A pretty decent approach on Intermittent fasting.

Damn all of you IFers! I, like flashNsmash, am now considering giving IF + Paleo a trial run.

Curious, though... Sonny, when you first shifted to this way of life, how did your body react initially? Any issues with energy? Loss of lean mass? Loss of strength? I assume that any loss reverses itself in time, but I'd like to know what your experience was.

I didn't really have any problems. Keep in mind, I starting eating this way due to scheduling. The job I was working was SO busy I chose not to take any breaks in order to keep ahead. It was a labour job too so I needed to keep my energy levels going. I had no issues with it, but certain people will react differently. A meal during the day makes me sluggish, but for some people the opposite holds true, if they don't get those constant feedings, they feel sluggish.
 
It would definitely be a HUGE change for me. Going from eating at least 6x a day (most of the time 7x) to only eating during a small window of time? Yikes... I might have to hookup an Illy IV to stay afloat in the beginning.
 
It would definitely be a HUGE change for me. Going from eating at least 6x a day (most of the time 7x) to only eating during a small window of time? Yikes... I might have to hookup an Illy IV to stay afloat in the beginning.

Training frequency, intensity and time of training sessions need to be considered as well.
 
Keep in mind, guys, diet progression should look something like this if you're considering IF (This is taken from Robb Wolf):

Paleo Diet >> Zone >> Increase Fat (Athlete
 
Can anyone recommend some good resources (other than whats in the OP)?

Protein power link


Art de vany link

fast 5 link

The Warrior Diet is a decent book if you can see through all the fluff.

Is his undereating take considered IF? I found the warrior diet a great way to cut weight while training hard as long as your meals are right. I found this diet hard to maintain or put on weight with such a small window of eating.
 
The Zone and Athlete's Zone aren't talked about a lot here, so this is more applicable:

What exactly is the athlete's zone besides increased fat? This is the first time I heard of it. I tried googling already, but no luck. Any info will be
greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Cool, thanks. I just downloa- er, I just "got" the warrior diet. I'll give it a look through when I get a chance.
 
What exactly is the athlete's zone besides increased fat? This is the first time I heard of it. I tried googling already, but no luck. Any info will be
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

From what I understand, it's similar to the Zone in all aspects, except allows for more protein intake.
 
More protein. Normally double or triple the fat blocks as well.

Paleo I like. Zone, well unless people have OCD it doesn't work to well for people that aren't totally nuts about the counting game.

As for IF, like I said, works very well for me and others. However as Mike said, it must be done right. But it is something that works very well for fighters, firemen, cops, military etc with odd work hours etc.
 
Is his undereating take considered IF? I found the warrior diet a great way to cut weight while training hard as long as your meals are right. I found this diet hard to maintain or put on weight with such a small window of eating.

I think the take home message of the Warrior Diet mirrors that of IF. Ideally he talks about fasting for 16-18 hours and then eating at night. Seems pretty much the same to me.
 
this is an intersting mode of eating, and it reminds me in spirit of many european models. for instance in french class we learned that a typical french diet is, a super light breakfast, like maybe a piece of toast and coffee, then lunch as the main meal of the day, then something really light around dinner time. generally of course they eat alot of saturated fat throughout the dayas well as refined carbs, yet the way they do it doesn't harm them. i've spent time with russian and they eat much the same way. my friend alyeg would eat usually some pieces of cheese and white rice for breakfast (with tea was his preference), then a huge lunch that lasted hours (big social event), then dinner wasn't even a possibility.
 
this is an intersting mode of eating, and it reminds me in spirit of many european models. for instance in french class we learned that a typical french diet is, a super light breakfast, like maybe a piece of toast and coffee, then lunch as the main meal of the day, then something really light around dinner time. generally of course they eat alot of saturated fat throughout the dayas well as refined carbs, yet the way they do it doesn't harm them. i've spent time with russian and they eat much the same way. my friend alyeg would eat usually some pieces of cheese and white rice for breakfast (with tea was his preference), then a huge lunch that lasted hours (big social event), then dinner wasn't even a possibility.

There was a piece in the local paper talking about how France has some one the lowest rates of obesity in the world despite having a style of cooking high in starchy carbs, pastries and saturated fats. What they concluded is that the average portion size in France is 1/4 to 1/3 the size of a portion in North America
 
There was a piece in the local paper talking about how France has some one the lowest rates of obesity in the world despite having a style of cooking high in starchy carbs, pastries and saturated fats. What they concluded is that the average portion size in France is 1/4 to 1/3 the size of a portion in North America
what intrigues me is the insulin response aspect of it. my gut feeling is that obvisouly a meal of white bread and some kind of fatty meat served in a white flour fortified sauce spikes the levels, the behavior of fasting basically until the next morning after their big lunch meal cancels it out.

i would like to see how french athletes eat though. i was suprisedot find out that only less than 20% of their population plays soccer. for me personally, someone who weighed 170 pounds once after a serious, several month illness, and who runs or lifts generally every day, i wonder how well it could work for me. i guess i'll have ot give it a shot in a couple weeks and give feedback.
 
what intrigues me is the insulin response aspect of it. my gut feeling is that obvisouly a meal of white bread and some kind of fatty meat served in a white flour fortified sauce spikes the levels, the behavior of fasting basically until the next morning after their big lunch meal cancels it out.

I think this is the key aspect of how IF works: through up-regulation of insulin receptors, much like the PWO window.
 
i would like to see how french athletes eat though. i was suprisedot find out that only less than 20% of their population plays soccer. for me personally, someone who weighed 170 pounds once after a serious, several month illness, and who runs or lifts generally every day, i wonder how well it could work for me. i guess i'll have ot give it a shot in a couple weeks and give feedback.

FWIW, I usually train later in the afternoon to early evening. I'm not sure how well this would work for me if I trained earlier in the day.
 
I train early every day, not a issue for me.
 
I think this is the key aspect of how IF works: through up-regulation of insulin receptors, much like the PWO window.

Can you give some more info on how that happens exactly? It seems counter-intuitive to me but I am very curious.

Thanks.
 
Can you give some more info on how that happens exactly? It seems counter-intuitive to me but I am very curious.

Thanks.

Just like with any form of receptor, if it's overstimulated for long enough, it down-regulates; that is, becomes less sensitive. If our insulin receptors are constantly bombarded with insulin due to constant spikes from high GI and heavy carb meals, they become resistant. Hence the epidemic right now of diabetes.

Exercise causes glycogen depletion, and up-regulation (increased sensitivity) of insulin receptors. IF does the same thing; while fasting for short periods doesn't necessarily decrease glycogen stores like exercise, it does increase insulin receptor sensitivity. Through what mechanism, I'm not sure.
 
So I've been reading up some stuff on IF and found this article - http://www.alanaragon.com/an-objective-look-at-intermittent-fasting.html

Heres a summary:




Now for a caveat, none of these people used a lower GI, Paleo type of diet from what I've seen. That could obviously have a huge impact on any of the studies. Personally, I've tried this for a couple of days and I noticed that I felt more tired, I didnt recover as well from my workout last night, and I got very exhausted today when I finally ate. I also didn't eat all that well, but that may have been because I was so hungry.

The bottom line?

I think that the best way to eat is definitely paleo-centric. I think most people agree with me, but I also think that a little cheating isn't too bad.

As far as timing, well I think Berardi asks us to eat too frequently, and IF is too infrequently. If you arent trying to get huge, and you just want to eat for a healthy, quality living, then I suggest you eat Paleo style and you only eat when you're hungry. I know, its not exactly a miraculous discovery. But I think we get too caught up in different WOE and forget to just think rationally about things.


As for IF, and your conclusion. Studies done never last a week or a few days. Ever. The zone although not a diet sytem I like, is good for some. Funny thing is though, when the zone is initially started, sluggishness, and workout performance goes down at first. Weeks 3 and 4 is when it seems to pay off for most who have tried it in athletic pursuit.

Paleo is good, and frankly my way of eating.

IF, is much like zone, in the fact that it needs a adjustment period. For me, it was hard at first, but I leaned out extrememly quick, became much more intuitive, and happy in general. It s a sound way of eating, and if longevity is a concern for you, I think it is the smartest way to eat as well. If you are a even a recreational athlete though, you really need to know what you are doing, or know someone who does.

Not saying you don't, just giving my two cents
 
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