Questions about Intermittent Fasting

Nutrition
21

Early Morning Fasted Training

It isn’t a problem for most individual once acclimated to it.

I am an early morning person and have employed it for a year and a half.

It has not impaired my training.

khangles

“…try it out for a bit to give your body time to adapt and see how you feel.”

Muscle Glycogen

You have plenty of muscle glycogen for training in the morning. Essentially, your muscle glycogen levels are “Topped Off”, full and ready to go.

Virtually, NO muscle glycogen is burned during sleeping. Sleeping is the the longest, lowest aerobic activity you preform. Thus, what few calories burned during sleeping are from body fat, ketones.

khangles

“…The food you eat the night before, the day before that and your body stores don’t magically vanish…”

“Metabolic Flexibility”

One of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting is “Metabolic Flexibility”. You body become more efficient at burning fat, as well as improving Insulin Sensitivity.

Caloric Deficit

The main reason that is works for weight/fat loss is the decrease in caloric intake.

The greatest example of this is…

The Twinkie Diet

"… Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University — is the genius who lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks subsisting almost exclusively on Twinkies, Doritos, Oreos and other treats by ensuring that he consumed fewer calories than he burned."

Personal Experience

I was diagnosed with a metabolic condition about a year and a half ago. Research demonstrated that Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet could help me.

I went overboard but learn something in the process.

I dropped 17 lbs in 37 days. That means my average weight loss was .46 lbs per day (right at 1/2 lb loss per day.)

I combined the Ketogenic Diet with Intermittent Fasting. The Ketogenic Diet helped somewhat but the dramatic decrease in caloric intake by skipping one meal each day and only having two meals was the driving force.

With that said, I am not an advocate of being as aggressive as I was.

Kenny Croxdale

22

Not Fasting

Consuming BCAA take you out of fasting.

There isn’t any research that I have found that has indicated how much.

Kenny Croxdale.

23

Thanks TrainForPain! I am in the same boat as you. Ready to try something
new.

1 Like
24

How many days per week do you train? You could always IF on your off days, or on training days keep pre and post workout nutrition to protein only. You can still reap most of the benefits that way.

25

I’m a huge fan of IF but I believe it has far less appeal for your set up. Cortisol is more likely to be an issue for time restricted eating where you are fasting from early afternoon until the next morning, especially if you are stressed at these times.

Is such circumstances, I would consider a different fasting approach, e.g. 5/2, 36 hour fast once a week, etc.

26

Fair enough. Maybe fasted workouts do affect me, then, because the supplement does help.
To your point, what’s the practical difference? For me, it’s totally a convenience play. I’d like to think I’m still reaping some of the health benefits of fasting, since I can’t imagine I’m causing real digestion requirements, but I don’t know anything about the science.

27

Absolutely no way I could fast in the evenings; that’s when you, and everyone you might want to be around, want(s) to eat!

This is kind of a fun conversation.

28

I am active everyday. Some days are just assistance type work and soft
tissue/mobility/core work. I lift weights 4 times per week.

29

I do not have the desire or will power to fast in the evenings. I love to
cook and having a large family I do not want to cook everyone a nice
healthy dinner then watch them eat it because I am fasting. Not to mention
I do not really enjoy forcing myself down a shake, 6 eggs, and 1 cup of
oatmeal every single morning between 4:30 and 6:30.

30

Most likely, consuming BCAA, any food, prior to training is something your body is trained to expect. Thus, some time is required to become acclimated to training in a complete fasted state.

Once you have adapted, you won’t notice any difference.

Nutrient Timing

Based on Dr Brad Schoenfeld’s research on nutrient timing, it doesn’t appear taking something prior to training or immediately after makes much of a difference.

Schoenfeld’s research demonstrated what mattered was what you consumed during the day and week for that matter.

Refractory Feeding

Dr Layne Norton’s research touched on nutrient timing.

Norton found that that greatest amount of Muscle Protein Synthesis occurs when meals are consumed every 4 - 5 hours; not the “Eat every three hour” dogma that been around forever.

Muscle Protein Synthesis drive the anabolic, muscle building process.

Sponge Example

Essentially, Muscle Protein Synthesis is like a sponge.

When the sponge has dried out, it will absorb more water.

When the sponge is wet or soaking wet, it absorbs less water.

The same applies with Muscle Protein Synthesis. The muscle are primed (metaphorically speaking) are dry and read to absorb protein in the 4 - 5 hour periods.

Kenny Croxdale

31

Kenny has nailed much of the debate, IMO, although Schoenfeld qualified his advice for fasted and semi-fasted training, i.e. that peri-workout is useful here. The other issue is MPS: while the ‘anabolic window’ may be open up to 24 hours after training, it’s logical that this is a curve and that the body is more likely to benefit from quality protein 4 hours after exercise compared to 14, etc. The ‘just get your protein in when you can’ mantra is just too crude, IMO.

32

The biggest benefit to IF is people tend to be able to comply to no eating easier than restricted eating.

They will overeat when they are allowed to eat again but not enough to offset the big calorie deficit of the fast.

Contrast with the calorie counter who will stick to their calories, overeat and completely undo their deficit.

1 Like
33

If you training ends at 6am, why not just start eating at 10(just slug back a couple scoops of protein real quick between classes, then have a full meal a little bit later during lunch) maybe a meal between school and coaching, (so probably like 3 I’m guessing?) and then have a big ass dinner at 6? 8 hour feeding window and you’re still getting in a meal a few hours after training while still getting to eat dinner at a normal time?

34

I believe this is probably a very accurate description. Only a few days in
but I believe it will be difficult to exceed daily allowed calories. The
not eating has not been super difficult as before I ate because I was
“supposed to” not necessarily because I was hungry.

35

I’ve heard different things as well, however I get anxious and hypoglycemic if I don’t eat. That does nobody any good.haha

36

@KennyCrox @JamesBrawn007
Thank you both for your detailed and thoughtful responses.

@strongmangoals
I totally agree about the ease of compliance.

I really think the whole point is that, for some, it’s a convenient way to do what you’re supposed to do over the course of the day.