What is Intermittent Fasting?
This article will highlight the benefits of Intermittent Fasting and provide you with some simple meal templates to help you get started. Over the past few years, the amount of information and research on nutrition, meal timing and meal frequency has continued to increase as we have changed our eating habits to fit our goals. In the bodybuilding and fitness world, most recommend a diet that consists of many meals spaced throughout the day with 2-3 hour intervals (usually 5-6 meals per day).
Today I'm going to give you a little insight into a very popular diet lifestyle called Intermittent Fasting. I know you're probably thinking the following right now: Fasting? Is that really a good thing? It sounds counterproductive, how can it work? What are the benefits of fasting and will it be useful if I want to build muscle mass or lose fat?
Sit back, relax and enjoy what you are about to read. For some it will be magical, for the rest Intermittent Fasting may not fit the individual lifestyle. The message of this article is this: Intermittent Fasting a lifestyle diet. Intermittent Fasting should fit your lifestyle and make your life easier. Does everyone have to do it? Absolutely not. A lot of individuals who start Intermittent Fasting see it as the best decision of their life in hindsight because of the many benefits Intermittent Fasting has to offer. I am a big advocate of the statement "You shouldn't fix what isn't broken." However, those who enjoy eating five meals a day and find that it fits their goals better should at least read this article as they will find some interesting information in it.
So where do we start with Intermittent Fasting? How does Intermittent Fasting compare to eating more meals throughout the day? The whole thing is actually pretty simple. Intermittent Fasting (also known as IF) is based on a 16:8 fasting to eating window. You fast for 16 hours and only eat during 8 hours of the day. Do you always have to fast for 16 hours? No. This is also based on your lifestyle. The inventor of Intermittent Fasting. Martin Berkhan, used this structure as a starting point. Martin also says that women can fast from 14 to 16 hours based on their preferences and men can also fall into this category.
The premise is this: this is a lifestyle diet. It should fit your schedule. Should you stress or get upset if for some reason you can't fast for 16 hours? Absolutely not. It is perfectly fine to extend your eating window or shorten your fasting window if circ*mstances require it. Do you always have to eat within an 8 hour window? Absolutely not. If you want to fast for 20 hours and only eat during a 4 hour window, that's fine. This is all about personal preference and what best fits your lifestyle. It may sound crazy, but believe me, when you see the personal successes of people who follow this lifestyle, it's truly breathtaking. Intermittent Fasting works regardless of the length of the eating window - be it 8, 6 or 4 hours long. Intermittent Fasting can help people with very hectic lifestyles, as they might find it easier to eat only during a limited time window, rather than preparing X number of meals per day. They can eat when they have time and when it fits best into their schedule.
So what does an Intermittent Fasting day look like? This can vary greatly. As Martin Berkhan says on his website, it depends on when you break the fast (your first meal) and when you exercise. So I'm going to give you several possible ways you can approach this.
Examples of Intermittent Fasting
First of all, you can exercise while fasting. This may sound counterproductive at first glance, but it's not if you understand the underlying logic. Whether your goal is definition, mass building, or maintaining your existing muscle mass, these guidelines will help you plan your training and nutrition.
Let's assume that in all of the following examples, the person in question observes an eating window that lasts from 12 noon to 8 pm. This is an 8 hour eating window and the fasting period will last from 8pm to 12 noon the next day.
Training in fasting state
Consume 10 grams of BCAAs before and during your workout to promote a stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. This will help your body stay in an anabolic state. Yes, BCAAs contain calories (which do not need to be listed on the label due to nutritional claim guidelines) but these calories are included in your total daily caloric intake.
The first meal of the day follows your workout. How many meals you eat after that within your eating window is up to you. Here is an example:
- Fasting - Fasting from 8 p.m. the night before until 10 or 11 a.m. the following day, which is followed by an intake of 10 grams of BCAAs.
- Workout - Go to the gym and follow through with your workout.
- Meal one - 1 pm
- Meal two - 4 pm
- Meal three - 7 pm
Key Notes: The BCAAs before and during training are counted in your daily calorie intake, but this does not start your eating window. If you are using a pre-workout supplement that contains carbohydrates, don't stress about it. Martin Berkhan allows up to 50 kcal within your fasting window. These can come from milk or sugar in coffee or a pre-workout supplement. So don't worry about it.
1-2 pre-workout meals
Let's say you work out after eating one or two meals. Your setup could then look like this:
- First meal- 12 noon
- Training
- Meal two - 4 pm.
- Meal three - 7/20 pm
Or if you eat two meals before your workout:
- First meal- 12 noon
- Meal two - 3 pm
- Training
- Meal three - 7/20 pm
These are all just suggestions as to what you can do. If you want to eat four meals within 8 hours, that is perfectly fine. If you want to eat two meals within 4 hours, then do that. It is your choice. The above are just examples that you can follow.
As for calories, there are a few things Martin Berkhan touts that you should take note of:
- The post-workout meal should include the majority of your carbohydrates and calories. A good guideline is to consume at least 50-60% of your daily calories during this meal.
- Meals before training should be quite light. But again, this is just a personal preference. You know best what your stomach can handle. I remember reading on Martin's website that he eats poultry, some fruit and some vegetables (400 to 500 kcal) during such a meal. Optimally, something small that will give you some protein and give you energy for your workouts. If you are training in a fasting state, then forget this information.
- On training days, Martin Berkhan uses a higher carbohydrate intake. He likes to use a cyclical carbohydrate and calorie intake. On non-training days, he lowers the calorie intake and eats more fat for this (again, this is just his personal preference). Does this matter in the end? Absolutely not. If you know that you do better with a higher carbohydrate intake every single day, then you should stick with it. If you want to eat the same amount of calories every day, then do that. Do what makes your life easier. Always remember that this is a lifestyle diet that should fit you and your daily routine.
Now that we have a generic understanding of what Intermittent Fasting is and how we can plan a meal plan based on our daily routine, let's next look at the benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Does Intermittent Fasting limit muscle gain? Not really. You won't lose muscle. You will simply eat your calories within a set period of time instead of eating smaller meals throughout the day. You will fast in the morning and drink diet drinks, coffee, water, etc. until it is time to break your fast. What you drink is your choice. As I mentioned earlier, you can have up to 50 kcal in the form of milk/sugar or other things if it helps you control your appetite.
At first, Intermittent Fasting can be hard because your body is used to regular meals (which has to do with ghrelin, the body's hunger hormone), but it will adjust over time.
If you want to read more about the hunger hormone, you can find numerous articles and research on Martin Berkhan's site Leangains.com. I remember reading that Martin said the following about his diet and fasting window scheme:
"Believe it or not, we are just animals like the rest of the world. We are not meant to wake up and eat something right away. Where would that food come from? We would hunt to find food and then eat, not knowing when the next meal would follow." Basically, this is true. Think about cavemen and how they fed themselves. Were some of them big and strong? Most certainly. Were there some scrawny individuals with only a little muscle? Yes. But the bottom line is that it has to do with how much you eat overall. Think of bodybuilders who count their calories and make sure to get their planned amounts of protein, fat and fiber each day. Apply this regimen to a shorter time frame. That's what Intermittent Fasting is.
The 6 meal theory was based on ensuring a continuous supply of amino acids and protein. This of course works, but if your body is constantly burning food/calories, then it is not always burning fat or working to keep you lean. Total calories are what matter the most - not how you eat them. The truth is that eating 6 meals a day has no benefits compared to Intermittent Fasting when it comes to maintaining lean body mass, fat burning, gains in muscle mass, an increase in the body's natural growth hormone release, an increase in serotonin levels, and so on. Martin Berkhan covers all the relevant studies in detail, but at this point I just want to give you a brief overview of this diet and what it has to offer. Here's another reason I believe fewer meals are better. Layne Norton conducted an infamous muscle protein synthesis study. As part of his study, Layne showed how eating meals 4 to 6 hours apart in combination with leucine (which is found in BCAA products) can maximize muscle protein synthesis.
How is this possible? Well, eating more frequently is actually counterproductive to building muscle and stimulating muscle protein synthesis, as protein levels never get a chance to drop back down to their starting point before being increased again. Basically, the longer break between meals helps maximize muscle protein synthesis and using BCAAs between meals to increase protein levels allows a longer gap between meals. Is this another argument against eating regularly? Absolutely, and there is more research examining Intermittent Fasting. We haven't even mentioned Alan Aragon and his research described in his book, Girth Control. This book, along with Lyle McDonald's books, make a good read.
Intermittent Fasting and Supplements
Do we really need supplements? I would consider using BCAAs whether you are training in a fasted state or not. I am a supporter of BCAAs because they are digested virtually immediately compared to whole foods or whey protein, which take several hours to digest.
What do we lose during training? Glutamine and amino acids, if you train in a fasting state. These are essential if you are training sober. If you eat a meal before training, I would consider it at least optimal, but I am also someone who prefers to play it safe. I would recommend the following basic supplements in addition to BCAAs:
- Whey protein
- A multivitamin preparation
- Fish oil
- Creatine
These supplements should be consumed on a daily basis. You should take them during your eating window.
Here are a few more recommendations I want to highlight regarding exercise and cardio. Martin Berkhan is a big proponent of consistent low-intensity cardio, which includes activities like walking or something similar. He advocates this form of cardio (e.g. 20 to 30 minutes of fast walking) during the fasting window. This could be done several times a week (2 to 3 times a week). Nothing crazy in terms of speed or incline (you can use a treadmill if you want) - just get your circulation going a bit. If you want to do HIIT training (high-intensity interval training), Martin Berkhan recommends taking BCAAs before HIIT or doing it during the eating window. Depending on your goals (definition/mass building/body recomposition) the amount of cardio will vary. As for training, Martin Berkhan has a good description of RPT (reverse pyramid training) posted on his website. But in the grand scheme of things, Intermittent Fasting is a lifestyle diet, which means you should use whatever workout suits you best.
Conclusion
There are a few more key points I want to address before I close this article. If something like a dinner invitation or other social event gets in the way of your fasting window, just live your life and don't make yourself a slave to your diet.
Stopping Intermittent Fasting for one day or one meal will not determine success or failure. Cancel it and continue as usual the next day. Count your calories if you can and keep going. Sometimes life is more important than a meal. For more in-depth information regarding studies and research, as well as more information on Intermittent Fasting, you can visit Martin Berkhan's website at www.leangains.com. This site is packed with great articles that support his statements about training while fasting, cardio while fasting, fat loss, and look at many other aspects of Intermittent Fasting. This article is just meant as a general introduction to give you an idea of Intermittent Fasting and how you might incorporate it into your life. Intermittent Fasting is based on a 16 hour fasting window and an 8 hour eating window. Whether a person wants to fast those 16 hours or extend the fasting window is a matter of personal preference. Some people extend their fasting window to 20 hours and enjoy 2 to 3 large meals within a very short eating window, while others take full advantage of the 8 hour time frame to spread their meals out over a larger time window. I highly recommend everyone to use a food intake control program that will help you calculate and monitor your calorie intake. Such a program will also help you monitor your protein, carbohydrate and fat intake.
The next step is to set your eating window (as I did in the example above from 12pm to 8pm). If you had a late lunch at say 2pm, this could mark the beginning of your eating window. The eating window could then last until 10pm or based on what is going on in your life, end earlier. There is a lot of speculation on the subject of meal frequency, timing of meals and nutrition, but Martin Berkhan takes a firm stand here based on his experience and the experience of his clients. Those who follow it reap the benefits and will continue to "preach" that this is the best thing they have ever done for their lives and bodies.
Some people enjoy fasting with larger meals, while others prefer to eat many meals spread throughout the day. In the end, everyone has to figure out for themselves what is best for them. Give Intermittent Fasting a chance for 8 to 10 weeks and then decide based on your mood, energy and training.
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/understanding-intermittent-fasting
