Intermittent fasting

The chan chan man

Hi,

I’m considering trying intermittent fasting but I do my workouts in the morning. Presumably then I cannot have pre-workout drink or certainly not post workout shake..? I thought all this stuff about the 30 minute “anabolic window” etc had to be adhered to?!

Ceepo

The chan chan man wrote: »

Hi,

I’m considering trying intermittent fasting but I do my workouts in the morning. Presumably then I cannot have pre-workout drink or certainly not post workout shake..? I thought all this stuff about the 30 minute “anabolic window” etc had to be adhered to?!

Intermittent fast can meant different things to different people.
For some it would be only eating in a certain time frame period over a 24 hour cycle. This can range for 2 to 8 hours.

For others it might be not earing for a 24/48 hours straight.

If you're going with the former. Then you would need to see which window suits you best, ie am or pm. You could work your eating time around your training time.


You should also note that a lot of people dont care to believe in the "anabolic window"

Below are some studys of IM on circadian timing.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4930144/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982217306231

The chan chan man

What if I don’t work eating around training? Would it be bad to fast from 8pm, through the night, train at 8am and not eat until lunch? I’m not sure how sustainable that would be for me..

I can’t change my training time and I’d ideally like to get the benefit of the “fast” while I’m asleep, so I’m kinda stuck with training at 8am and only eating from noon to 8pm.. Anyone done this?

Hoboo

The chan chan man wrote: »

What if I don’t work eating around training? Would it be bad to fast from 8pm, through the night, train at 8am and not eat until lunch? I’m not sure how sustainable that would be for me..

I can’t change my training time and I’d ideally like to get the benefit of the “fast” while I’m asleep, so I’m kinda stuck with training at 8am and only eating from noon to 8pm.. Anyone done this?

What's the benefit of the fast? Train hard, eat often, rest well. Can't see how starving yourself while training hard is going to do anything but waste your time.

I prefer this tried and tested method adopted by professional athletes.

TheDalioLama

Hoboo wrote: »

What's the benefit of the fast? Train hard, eat often, rest well. Can't see how starving yourself while training hard is going to do anything but waste your time.

I prefer this tried and tested method adopted by professional athletes.

Like George St Pierre?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5uS9IeDn6n8&feature=youtu.be

Cazale

The chan chan man wrote:

I can’t change my training time and I’d ideally like to get the benefit of the “fast†while I’m asleep, so I’m kinda stuck with training at 8am and only eating from noon to 8pm.. Anyone done this?

I did a big bulk over three months and used intermittent fasting to help during cutting down and I'm still at it now. I've always trained fasted in the mornings so it didn't bother me too much. Once you get used to it you won't really even notice the window much. I normally do 10-6 or 12-8 depending on work etc. A few times a month I might do one massive meal and not eat again for 24 hours.

You'll get people violently opposed to the idea of you not eating until a certain time. I still get accused of starving myself even though I'm 125kg and still eat 4,000+ calories during the eight hours. A bit like people pestering you to have a drink when your on the soft drinks in the pub

Macy0161

I think most of the stuff against IF is due to claimed benefits that aren't scientifically supported, particularly regarding losing weight.

I'd get to hangry with IF, but I did used to do morning workout pre-breakfast (not fasted). I've recently switched to having some carbs before and during, and RPE is definitely down. That's for cycling interval training, not strength.

FoodC

You can work out when you are fasting- the best way is to do it in the morning while you have some glycogen in your muscles.
remember when it is time to stop your fasting it would be great to drink some protein with coconut milk and then after one hour start to eat food... your digestive system need slowly start working

IvoryTower

Cazale wrote: »

I normally do 10-6 or 12-8 depending on work etc

I never would have thought 8 hours was fasting, sure most people sleep for that length of time. That would be like having a snack in bed and soon as you get up!

It's made me realise i probably fast a bit without trying. Id say 10-10 is a normal day for me

FoodC

For me it is 14h of fasting 10h of eating
I mean it is just my normal daily routine.. So it is fasting without trying too!

Mars Bar

IvoryTower wrote: »

I never would have thought 8 hours was fasting, sure most people sleep for that length of time. That would be like having a snack in bed and soon as you get up!

It's made me realise i probably fast a bit without trying. Id say 10-10 is a normal day for me

Those 8 hours is his eating time. He fasts for 16

IvoryTower

Mars Bar wrote: »

Those 8 hours is his eating time. He fasts for 16

:pac:

I see

FoodC

What do you guys eat mostly for breakfast after fasting?

Akabusi

I did the full 24 hours intermittent fasting for a while and got good results but over time I have just fell into a routine of eating at 11am and 6pm. I only rarely train in the mornings but when I do it's never a problem. I find this routine really easy. I wake at 06:20 and between my commute and just getting through the previous night's emails, 11am is a good time for a break.

Akabusi

My meal at 11am is a salad sandwich, meal at 6pm will be dinner, mostly a vegetarian dish, but do have beef once or twice a week. At weekends the 11am meal is porridge with some fruit.

siochain

The chan chan man wrote: »

What if I don’t work eating around training? Would it be bad to fast from 8pm, through the night, train at 8am and not eat until lunch? I’m not sure how sustainable that would be for me..

I can’t change my training time and I’d ideally like to get the benefit of the “fast” while I’m asleep, so I’m kinda stuck with training at 8am and only eating from noon to 8pm.. Anyone done this?

Try it for 2 weeks and see how you feel during your workouts, that’s the only way to see if it suits you.

(Dr) Muiris Houston in The Irish Times the other day was very positive about the benefits of intermittent fasting for obese or overweight people:

Trying to lose weight? Consider time-restricted eating: Intermittent fasting can have benefits if you are obese or overweight

I started mine yesterday. I'm doing without food from 18:30 until 10:30am each day as those hours suit my lifestyle more at the moment. I've some 30kg to lose at the moment and while I often have gone without breakfast, my real challenge will be in the evening when I tended to eat more. I figure I'll just end up more tired for the want of food and go to bed earlier. Strong memories of student days of beans, toast and no money right there.

---

Moreover, I'd like to know more about the science of IF outside the obvious "eat less by skipping a meal and lose weight", which as it transpires below isn't the full story.

Here's a very informative medical article on IF where the writer emphasises the importance of the timing of IF and, more importantly, explains clearly the science behind IF (it's more than just "eat less"; see highlighted part below):

Intermittent fasting: Surprising update (12 Dec 2019)

... IF makes intuitive sense. The food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut and eventually ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains (think white flours and rice), are quickly broken down into sugar, which our cells use for energy. If our cells don’t use it all, we store it in our fat cells as, well, fat. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin brings sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there.

Between meals, as long as we don’t snack, our insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar, to be used as energy. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. The entire idea of IF is to allow the insulin levels to go down far enough and for long enough that we burn off our fat...

That whole Harvard article is very well worth reading.

swededmonkey

Quick query. When doing a 16:8 fast, should you reduce your calorie intake according the meal missed? My calories maintenance is 2600 per day and breakfast is usually 500 cals. Do I eat 2600 during the 8 hour window or reduce to 2100?

Akrasia

I did the 5 2 fast where you eat normally for 5 days, and for 2 days you eat fewer than 500 calories in a single small meal

The 2 fast days were non consecutive

I found this grand to follow if it fit in with a pattern where you didn’t ordinarily exercise on certain days eg, I fasted on Tuesday and Thursday, was active at weekends and played soccer on Wednesdays..

The system broke down when I changed jobs to one with irregular hours and it fell apart but while it lasted I lost loads of weight and felt good

Definitely thinking about getting back into it this month.

TommyKnocker

swededmonkey wrote: »

Quick query. When doing a 16:8 fast, should you reduce your calorie intake according the meal missed? My calories maintenance is 2600 per day and breakfast is usually 500 cals. Do I eat 2600 during the 8 hour window or reduce to 2100?

IF is not a magic formula, it still boils down to calories in Vs calories out. So it will still depend on your specific goal. Run a calorie deficit to drop weight, a surplus to gain and eat at maintenance to stay as is weight wise.

So I believe that if you are doing IF and eat below maintenance, then you will lose weight and if including resistance training then a good amount should be from body fat. However if you eat above maintenance, even though doing IF you will gain weight, no question about it.

If you continue to eat at maintenance then your weight should stay the same and if training towards the end of the fasting period, providing it has been long enough, then you should be burning body fat during your exercise for energy.

As I understand it IF has more health benefits then just weight loss and it is these other health benefits that drew me to IF.

I have been doing IF for the last 4 weeks and in that time I have dropped around 6lbs and the little pouch of fat I had on my tummy is visibly decreased. But I also feel better in myself. I don't know how to explain it, but I just feel better, mentally clearer.

I do 16:8 though it is more like 17:7 or 18:6 most days. I have two meals a day, breakfast at around 13:00 and dinner around 19:00, with pretty much the same calories I did before I started, though snacks have been knocked on the head. I train fasted on weekends and between meals on Monday to Friday. So far so good and have not experienced any negatives so far, only positives, so the plan is to continue on with it.

delly

I've been doing IF since October 2018 and it's totally changed me so much for the positive. I generally do 18:6 each day, every day and was 14st 4lbs when started and have been sitting around 12st 10lbs give or take. I didn't start it to lose weight, but more so about leading a healthier lifestyle and wanting to have less upset stomach problems by eating at bad times. The weight loss has been a positive side effect, but I feel so much better overall. I generally lead a sedentary lifestyle and other than walking a good bit, I don't do any other form of exercise. I also don't count what I eat when I eat, I still enjoy the nice things, but only during my set hours.

There is an app called zero that I started using recently to track when I start and finish fasting, it may help those starting out.

Macy0161

TommyKnocker wrote: »

As I understand it IF has more health benefits then just weight loss and it is these other health benefits that drew me to IF.

Other Potential Benefits. Until Danny Lennon is in enough to recommend it, I'm still on the fence!