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Athletes are a persnickety, dogmatic bunch; we’re open to change in so long as it fits the narrowly constructed worldview that we perceive has brought us success. Be it training, diet, or mental preparation, we tend to bend ideas to fit into “our” box. So understand when I tell you that the idea of intermittent fasting (IF), while good in theory, didn’t quite fit into my athletic worldview. I was a skinny kid growing up and had worked hard for every pound of weight I had gained by eating large and often. I cared about being big and strong, not about longevity and gene expression! I was curious but had the nagging feeling that I’d lose all the muscle I had worked to gain.

However, I did like being lean and I liked the idea of not needing to bring as much food to work in the morning and the notion of increasing insulin sensitivity for positive nutrient partitioning was enticing. Discussions on various message boards allowed me to stand on the shoulders of giants and experiment with an IF variation that gave me some of the effects of fasting without disrupting my hard-eating athletic neurosis too much. Here’s what I did:

1. Instead of a fast window, there’s a liquid protein consumption window.
As Lyle McDonald has said an unlimited number of times before: ketogenic diets mimic fasts. And since athletes in and around weight training more often then not are consuming protein shakes, and I had enough to choke a few horses, this wasn’t a difficult adjustment. I kept the max number of shakes during this “fasting” period at 5, or about 100 grams of protein, while trying to push back the first protein shake of the day as the experiment progressed.

2. The Solid Food Window is 3 Hours…Initially.
The first week of this regimen, I would begin eating the remaining allotment of calories (yes, I had a hard number at the time) at 5pm. I ate like a competitor in a hot dog eating contest and ended up sweating like a buffet newbie as a result, which seemed to help my sleep as an aside. As I got used to the notion that I wasn’t starving and gained better control of the eating, I extended the eating window to 4 hours.

3. On Workout Days, the Solid Food Window Began After My Workout.
I believe carbs in and around a workout are great for performance maximization. While I still use this habit, it was especially important during this diet, as I was recovering my insulin sensitivity and becoming better at recognizing blood sugar swings. This did perk my brain up and get me ready to train. Over time, less and less carbs were being used to achieve the same result. After the workout, I ate my solid food allotment in the same window of time, which usually meant being done eating by 6 rather than 8, as I tend to workout in the afternoon.

Result?
This experiment lasted 3 months before I felt confident enough to take on a Leangains-style 16 hour fast/ 8 hour feast diet scheme. I believe it helped my insulin sensitivity, as I use less carbs than ever and feel just fine. I also use less protein shakes than ever, getting most from solid sources. They were, in this instance, a life saver. It ain’t paleo, but that was irrelevant to the result I achieved and as a result moved my diet toward more solid food while losing the “I HAVE TO EAT NOW OR I’LL DIE!” attitude that I had gained. It’s worth a shot if you’re on the fence about the idea of IF; it worked for me.

About the Author

This article was written by Skyler Tanner of the Fitness Spotlight Blogger Community. His full website can been seen at skylertanner.com.

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