Intermittent Fasting Issue & Discussion

[Ricky]

FWIW, there's nothing magical about what time you eat your food; 3,000 calories is still 3,000 calories - even if you eat it all in 4 hours.

But IF has one of the best success rates for dieters because it is a lifestyle change that can be kept up with even afer the weight is lost. For that reason alone, IF works really well.
I do a modified IF with two 30-50g protein 'pulses', one in the morning (eggs) and one in the afternoon (2x scoop protein shake), then I can slam 12-16oz chicken breast in the evening and not have room for much else. I stole the idea from here.

T Nation Content

Discover a more intelligent approach for getting bigger, stronger, and leaner.

www.t-nation.com

i like this idea because when i intermittent fast strictly i end up drinking too much coffee. I also normally lift or do cardio in the morning so skipping breakfast completely feels a little tougher that it would for the roll out of bed last minute and not exercise intermittent fasters out there

 

[EyeBRollin]

Is the benefit of IF mostly an insulin thing @BackInTheGame78 ? If that’s the case would a low carb / keto dinner or breakfast have an similar effect as fasting?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Is the benefit of IF mostly an insulin thing @BackInTheGame78 ? If that’s the case would a low carb / keto dinner or breakfast have an similar effect as fasting?

IMO, the biggest benefit is that IF burns almost pure fat, 90% of true weight lost is from fat, whereas virtually all other methods studied are 50/50 fat/muscle or lean more towards burning muscle more than fat.

The goal when losing weight should be to spare as much muscle as possible and this helps in that regard.

 

[EyeBRollin]

IMO, the biggest benefit is that IF burns almost pure fat, 90% of true weight lost is from fat, whereas virtually all other methods studied are 50/50 fat/muscle or lean more towards burning muscle more than fat.

The goal when losing weight should be to spare as much muscle as possible and this helps in that regard.

I would think that if protein intake is sufficient and you are still strength training that muscle loss should be kept to a minimum regardless

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I would think that if protein intake is sufficient and you are still strength training that muscle loss should be kept to a minimum regardless

It all works synergystically. I believe in stacking efficiencies and in my experience the best results come not from one big thing but stacking multiple little things that all help more than the sum of the parts would suggest.

IF generates massive increases in growth hormone, up to 700% of normal in pulses throughout the day, peaking around 24 hours.

Also, one of the most overlooked things in all of that is proper sleep. Studies were done showing that even if people are minimally sleep deprived their body burns muscle at a far higher rate than if they are not.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

it really doesn't. Post receipts.

Don't trust anything that gives a % effectiveness. It's usually a grift.

Here is one that talks about a study that showed a 1300% increase in women and a 2000% increase in men over the course of a 24 hour fast.

Study finds routine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart

New evidence from cardiac researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah demonstrates that routine periodic fasting is also good for your health, and your heart. The study found that fasting not only lowers one's risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, but also...

www.eurekalert.org

There are many many many other studies that have been done on this all the way back to 1988 that all show significant increases in GH ranging from 375%, 500%, 700%, 1200%, etc. Basically all of them were multiple times normal.

A quick Google search of 24 hour fast GH increases will confirm this and you'll have plenty of studies to read to your hearts content.

It's really common sense when you think about it from an evolutionary point of view. GH is being released by the body in the short term to help spare muscle and get energy from fat to give you energy to go look for food. It doesn't know you can simply go to your fridge whenever you want.

 

[Murk]

@EyeBRollin bro you weigh a buck 50 pipe down

I would only listen to advice in this section from @BackInTheGame78

 

[Apone]

I've been doing IF for about 3 months now and have dropped from 155-ish down to 146 and it has gotten rid of the stubborn belly fat that I couldn't lose even when I was exercising my ass off.

I do 11am to 7pm as an interval and snacks during the day don't really seem to have any effect on making me increase weight. I do snack if I get really famished and it's usually nuts, coconut slivers or pork rinds. Coconut in particular has a ton of energy when it comes to energy available per quantity consumed.

IF really is amazing beyond weight loss and fat burning. I haven't felt this healthy in a long time.

Same here. I'm on a 8am-2pm feeding window and get all of my calories during that time period when I'm fasting (2-3 days a week). I've never felt healthier and lost a lot of belly fat. Highly recommended.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

I just covered this in my other thread but the culprit is simply your insulin levels, you need to eat something with a lot of fibre that will digest a bit slower.

Based on OPs OP (...) I would say they are blending what they should be eating whole or not eating at all, too many carbs being digested at once spikes your insulin, initiates cravings, however if it's not all carbs but still being digested fast enough, I believe that could cause a lack of energy. You need higher quality food, not supplements. Don't blend or drink any of your calories, everything whole.

Oatmeal is my go to, you can get a pound of plain oatmeal for under $5, tastes God awful but it's an amazing addition to your diet if your struggling with symptoms of hunger.

Certain cereals are OK, you just have to pay very close attention to their macronutrient content, also skipping the milk or going with something pea or oat based maybe better for you but milk is liquid carbs, the carbs in milk are created by something called Lactose, which converts into sugar so get lactose free milk if you really want it that bad.

Couple apple slices is an underrated snack, don't do the whole apple because your gonna spike off one likely but a few slices has that sugar kick and a bit of fibre. McDonald's sells apple slices, if your ever there grabbing a coffee, might be worth it to grab some if it's gonna save you a crash later.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I just covered this in my other thread but the culprit is simply your insulin levels, you need to eat something with a lot of fibre that will digest a bit slower.

Based on OPs OP (...) I would say they are blending what they should be eating whole or not eating at all, too many carbs being digested at once spikes your insulin, initiates cravings, however if it's not all carbs but still being digested fast enough, I believe that could cause a lack of energy. You need higher quality food, not supplements. Don't blend or drink any of your calories, everything whole.

Oatmeal is my go to, you can get a pound of plain oatmeal for under $5, tastes God awful but it's an amazing addition to your diet if your struggling with symptoms of hunger.

Certain cereals are OK, you just have to pay very close attention to their macronutrient content, also skipping the milk or going with something pea or oat based maybe better for you but milk is liquid carbs, the carbs in milk are created by something called Lactose, which converts into sugar so get lactose free milk if you really want it that bad.

Couple apple slices is an underrated snack, don't do the whole apple because your gonna spike off one likely but a few slices has that sugar kick and a bit of fibre. McDonald's sells apple slices, if your ever there grabbing a coffee, might be worth it to grab some if it's gonna save you a crash later.

If you are worrying about spiking insulin off an apple you have gone way way too far into that and don't understand that spiking your insulin isn't bad, that can happen from protein even, the important thing is how quickly it lowers after the spike.

The spike is only bad if it stays high for hours and hours. Insulin is not evil. You would literally die without it.

Oatmeal is a great food and you can add some berries and a little raw honey and cinnamon to it to help with the taste. I also add protein powder to mine.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

If you are worrying about spiking insulin off an apple you have gone way way too far into that and don't understand that spiking your insulin isn't bad, that can happen from protein even, the important thing is how quickly it lowers after the spike.

The spike is only bad if it stays high for hours and hours. Insulin is not evil. You would literally die without it.

Oatmeal is a great food and you can add some berries and a little raw honey and cinnamon to it to help with the taste. I also add protein powder to mine.

Everybody is different and eating at different times, for me an apple will absolutely initiate hunger cravings for hours, maybe your different but personally I always have to be careful.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Everybody is different and eating at different times, for me an apple will absolutely initiate hunger cravings for hours, maybe your different but personally I always have to be careful.

That has nothing to do with insulin. That's ghrelin.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Hard stop. Insulin resistance is not the primary factor, and even if it were - the answer is the same. To diet harder and eat the foods you know you should be eating.

Why?

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

That has nothing to do with insulin. That's ghrelin.

The connection between symptoms of hunger and insulin is well established, I'm gonna need to see your biology degree if your rewriting the science here.

 

[AureliusMaximus]

My question to you guys is this: Is there anything I can eat during the fasting window (around noon) to tide me over until until my eating window at 4pm? I

Not really.
Once you eat something you break the fast and thus = fail. That is pretty much it.

Once you add something with energy it will increase the blood sugar levels etc. and your body/brain will transform to use that energy source instead of using fat as energy source.

Instead drink tea, coffee, water, or drinks, lemonade which are sugar free. Use Stevia sweeteners they are the most healthy of the sugar free option if possible to make you feel full and not hungry. Also remember that whole point is that you are hungry to some degree so it is a game of discipline mostly.

My life hack it to go to the gym in the morning; that way I drink a lot so I'm not hungry until later and I eat at noon (lunch time), as it fits into my works schedule well. After that is it quite "easy mode" and just drink some more during the day until evening. So I just eat once a day.
My point with telling this is that you need to schedule in your intermediate fasting with "life schedule" that suits your lifestyle.

 

[Manure Spherian]

People, there’s no need to make this stuff complicated. If IF works for you by keeping you on schedule and curbing hunger, then do it.

But the same rules apply, whatever your eating window is.
1. Caloric deficit.
2. Adequate protein.
3. A minimum amount of carbohydrates.
4. Physical activity.

You don’t have to do IF, keto, carnivore, or drastically cut carbs or think hormones unless that makes you happy.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

People, there’s no need to make this stuff complicated. If IF works for you by keeping you on schedule and curbing hunger, then do it.

But the same rules apply, whatever your eating window is.
1. Caloric deficit.
2. Adequate protein.
3. A minimum amount of carbohydrates.
4. Physical activity.

You don’t have to do IF, keto, carnivore, or drastically cut carbs or think hormones unless that makes you happy.

I really struggle with carbs, I can sit and eat a whole loaf of white bread or a baguette, it's like frigging candy for me and I also have bad impulse control, I just do Keto and dry fast for 24 hours to get into Ketosis faster, I find if I don't dry fast I'll be craving for close to 3 days, but with the dry fast it's much quicker.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Ghrelin is literally the hunger response... try googling it before writing it off.

It's a part of the hunger response affected by meal times, OP isn't fasting for long enough to have Ghrelin be a factor at all, if it was you'd see it be near his meal time, as opposed to 8 hours before.

I was just looking for an explanation from you as to why you would even bring it up in the first place, im aware of the function.

You quoted the other post, forget to switch accounts? XD

 

[BackInTheGame78]

The connection between symptoms of hunger and insulin is well established, I'm gonna need to see your biology degree if your rewriting the science here.

Fair point, but an apple is not going to do much to your insulin levels.

"Apple is not only a low calorie fruit, but also a low glycemic index fruit. The glycemic index of apple ranges from 32 to 38 as confirmed by American Diabetes Association. This means apple does not raise your blood sugar levels instantly."

 

[obelisk]

Bone broth is often a great way to help tide you over without have something trigger the insulin response. 0g beef jerky (like People's Choice out of LA offers) can also be a great holdover as well.