Sarlacc

Anyone here do this?

I’ve been doing for almost two weeks now...but I have also taken myself back to cleaner eating as well. Lots of proteins, nuts, and complex carbs tossed in. No simple carbs.

So, I basically fast for a 16 hour period and then I eat for 8 hours. Usually chicken breast Ive prepared for the week, eggs, almonds, yams, veggies, quinoa or lentils. If I get a sweet tooth I’ll have some dark chocolate chips.

I haven’t been on the work out wagon since after Xmas...and my stomach has been a mess for longer than that because I had been eating really rich and just not giving a fuck.

Now, after two weeks I feel much better and stomach has healed a lot. I’m curious how this will continue once I start to add workout back into it. You’re supposed to workout during your fasting period...which is easy for me because I dont like working out on as full stomach, but I’m curious how it will be after because that when I usually have proteins. They say you’re supposed to have an amino acids drink during this part. So, perhaps I’ll look into that.

I’m not looking to bulk up, I’m not in my 20s anymore and I’m plenty big. I’m just looking to get my weight back down and maintain.

I dont even know if I will stick with the fasting part...I’ll see how that goes. I may switch to eating normal meals after my work out and just not eating past 8pm. But for now, this seems to be working.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

this is a cool topic to me!
I have never tried it, but I can see it working!
Good luck!

Sarlacc

Any recommends for Amino Acids? I started those yesterday and just went with cellucor bcaa to drink in the morning. My pee glowed in the dark....

I'm also back to green tea. I used to be big in to this and stopped for whatever reason.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I know enough about fasted training to know that your body needs excess BCAAs to repair your muscles, faster.
however; I am in the real food camp. I personally believe humans can get all of their nutrients from natural foods.

I sorta fast, by going to sleep hungry lol

thoiboi

Does forgetting to just eat meals count as Intermittent Fasting?

Sarlacc

Well, I guess since the fasting occurs over a 16 hour period, you take the BCAAs in the morning mid fast...also helps with appetite. But otherwise. Its all real food...occasionally I'll have a whey protein shake. But its mostly been eggs, chicken breast, ground turkey, almonds, yams, broccoli, green beans, quinoa and lentils. Pretty boring but my body needs to repair. and I can happily live eating like this. Once I've been in the routine for a consistent time I'll start having an occasional cheat. But right now I want to see what my does when I shun off simple carbs.

Plus once I'm back to a more normal work out routine, I might stop the 16 hour fast in favor of just not eating past 8pm, but eating breakfast earlier. Which would mean I would end up not eating for 12-14 hours anyway.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

I've fasted during the day (from waking up to dinner) to lose a bit of weight. I can't seem to just eat in moderation. I have no self control. But when I commit to fasting, and just don't eat anything until dinner, I find it's a lot more effective than trying to eat less. For some reason I can commit to not eating anything at all better than trying to eat less. And at dinner, I take it easy - don't chow down like crazy. Naturally I eat more for dinner but it's well less than the 2500 calories you'd burn on average per day.

brian2

more like late breakfast


seriously, sarlacc.... I think this diet needs a new name

Sarlacc

In addendum to this, I've start to once again log my food to see where I'm at with calories/protein intake. In all honesty. I'm probably not eating enough. I'm probably averaging 1700-1900 calories a days. And yesterday I probably had maybe 1600 because I got really busy with some home projects, AND I also burned a ton a calories because I finally got back out on my bike, so I was running on a deficit. And then I got busy installing a whole Elfa system in my kids close which required removing the busted chest of drawers. Emptying and uninstalling the current shelf system I had put in etc....moving all the shit in there, installing and then organizing, etc etc etc...when I get in that zone I cant be bothered with anything else. So, I didn't really eat. I had to force myself to take a break to eat dinner because I knew once my 8 hour window closed I would fucked.

I try to take snacks with me when I'm out. The couple days I had on set last week I bought my own food, even though shows are catered and have craft services available all day...I'd grab fruit or a spoonful of peanut butter if I went there. But its easier to track and keep myself in check if I'm controlling what and where my food is coming from.

Its a big pain with a wife and kids who don't eat the same way, but so far my wife hasn't wanted to kill me...not outright anyway.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

This is the difficult part. When they eat different, it makes it worst. I meal prep my lunch and dinners. By dinner time I want to eat what they're having. Ohhh you guys are having pizza? I'll eat my chicken breast, brown rice and veggies.


I do drink casein protein before bed though.

SamDoe1

You guys are nuts, there's no way I could fast for so long. I eat first thing when I get to work (cheese + granola bar), then lunch, then small snack (banana), then small pre gym snack (yogurt+fruit), then dinner with a protein shake or two in between there.

Simply not eating isn't a good way to both reduce and maintain weight, the key is eating the right stuff in the right amount. Counting calories and macros is a great place to start.

Sarlacc

Its proven to work. But again we are all chemicals and our bodies react to different things.

But I'm getting back in to cycling more regularly, and if I can get it to stick I'll have to drop the fasting because you HAVE to fuel your body when riding. I would just not eat after 8pm. I'd probably still end up fasting for about 10 hours anyway as I'm not a big breakfast guy. I usually starting riding having eaten nothing and then have some Gu or a banana half way through. And then eat a protein heavy breakfast when I get home.

SamDoe1

Oh it's absolutely proven to work but it's still not a GOOD way to do it, especially so if you're working out at all. Many people will do it, see results, go back to old ways, and then gain all the weight right back.

JMO of course.

Rapture

I've been doing it for the past few months. I'm in the camp of fasting, but trying to build up. Basically try to eat at a surplus during the feeding hours. It's not that tough for me as I really only get hunger pangs the last ~3 hours or so before I eat. I've definitely leaned out a bit without really going any more intense with my workouts (i.e. cardio,) and I've never felt a drop in strength or endurance. As a matter of fact I feel I can go a little bit harder with my lifts.. I do feel like I built some more muscle while simultaneously trimming up. However the process for me has taken awhile.

And I don't take any BCAAs or anything post-workout. I usually end up starting my eating hours maybe 4 hours after I finish a workout. Considering the science behind IF is that your body is producing growth hormones when you're in a fasted state, I'd say BCAAs would be unnecessary. Less time spent in an insulin-induced state (leading to fat storage) means more time for your body to lean out and build some muscle. There really isn't a whole lot of evidence out there that your body is going into a catabolic state when fasting for 16 hours. Hell, I've heard of plenty of success stories with people who only feed in a 4 hour window. Some psychos out there even go 24 hours fast/24 hours feed and still see good results. Results may vary, I guess is what I'm saying. The jury is still out on the "anabolic/catabolic window" notion.

Sarlacc

Doom878

All I've read from a lot of people are that BCAA's are placebo and that intermittent fasting isn't necessary to lose weight. Granted clean diet > *. The whole idea of killing yourself starving most of the day is really not necessary.

Sarlacc

Funny thing is that I don't feel like Im starving myself. And I'm eating pretty clean and staying pretty strict. In fact I'm working today and I've already prepacked all my meals for the day. Save breakfast, because I don't have to show up on set until ,1:30pm...So I did 20 miles on the bike this morning and at noon I'll make and eat that.

But as Ive said before, if I can keep my riding consistent, which isn't always easy. I'll probably not fast for as long of a period, because your body needs fuel to cycle.

Sarlacc

I'm almost 3 weeks in to it, I've gone riding 4 times in the past 2 weeks. I'm down a little over 4lbs, which I think is a pretty good amount for the timeline. Safe.

Doom878

Sarlacc that's great man. For sure keep it up if it's working. It's not IF doesn't work, but it's not the only/most ideal way to lose fat. I know you didn't say that but I'm pointing it out in case a noob comes in. I can't fast that long, I've tried it and fail. Plus I couldn't eat those giant meals to catch up.

Sarlacc

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I find that when I get into the groove of "healthy stuff", junk food isnt as appealing.
but it's when I get lazy, and one donut turns into ice cream, ice cream reaches out to pizza, pizza calls his friends and then i'm stuck in a rut for the next few weeks

Sarlacc

I have a sweet tooth...so I miss ice cream...and the occasional cookie. That's not to say I haven't cheated here and there. My wife made some protein muffins, I had one or two. She made cupcakes for the kids the other day...not frosted (i hate frosting anyway) and I had one. I was at an awards ceremony over the weekend and I ate the very decadent dessert that was served (but I was still able to be finished eating and drinking by 8pm)

Its willpower, self control, etc etc etc...will I fall off the wagon...maybe, probably, I hope not. I want to get a month under my belt and maybe I'll give myself a cheat day and it will get it out of my system for a while until another cheat day.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

Have you had protein pancakes?


Sounds lame, but I get a lot of my recipes from Pintrest.

Sarlacc

Saintor

Adept of permanent caloric restriction for life here. Asian style. 140lbs for a vigorous 5'10" medium built 50yo male, who could be mistaken for 25yo or worse. With a resting bpm of 55 and BP of 110/68 as a bonus. Just saying.

You can make all ranting you wish, dedication is present. I sincerely don't see benefit of fasting over it.

Sarlacc

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

That's great. I just don't seem to have the self control to do it. Although and have decided to change my method back to simply eating less, which is what takes self control. I swear, eating junk (or just eating a lot of anything) seems like the closest thing to being addicted to drugs.

The reason I gave up fasting (for now) was because I was getting kind of tired and pretty grouchy when the blood sugar dropped too low. But so far I've lost about 1/2 to 1 lb. over the last 10 days just eating less. Hopefully I can keep that up

SamDoe1

^ Same.

Have you tried it on pancakes? Good or bad?

You're 5-10 and 140lbs from caloric deficiency? You must literally never work out because that's a massive deficit... Being skinny fat is just as bad as actually fat. Weight is not the end all of fitness.

Sarlacc

Well, it IS a pancake mix. There was just a recipe on the box my wife to adapt it to muffins. But yeah pretty decent pancakes but, again, more dense than a normal one.

Now, I want pancakes...

Saintor

Well in 2009-2010,I lost 85lbs relying heavily on junk food. You can dismiss a Big Mac all day, but it is still a 550cal food that will keep you full a long time.

Four years ago, I transited toward a whole grain way of eating, with actually a minimal intake of proteins. You wouldn't believe the quantity of spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and pickled beets I eat.

"Pancakes" to me are now the ones I eat at breakfast 2-3x a week, a recipe with oat, egg whites, added 100g blueberries, E.D Smith syrup low calorie and other stuff.

I get the pojnt about skinny fat and I believe in regular resistance training, more of that as we age. Anyhow, the key word is moving. Yeah 50yo is a bit depressing.... until I realize that I don't feel like it, at all.

Although permanent caloric restriction is not a problem to me, fasting is not something I could stick to, I did read a lot on Dr Mosley (in UK) and his 5:2 fasting theory. No thanks.

SamDoe1

If it works for you then cool but it would not fly for me. I eat the exact opposite of you in that I have a protein/fat heavy diet with low carbs.

Do you exercise a lot or what do you do to burn off that many carbs in a day?

Sarlacc

Hey hey hey. Dont feed the trolls. This thread is about intermittent fasting.

If you want to learn more about Saintor's McDonald's Diet, he can start his own.

Saintor

Well massive amount of "spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and pickled beets" is not an high carb concern. I just ate a large spinach salad tonight. Constant intake of processed food like cereals/pasta would be like what you describe, I guess.

Minimally 5 hours of logged cardio exercising weekly, I wish that I would do more resistance training (but no gym, thanks).

Majofo

Doom878

I keep hearing about how the fasting window is the "magic time" because you're burning the fat since you're storage is empty. How the hell do you have energy to work out as such? And can someone point me to the science on that? That's called autophagy right? It's kind of new science from what I'm reading.

Sarlacc

Youre correct, its called autophagy. Im guessing people pick their workout times accordingly around their fasting. I typically work out on an empty stomach anyway so that doesn't bother me. I probably not making any kind of workout gains as such..or I might burn out faster but I'm no longer going for that either. I'm just looking to stay in shape/trim up. Not looking for bulk or more weight these days.

And it works for me. I haven't worked much all summer. A couple bike rides and a few times at the gym. But with a teacher wife and two kids out of school its really been all about them for the last two months. And intermittent kept the weight off, where as before I would have probably gained a few pounds or more back.

Doom878

Yeah that's natural. If you have no food in your system, your workouts are going to somewhat suffer granted you're not keying in on certain numbers like X pounds in a lift or X time in a routine. I think that's something that IF users get used to and deal with. I'm more curious about the fasting part. Is 16 hours long enough to achieve it? Are there diet benefits to it? Long term effect? I have read that it's theoretically linked to cancer, parkinson's, and is like a juice cleanse but better. A lot of times anecdotes get caught up in the way of science like "stoke the fire" when discussing metabolism.

Sarlacc

The reality is I would probably be just as good if I stopped eating at 8pm, even if I ate breakfast in the morning. But I've never been an early breakfast guy anyway. So, stretching my wait to noon isn't that big of a deal.

You can have black coffee or plain tea. And if I'm doing something such as a bike ride with lots of climbing...f that, I'm going to supplement. I don't get crazy religious with it. I usually break fast 15-20 minutes early. And I usually cheat once a week or every other week to get drinks or dinner with a friend.

CCColtsicehockey

Been doing this since April and like Sarlacc I used to have to force myself to eat breakfast especially on work days when I would rather have extra sleep that get up with time to make a proper breakfast. I love breakfast foods but just don't want to get up early enough to make them. Doing this has also helped make it easier to meet my calorie intake limits for the day since I can eat those calories in two meals instead of trying to eat 3 smaller meals during the day. I honestly feel like I have less hunger cravings during the day as well only eating to somewhat larger meals. I have not cut out beer/alcohol completely but have limited myself compared to not having tracked it at all in the past. I have cut out most sweets but still allow myself a cheat meal once a week that might include a desert. Still count my calories for that meal but it might be a large meal and just have a salad later in the day for my other mea. My daily calorie intake now is down to 1900 or less for the day. I still feel rested in the morning, have energy to make it to lunch. I play golf 1-2 times a week on a completely empty stomach and feel like I have plenty of energy to complete the entire round no problem. Some days on the weekends I even control my meal windows even smaller. If possible maybe 18hrs fasting and a 6hr window for meals. Lunch sometime around 12-1 and dinnner around 6-7 depending on things.

I was at a point I needed to make some sort of lifestyle change and this seemed like one I could make and still enjoy pretty much all the foods I like to enjoy just in more limited quanities and eating at more specific times. So far it has worked. In 5 months following this plan I have lost 33lbs and I feel like this is a diet/meal plan I could follow for a long time without much issue.

The one thing I have looked up about it is how much it affects you if you break the cycle once in a while and do have a morning breakfast. It doesn't happen often but I have 2-3 times in the last 5 months had a breakfast craving and made myself and omlet and bacon on a weekend morning. I can't make it through a day as easy on two early meals as I can waiting for lunch and then having dinner. Although I know some people that do breakfast and lunch and skip dinner for this same diet.

Mr. Maker

iTrader: (4)

Good work Sarlacc and CCC. I'm slowly trying to lose a few pounds. I know a lot of people fasting but I really haven't tried it. Guess it's all about mind over body to some extent. I start feeling sketch when SUPER hungry. I have been eating healthier. I need to work on not eating so late in the evening. I usually don't eat until 9-930. I pretty much stopped drinking beer and switched to cocktails with zero soda and zero calorie mixers. The amount of carbs and calories I was consuming in beer is shocking. I really just try to walk a lot and stay moving. I bought a fitness watch. It does steps, floors, calories, heart rate, bike and can track your rides or jogs. In the app you can log your food and drinks. Down 7lbs over a months time. And that's strictly change diet. No exercise. I'm considering throwing a some intermittent fasting and jogging in there.