Tag: Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting Diet for Bodybuilding and Weight Loss

The intermittent fasting approach to diet may go against everything you’ve heard about food, metabolism and muscle. But the research (not to mention the experience of many practitioners—including yours truly) has led me to believe this is one of the most effective dietary strategies you can utilize.

You may have grown up reading about the importance of small, frequent meals for “firing up your metabolism.” This was the bodybuilding dogma for decades and I also used to believe it.

But research has not demonstrated any metabolic difference in small, frequent meals versus large infrequent eating. One study, for example, compared the metabolic affect of two meals a day with eating seven meals a day in thirteen subjects. Researchers concluded there were “no consequences for the total 24 h energy expenditure (24 h EE) of the two feeding patterns.”1

Having said this, I’ll tell you two distinct advantages to an intermittent fasting approach to diet:

1. Simplicity/Compliance

Small, frequent meals are fine if this way of eating helps you consistently hit your daily caloric goals. But eating 6-7 times a day may not be practical for those of us who don’t make a living in the fitness profession.

I’ve also found low carbohydrate approaches to be very effective. But compliance is also an issue here—going several days without carbs is just kind of a pain in the rear end (memories of “keto breath” come to mind).

This is the beauty of intermittent fasting. It does take some getting used to, but you don’t have to stress over eating every few hours or completely abstaining from one type of food. This is important, because long-term compliance will be the most important factor in whether or not a diet “works.”

For me the adjustment to the diet kind of works in reverse to other things I’ve tried. In other words, it gets easier to do over time. It seems going for short periods of time without eating re-wires the brain and reduces compulsive eating. That’s been my experience, and many other practitioners attest to the same.

2. Hormonal

Some fear a short fast will slow the metabolism or put the body in “starvation mode.” But this doesn’t seem to be the case, either. A short fasting period will, in fact, maximize your fat burning potential. There are positive effects on growth hormone and catecholamines, both of which aid in fat loss.

Going longer periods without eating also causes the body to burn fat (vs. carbohydrates) for fuel. The study I cited earlier noted that subjects experienced increased fat oxidization when eating only two meals a day.

Some fear going without food will cause muscle loss, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. The bottom line is this: you will not lose muscle mass while dieting if you lift weights.

Two Basic Approaches:

You’ll basically see two main strategies of intermittent fasting practiced by those who are wanting to lose fat or stay lean.  I’ll explain them briefly here, but you can click the links for more information on helpful resources.

The 16/8 approach refers to fasting for 16 hours, then eating for 8.  In other words, you’d skip breakfast and lunch, consuming your calories in the afternoon/evening.

Some plans call for a 24 hour fast once or twice a week (about every five days). Brad Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat is a very well researched book for those who want this simplified approach to intermittent fasting.  Going 24 hours with no food may sound impossible, but the nice thing is you don’t have to go a whole day without a meal.  In other words, you could have dinner one night then not eat until dinner the next night.  It doesn’t mean you can eat everything in sight the rest of the time, but Pilon explains that in more detail in his book.

Which one of these is right for you?  It really just depends on you.  I prefer the structure of the 16/8 approach.  But you may prefer the flexibility that comes with fasting only once every five days.  The bottom line is either will work as long as you consistently apply the principles and keep a negative calorie balance long enough to lose fat.

Let me add one thing here: I don’t think intermittent fasting is the best for a beginner trainee trying to put on the first 15-20 lb. of muscle (especially if said trainee is in his teens or early twenties).

Reference:

1. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Mar;45(3):161-9. Influence of the feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.

Eat Stop Eat Review

Eat-Stop-Eat Review: Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss

I have been eager to get a copy of Eat-Stop-Eat for two reasons:

I was very impressed with Brad Pilon’s Anabolic Again program. I could tell he really does research—even if it leads him to radically different conclusions than what you may have heard from the fitness industry.

I’ve been hearing about intermittent fasting for quite some time and I wanted to learn more about it.

Let me first tell you a little about the author:

Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over seven years experience in the nutritional supplement industry. According to the e-book, Brad became “obsessed” with fitness and nutrition when he was still a child. He worked in a supplement store as a teenager, studied nutrition in college, and eventually landed a job in the supplement industry. But he decided to walk away from the industry because it seemed to contradict the very thing he had dedicated his life to—the real science of diet and nutrition.

Eat-Stop-Eat: is based on a very simple idea: you go for 24-hour periods without eating once or twice a week. This will sound crazy to some, but human beings have been doing this since the beginning of time (either for religious reasons or by necessity).

Why hasn’t more attention been given to this simple, effective way to lose weight? Simple: There’s not much money to be made by simply not eating.

You may believe that a period of fasting will wreck your metabolism, cause you to lose muscle, or harm you in other ways. But the research simply doesn’t support these fears. Fasting, in fact, has positive effects on several hormones, such as insulin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and growth hormone (to name a few). There are other health benefits Pilon discusses, but you’ll have to buy the book and read it for yourself.

Here’s what’s really neat: you don’t necessarily have to go a whole day without eating. You could, for example, eat dinner at 6:00 p.m. and wait until 6:00 p.m. the next day to eat. The plan is explained in much greater detail in the book, but I think you get the point.

Exercise is part of this program. Pilon suggests you do resistance/weight training so you will maintain your lean muscle mass. He gives the reader some simple guidelines for designing a program.

I think Eat-Stop-Eat has two HUGE advantages for the typical dieter.

It’s simple–the most simple diet plan I’ve every seen.  You don’t have to obsess over what kind of foods you are eating. Following his plan will result in a significant enough negative calorie balance without having to carefully plan every meal.

It’s doable. The biggest issue with any diet comes down to compliance—how well you follow the diet. “Fasting” may sound difficult, and any diet requires you to make some adjustments. But the act of fasting itself may help you reprogram your brain and reduce compulsive eating.

Update: 5th Edition

The above review was based on the 4th Edition of Brad’s book.  He has since updated it and the newest version is better than ever.  Here are a few things you’ll find in the 5th edition:

*Cellular Cleansing (page 99):  This section explores a process called autophagy, in which the body seems to be able to heal itself.  Fasting promotes autophagy; eating seems to shut it down.

*Fasting and Hunger (page 52):  Brad deals with the all-important issue of hunger and how fasting can actually help you overcome compulsive eating.

*Fasting and Your Muscle Mass (page 46): The information on preserving lean muscle mass has been expanded–important information if you believe fasting will cause your muscles to atrophy.

*The new edition also has information about testosterone (page 65), explaining why intermittent fasting will not lower it (fasting may help you maintain health testosterone levels).

*There’s also more information about endurance–Brad wrote about this in the 4th edition, but this has also be expanded.

UPSELL:

You can also buy an additional e-book called Eat-Stop-Eat Optimized.  This is another valuable resource because you’ll get some extra tips on how Brad stays lean throughout the year.  I’d recommend buying this if you chose to order this program.

Brad Pilon, Author of Eat-Stop-Eat

Final Thoughts:

Eat-Stop-Eat is the ultimate guide to intermittent fasting.  Buy it and you’ll learn just how simple fat loss can be.  Just CLICK HERE  if you’d like to order it or learn more.   Please use my links if this review has helped you–you’ll be supporting and honest voice in the fitness industry.