Scott’s Intermittent Fasting Success Story
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know that I’m a big fan of Intermittent Fasting. This post is intended to lay out my success story since implementing IF as part of my lifestyle.
I started implementing Intermittent Fasting in late 2005 when Robb Wolf first broached the idea on the CrossFit forums. Being one to experiment with myself, I decided to give it a shot. I started with cutting out breakfast, slowly increasing the length of my fasts. Once I was accustomed to not eating breakfast, moving the intake from that meal to my evening meal, I started moving lunch back. Eventually, “lunch” was moved back to the point that I no longer needed to take lunch to work. Once I got to that point, it was just a matter of getting through the day with no food, coming home, having a meal, waiting a few hours, and then having another meal.
Alternate Day Fasting and Compressed Window Fasting
I’ve experimented with two different types of IF: condensed window and 24-on/24-off. As described above, I started with the Condensed Window, but in early 2007, I started doing lots of heavy lifting and CrossFit workouts and found it difficult to get in enough calories during a 4-hour eating window, so I lengthened it a bit, taking lunch to work and eating it late in the day (like 3ish). Eventually, I decided to give the 24-on/24-off a try. I ate from 6pm one day to 6pm the next, then fasted until 6pm on the third day, when I started eating again for 24 hours. I’d usually get in about 4 meals during these 24 hour feeds (dinner, breakfast, lunch, early light dinner). I stuck with it for about a month, but it didn’t fit with what I was looking for. It succeeded in giving me the additional caloric intake I was looking for, but it also required me to get up and fix breakfast and pack a lunch (or go out and buy lunch). On eating days, I also lost that edge that I found myself with on fasting days. After eating breakfast, even a breakfast of eggs with some vegetables, I would find myself a bit more lethargic than on an empty stomach.
So after that experiment, I returned to the Condensed Window IF plan. It was easier to deal with the lower caloric intake since I had shoulder surgery and was unable to workout as strenuously. I also decided that I could maintain a sufficient level of fitness and muscle mass while keeping a low body fat percentage with the Condensed Window and it just struck me as being more healthful rather than trying to cram in unnatural quantities of food to support a super-high activity level.
The Benefits I’ve Seen
As for the benefits I’ve derived from Intermittent Fasting, the CW version in particular:
- Improved mental clarity during the fast
- Improved workout performance during the fast
- Lower body fat percentage at the same bodyweight (i.e., more muscle mass)
- No worry about food during the day ‘ I can get up, run out the door to work, work all day, then go home to eat. I don’t have to be concerned with fitting in lunch and food is no longer the focal point of my day; living is.
- No food-induced crashes during the day – I’m on top of my game all day. Even eating low-carb Paleo on a normal eating schedule left me more lethargic than this
- Better in-tune with my body – you learn to distinguish psychological hunger (i.e., it’s noon and I should eat) from real hunger. When I get truly hungry, I break the fast and eat, even if it’s outside my “window”
- More energy – You’d think I’d experience fatigue with no food intake, but I can’t quit moving and having an urge to go run around the block during a fast
- Food tastes better – it’s amazing how much better a well-cooked meal tastes when you haven’t eaten all day
I’m Freed From Food
The part that I really love is that I can get up, go out and workout or run or hike or ski all day and not lack energy. My body knows how to tap into its fat stores to generate energy. During my ski trip a few weeks ago, I went all day Friday without eating, chowing down heartily at dinner, and did the same Saturday. Never once did I lag behind my skiing companions. And never once did I have the need to stop and eat. If I go out to do something, I don’t have to plan to stop for food at some point. It’s quite liberating.
I can see myself maintaining this lifestyle for a long time, “forever” perhaps. I love the feeling of fasting. I love the benefits. I love being “weird” and not eating all day. I love understanding what my body needs; you truly do understand when your body is asking you for food and when your mind is asking you for food. When the body asks for it, I give it food. When the mind asks for it, waiting 15 minutes relieves the desire.
But What You Eat Still Matters
One thing that I certainly do advise is to keep a focus on food quality. You can, as Mike calls it, IFOC (IF on Crap) and still see results. However, it’s going to be an excruciating experience of willpower. I find that when I overdo it on crappy processed carbs, fasting the next day is very difficult. It’s like the body is saying “Give me something good to push out that bad stuff you fed me last night.” So given that, I’d advise first adopting a 90% strict real food diet, i.e., the foods your body is evolved for (meat, eggs, seafood, green leafy stuff, vegetables of all sorts, a few nuts, and some squashes and other tubers).
Some other advice I have for anyone wanting to venture into fasting is to start slow. Short fasts, once or twice a week, is best. Twelve hours is probably longer than you’re fasting right now, so that’s a good starting point. You can slowly back breakfast up an hour or so a week until you’re at 15 or 18 hours. I now do about 20-hour fasts 3 or 4 times a week (Mon-Thur typically), usually grabbing lunch with friends on Fridays and breaking the fast after a workout Saturday morning. I eat more on the weekends to make up for any caloric deficit during the week, but it really does come down to listening to the body. I know when I need to eat and when I don’t.
Learn More About The Nuts And Bolts Of Intermittent Fasting
If you’re interested in learning more about how and why Intermittent Fasting works, I highly recommend Brad Pilon’s best-selling e-book Eat Stop Eat. Brad goes through all of his graduate level research to lay out the case for using IF to improve your health and even your athletic performance.
Anyone else have any experience with fasting of any sort? Benefits or drawbacks that you’ve experienced?
About Scott
Scott Kustes loves to cook and loves to eat. He started Real Food University to help you get maximum enjoyment out of the meals that you eat. To find out more about how he has rebelled against the fast food culture and counting calories or carbs, join the Real Food Revolution.
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Great stuff, Scott and quite a coincidence in my case. My periods of IF have been unplanned. What normally happens is that I’ll get busy in the morning and skip breakfast. Next thing I know it’s lunch but I’ll say what the hell and hold off until I get home. But I was thinking last night that I hadn’t done it in a while so I planned to fast today. I normally eat breakfast around 8am (I get to the office before 7), but this morning I felt extremely hungry at 7:30 so I ate. It’s strange how that worked out. Perhaps your idea of slowly building (and doing it more often) might be better suited for me.
By the way, have you run across anything that does a good job of debunking set point theory?
Dave Clary
Dave Gets Fit
Great post!
I have been following the Fast 5 IF plan (fast-5.com)for a little over two months now and have seen great results. I have knocked off 10 lbs. and several inches off of my waist. I have lots of energy. I have been tracking my progress on a blog as well: blubberbusterblog.blogspot.com
So far, I have seen no negatives to IF. I highly recommend it.
Greg
Scott,
Great detailed post.
The way I use IF is by eating a late breakfast between 9:30 and 10 am. Then I eat lunch around 1. Then snack at 4 (sometimes you could call it another light lunch) then dinner around 6:30. Sometimes i will skip dinner if i’m not hungry. So I go from approx 7pm until 9:30-10 am without food. On Saturdays I skip breakfast and eat a big lunch around 1. Wine is my meal for the night.
Sunday I’ll eat a nice big breakfast, although sometimes I’m not hungry for it. Other times famished for lots of eggs and bacon.
Like you I enjoy being “weird” and love teling the guys in the gym that I won’t eat for an hour or more after working out. They scratch their heads as they guzzle down “muscle milk” or similiar stuff.
Marc
You will be hearing from my trademark lawyers about using IFOC (also tradEmarking it as IF on Carbs).
Great post Scott, thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try a mass gain phase on IF personally once my shoulder heals up. Should be fun!
Scott,
I’ve been doing IF Condensed Window since January 5th, generally eating between 5pm and 10pm. I also concentrate on real food, not sugar, carbs or processed food. Lot’s of good meat, veggies and fruit. I drink water and unsweetened green tea. I feel great, don’t have any unbearable cravings, and feel like I have more energy during the day. It really simplifies the day not to have to take time to eat. I’m experiencing a consistent weight loss of about one pound a week, with a noticeable reduction in body fat. I got started on this IF plan after reading the “Fast Five” plan at http://www.fast-f.com. You can download a free ebook about the Fast Five IF plan.
I’m convinced IF is the best eating plan for me to reduce weight and maintain health and strength.
Steve
Scott, this was an interesting post as I had not heard about this kind of fasting before. However, this sentence brought me up sharp:
“…food is no longer the focal point of my day; living is.”
It’s the sort of statement that could be misinterpreted as supporting the “food is just fuel” argument. Isn’t the somewhat puritanical idea that food isn’t worth our attention at least partly responsible for the parlous state of American health at the moment? And as hackneyed a response as it may be, I make no apologies for pointing out that the more sensual French and Italian attitude to food seems to lead to better rather than worse health.
My gut feeling (groan) is that Americans and indeed Brits should pay more attention to food as a worthwhile and satisfying end in itself, rather than a “necessary evil”. Not that I have anything against fasting, but arguably we need to be centering our lives more around food, rather than refusing to give it the time it needs. Without that time and attention the danger is that eating polarizes either into thoughtless ingestion of rubbish on the one hand, or into an obsessively planned but joyless mastication of nutritional foodstuff on the other.
Dan, I agree with you regarding enjoyment of food vs something that is simply necessary. The point I was trying to make is that as compared to the “eat 3 (or 5 or 6) meals a day” regimen that so many follow, and that I used to follow, I no longer sit around wondering “what time is it? Is it eating time again?” I find that I actually enjoy food more now that I’m really taking cues from my body regarding what it wants and when rather than eating on a schedule. Today, I was famished at lunch…so I went out and grabbed a nice lunch. Being liberated from an eating schedule has increased my enjoyment of food. It tastes better, it smells better, and because I only have to devote time in the evenings to cooking, I can give it more time and effort than the hastily thrown together meals that many too often turn to with the same ingredients and little in the way of complexity.
I definitely disagree with the “food is just fuel” statement. I have read people talk about their meals and it’s “tuna from a can, an apple, etc” followed by “yeah, it’s boring, but food is just fuel.” Food is what binds us…you can’t truly experience a culture until you explore their food. So be assured that I use IF as a way to both enjoy my non-food life more and to enjoy me eating more, similar to how switching from junk food to real food increases people’s enjoyment of food.
Cheers
Scott
Scott – consider me reassured!
In the past years, starting from a Warrior Diet perspective I have introduce some form of Intermittent Fasting.
Overall for me works good a 36off/24 on.
I’m a sort of X Fitter (nesting of strenght + endurance workouts).
I have abandonned this approach because I’m starting to experience Nigth Eating Syndrome.
Basically I workout endurance in the morning 6.10 am (empty stomach)
I refill my body with a protein based meal
Lunch at work at 11.30 am with a slow carb meal
60% Protein 20% Carbs (veggies) 20 fats
I workout in the gymn at 18.00
and next I compress in the time window 19.00-21.30pm
3 meals
The first twos with the composition of Lunch
the latter Protein based as the Post workout meal at the morning.
Obiviuosly I interleave days with Endurance+Strength wout, with rest days and days with only endurance or only strenght wouts.
I place also a carbup with root carbs and animal prots in the Sunday.
Morning Sunday I open-up a small two-hours window for socialization…..
Steven, it sounds like you’ve found a great IF plan that works for you. That’s really the key…making it work for you. Keep up the good work.
Cheers
Scott
[...] Modern Forager: My IF Success Story [...]
[...] for the most part I am never eating sugar, eat plenty of veggies and meat and only drink water. The occasional night out does not ruin my “figure†by any [...]
Wow, this is a great post!
I was not aware of this intermittent fasting theory. From what you write here it looks like it can actually work and help people lose weight.
I tend to believe that tricking your metabolism is the way to go, and the fasting periods may do just that. What concerns me is that I am not sure if this fasting method is healthy. Another thing is that we tend to eat and eat all day long…how can one find the mental strength and avoid foods completely most of the day?
I am considering getting into fasting a little but come from a nursing and fitness training background and am concerned I will lose muscle mass and strength with fasting and will lower my metabolism so that when I eat it won’t be burnt like it was… how to fast without losing/burning muscle. plus I work out intensively like 2-3 times a day usually 7 days a week and love it.I don’t want to give that up. any suggestions on keeping that level of training and fasting without losing the muscle I have worked hard to maintain and tone? thanks
Calorie Shifting, finding the mental strength isn’t that hard if you work into it slowly. Once the body is conditioned to eating only when it’s truly physically hungry, the mental part goes away. You learn to distinguish psychological “it’s lunch time” hunger from “If I don’t get something in me, I’m going to chew on my arm” hunger. You have to ease into it though and it helps if the food quality is dialed in first. It’s very hard to do IF on a diet of crappy carbs.
Mustang Gal, of the people I know that IF, a lowish-carb diet tends to work best. Low-carb diets are protein-sparing, meaning that you’re less likely to burn through your hard-earned muscle, so long as you are able to keep your caloric intake high enough. Why are you working out 2-3 times a day, 7 days a week? That seems extremely excessive. Are you in training for something? A college-level athlete? I’d advise backing off a bit on the exercise…you’re likely doing more harm to your muscles than good.
Cheers
Scott
[...] you know, I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting, but this is an area of it that I’ve never really looked at. I’m going to break this [...]
I went on intermittent fasting for two months firstly fasted for 48 hours alternative days as described in an article about the miracles found when tested on mice. I was fasting 48 hours on and off for almost eight weeks which I found to be too unbalanced for me on the fast days ,feeling very weak but losing more body fat then I had ever done before ,and really looking forward to feast days. Then I decided to try not such a harsh fast -24 hours on and off. The only draw backs were getting acid reflux on the fasting days not at first but when the body started to realise this was a routine . So I have stopped the intermittent fasting for now but I know that it is very good for slowing down all sorts of ageing illnesses,and I did feel very liberated at times not relying on food and really giving the body internally a well earned rest .I am just not sure what is the optimum length of time for human beings to healthily continue these intermittent fasts.
I do consider it to be the easiest way to lose body fat without counting calories and would try it again but perhaps not so regimented in the future.
This type of eating is espoused in a book called The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler. He’s a former special ops guy from the Israeli Military who is better known as an artist… see Hofmekler’s people.
He’s studied the effects of fasting throughout the day and refeeding in the evening and has drawn examples from the modern day; peoples outside of the west typically feast in the evening and from earlier warrior societies where soldiers would fast all day and then feast at night.
He cites the effect of food on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and identifies that in the evening when the body and mind are preparing for sleep rather than battle (either in the boardroom or on the field) that this is the best time for refeeding. We all know how we feel after a big meal… sleepy.
Myself, I’ve tried this eating plan and have also tried the more common 6 meal a day approach. The daily fasting I felt was freeing and easy to follow. I was alert and sharp throughout the day and really looked forward to my nightly “pig out”. Food tasted great and if I got hungry throughout the day, I would have a protein shake or some yogurt… coffee and clear liquids are also ok. I felt great, had lots of energy and was at my best… all of which my naturopath convinced me was doing me harm. So now I’m back on the 6 meal a day plan and while it’s not bad, I feel like a lump from time to time.
You can go to Ori’s site and get more information or better buy the book. It’s cheap.
Trevor, I read Ori’s book several years ago, 2005 I think. I suppose my eating plan is somewhat similar as I eat if I get exceptionally hungry, though I don’t limit myself to just fruit as I recall Ori advised. I like the concept of eating mainly at night…as you said, it seems most natural and keeps me from having a lull during the day. So are you planning to go back to fasting if you felt better?
Cheers
Scott
I have tried the infomercial diet promoted by a fitness guru where you eat 6 small meals a day according to your body type. I did it; it was hard finding the time to eat all that food with my busy scehdule. I quickly became obsessed, I mean obsessed, with food and when I would eat next. However, it did not work for me. I would lose 4 pounds and then gain it back, constantly. So, this is something I am considering because when I was in high school I did it without knowing what I was doing and was thinner than I am now.
I have a question. I have been researching IF and have read several different websites and their comments on the IF lifestyle. It seems most participants are men. I was wondering if the benefits would work for a woman as well-mainly the weightloss part? I guess there is no reason why it would not; I was just wondering, as I have not seen many, if any, women commenting on the sites with success stories.
Megs – I hear you. I think anyone who loves IF first of all loves it for the “freedom” and lifestyle of it. All those 6x a day diet plans can work for weight loss but are they realistic lifestyle approaches (do you want to be stuck living your life like that….no me!). Also we need to know that 6x a day eating works for people ONLY because they adhere to the principles of insulin control and calorie deficit. Smaller meals do not speed up the metabolism so you can burn loads of fat, that is untrue. Those types of plans (like the Zone) can be great for someone to really learn portion control and get a real look at how many calories they are eating. Of course if you…like Scott says…”Eat Real Foods” then how much counting do we really need to do? It’s all the processed foods, breads, cereals, and other “man made” foods that add up quickly in calories, while giving little “bang for your buck” nutritionally. After all the body wants nutrients (amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals)…it doesn’t want “empty calories” for long term health at the cellular level. As far as IF for women, I have plenty of clients that I coach that are women and do very well on it, but everyone is different. IF is still not about starving oneself, so calories is also needed. Men typically have no problem shovelling the food down, but women may need larger eating windows to make sure they get enough calories for their activity level (as starvation will lower your metabolism). Many also may be on the verge of hypothyroid issues so they have to be aware of that (women more so than men). Plenty of Coconut Oil (healthy MCT fat) is good for thyroid here. In the end, start slow and see what happens. IF is a great tool, and not a diet plan….so use the tool wisely and you may need to tweak it a couple times before you get it to where you need it to be. If you want more basic starting info, feel free to read this post on IF 101. When in doubt, please feel free to ask any questions as there may be people out there who have gone through what you are experiencing and found the right approach. Enjoy the lifestyle of it!
The reason you guys feel better. Ghrelin, its a hormone on the lining of your stomach, only kicks in when you dont have food in your stomach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin
I love the IF lifestyle. Ive been doing it on and off for about 5 months and every time i go off it for a more “traditional” 6 meals a day program i can totally feel it. I’m in school to be a personal trainer and people look at me so weird with all my food and they ask why I am eating so much. Then i explain it to them and they look at me even weirder, But you cant deny the results. I’ve lost 30lbs while jumping my deadlift from 405lbs to 505lbs. Losing weight and getting stronger got to love it. Keep up the great work on the website.
Wasn’t sure it was the best idea but I did a CrossFit workout of seven single deadlifts today after a 21-hour fast. Set multiple PRs on the way so lack of food in my stomach didn’t hinder my strength. I’ve done metcons on an empty stomach but this was my first fasted heavy weight workout.
I’ve been doing IF for the past month, usually 15-18 hour fasts during the week, and have lost almost 10 pounds. Was doing the Zone for a month before that and lost a pound or two but IF is kicking fat-loss into overdrive. Love it!
So far, I love IF!
OK, I have one more question regarding IF and overall general health. I drink black coffee most of the morning until about 11:00, then I start drinking my water. However, some research says that caffeine will cause you to gain belly fat, rather than burn fat (during my IF times-which is just about every day- I’d rather burn fat!).
So I am curious if anyone has either A) stopped coffe intake for this reason or B)if having 6 cups in my thermos every morning is enough to cause weight gain and interfere with my new IF lifestyle.
Thanks,
Meg
I’m on my 2nd fast and feel fabulous. I’ve been getting my info from the eat stop eat and brad pilon site. This is a wonderful site too and is great to see people still posting.
I’ve had tendencies to compulsive overeat. This seems to take the urge right away. I have a goal and by the time it’s time to eat, I want something nutritious. I never thought I could go 24 hours because of low blood sugar. I had zero problems. It’s really amazing.
Thanks for the great site and the insightful posts from readers.
To our good health!
I’ve never ever heard of that. I can’t imagine any mechanism where it would. The research I’ve seen says that FILTERED coffee (not Espresso-type which is prepared at a much higher temperature resulting in a certain oxidized fat being produced in quantity, and then unfiltered where said fat isn’t removed from the brew) is extremely healthy, provides massive amounts of natural antioxidants (the main source of antioxidants in the North American diet!), and specifically lowers the risk of type-2 diabetes among many other health factors. This is the exact opposite of what I would expect if coffee decreased your ability to burn “belly fat”.
Might I suggest people who find coffee lowers their belly fat burning ability are probably taking it with sugar and/or cream?
In any case, I think you shouldn’t drink coffee late at night, but that’s just so you sleep properly.
I’m happy you’re having success with IF!
I swear I wrote a response to this blog before. I meant to say that IF is dangerous because if you do it for too long you will go into the effects of starvation, such as malnutrition and starvation. IF is equated to bulemia in eating disorder texts. It’s severely unrecommended by modern medicine except for life and death cases of obesity; however, if you have body fat that other normal people notice, and you would like to lose it, go with this bulemic method. But after you lose the fat it is imperitive you eat 3 meals a day morning noon and dinner, because if you don’t you could starve to death- starvation has been used as a form of torture in history; IF is not new by the way. It is mentioned in old eating disorder texts, so I suggest doing way more research and limiting use of IF.
Megs, from what I’ve seen caffeine increases fat metabolism, so I doubt some in the morning is going to hurt. I have coffee a few times a week and have noticed no difference in my IF.
Bob, you did leave a comment…it was lost during my glitch last week where I lost a week’s worth of comments. It wasn’t wiped out by anyone.
As for IF…I think the major difference is that IF practitioners undergo periods of periodic fasting and then they EAT! There are definitely people that abuse/misuse it as part of their eating disorder, but I think it’s a ridiculous statement to say that it’s dangerous…too black and white. In fact, in the 3 or so years I’ve been fasting, I’ve maintained my body weight of 185 while dropping about 5% body fat (about 10% now), which I now maintain easily whether IFing or not. Check the CrossFit and Performance Menu forums for PLENTY of other people with the same results. The key is EATING. You undereat, then you fulfill your caloric needs in a shorter time period. Ancestral ways of life were similar with periods of episodic hunger and periods of overabundance. If it were so detrimental, the human race never would have survived.
Cheers
Scott
[...] what do YOU typically have for breakfast? Thanks in advance for the new ideas ! Breakfast??? My Intermittent Fasting Success Story | Modern Forager [...]
Sorry for the long post in advance but this is in response to the bulimia post. Hey an area where I actually have expertise! I just started IFing 2 weeks ago, so its not that… rather, the eating disorder (ED). LOL Finally it is good for something. I HAD an ED for many years (bulimia) which I got help for about 4 years ago but it really only kept the symptoms at bay. I always felt, even years later, like I was always struggling with food. I had read about IF and balked because of my past history -of being on a diet *forever*, of being obsessed with “clean eating”, portions and measurements and timing RULING my life, and that was if I was “good”. If I was “bad”, and ate too early/late/cheerios/a starburst…. whatever, all hell broke loose, I ate and then compensated with 15 mile run the next day with very little food. It helped unravel my marriage which was not good in the first place and I can’t tell you how many times I ended up in the shower screaming crying because I just wanted to be normal and eat like a regular person. So I got therapy for both ED and marriage, lost with the marriage. [Sidebar- we divorced amicably, are friendly with one another and co-parent our daughter quite well
] SO I gained some weight 15lbs or so going off the bulimia roller coaster-just thought well, this is the trade-off. I wasn’t pleased with the extra weight, but it was better than freaking out over food all the time. So I learned to accept myself with my J-Lo butt LOL. Started CrossFitting in October. It is very easy for me to put on muscle and not being that lean, I felt “bulky” – and a jerky x-boyfriend telling me my arms were too big made me wonder if I could lean out, somehow. But I dreaded dieting. I was free from that, relatively speaking. Enter IF- good god, this is NOTHING like my ED. No more watching the clock to see if “its time” holy cow, my BODY now tells me when its time to eat. Who knew? LOL I am trying not to watch the scale too closely, I took tape measurements instead and even though its been only 2 weeks, I see a difference in my arms, god my delts are awesome ROFL and the sweetest part … I ENJOY eating again. I love to cook but always struggled with designing clean entrees and portions and blah de blah… now I’m eating mostly Paleo and it is sheer pleasure. My New Year’s Day went like this – purchased fresh turnips, parsnips, beets, carrots and leeks; chicken thighs, red peppers, tomatoes, fresh parsley and dill. Made roasted root veggies au gratin with gruyere cheese and homemade breadcrumbs, and chicken paprikash with the second group of ingredients. I sipped half a glass of wine as I chopped, sauted, roasted and braised, listening to Led Zeppelin (what can I say) and thought, “if this isnt nice, I dont know what is.” I broke an 18 hr fast with my brother, his gf and my daughter and I savored every delicious bite. As I write this I know I have come such a long way- I am very proud of myself and I believe I will eat this way forever. I look forward to posting with an update in a few weeks/months. This is so damn liberating. Go me!
I am extremly interested in the health benefits I am hearing about with IF eating. I eat clean and consider myself very fit, but would love to continue clean eating and have more of these benefits that most of you are raving about. It can be quiet a hassell (one that I gladly except if need be) to always fit 6 meals with the right macros in every day. I was considering fasting for 15 hours (8pm to 11am), but I have a few questions. Such as; 1) what should my calories look like when I refeed? I plan to continue eating clean but not sure how much to eat. 2) I do 3 total body workouts a week with occasional energy systems training on my off days. Is it more beneficial to work out before re-feeding or during my re-feed? 3) This one is more of a clarification request. we have been preached to our whole life how breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it is best to eat it shortly after waking. So if I do a 15 hour fast, that is basically just skipping breakfast, right? Is that going to have any benefits at all? Do I need to fast for longer period of time? Oh boy, any advice, websites, etc would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!
Hey!! I have a question. I have been IFing since Jan 1. I only eat between 2 and 6pm everyday. I also work out for 40 minutes 5 days a week. I began at 125 and I haven’t lost any weight! Am i doing something wrong?? This is only week 2 so i’m wondering how much longer until I start seeing a significant weight loss? Thanks!
Leenie…JLo butt huh? That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks for sharing your story. I think IF is a particularly natural way to eat…we eat when hungry rather than on a set schedule. Amazing how it helps people with seemingly unassociated behaviors.
Maes, to answer your questions…
1) IF typically ends up being somewhat calorically restrictive, but it seems that the body learns to better use the calories that come in. I just eat until I’m full, but not uncomfortably so and have no problem maintaining a weight between 185 and 190 lbs. You want to make sure you’re eating enough to maintain or lose weight slowly, but don’t let the eating period be an excuse for gorging. I try to eat about the same amount in 4-6 hours as I would in 24, but it’s difficult.
2) I prefer working out fasted, but that’s up to the individual. Not sure which will be more beneficial.
3) The thing about IF is that we really have no clue at what point the benefits begin to accrue. It might be 12; it might be 15; it might be 24. There haven’t been enough human studies to really make a call on that. We’re all playing with cutting edge stuff here.
Kelly, what are you eating during your eating periods?
Cheers
Scott
Scott- JLo prolly wants *my* butt now LOL. I am crossfittin’ and IFin’ and sleepin’ 8 hrs … the changes are remarkable. I have only lost 2# but who cares? Today, in fasted state, I back squatted 135# ass to calves x 3 and felt like a million dollars. My skin which is usually pretty clear anyway, is just glowing, combo I think of paleo eating and dumping massive amount of hours into my sleep bank. 10k WOD tomorrow and I am little-kid-excited about how I’ll do. I know this isn’t all from IFing, its the whole enchilada ( is there a paleo literary equivalent?
) Everything just feels right. Speaking of *everything* What do you think about emotional status being affected? In the past I suppose I have been a “serial dater” basically going from 1 relationship to another with barely a break.. after dumping jerky x-bf in early Dec. (who didnt like me crossfittin -what a maroon) I decided I needed a break. Its been several weeks and instead of crawling the walls, feeling lonely and like a loser ( as I KNOW I would in the past) I am very happy. I love my job, my family is tight, and my health is great. Kind of a deep sense of satisfaction that is hard to explain, I just feel… different. Content? Pleased? Dunno. Maybe this has nothin’ to do with IF/paleo/sleep and its just me maturing LOL. Thank you for your blog and good luck with Mike.
Scott,
Thanks for the reply. I am eating what I normally would for dinner. Chicken, pasta, turkey burgers… any type of turkey dishes (turkey meatballs w. spaghetti), one night i had tacos.. with turkey instead of beef. I don’t eat any sweets because I’m usually full once I’m finished eating my meal. I dropped one more pound this week. But, I’ve been eating between 2-3pm instead of eating between 6-7pm. I was eating later because I wanted to eat with my fiance but I found that eating that late wasn’t helping. Once I started eating between 2-3 I’ve lost a pound so far! Still working out 40 minutes a day. So it’s been three weeks and I’ve only lost a pound. LOL… any advice????
Thanks Again!
I’m very interested in getting into an IF regiment for life, so reading all I can as I get into it. I’m certainly not new to fasting, I already do it at least once a month as part of a spiritual path.
I once did a fast for 80 hours without food or water (which I do not recommend whatsoever!) Day 2 was a beautiful, mind-lifting experience, but on the the 3rd day, my mind slowed down considerably, and I could tell I was heading slowly into losing consciousness.
Some people will not consider fasting over fears of losing muscle during fasting, but as long as you’re being sane and cautious, it’s amazing how fast your body will recover and your strength will bounce back. I have little science to back me up, but it sure seems like regaining a tiny bit of recently-lost muscle is a lot easier than gaining new muscle.
I basically have ended up doing this myself, although it wasn’t really intentional. I just found that – generally – if I don’t have breakfast, I’m not hungry until about 4pm.
So I normally end up having a normal sized dinner and then not really eating again, besides maybe an instant coffee, for about 20-24 hours. (or dinner the next day).
Doesn’t always happen. Some days I’ll have 3 meals. Depends what I’m doing and if I’m hungry or not. It’s been happening for about 2 months and I’ve lost about 7 or 8 which is a nice side effect for someone who had previously struggled with his weight.
What do you do when you go for about 24 hours fasts and develop a typical fasting bad breath? When I’m alone I can handle it, the taste is bugging me but that’s ok. But if I’m at work and fasting, I feel embarassed for the fasting bad breath. Since I have close contact to people (I’m a nurse) this is a problem. Any suggestions? Gum isn’t really an option, plus chewing makes you hungry.
I’m loving IF. I had no idea I was doing it for years, eating very little in the day and then having most of my calories in the evening, a la The Warrior Diet.
Now I’m doing 24 or more hour fasts 2 times a week or so, It has helped me lose 3 stubborn lbs and reduce my carb cravings.
I actually rather hate eating in the daytime. It just feels wrong to me unless it’s a very small meal. I also don’t like to work out in a fed state – I feel sluggish. I like the sharpness of being fasted.
The research I’ve seen seems to indicate that during the first 30 hours of a fast growth hormone release is the highest, then it tapers off – with insulin being low of course that means fat loss. But I’m curious if going for 30 or more hours is ideal or 24 does the job just fine.
Lillea – I would say 24hours will do the job (although it’s a personal choice on how long to fast). Add that in with good sleep, eating healthy foods and the right exercise, and your daily GH pulses should be optimized as well as they can be.
Thanks Mike! I look forward to experiencing the full benefits by paying attention to all of those things.
It has been said that consuming artificial sweeteners can lead to insulin spikes. Are there good scientific studies that prove this to be the case?
I’m wondering how powdered (white, processed) stevia fares. I think that aspartame might make me feel hungrier, and I avoid it for other reasons as well, but I haven’t read that stevia causes the same issues.
I once did a 7 day fast – the best I have ever felt in my life. Couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs though – something about buffering lactic acid!
Hey, guys! I just stumbled upon this site and was reading the comments regarding IF. As someone who struggles with an ED, I found the whole IF “lifestyle” intriguing. It sounds like something I was doing without realizing it in some of my more extreme anorexic moments. (Going for ten days at a time without consuming much more then coffee with milk and sugar, then re-eating, again, for example). Anyway, the whole idea of eating when you are very hungry vs. eating by the clock sounds much like intuitive eating; something I have practiced on and off. Would you say it is pretty much the same save for the length of time one goes without eating? I know that one thing IE guards against is waiting too long before you eat. If you, indeed, have to wait until you are practically starving before you eat during IF, how do you avoid the urge not to gorge yourself from being too extremely hungry?
Thanks for any insights you can give.
@Jo – The biggest battle anyone fights is hunger and cravings….the mental battle. IF helped me to gain back the “mental control” without needing to binge or feel deprived. 10 days is extreme….at most I recommend people “fast” for 24 hours….and still have something to eat every day. This is not about starving yourself to get lean, it’s just about easier condensed eating for calorie control and also mental control (along with all the other health benefits that can come from short fasts). If you are finding yourself bingeing or too hungry….then you may want to shorten the fasting window, as doing IF and just bingeing is not healthy nor the goal. Switching to real foods, avoiding sugar and drinking plenty of water also help in the process. When in doubt…start slow with IF and use it a couple times a week to see how you react and then adjust as you go. Great thing is IF is not some set diet all or nothing plan….it’s just a tool that you can personally adjust to work for your lifestyle and schedule…that’s the real key to success.
Hey,Mike..
Thank you for your comments!
Some last questions regarding IF and something you said. You stated to avoid sugar during the “re-feeding” process. Does that mean no fruit and/or sweets, EVER?? I admit to having a big sweet tooth, but that said, I also understand the correlation between sugar consumption and cravings/binging. I’d just hate to think that I’d have to completely give up all the things I love in order to see results. It would seem too much like a diet to me, and that mentality always creates problems for me down the road.
I also read that some people eat a Paleo diet upon eating again. Would that be just protein and vegetables?
Doing a 24 hour fast once or twice a week, how much weight can one expect to reduce a month? I did manage a 24 hour fast last week, but once I started eating again it triggered a binge (and I was just eating steamed vegetables at the time). I think part of it was feeling unsatisfied with what I was eating. I told myself that once I started eating again, I should just stick with fruits and vegetables “to be on the safe side”, but that left me mentally/emotionally/taste-bud-wise, wanting. So your thoughts on overcoming that hurdle would be appreciated, as well.
Thanks, Mike, for anything you (or anyone else) can tell me. I really would like to successfully give this a try.
@Jo – You hear it said all the time “everything in moderation”. If you overload your body with sugar all at once, it’s going to just accelerate fat storing (esp that stubborn fat). Doesn’t mean you cant have some ice cream or other things, just need to keep them in smaller servings so you don’t bombard your body all at once. Think of it more a slow and steady refeed….not in one sitting. Good rule of thumb is keep your carb intake about 20-30g per meal when you eat every 2-3 hours. Remember it’s not about you being deprived of anything, it’s just eating smarter so you can stay healthy!
To lose weight you need calorie deficit over time (of course compared to what your metabolism demands). So strength training workouts 2-3x a week, with eating less (IF helps with reducing the average calorie load over time) and having a fun active lifestyle you enjoy….should get you where you want to be. Just keep track of progress over a month, see what the results are and if you are not losing 1-2 lbs a week, then change something up.
Don’t look for a quick fix….go for the lasting solution and your results are here to stay!
Hey, Mike..
Thanks for your comments. I didn’t know that upon re-feeding one “should” eat every 2-3 hours. I think I saw somewhere where someone said that IF puts you in touch with your body so much so that you no longer eat “by the clock”–which I think is a good thing, imo. I’ve tried the “eat six meals a day” thing about every 3 hours and it just wasn’t my thing. I’ve also tried low-carbing it and it drove me crazy! I hated having to think so much about what to eat and how. Hopefully, I can find a way to eat healthfully enough without feeling deprived, while still incorporating IF and make it work for me.
Lastly, if you don’t mind, Mike, can you tell me what the “window fasting” aspect of IF is? I was trying to gleen what Scott meant in his post, but I wasn’t sure. Is that eating from (let’s say) 6-10 pm everyday? He mentions 24 on/off and says he found the WF better. What would you recommend is “best”?..what has worked for you? I’d be interested in anyone else’s comments, too.
Thank you, again, Mike, and anyone else, for all your help.
Jo – I don’t eat low carb all the time, I eat whatever I enjoy (pancakes, pizza, beer)….but it has also taken me a while to know how to balance and manage it all for results. I no longer eat by the clock also and every day is different. Sometimes I eat 2-3x, other days more….don’t really plan it but I listen to my body and what it needs (recovery from training, or just a day to relax). Keeping active is also important as you want to keep muscles and have a fun active lifestyle. Check out the Intermittent Fasting 101 post as well, it has many options. The key is remembering that IF is NOT a set diet plan….it’s just a tool….a condensed intermittent eating window….for you to use 1x a week….2x a week….3x a week….every other day…with varying times to eat whether it is for 8 hours, 6 hours or just one meal at night……so many options to make sure that you can find a way that best works for you. Stay tuned for an anouncement on the main blog in about a week or two as I’ll have more IF info and plans to release very soon.
Also keep what I think the #1 thing to remember with IF and eating….that IFOC doesn’t work (IF on Crap)…or using IF just to end up binge eating on crap (by crap I mean the foods that are not healthy). That is not the right way. While you don’t have to deprive yourself of everything, we all know healthy foods should be the staple of what we eat….and then we can enjoy other selections with control and responsibility. Eat a gallon of ice cream is not that.
Thank you, Mike! You’ve made the whole IF “lifestyle” much clearer.
Mike, you got wrong about something
Some type of IF are a daily basis like the one that Martin Berkham Use, the 16-8, ALL DAYS, obviously with a difference between the hour more or less,
but what im saying its that all days we are fasting at least 12h minimum.
I fasting every day like that and i have great results, and right now im eating a PSMF with IF and its a lot more easier to follow than using the multiples meals per day
Lolaso – For the sake of some fun discussion….by technical/scientific definition the term “IF” is NOT every day….”Intermittent Fasting” is supposed to be……”Intermittent”. There is no “Intermittent” in doing the same thing day after day. I know the Lean Gains approach, I know Fast Five, I know Warrior Diet….they can all work depending on the person and what they eat/how they exercise. If IF really was defined as a period of daily fasting, then everyone breathing is doing IF when you count the fasting hours between sleeping and waking (assuming you are not waking up to eat throughout the night).
Then that brings up another interesting question, if IF is not counted as just sleeping and waking then how long does one “fast” inorder for it to be classified as an IF approach….12 hours? 14 hours? 16 hours? 18 hours? 24 hours? Where are we talking about the hormonal benefits from IF over time fasted vs just using a shortened eating window to control calorie intake? It seems to me that the real hormonal benefits kick in at around 16hours…and peak to 24 hours, a more ideal IF window to maintain.
BUT…that is not to say that a daily condensed eating window can not work for people as an “IF” plan. That approach works fine for those that need more parameters in controlling calorie intake (as we know weight loss is calorie deficit based….not a meal to meal metabolism equation). There are many other factors to consider such as what a person eats during a window (low carb, low calorie, junk foods), the response to using IF (is the person just binge eating), and the enjoyment factor of taking days off (which can also have a metabolic advantage depending on what a person eats the other days calorie/carb wise).
The beauty of the basis of IF is the flexibility to use as you like….not be just a set diet plan. Somedays I don’t eat till Noon-1pm (as I am typing and have yet to eat today)….other days I enjoy eating when I wake up. The daily choice is mine to make. So even though “technically” by definition IF is not daily (as it’s not intermittent at that point), that’s not to say that approach doesn’t work for many. Personally I think there is benefit to days off which also serves as a safety check to make sure people aren’t taking IF to extreme levels and not eating enough in the first place (as a starvation diet is not what IF is supposed to be). I’ve seen too many people have issue with taking it too far or just not using IF the right way.
Using an “IF” based window daily (which in a sense isn’t intermittent…but yet still just gets classified under IF for ease of understanding) can work like I said above. I find as I get older and more into the research of IF, I see greater stimulus through more stress (hormesis) with also incorporating longer fasts (and making them intermittent). It’s like doing the same workout daily, or doing hard intense workouts 2-3x a week….which does your body respond to more? So using a mix of condensed eating windows more often along with days off and a longer fast….might just give you the best of all worlds for weight loss, improved glucose metabolism and longevity factors (that are shown in models of longer IF vs CR approaches).
Add in regular resistance training, enough protein, healthy fats and eating “real food” carbs and you have a powerful program for life!
That is where my journey of understanding and using IF has taken me over the years….and it all started with doing a 16-18 hr daily IF-condensed eating windows long ago….which I still continue to use most of the time for ease of eating.
Well… so where are the pics? I can say im a bodybuilder..but where are the pics??? proof?
Lu, pics of what? Me? What exactly are you looking for proof of?
Hi Scott
Congratulations on your IF success. Actually I started IF at a similar time like yours. Since early 2006, I’m just going into my 5th year if intermittent fasting. My IF window is generally 24 hours – ie one meal a day, usually dinner. I experienced all the benefits you’ve mentioned. Even for my daily swimming, I seldom feel lacking of energy. I do hope more and more people can see the benefits of IF.
Anna
I’ve been reading about IF for a few days now, and decided to do a 24 hour fast beginning 6:30 pm yesterday. I am surprised to say it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I think it has to do with my mindset; I just decided to do it, to see what it would be like. So instead of fighting it, rather, I’m noticing what is going on.
Here’s what I notice so far:
It’s 1pm and I’m not hungry.
When the hunger pangs come, they go pretty quickly.
I notice some kind soul had brought in a box of doughnuts, I wasn’t even interested. So far so good.
I’m enjoying some hot water with lemon, and find my usual cold water doesn’t go down well. Room temp feels much better…
Thanks for all the info on this site!
Is this similar to the ‘Alternate day diet’ where you fast or eat very little every other day, and then ‘normal’ sort of, 3 meals a day the next? Or would this work in the same way?
Thanks
PS the ADD allows you to eat all your favourite treat foods on your feed day, but I would prefer to stick primarily to good healthy foods because they make me feel better!
Considering it is all about the calorie load longterm, an alternate day type of approach works well for most people mainstream who will NOT give up higher calorie options…so a lower calorie day is alternated to balance out long term calorie load (and overall weight loss). For people who eat healthy already, then it can be done with a more frequent condensed eating window….because chances are the overall calorie load will still be lower because of higher calories options not being involved.
If that makes no sense (because I am rambling on) you can also read up on IF here….as there can be more than one way in which you can eat and enjoy the benefits of weight loss and health.
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2008/02/27/intermittent-fasting-101-how-to-start-part-i/
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/03/03/real-life-extension-caloric-restriction-or-intermittent-fasting-part-2/
Have you seen this Dr Eades take on IF.
What are your comments on this?
I linked to that article a while back….and you can see my comments about it also below (in the comments). In the end, using IF as a pass to binge eat on less than optimal foods is not a good idea.
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2008/03/03/dr-eades-and-tim-ferris-on-if/
Thanks i was referring specifically to his comment on IF slowing thermo-genesis.
Reduced meal frequency (IF) does not decrease metabolism when you are still talking about the same amount of calories and macronutrients (protein, etc). If you are just doing a “carb bomb” meal after fasting (which Dr Eades hints as his IF experiment), then yes you will have a reduced TEF compared to a diet higher in more protein spread out throughout the day. The macronutrients are not the same.
Goes back to if you use IF to overindulge (or as I like to call IFOC, IF on crap), then the results are not going to be ideal. I really wish just eating a pizza and ice cream in one meal a day game optimal body composition….but it won’t.
Keep your IF days mostly real foods and higher in protein, you will be fine.