Intermittent Eating (3 Questions)

paul7g · 21-04-2019 2:16pm #1

Hi,

I have been reading and listening to a lot of podcasts on intermittent fasting lately and I have a number of questions which I would appreciate some help with.

Some context... I get up at 06:30, work until 10:00 and then go to the gym...
and have my first meal at 12:00 and my last meal at 20:30.

1 - I and I’m sure lots of people in Ireland have grown up on the theory that you “should never skip breakfast... it’s the most important meal of the day, etc...” so is it actually more important to start your meal window first thing in the morning, or is this irrelevant. A lot of “experts” recommend waiting 4 hours before having your first meal, after you wake up. Is the “breakfast is the most important meal” statement somewhat “Irish”?

2 - Does it make a difference if you consume your daily calories take of 2,800 over 2 meals in your window VS spreading them out over 3 meals in the same window. I find it easier to eat a large meal at 12:00, and another at 20:00... but would 3 smaller meals be better, or again does it matter?

3 - Is it bad to be eating a big meal at 20:00 and then going to bed at 23:00?

Thank you to anyone who can help with the above.

P

Alf Veedersane · 21-04-2019 8:59pm

paul7g wrote: »

Hi,

I have been reading and listening to a lot of podcasts on intermittent fasting lately and I have a number of questions which I would appreciate some help with.

Some context... I get up at 06:30, work until 10:00 and then go to the gym...
and have my first meal at 12:00 and my last meal at 20:30.

1 - I and I’m sure lots of people in Ireland have grown up on the theory that you “should never skip breakfast... it’s the most important meal of the day, etc...” so is it actually more important to start your meal window first thing in the morning, or is this irrelevant. A lot of “experts” recommend waiting 4 hours before having your first meal, after you wake up. Is the “breakfast is the most important meal” statement somewhat “Irish”?

2 - Does it make a difference if you consume your daily calories take of 2,800 over 2 meals in your window VS spreading them out over 3 meals in the same window. I find it easier to eat a large meal at 12:00, and another at 20:00... but would 3 smaller meals be better, or again does it matter?

3 - Is it bad to be eating a big meal at 20:00 and then going to bed at 23:00?

Thank you to anyone who can help with the above.

P

1 - doesn't matter when you break it.

2 - largely doesn't matter but you'd be better getting your protein intake of 30+g spread evenly over several meals. I'd aim for at least 3 evenly spread protein "hits"

3 - Maybe for sleep but it won't really matter.

paul7g · 21-04-2019 10:06pm

Thanks Alf.

I’m not sure why, but I feel like intermittent eating will cause loss of bulk / muscle but i’ve read otherwise.

Any thoughts on this?

Alf Veedersane · 21-04-2019 10:18pm

paul7g wrote: »

Thanks Alf.

I’m not sure why, but I feel like intermittent eating will cause loss of bulk / muscle but i’ve read otherwise.

Any thoughts on this?

Why would it if you're eating enough and training properly?

Cake Man · 21-04-2019 11:04pm

Just as an FYI, the whole “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” was coined by Kellogs...a company that specialise in breakfast foods. Now why would a company who specialise in breakfast foods want to convince people that breakfast is the most important meal of the day...

Alf Veedersane · 21-04-2019 11:12pm

Cake Man wrote: »

Just as an FYI, the whole “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” was coined by Kellogs...a company that specialise in breakfast foods. Now why would a company who specialise in breakfast foods want to convince people that breakfast is the most important meal of the day...

To be fair, it's more than just Kelloggs that beat this particular drum so i can see why it has been accepted as 'fact'

Eoinbmw · 21-04-2019 11:33pm

Breakfast is a lot older than Kellogs or any other breakfast cereal company!
And break-fast can be at noon or later!

Mars Bar · 22-04-2019 8:56am

paul7g wrote: »

Thanks Alf.

I’m not sure why, but I feel like intermittent eating will cause loss of bulk / muscle but i’ve read otherwise.

Any thoughts on this?

Not if you're getting sufficient calories/protein.

The timing really doesn't matter at the end of the day. It's all about those calories.

completedit · 22-04-2019 1:18pm

IF is so pointless as a tool, I just do it out of convenience a few days a week, people are so desperate to latch onto something. Just eat normally. Personally I’m never gonna eat porridge at any other time other than morning...I want to porridge so have breakfast,

Weltsmertz · 22-04-2019 1:35pm

Just eat normally and you will be overweight. Particularly as you get older.
When the window is doesn't particularly matter.
The "breakfast is the most important meal" dogma pushed by cereal companies and nutritionists for generations has been largely discredited. A few suggestions OP.
A workout will be better if you have enough available glycogen to fuel it so if you go to the gym at 10am you might be better off eating beforehand.
A window of nine hours is quite long. You would be less hungry and more alert if you shortened it.

Alf Veedersane · 22-04-2019 1:43pm

completedit wrote: »

IF is so pointless as a tool, I just do it out of convenience a few days a week, people are so desperate to latch onto something. Just eat normally. Personally I’m never gonna eat porridge at any other time other than morning...I want to porridge so have breakfast,

It's not pointless as a tool. It may be for you but it works for plenty of other people.

paul7g · 22-04-2019 2:41pm

completedit wrote: »

IF is so pointless as a tool, I just do it out of convenience a few days a week, people are so desperate to latch onto something. Just eat normally. Personally I’m never gonna eat porridge at any other time other than morning...I want to porridge so have breakfast,

Have you researched or learned much about the topic?

“People are so desperate to latch onto something”... Not in this case. This is not a fad diet or new training regime... this is something that improves your health in a natural way... and not some aesthetic driven benefit / fad.

This was actually suggested to me many years ago, and it’s something that just keeps popping up over and over. I’ve read and listened to so many podcasts and articles on it that I have actually struggled to find any negative consequences. Usually when a fad or new training regime comes out, there is usually an equal amount of people supporting the opposite... but not in this case.

Johnnyhpipe · 23-04-2019 7:15am

Tried this for 4 months and had to give it up. Started off OK but towards the end by 12pm I was dizzy, had blurred vision and headaches until I ate ‘breakfast’ at lunchtime.. Not for me.

Weltsmertz · 23-04-2019 7:47am

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Tried this for 4 months and had to give it up. Started off OK but towards the end by 12pm I was dizzy, had blurred vision and headaches until I ate ‘breakfast’ at lunchtime.. Not for me.

To be frank. I don't believe you. Body adjusts and if you go gave up breakfast for four months you wouldn't need it. You would not have blurred vision and headaches in the morning because of lack of breakfast.
I call BS

Macy0161 · 23-04-2019 9:53am

Weltsmertz wrote: »

Just eat normally and you will be overweight. Particularly as you get older.

IF for weight control is nothing more than a way of restricting calories. There's no magic, in terms of weight loss or weight maintenance*.

If it works for you, that's fine. It doesn't for me with when I generally train (and wanting to fuel intensity and recovery), and I get too hangry...

*there's other suggested benefits, which haven't been properly proven, but are certainly interesting.

paul7g · 23-04-2019 1:08pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Weltsmertz wrote: »

Just eat normally and you will be overweight. Particularly as you get older.

IF for weight control is nothing more than a way of restricting calories. There's no magic, in terms of weight loss or weight maintenance*.

If it works for you, that's fine. It doesn't for me with when I generally train (and wanting to fuel intensity and recovery), and I get too hangry...

*there's other suggested benefits, which haven't been properly proven, but are certainly interesting.

You shouldn’t be restricting calories when IF-ing.

The reason that you might lose weight is that your body has more time to digest and replenish, instead of constantly spiking your insulin over a typical 14hr period compared to just 8-10 hour eating window... however you should not be reducing your calories... you are only shortening your daily eating window, so that your body can replenish more when it is not digesting food.

I actually prefer calling it Intermittent Eating instead of fasting as fasting just sounds too ‘diety’.

Alf Veedersane · 23-04-2019 2:41pm

paul7g wrote: »

You shouldn’t be restricting calories when IF-ing.

The reason that you might lose weight is that your body has more time to digest and replenish, instead of constantly spiking your insulin over a typical 14hr period compared to just 8-10 hour eating window... however you should not be reducing your calories... you are only shortening your daily eating window, so that your body can replenish more when it is not digesting food.

I actually prefer calling it Intermittent Eating instead of fasting as fasting just sounds too ‘diety’.

A hell of a lot of people use it to manage caloric intake because without necessarily counting calories as such they will find it more difficult to go over maintenance. Assuming they don't eat like a dope.

Dial Hard · 23-04-2019 2:51pm

I feel like it should be my sig at this stage, but what you eat over a given period is far, far, far more important than when you eat it.

I would also suggest listening to your body and understanding your natural eating patterns. My sister would be utterly, utterly miserable on an IF eating plan, whereas I've been eating on a 16:8 pattern pretty much my entire life, long before IF ever became a "thing" - it's just the way my appetite works.

If you need breakfast, eat breakfast. If you don't like eating early in the day, then don't. All that really matters is making sure the food you eat is healthy, nutritious, enjoyable and falls within your calorie needs, regardless of at what point during the day you eat it.

hernie · 23-04-2019 2:53pm

Interesting, some science on fasting diets: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/76hdko/fasting-diets-whats-the-skinny

Intermittent Eating (3 Questions)

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