experimenting with leangains-style IF a couple days ago and am loving it so far.

[L.1.3]

Remember Eat Stop Eat is not like Leangains in which you fast like about every day lol. It's only 1-2x a week you do a 24 hour fast. It's not like you not eating one day since many either do from lunch to lunch fast or dinner to dinner fast.

Like I said this is more convenient than every day IF in which if you always find yourself eating different times every day then doing something like this is better.

Personally I'm doing like a Leangains approach right now since I mostly doing a low volume/low rep workout which consists of the basics Squat, Bench, Overhead Press, Deadlift, and Chinups.

Working on just trying to cut down now but I figure I try out Eat Stop Eat method when I'm trying to bulk in the fall and winter in which I'll have a hectic schedule that Eat Stop Eat will allow me to stuff myself easier while still not worrying about messing up my feeding time lol.

[Ted Nugent]

a little update here!

ive decided to begin breaking my fast earlier, usually around 12:00-1:00 pm. The only reason is that i dont get home from the gym until about 6:30 and consuming 2000 calories in about 4 hours just doesnt sit well with me. I mean i could def eat that much in 4 hours without a problem, it just doesnt seem "right" to me cramming in that much in such a short amount of time. i know your body adapts to this but i kinda feel theres a chance my body would get overloaded with all the food in a short amount of time and store some as fat. Since the fat burned during fasting is marginal, i would much rather spread out my nutrient intake so im not just cramming in almost all my calories in a few hours before bed. Im having 2-3 hard boiled eggs at around noon and then around 3:00 i'll have my 1/2 cup oats and whey meal before my workout. Its not a huge amount of food but i like to get some nutrients in my system to support my workout/cardio. ANyone else modify the IF protocol in a similar fashion?

[caa5000]

teddy take a look at my last post, I commented on optimal recovery time and how it is achievable with fasting once/week.

[Ted Nugent]

teddy take a look at my last post, I commented on optimal recovery time and how it is achievable with fasting once/week.

what i think im going to do is one extended fast a week. I have a pretty solid defecit monday-friday, average about 2200 cals a day plus exercise. due to that big defecit i like to have a refeed on saturday where i consume 3000-3500 cals. im thinking do an extended fast on sunday (day after big refeed). gonna give it a try this weekend.

[caa5000]

only eating 2200/day at 185? dayum. I crush 3k a day with a 5k refeed on weekends.... slow metabolism?

[Ted Nugent]

only eating 2200/day at 185? dayum. I crush 3k a day with a 5k refeed on weekends.... slow metabolism?

well im down to about 172-175 now. i was eating at 2500-2600 for a month or two and was making great fat loss progress, but it was starting too plateau. i couldnt really increase my cardio/workouts anymore so i had to drop calories to get over the plateau. Im pretty confident that with carb/calorie cycling and 1-2 slightly higher cal refeeds a week i'll keep my body "guessing" and im hoping that will work well. As long as im keeping protein high and calories within reason im not toooo worried about "starvation mode" or losing muscle...i hope lol. trying it out is the only way to see if it works, im reallu hoping i dont waste 4-6 weeks on this experiment but everything looks right so im keeping my fingers crossed!

and as far as the metabolism goes, ive only really figure out my body/diet since i started cutting. once i start bulking and increase calories i'll see how my metabolism is, im praying to all things holy that with the amount of intense exercise i do it will be relatively high, haha.

[double gonad]

a little update here!

ive decided to begin breaking my fast earlier, usually around 12:00-1:00 pm. The only reason is that i dont get home from the gym until about 6:30 and consuming 2000 calories in about 4 hours just doesnt sit well with me. I mean i could def eat that much in 4 hours without a problem, it just doesnt seem "right" to me cramming in that much in such a short amount of time. i know your body adapts to this but i kinda feel theres a chance my body would get overloaded with all the food in a short amount of time and store some as fat. Since the fat burned during fasting is marginal, i would much rather spread out my nutrient intake so im not just cramming in almost all my calories in a few hours before bed. Im having 2-3 hard boiled eggs at around noon and then around 3:00 i'll have my 1/2 cup oats and whey meal before my workout. Its not a huge amount of food but i like to get some nutrients in my system to support my workout/cardio. ANyone else modify the IF protocol in a similar fashion?

About five or six weeks ago, I started lifting in the morning, usually 5 days per week. This is in addition to my 3-4x/week evening workouts. As a result, I started eating breakfast after my AM lifting session, cutting my fast down to 12-14 hours. Breakfast for me is about 1,000 calories.

I've been eating around 2500 calories on a 500 calorie deficit. It's been a lot easier getting 1500 in during the evening then it was getting 2500 in, especially on late nights when I only have a 2 hour window to eat in the evening.

Starting next week, I'm going to start ramping up the calories to the point where I'll be in a surplus in 3-4 weeks. I'm still not sure how I'm going to cram in 3500+ calories with this eating protocol and still eat the same types of foods I do now. Time will tell...

[Gabriel Anton]

Im at 2200 as well

I'm assuming a maintenance of about 2800/3200 and just subbed a thousand.

[ashenkoren]

i can agree with the not losing muscle in a 24 hour period. im just kinda wary that a 24 hour fast might not be the best idea for optimal recovery. idk if this method is better suited for lower rep/intensity workouts, it just seems that if your busting ass with alot of volume/intensity you would want to give those muscles all the support they can get. even the standard 16/8 fast gives plenty of time for the benefits of fasting without compromising getting daily protein/nutrients for recovery/growth. i would be interested to see how the 24 hour fasts worked for a hard training athlete. i could def see this working great for a older/middle age person that doesnt train hard 5-6 days a week.

I lift hard 6 days a week using a 3 day spilt - my average workout is about 90 minutes with high volume and good intensity (however I do not worry about getting to fail until the later end of my workout) and have had no issue with recovery. YMMV of course.

[Ted Nugent]

Im at 2200 as well

I'm assuming a maintenance of about 2800/3200 and just subbed a thousand.

2200 ftw! haha. between dropping down to 2200 and using carb/calorie cycling, and also more cardio im hoping to break the plateau and get rid of this last bit of stubborn fat Have any of you guys tried to enlighten struggling dieters (coworkers, family,etc) about IF? i have tried to help a few older people i know (in their 40's and 50's) and none of them could believe the IF concept lol. its like trying to preach satanism to a catholic grandma haha

[double gonad]

Have any of you guys tried to enlighten struggling dieters (coworkers, family,etc) about IF? i have tried to help a few older people i know (in their 40's and 50's) and none of them could believe the IF concept lol. its like trying to preach satanism to a catholic grandma haha

Luckily I work with some guys who lift, so we discuss nutrition, routines, etc. But for laypeople, I honestly don't even bother.

[determined4000]

a little update here!

ive decided to begin breaking my fast earlier, usually around 12:00-1:00 pm. The only reason is that i dont get home from the gym until about 6:30 and consuming 2000 calories in about 4 hours just doesnt sit well with me. I mean i could def eat that much in 4 hours without a problem, it just doesnt seem "right" to me cramming in that much in such a short amount of time. i know your body adapts to this but i kinda feel theres a chance my body would get overloaded with all the food in a short amount of time and store some as fat. Since the fat burned during fasting is marginal, i would much rather spread out my nutrient intake so im not just cramming in almost all my calories in a few hours before bed. Im having 2-3 hard boiled eggs at around noon and then around 3:00 i'll have my 1/2 cup oats and whey meal before my workout. Its not a huge amount of food but i like to get some nutrients in my system to support my workout/cardio. ANyone else modify the IF protocol in a similar fashion?

I do this 3days a week
I basically have early days and and extended fasted days based on work/school schedule
Basically half of the days of the week I get home 2-3 hours earlier than the other half and I workout (home gym) as soon as I get home, then break fast with a sizeable meal. Some days its 12 hours, others its 14-15. At this point I think my body is used to it and I basically feel the same (strength and hunger-wise) regardless of its a late or early day. This may also be helped by the fact that I eat more casein protein (instead of another protein source) before bed on the night before an extended day. Nonetheless it appears to be working. Doing this as part of a bulk but find IFing easier and has helped keep me from getting hypoglycemic throughout the day.

[machx]

I don't discuss it with anyone... people don't even understand the whole fat is not evil thing no less nutrient partitioning etc

Most people are, for lack of a better word, stupid.

[Gabriel Anton]

2200 ftw! haha. between dropping down to 2200 and using carb/calorie cycling, and also more cardio im hoping to break the plateau and get rid of this last bit of stubborn fat Have any of you guys tried to enlighten struggling dieters (coworkers, family,etc) about IF? i have tried to help a few older people i know (in their 40's and 50's) and none of them could believe the IF concept lol. its like trying to preach satanism to a catholic grandma haha

I really can't be arsed.

I mean, with most people you have to start from the start ?ok, the body is made of cells, cells need energy, this energy is in the form of a sugar called glucose...'

[Bo DeLone]

A lot of good posts here.

I started doing 40+ hour fasts with weight training workouts at the end of the fast and it has worked very well for me. I did shorter fasts for a long time before that as well.

Nice to see all the sucess stories here with people getting good energy during undereating and productive workouts too.

[Martin Berkhan]

Luckily I work with some guys who lift, so we discuss nutrition, routines, etc. But for laypeople, I honestly don't even bother.

Trying to explain IF and it's potential benefits to the layperson is an exercise in futility.

[Ted Nugent]

Trying to explain IF and it's potential benefits to the layperson is an exercise in futility.

agreed, its a practically a godsend for their futile attempts in weight management yet they refuse to even consider it, lol oh well

[Ted Nugent]

A lot of good posts here.

I started doing 40+ hour fasts with weight training workouts at the end of the fast and it has worked very well for me. I did shorter fasts for a long time before that as well.

Nice to see all the sucess stories here with people getting good energy during undereating and productive workouts too.

dam 40 hour fasts!! whats your training schedule look like? i usually have a controlled refeed day every 7-10 days and im seriously considering an extended fast preceeding the refeed, been thinking about it and it makes sense.

[caa5000]

whatever you do... you have to ease into it man. Eat fruit or something like that for your first meal. Last time I went >24 hours I ate subway, my body def did not like that.

[Bo DeLone]

dam 40 hour fasts!! whats your training schedule look like? i usually have a controlled refeed day every 7-10 days and im seriously considering an extended fast preceeding the refeed, been thinking about it and it makes sense.

I did regular 20 hour type fasts (Warrior Diet) for almost a year. Then I decided to try a few 40 hour ones.

Here is an example

Sunday night eat until approximately 10 pm

Undereat from then on. No meals on Monday

I might have a few bananas or oranges during this undereating (UE) phase

Finish training 4 pm Tuesday. Full body workout for about an hour

Start eating 5 pm Tuesday

So that might be 43 hours of UE

Been doing this all week. It can vary a few hours either way. It works well with a day on day off training cycle. I have also done 40 hour one then a 20 hour one and so on

Some thoughts on this:

*Hunger seems to be strongest in the first 24 hours if it comes. Usually it's just a few fleeting hunger pangs

*Once training starts I have the same quality level workouts I had when I was UE for 20 hours compared to 40 hour workouts

*Fat loss happens very rapidly during these extended UE phases

*Sometimes after approx 40 hours of UE I don't eat as much as I thought I would. Not eating enough after the 40hr UE can lead to increased hunger the next day

* I sure I didn't invent this eating cycle. I am sure wild animals eat like this when there is not food available daily

*I have been writing about this in my bodyblog for anyone who wants to find out more

[L.1.3]

I did regular 20 hour type fasts (Warrior Diet) for almost a year. Then I decided to try a few 40 hour ones.

Here is an example

Sunday night eat until approximately 10 pm

Undereat from then on. No meals on Monday

I might have a few bananas or oranges during this undereating (UE) phase

Finish training 4 pm Tuesday. Full body workout for about an hour

Start eating 5 pm Tuesday

So that might be 43 hours of UE

Been doing this all week. It can vary a few hours either way. It works well with a day on day off training cycle. I have also done 40 hour one then a 20 hour one and so on

Some thoughts on this:

*Hunger seems to be strongest in the first 24 hours if it comes. Usually it's just a few fleeting hunger pangs

*Once training starts I have the same quality level workouts I had when I was UE for 20 hours compared to 40 hour workouts

*Fat loss happens very rapidly during these extended UE phases

*Sometimes after approx 40 hours of UE I don't eat as much as I thought I would. Not eating enough after the 40hr UE can lead to increased hunger the next day

* I sure I didn't invent this eating cycle. I am sure wild animals eat like this when there is not food available daily

*I have been writing about this in my bodyblog for anyone who wants to find out more

Oh you undereating for 40 hours... I thought you wasn't eating anything for 40 hours lol... I'm not going to say it's easier but 40 hours of not eating at all is well something I probably would never do...

[Ted Nugent]

I did regular 20 hour type fasts (Warrior Diet) for almost a year. Then I decided to try a few 40 hour ones.

Here is an example

Sunday night eat until approximately 10 pm

Undereat from then on. No meals on Monday

I might have a few bananas or oranges during this undereating (UE) phase

Finish training 4 pm Tuesday. Full body workout for about an hour

Start eating 5 pm Tuesday

So that might be 43 hours of UE

Been doing this all week. It can vary a few hours either way. It works well with a day on day off training cycle. I have also done 40 hour one then a 20 hour one and so on

Some thoughts on this:

*Hunger seems to be strongest in the first 24 hours if it comes. Usually it's just a few fleeting hunger pangs

*Once training starts I have the same quality level workouts I had when I was UE for 20 hours compared to 40 hour workouts

*Fat loss happens very rapidly during these extended UE phases

*Sometimes after approx 40 hours of UE I don't eat as much as I thought I would. Not eating enough after the 40hr UE can lead to increased hunger the next day

* I sure I didn't invent this eating cycle. I am sure wild animals eat like this when there is not food available daily

*I have been writing about this in my bodyblog for anyone who wants to find out more

very interesting, especially the fat loss part! what percent bodyfat are you at and also how has muscle maitenance/gains been on this system? im trying to get rid of the last bit of stubborn bodyfat and ive actually been shortening the fasts so im not stuffing dow 1600-2000 cals in only 3 hours before bed, i just cant believe thats optimal for fat loss/muscle maitenance. depending on your answers i might try doing the opposite of what im doing now and do a "super fast" and see how it goes.

[Bo DeLone]

very interesting, especially the fat loss part! what percent bodyfat are you at and also how has muscle maitenance/gains been on this system? im trying to get rid of the last bit of stubborn bodyfat and ive actually been shortening the fasts so im not stuffing dow 1600-2000 cals in only 3 hours before bed, i just cant believe thats optimal for fat loss/muscle maitenance. depending on your answers i might try doing the opposite of what im doing now and do a "super fast" and see how it goes.

Hi Ted. Check your PM box

[dvshane]

Hi

I am interested in trying this out, but i train in the morning at 7:30am. How would i structure the fasting then ? Would i have to break the fast in before my workout and then eat my calories for the day up till about 1:30 pm then fast till 6:00am the next morning ?

This wouldnt really be favourable as i would have to eat all my meals at work, and im already getting complaints that i spend too much time eating. Would i ahve to change my training time to the afternoon ??

[mariia]

Im also trying IF and loving it.. But i have a question(stupid,sorry...) , but sometimes i like to drink red bull no sugar before cardio ( it?s just mental...it helps me...)...it is ok or its better not to drink it while in IF?