Mateus: I ate a bit more on the workout days (4) and a bit less on non-workout days (3). This comes naturally as I am hungrier on workout days.
Let me say that the advantages of IF lie mostly in eating convenience. (I discovered this myself on busy mornings.) I have no objections to someone saying this method enables an easier lifestyle or better long-term compliance. However:
Toohard: I agree with your observations. I do not believe that IF confers any advantages regarding body comp not otherwise attainable–equally–by more traditional caloric or macronutrient manipulation. Discipline is the thing in any approach–and has always been.
There is a lot of talk about eating more stuff post-workout. I don’t think that matters much either. People putting up photos with claims attached, mean nothing to me-- for many reasons.
Regarding peri-nutrition, I am no longer sure that this matters much either. Heresy, I know. Now, I still do my post-workout protein drink out of preference. BUT, my opinion is that if one consumed all the peri-workout nutrition (extra calories plus protein) at some other time of day, the resulting bodycomp would be identical. Why? because the same calories and nutrients were taken in. And food takes many hours to digest.
99% of what happens comes down to basic stuff. Problem is that is not a ‘new’ or therefore marketable notion. For example, Rippetoe’s article, even in its edited form, would lead to similar conclusions about the basics: train hard with barbells; sleep; recover; eat extra protein, and calories to support recovery. Use whole foods to do that. Done. Wendler stresses the same thing with his approach. Most of the detail peripherals is what folks write articles about, and argue about, but all that fiddly stuff is as nothing compared with the ‘boring basics’. That should be good news–liberating even-- but folks keep looking for miracles in the fiddly stuff.
