Intermittent fasting facts and fiction explained: by RickRock

[RickRock]

Just looking at the clock I almost do this already Mon-Fri , I eat dinner around 5 right after the gym and usually nothing after that until 8 the next morning, maybe a glass of water. So that's roughly 15 hours hmm... well I have coffee in the morning starting at 5:00 does that count? Or is it just food.
I could probably add an extra hour and eat breakfast at 9:00 instead of 8:00 if that hour would make a big difference, not sure.

You're pretty much there bro. Coffee is fine as long as you dont add sugar, creamer, etc. A few minor manipulations and you'll be well within the protocol

 

[RickRock]

Ditto Rick! That's me almost to a tee! Love that meal that breaks the fast after the workout.

Best moment of the day for sure!

 

[Joe S.]

Cool so not to bad already, I can easily stretch to 9 a.m. for breakfast, it's weird because I'm not really hungry until I eat, then I am hungry all day.

 

[RickRock]

Cool so not to bad already, I can easily stretch to 9 a.m. for breakfast, it's weird because I'm not really hungry until I eat, then I am hungry all day.

I'm usually not hungry at all in the morning which is why IF came so easy for me

 

[ironlifter36]

Just looking at the clock I almost do this already Mon-Fri , I eat dinner around 5 right after the gym and usually nothing after that until 8 the next morning, maybe a glass of water. So that's roughly 15 hours hmm... well I have coffee in the morning starting at 5:00 does that count? Or is it just food.
I could probably add an extra hour and eat breakfast at 9:00 instead of 8:00 if that hour would make a big difference, not sure.

Now now Joe, I thought you were having pizza and brownies for lunch?

 

[mellomuscle]

Some of you may have heard of Intermittent Fasting, or "IF", but what is it? Intermittent fasting is a type of nutrient timing diet. There are a lot of variations of intermittent fasting out there, but the most popular versions of IF are alternate day fasting (ADF) and the Lean Gains style of IF.

Basically, intermittent fasting is a period of fasting (consuming no food, and usually water or low/no calorie drinks) for a specific time period followed by a period of eating the days caloric and macro requirements. For the purpose of this article, I will be referring primarily to the 16/8 "Lean Gains" style of IF, since it is more suited for the bodybuilding lifestyle of muscle gain and fat loss.

What are the benefits of IF?

1) IF results in increased insulin sensitivity, which will give much better nutrient partitioning especially when in conjunction with resistance training.

2) the possibility of complete body recomposition of adding muscle and dropping bodyfat simultaneously through utilization of nutrients responsive to the requirements and goals for that day.

3) metabolic increase from fasting

4) suppressed appetite while fasting by normalizing grehlin "the hunger hormone" levels (especially beneficial when trying to lose bodyfat)

5) convenience- IF is a much more manageable meal plan, without having to worry about eating every 2-3 hours or 6 times per day.

6) leniency- many have found that you can get away with eating much more liberally with IF, in terms of both quantity and quality of food versus other dieting plans

7) increased energy and mental clarity during the fast (contrary to popular belief)

8) overall health benefits-IF has been scientifically proven to improve blood lipids, lowered triglycerides, reducing inflammation, improving biomarkers of disease, improving brain function, and increasing HGH levels among others.

9) Maintenance of low bodyfat-Through IF, I've been able to stay in single digit bodyfat year round, despite my goal, and with a great deal of leniency in my diet

As you can see, there are many benefits to intermittent fasting. IF goes against a lot of the bodybuilding pop culture ideas of what it takes to build muscle and/or lose fat. So lets debunk some of these "myths" many of you may have heard before.

Popular Myths about intermittent fasting:

1) you must eat small, frequent meals to keep metabolism boosted. This couldn't be farther from the truth. While metabolic increase happens every time you consume food, the metabolic increase is directly proportionate to the thermic effect of the food (TEF). For example, if you have a 3k cal diet for the day, your TEF would be no different if you had six 500 cal meals versus three 1,000 cal meals. The metabolic increase from TEF would be the same at the end of the day.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

2) You must eat every 2-3 hours with adequate protein to prevent becoming catabolic- Another old school myth debunked by real world science and results. The fact is that the more protein you take in, the longer it takes to digest. Consuming larger amounts of protein in a meal just takes that much longer for the body to digest it, allowing a steady amount of aminos and protein synthesis to happen up to 40 hours after ingestion.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9405716

3) fasting will cause muscle loss- this goes hand in hand with number two. As pointed out, consuming a High amount of protein in a meal before fasting will result in a very slow and continuous release of aminos into the bloodstream for the fast, so catabolism is not an issue.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413096


4) eating smaller, frequent meals helps regulate blood sugar-Despite what many people think, you blood sugar will not drop as a result of fasting or missing meals. As a matter of fact scienitific evidence suggests your blood sugar wouldn't change by fasting for a day, a few days, or even a week. You are not smarter than your body, and it will adapt to meal patterns and changes by regulating itself through homeostasis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18779282

5) Fasted training causes a decrease in performance and fatigue-This is one of the biggest myths out there and data suggests that there is no negative performance to resistance training or amoebic activity in a fasted state. There is however, a decrease in performance if exercising without proper hydration.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3622486

Great read!


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[Joe S.]

Now now Joe, I thought you were having pizza and brownies for lunch?

LOL Salad daily and a brownie "occasionally" nowadays, but rarely. Been pretty good on that habit since I started bringing lunch. Was hard when they were staring at you at the cash register in the café.

 

[Devildog2136]

This is a great article I've actually been IFing for 4 months and lost 16 lbs. it's so simple and if you eat good quality foods you will see a difference fast. If you just eat you will still get results just not necessarily as quick. Love IF so far.

 

[RickRock]

This is a great article I've actually been IFing for 4 months and lost 16 lbs. it's so simple and if you eat good quality foods you will see a difference fast. If you just eat you will still get results just not necessarily as quick. Love IF so far.

It can be a very powerful and effective dieting tool that allows a lot of leniency for sure bro. I'm glad you're enjoying it's benefits

 

[booksraw]

IF has almost single handedly saved me from UC symptoms over the past year

 

[RickRock]

IF has almost single handedly saved me from UC symptoms over the past year

That's awesome to hear brother

 

[buseslo]

If I'm 23 years old, 315 lbs, and workout 5+ times a week,

What would you advise my fasting window be?


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[RickRock]

If I'm 23 years old, 315 lbs, and workout 5+ times a week,

What would you advise my fasting window be?


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The fasting window is the same for everyone. It's a 16 hour fast with an 8 hour feeding period. Calories and macros are user specific. Check out my diet and nutrition thread for info on how to set yours up

 

[svanimost]

Great write -up Rick. Always wanted to know a little more about IF & it's advantages. Now does it have the same effect when on or is it more effective when in between cycles ??? I'm very intrigued in using this to my advantage of raising my calories & seems to be easier??? Instead of counting all day !!!

 

[RickRock]

Great write -up Rick. Always wanted to know a little more about IF & it's advantages. Now does it have the same effect when on or is it more effective when in between cycles ??? I'm very intrigued in using this to my advantage of raising my calories & seems to be easier??? Instead of counting all day !!!

As I always say, everything that works well off cycle, works even better while on. IF is no different. I did IF all the way through contest prep and actually grew into my show while getting shredded as fuck. My avatar pic is in prep on IF

 

[svanimost]

As I always say, everything that works well off cycle, works even better while on. IF is no different. I did IF all the way through contest prep and actually grew into my show while getting shredded as fuck. My avatar pic is in prep on IF

Great , thanks Rick. I'm halfway through one now & going to implement If in. Just need to be careful not to increase my caloric intake too fast ! It just seems too easy increasing with IF rather than the 2-3 hr meal timing.

 

[Gunk]

Nice write up. I just started IF about a month ago. I was surprised how I was able to make it through the fast without starving to death. My fasting window is stretched a bit because of work schedule but I really like not having to prepare meals for breakfast and lunch time. I eat last before bed and then workout the next day after work around 5, then the feasting begins! Its nice because you feel like your eating a lot of food at once but you don't go over daily calorie goals.

I would definitely be interested in any other advice or tips you have on the subject.

Thanks for sharing.

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[Gunk]

I'm just wondering if I should adjust my S4 timing since I am in fasted state from morning till about 6pm daily.

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[RickRock]

Nice write up. I just started IF about a month ago. I was surprised how I was able to make it through the fast without starving to death. My fasting window is stretched a bit because of work schedule but I really like not having to prepare meals for breakfast and lunch time. I eat last before bed and then workout the next day after work around 5, then the feasting begins! Its nice because you feel like your eating a lot of food at once but you don't go over daily calorie goals.

I would definitely be interested in any other advice or tips you have on the subject.

Thanks for sharing.

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I've seen a lot of interest already so I will be providing some more info to keep the discussion going for sure.

 

[RickRock]

I'm just wondering if I should adjust my S4 timing since I am in fasted state from morning till about 6pm daily.

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No need to adjust your s4 dose at all bro. Keep it at 25mg in the am and 25mg 4-6 hours later regardless of whether that's during the fast or not. It will make no difference