Intermittent Fasting OT

[Syder]

Is it recommended to do IF while working out? If my goal is to build muscle, wouldn't the weight loss part of IF be a problem? Or does it not matter as long as my calorie intake is high enough?

Click to shrink...

All IF is is basically shortening your eating window. The amount you eat in said window doesn't need to change. The weight lost through fasting is fat and if you exercise while fasted you're taking advantage of that fat burning window. Levels of growth hormone can skyrocket during a fast, increasing as much as 5-fold, which can aid fat loss and muscle gain.

 

[somerandomweirdguy]

Admittedly I am obviously no expert, but I thought I read an article a while ago when I first started that the reason IF works so well with a 16/8 schedule is that the body enters some state after 10-12 hours or so where it burns calories or something like that? Am I crazy?

Click to shrink...

There is some sort of effect along those lines, but it's overrated. There is no "one neat trick" that will make fat loss crazily faster. The real reason to do IF is to eat smarter, so you get less/more calories, so you lose/gain weight based on your goals. If you want to get big, figure out your TDEE, bump it up at least 200 calories (depending on how much fat gain you're okay with) and lift hard and often.

 

[Syder]

Thinking of doing another 3-dayer again.

Feel like these extended fasts are a really great way of breaking plateaus. Right now, I do Keto + IF and the only exercise I do is yoga because I don't have the time (or desire) to be in a gym 3+ times a week. I look and feel in the best shape since I was a teenager. Until recently I was pretty happy to finally see my abs again but after doing a couple of extended fasts I feel like I look even better; just more cut. Now I'm starting to wonder if doing a 3-day fast every week can be really beneficial.

 

[Haselbacher]

Thinking of doing another 3-dayer again.

Feel like these extended fasts are a really great way of breaking plateaus. Right now, I do Keto + IF and the only exercise I do is yoga because I don't have the time (or desire) to be in a gym 3+ times a week. I look and feel in the best shape since I was a teenager. Until recently I was pretty happy to finally see my abs again but after doing a couple of extended fasts I feel like I look even better; just more cut. Now I'm starting to wonder if doing a 3-day fast every week can be really beneficial.

Click to shrink...

I think 3day fast every week is a bit too much. You might get the results you are looking for. But it sounds over the top.

I see IF more as a lifestyle.
I think you should approach it more like a marathon than like a sprint.

 

[Shwing]

Trying my first 24 hour fast today!

 

[cognizant]

Maaan, my weight loss had stalled for a month, and it was frustrating me. With IF I'd mostly start eating at 1pm, finish by 7 or 8pm. I felt good, lost 5kg doing this, even had to get a lower waist size jeans, then a new belt, but for the last month I just wasn't seeing any change in the mirror or on the scales. (I want to get a body fat scale but reviews are all over the place for all of them)

So I decided to mix things up, as I read that the body can get used to your schedule so you need to be unpredictable. I downloaded an app called BodyFast. It has various fasting schedules, the usual 16:8 type stuff, but also its own unique ones. I decided to try out 'power week 1'.

This schedule's weekly fasting times are essentially 3 x 16 hour fasts, 1 x 20 hour fast, 1 x 6 hour fast.

Crucially the 20 hour fast was from 11am to 7am the next day. I've done 20+ hour fasts before but they always began in the evening. Yesterday I stuffed myself with a big breakfast (I think it was around 1300 calories) to give me energy for the day, then didn't eat anything else but water and green tea. This morning, I FINALLY got below 80kg which has been plaguing me for years. 79.4kg!

Hope to keep up the momentum. It's been a lot of trial and error, but what I've learnt so far is: don't eat too little everyday or you lose energy/metabolism and therefore can't even exercise which defeats the purpose. And mix up your fasting schedule. Starting a 20 hour fast in the morning really had an impact on my body.

 

[Shwing]

Can anyone recommend some meal replacement shakes? I have Soylent, but I would like to try some others.

 

[Avitus]

Can anyone recommend some meal replacement shakes? I have Soylent, but I would like to try some others.

Click to shrink...

Costco sells boxes of premier protein shakes. They aren't marketed as meal replacements but they do the trick. If you are willing to use a blender bottle or actual blender, your options are limitless.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

Can anyone recommend some meal replacement shakes? I have Soylent, but I would like to try some others.

Click to shrink...

Oats, protein power or egg whites, blueberries, banana , low fat milk or water.

I know its a bit more effort then just a powder, but its probably healthier, cheaper and tastier.

For a meal replacement powder

https://redcon1.com/products/mre-meal-replacement

This looks like it has good natural ingredients and good nutrition but I always think real food is better.

 

[Servbot24]

I've been trying IF the last week and the main problem I'm running into is being woken up in the middle of the night by hunger pangs. I can't get back to sleep unless I have something to eat, which obviously defeats the purpose. Is this just something that goes away after sticking with it for longer?

 

[The Artisan]

can you drink water during the fasting?

 

[FliX]

can you drink water during the fasting?

Click to shrink...

You absolutely should!

 

[The Artisan]

You absolutely should!

Click to shrink...

got it, I was just asking out of curiosity

 

[FliX]

got it, I was just asking out of curiosity

Click to shrink...

I mean there is no IF-police, or one correct way of doing it, I also drank tea during the fast if I felt like it.

 

[Kite]

can you drink water during the fasting?

Click to shrink...

You should do your own research to confirm this, but I've heard that during a fast you should drink water with some salt in it and supposed to take a few vitamin tablets.. magnesium, zinc and a few others iirc. Otherwise your body feels worse and are more likely to fail.

 

[HammerOfThor]

Not IF but this is the only fasting thread I think so posting here.

I decided Sat. night that Sunday I would do a 72 hour fast, during that time I read the fasting book by Dr. Fung and decided to go for a full 7 day fast. Today I'm feeling amazing as fuck so I may try to go 14 to 28 days. I have plenty of fat to spare :p . I'm only drinking water and coffee(and I'm almost always adding some salt and no-salt to my drinks to make sure I don't dehydrate), and taking a multi in the morning.

I'm thinking when i'm ready to start coming off the fast I'll drink some bone broth for a couple days, then probably break my fast with a handful of macadamia nuts and some combination of veggies and a light meat like eggs.

My goal once I'm done is to go back to my one meal a day to try to do 24 hour fasts. I'll probably eat some carbs on lifting days, but try to eat low carb or keto on non-lifting days. I was doing solid IF during the winter but Christmast tamales messed me up lol.

Also The Artisan , you can do something called "dry fasting" where you don't consume any water or even shower/brush your teeth, but that kinds hardcore and can fuck your kidneys up. So if you read about people not drinking water thats probably what they are trying to do.

 

[The Artisan]

I mean there is no IF-police, or one correct way of doing it, I also drank tea during the fast if I felt like it.

Click to shrink...

You should do your own research to confirm this, but I've heard that during a fast you should drink water with some salt in it and supposed to take a few vitamin tablets.. magnesium, zinc and a few others iirc. Otherwise your body feels worse and are more likely to fail.

Click to shrink...

I was just asking purely out of curiosity. I'm fasting right now and I've been asked often if I can drink water and usually people are bewildered to hear that I can't

 

[The Artisan]

Also The Artisan , you can do something called "dry fasting" where you don't consume any water or even shower/brush your teeth, but that kinds hardcore and can fuck your kidneys up. So if you read about people not drinking water thats probably what they are trying to do.

Click to shrink...

I still brush my teeth but I don't drink water, I hope my kidneys will be alright for the next 3 weeks lol

 

[Satori]

I still brush my teeth but I don't drink water, I hope my kidneys will be alright for the next 3 weeks lol

Click to shrink...

When it comes to dry fast there are two types. Hard and Soft. Hard is where you completely abstain from water including showers, brushing teeth etc. Where as water you can still shower, etc. How long do you intend to Dry fast for? 3 weeks seems crazy excessive.

 

[The Artisan]

When it comes to dry fast there are two types. Hard and Soft. Hard is where you completely abstain from water including showers, brushing teeth etc. Where as water you can still shower, etc. How long do you intend to Dry fast for? 3 weeks seems crazy excessive.

Click to shrink...

I'm fasting for Ramadan. It's been a week so 3 more. I brush my teeth 4 times a day nowadays, once before and after my 3am meal, once when I wake up for work, and then once again before I go to sleep. And I definitely still bathe. The dry fast doesn't sound very hygienic, how does it help you?

 

[Satori]

Ok whew...Dry fast can be very dangerous if done incorrectly or too long. It forces your body to produce metabolic water. Studies show it promotes autophagy etc. At most I would do 3 days of dry fast and even then it is more of a self-challenge. I know this is an intermittent fasting thread so I won't go into much details about extended fast.

I personally have been doing Intermittent fasting for a few months and also been doing Keto and it has been a life changer for me. I also do an extended water fast for a few days every few months as well.

 

[vehn]

Is it OK to have 1-2 skip days a week, where I do eat breakfast? On those days I would be doing intense cardio (biking for 20-50 miles, which loses 800 - 2,500 calories). I find if I do skip breakfast, my ride suffers a bit

 

[Deleted member 35011]

Main reason for me fasting is that girlfriend likes to cook me fancy meals and I feel bad saying "naaah I'm dieting" but coach would kill me if I gained weight, so I started giving this a try. Wow it feels amazing.

Like, being able to eat what I want, effectively save money and feel great is a pretty good combo. Feel like I got lucky though, my body adapted in like just two days and I know it took a lot more for my friends to adapt.

I'm eating a decent sized dinner, but nothing overboard. Like a regular pre-fast dinner. I'm drinking a shit ton of water though. I'm decently certain I was dehydrated to hell and back before I started this and just never noticed, welp.

 

[Haselbacher]

I am eying on a longer fast. Like 3-5 days.
Can someone please explain the salt part to me?

Do you take simple table salt? Or something special?
How often do you take it?

Thanks!

 

[HammerOfThor]

I usually do Himalayan sea salt. I don't really measure I just sprinkle some in my water a couple times a day. I also add no salt for potassium. There should be articles online saying the recommended salt intake for the day to help guide you. If you decide to add potassium make sure you don't go above the recommended dosage, you can get poisoning.

 

[Maynerd]

So the 5:2 diet book I have seems to suggest I eat 600 calories on my fast day. I was thinking that I finish my dinner by 7 pm then have my 600 calories during the fast day then have normal dinner at 7 pm the next day. This ends up being a 24 hour fast. The book doesn't seem to suggest that this is ok and seems to suggest that i would eat normally the day before then do my 600 calories the next day then have breakfast normally the following day. That seems more like a 48 hour fast. Am I misunderstanding how to do it?

 

[Temperance]

So the 5:2 diet book I have seems to suggest I eat 600 calories on my fast day. I was thinking that I finish my dinner by 7 pm then have my 600 calories during the fast day then have normal dinner at 7 pm the next day. This ends up being a 24 hour fast. The book doesn't seem to suggest that this is ok and seems to suggest that i would eat normally the day before then do my 600 calories the next day then have breakfast normally the following day. That seems more like a 48 hour fast. Am I misunderstanding how to do it?

Click to shrink...

For me eating anything substantial ~50kcal will be considered breaking a fast. You may also feel more hunger by doing 600 calories instead of eating nothing. That sound more like OMAD (one meal a day) for 2 days to me.

Give that book method a try and then do it without. Compare how you feel.

 

[Sketchsanchez]

So I've been doing this for almost 2 weeks and I really like it However everytime I tell someone I get a lecture how fasting is bad and that your body holds on to the fat you got when you starve yourself. I've heard similar before but how do I explain that this is different? Is it different?

 

[Haselbacher]

I am always wondering if it is worth the effort?

I just listen to The obesity code podcast and live on....

 

[HammerOfThor]

Question for you guys. Again not IF. Its still fasting and I don't know where else to post this.

This weekend I'm wrapping up a 14 day fast and I was planning to break it with homemade bone broth, then a couple hours later some macadamia and eggs.

However, I feel great. I'm considering going a other 7 days and just freezing the broth I made until then.

Thoughts and opinions? Should I refeed and roll into a 24 hour fasting schedule? Or just see my current fast out? I'm not feeling a reason to break it. I'm drinking salt and potassium water, taking a multi, and drinking some coffee

 

[Deleted member 36708]

I am always wondering if it is worth the effort?

I just listen to The obesity code podcast and live on....

Click to shrink...

I can confirm on some many levels. One of the most important things that ever happen in my life is discovering IF. It's so powerful!

 

[Coolverine]

never saw this thread before, but i am nearing 96 hours without any food. the first 48 was a little rough, but after 60 it has been pretty easy. i am not weighing myself or anything and i am not insanely active, just decided to give this a shot to be rid of belly fat, so far it's working incredibly well. i am trying for a full 7 days without food. we'll see if i make that. i am most worried about going back to eating semi crappy afterwards. i gotta be diligent about not relying on horrible foods after.

 

[args]

doesn't this shit just destroy muscle and slow your metabolism?

 

[h1nch]

I experimented with IF like 3 years back and had some limited success, but I could never sustain it for more than a month.

Now that I've been eating a ketogenic diet I find IF to come almost naturally. I've basically settled into a 16/8 fast schedule as a habit. Some days I'll have a knob of butter in my coffee and I know there's some debate as to whether it breaks the fast.

I'm loving it so far. Haven't felt any wild hunger cravings, and my energy levels have been great. I may experiment with an OMAD schedule eventually once I either hit my weight loss goals, or a plateau.

 

[Carl2282]

So, my coworker talked me into IF. I try my best to keep to a 7 hour or less fast on weekdays (my commute blows). 3 days a week I do a 4 hour fast. I don't as much diet as much as avoid restaurants and try to stick to fish, beef, or chicken and vegetables. I also try to get in at least 30 miles of walking a week.

Down 25 lbs in my first month! pretty great results so far.

 

[Enduin]

Been doing this legit for a few weeks now, no food till 2pm and holding out till 4pm this last week. I break with just two hard boiled eggs and yogurt at that time, though I've added in some dried apricots and peanuts in this last week, but then nothing else till around 7:30 after I get home from work and finish a 70-90 minute workout that includes 25-30 minutes of running and 45 minutes of weight lifting. Then I'll have 8-10 oz of chicken breast, cheese and smoothie that has two scoops protein powder, about a cup of plan full fat yogurt, cup of whole milk, cup of strawberries and cup or more of spinach. After that I might have another cup of fresh strawberries and cup of milk or something similarly light between 8-9pm for a dessert/snack.

I historically haven't been a breakfast or lunch person most of my life, but I have gotten in the habit doing so at work in the last few years, plus the odd snacking throughout the day on pretzel rods or candy. Thankfully going back to my old habits of not eating much of anything till dinner hasn't been much of an issue. Drinking a good amount of water throughout the day and having some decent gum on hand more than curbs what cravings I've had. I do find I'm peeing a shit ton though throughout the day without having anything in my stomach. So that's kind of been a nuisance.

Finally have the pool open and ready to go starting this weekend so I want to transition my cardio to the morning followed up with some laps in the pool and then just weight lifting and some more laps in the pool in the evening as that extended workout session in the evenings after work really takes up a huge chunk of my evening time. Sitting down to eat and relax for the evening at 730/8pm kind of sucks.

I've definitely lost a good 6-7 pounds in the last few weeks. I have been trimming down somewhat for the last few months since I started weight training 4 days a week in earnest back in Jan/Feb, though I was doing a lighter 3 day routine since Aug, and then running almost every day starting mid April. But overall weight loss hasn't been that great. Was hard to really tell with just the weight training since I've been adding muscle at the same time as I've been burning fat since I have virtually no upper body muscle mass. I'd hit the scale and my overall weight didn't change a whole lot over several months, despite my clothes fitting better. But I think adding in the cardio and IF around the same time has helped push the fat loss more. Really hoping I can finally kill this not so mild gut I've been carrying for years now. Supposed to go to Turkey for a wedding in Oct and I would love to be down to 190-180 for that and not this amorphous 215-220 I've been at for years now.

 

[Eldon]

doesn't this shit just destroy muscle and slow your metabolism?

Click to shrink...

I don't think you have the slightest idea of what IF is about.

 

[Avitus]

I am always wondering if it is worth the effort?

I just listen to The obesity code podcast and live on....

Click to shrink...

Traditional IF means skipping breakfast and sometimes lunch. You get an 8 hour (less is better) window to eat. Outside of that, you don't eat anything or drink anything with calories. After a short adjustment period, your body learns to 'wait' for food and it becomes routine. You may even find yourself forgetting to eat.

I eat between 6pm and midnight. It's super easy and makes adhering to keto (which goes well with IF) even easier.

So I don't think it takes much effort. If anything, it's a cheat code to spend less total time during the day worrying about food.

 

[OG Kush]

Question for you guys. Again not IF. Its still fasting and I don't know where else to post this.

This weekend I'm wrapping up a 14 day fast and I was planning to break it with homemade bone broth, then a couple hours later some macadamia and eggs.

However, I feel great. I'm considering going a other 7 days and just freezing the broth I made until then.

Thoughts and opinions? Should I refeed and roll into a 24 hour fasting schedule? Or just see my current fast out? I'm not feeling a reason to break it. I'm drinking salt and potassium water, taking a multi, and drinking some coffee

Click to shrink...

14 days?! Damn, I have to commend you on that. I don't think here is the best place to maybe ask that? Maybe shoot a question to Rhonda Patrick (https://twitter.com/foundmyfitness) or Dom D'agistino (https://twitter.com/DominicDAgosti2)

 

[Chixdiggit]

Thinking about trying this though I am worried about it conflicting with my current routine. I do Martial Arts 3 to 4 hours a day from 4:30pm to 8:30pm. I like to eat light meal before going to the gym and light after. I am usually in bed at 10:30PM.

So I guess my best 8 hour window would be from 7:30AM to 3:30PM?

Any thoughts on no protein/fuel after my work outs?

 

[Haselbacher]

Thinking about trying this though I am worried about it conflicting with my current routine. I do Martial Arts 3 to 4 hours a day from 4:30pm to 8:30pm. I like to eat light meal before going to the gym and light after. I am usually in bed at 10:30PM.

So I guess my best 8 hour window would be from 7:30AM to 3:30PM?

Any thoughts on no protein/fuel after my work outs?

Click to shrink...

Why not try your Martial Arts training at the end of your fast? Just give it a try.
I go to the gym 3 times per week at around 17h into my fast.

 

[Haselbacher]

Traditional IF means skipping breakfast and sometimes lunch. You get an 8 hour (less is better) window to eat. Outside of that, you don't eat anything or drink anything with calories. After a short adjustment period, your body learns to 'wait' for food and it becomes routine. You may even find yourself forgetting to eat.

I eat between 6pm and midnight. It's super easy and makes adhering to keto (which goes well with IF) even easier.

So I don't think it takes much effort. If anything, it's a cheat code to spend less total time during the day worrying about food.

Click to shrink...

I am not sure if it it worth the effort to explain it to people who don't want to understand it. Sketchsanchez asked how to explain it to someone who thinks you are starving yourself.
You can't teach anyone who doesn't want to learn.

I am doing IF since 6 month now. Not going back. Ever!

 

[kai3345]

officially down 15 lbs since starting fasting in may

 

[MrNewVegas]

Lmfao this is so funny. I just naturally do this. Had no idea it was a thing. I always eat most of my food between 11:30am-5:30pm. Sometimes I'll snack later in the night.

No wonder I'm at 140lbs at 5'7" lol.

 

[jts]

Doing an extended fast of at least 72 hours, currently on almost 62... it's been interesting to say the least.

It's just a one off thing, can't wait to go back to IF proper which just seems bliss at this point. And it's been the foundation of my weight loss, currently at about 8kg since the beginning of April.

 

[pleighboi]

24 hour fast today going to sleep on an empty stomach

 

[Dragonelite]

I am not sure if it it worth the effort to explain it to people who don't want to understand it. Sketchsanchez asked how to explain it to someone who thinks you are starving yourself.
You can't teach anyone who doesn't want to learn.

I am doing IF since 6 month now. Not going back. Ever!

Click to shrink...

It's kinda hard, most of the time people forget what the function of body fat is, then you need to explain that its like a long term energy storage you can tap into when fasting.

 

[ArcLyte]

I discovered that I've been naturally micro-fasting every day out of habit for the last six years: no eating after 10pm and before noon for a daily 14 hr fast. Between noon and 10 I eat a big lunch ~1400 calories at 1pm, workout at 8pm, ~500 calories of peanut butter after. I'm 29, 5'7" 145lbs, male, and have a bmi of 22.6. The idea is to starve the mitochondria of the cells which may have a beneficial effect on longevity, so this is really a body hack rather than a weight loss thing.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/st...fasting-may-be-center-of-increasing-lifespan/

https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(17)30612-5

 

[pleighboi]

slept horribly last night, exercised, had a tough day at work but still managed to fast for 24 hours. Going to bed on an empty stomach

 

[meadowdrone]

Wanting to try IF in earnest. I'm looking at a 20:4 schedule, maybe 19:5, but that's mainly because I look at 16:8 and I think, well... it's too easy? It's basically "skip breakfast" which I started doing a long while back, and now my body has adjusted to the point where breakfast is completely optional: just give me a black coffee and I'm good. If I eat breakfast now it's more a conscious effort. That said, it hasn't led to any weight loss, and that's probably just due to a calories debt from not keeping on top of my junk food habit.

I got a juicer recently and I love making a good vegetable juice - was thinking it would be a great way to break the fast alongside/before a good meal. That said I want to take trying to lose fat seriously and I think I have what it takes to stick to a "skip breakfast and lunch" routine, after a couple of days' adjustment.

Does anyone know if there are any physiological aspects of IF when comparing a 16:8 and 20:4 that are worth bearing in mind?