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Nutrition Anyone dislike IF?

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I'm a bit leaner when I'm on 16/8 and do a 24 hour fast like once a week with NO cheat meals. I've experimented with smaller eating windows but 8 is the most comfortable. Fasting or not, I don't seem to lean out as much as some folk which is frustrating. Ever since I hit my 20's, I've carried more fat. Such is life.
 
@HUNTER1313 , as needed. No drinks or shakes thought, regular food. There are few different models of IF - I usually (usually) go 16/8, it suits me best.

That's good to hear, I was told that 16 hours is not really long enough.

I do 16/8 most days and 2 days I do a 20/4

That's similar to what I intend to do. I've been doing 16/8 for the past week or so and yesterday I did my first 23 hour fast with only water and about 3 cups of sugarless coffee. Planning to do that twice a week as well and 16/8 on three other days of the week. My wife warned me that I tend to binge eat when I haven't had food for a while, so I consciously decided to only have 1 plate of whatever she dished up last night. If I didn't make that mental note, I probably would have continued eating for the rest of the night... So that's something I'll have to watch.
 
I was told that 16 hours is not really long enough.
My understanding (not saying this is accurate, just that it is my understanding) is that the body starts going into "fasting mode" after 12 hours or so, the response to fasting peaks at about 16 hours, and it more or less keeps up until you eat. Assuming that's true (let's all agree, the science is far from definitive), then a 16 hour fast most days would yield substantial benefits. So would a 24 hour fast a couple times a week.

Personally, when I train in the morning I eat three meals a day, and when I train in the afternoon I fast/under eat until shortly before or after I train. This means a fast/under eating period of anywhere between 14-20 hours, 3-5 days per week. Some days I get hungry after 14 hours (although that hasn't happened for a while), and other days are great. Today was actually exceptional. I was busy all day, I commuted on my bike, and was able to be very productive and focused, all on about 16 oz of coffee and a handful of pistachios, spread throughout the day. I got home, did swings and clean & presses for an hour, still felt fine, and ate about 20 minutes later. It ended up being 22 hours between meals, and I'll have my actual dinner here shortly (about 2 hours between meals), and that should do it.

I was mostly worried about losing weight (read, muscle), but I have neither lost nor gained weight. I probably eat fewer calories on the days I fast, even though I eat as much as I want to in the evening, but it seems to work out (some people say your body utilizes protein and carbohydrates more efficiently after a fast, I'm not sure I buy it or not). I just love the fact that I don't have to be married to my food, or worried that I'll shrivel up if I don't eat enough. And things get interesting after your 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee on an empty stomach... I think the key is to realize that your body has to take time develop the right cellular machinery before you ask too much of it. Feeling "different" is not the same as feeling bad, but if you do feel bad, pushing it will rarely have good results.
 
IF or Warrior Diet has really changed my life. Tend to like the one meal a day more so than the larger eating window out of convenience and have adapted it with fruit/vegetable smoothies throughout the earlier part of the day. The mind is sharper the body is leaner and much stronger.
 
@Snowman, some very good observations. I do a kind of IF in the sense that I eat light during the day. Some days I don't eat much or at all and that is governed by circumstance, if I've really pigged out the night before or I just don't feel hungry......I don't fast for fat loss or training related other reason ie as you mentioned protein synthesis etc. For me it fits really well but it maybe isn't for everyone. It isn't a start point for fat loss dieters coming from a crap diet of processed food. The start point is proper, real food. In the uk, no doubt in the us too, the fast diet or 5:2 diet is all the rage. In principle it is great, it works for some no doubt but for others it is a disaster.......crap food, crap food, less crap food, crap food, crap food, less crap food.....quite often that's how it goes.
 
Sleep, appetite, digestion...all these 3 are at best if I eat balanced and on a regular basis. I only fast when I had a big lunch are aren't really hungry in the evening. Skipping breakfast makes me binge later during the day. Different now from what I have posted 2 months ago.
 
I tried the 24 hr fasting (eat stop eat) and I also tried the 16:8. I love the principle, but found I was generally distracted by the feelings of hunger, basically sittin there thinking xx to go until i can eat. i did the 24 hr for maybe two months and the 16:8 for about 3 months, maybe it wasn't long enough. But throughout i found i would overcompensate and was probably eating a lot worse. i have seen it work for n saying that, there are times where i may not eat but that is due to how i feel say in the morning I have a good mate who has had great results with it and I think its each to their own.
 
I've found that both regular meals as well as IF work for me. If I am on an IF day, I typically follow the warrior diet rather than a full fast and will under-eat during the day - mostly fruit, veggies, maybe some nuts. But, since my training a majority of the time is done around noon hour, an IF day would be 1-2 servings of fruit in the morning and I would have a typical meal (protein based but carb/fat as well) after my workout, and a dinner. I guess it looks more like a 16:8 but its not a true 16h fast as I have fruit. When I train after work, I follow the true warrior diet and have my main meal post workout. However, 95% of my training is during my lunch hour so I only really follow the warrior diet on a weekend.

I don't really decide what I'm going to do until the morning. If I still feel satisfied from the previous night's dinner, I skip breakfast or have a serving of fruit to replace it and another fruit serving mid morning before lunch. If I'm hungry, I'll have do the typical 3 meals a day, usually eggs for breakfast with my coffee.

What I am very interested in - I know I feel good when I train fasted, and it feels really good when I do a typical skill/strength workout. These workouts are short, 45 min max, typically heavier weight, low volume, etc. I feel invigorated through most of the day. But I want to know - how do people feel doing IF when they are on a hypertrophy phase? Do you feel you get enough protein? Does it matter what phase of training you are on if you plan to IF or not? Really interested to hear everyone's thoughts on this
 
Sorry I meant to add this -

One thing I will say though - I have never had a problem with weight or food or anything, ate healthy without ever making a conscious attempt at doing so (I've been 155 lbs since high school, and now I'm a leaner more muscular 150 but even in high school I was relatively cut), but going through an undereating phase, or a 16h fast, can be very liberating on the mind. What a fantastic tool from a psychological aspect to help people learn what true hunger really is, and not just eating food because it is there. I know the warrior diet can be a little bit "dramatic" at times, but I love the logic behind the hunting (read: exercising) while fasted and then resting after your hunt and reward (read: food) is over. Never attack a hungry lion, kill the lion while it sleeps, etc. whichever saying you want, but I do feel alert, mind is clear, and all the stuff when I near the end of a fast or under eating phase.

I would love to see more science on some of the other claims the warrior diet makes, such as IF is better for "giving the digestive system a break" and all that.
 
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