I workout in the mid-afternoon. I practice intermittent fatting (sic) beforehand–I try not to eat much, but if/when I do, it’s fat (usually in the form of natty PB). So not only do I avoid carbs, I avoid protein as well, as it can spike insulin too. Post-workout I will eat carbs ad lib throughout the evening.
I’m currently lifting every other day–do moderate-intensity conditioning on off-days. Speaking of…On off-days I follow the same routine, except instead of doing intermittent fatting until a workout, I do it until I truly break my fast at dinnertime with a high-fat/high-protein meal (think bacon and eggs). So on off-days I endeavor to never spike insulin.
I have not loved my couple of experiments with IF. Probably just my own lack of discipline, but I was so food-focused I ended up having a tougher time maintaining a reasonable caloric intake.
As always, thanks for your insight. I know you have a reason for everything you do, so it’s good to learn.
I encourage you to give intermittent fatting a try–much more sustainable than IF in my experience.
I would describe my current protein intake as modest–averaging in the 150-200 g/d range. Yes, it all occurs in the evening–post-workout on lifting days; as part of my break-fast meal on off-days.
I started a cut in hopes that I could get lean, since I want to start another bulk to get strong again but I’m already too fat and the last thing I want is to get even fatter. I’ve been cutting for 5 days now but I ended up gaining 3lbs, I would usually eat 3800kcals but now I’m at 2700kcals and gained 3lbs, wtf. Why am I gaining weight?
Hi @dchris: Yeah, its high leucine content–leucine being a BCAA, and BCAAs being potent stimulators of insulin release–makes cheese a less-than-ideal fat to use for intermittent fatting. That said, I have to confess I’ll snack on a few slices of Velveeta late on a low-carb day, as a way to push my big meal later into the evening without blowing up my calorie intake via more PB. I find it (Velveeta) vastly more satiating than PB on a cal-for-cal basis–at ~40 cals/slice, 3 slices of Velveeta are much more satisfying than a modestly rounded tbsp of PB (also ~120 cals). But for sure, it’s going to bump your insulin level more than you’d like.
So while there’s a downside to cheese intake, there’s a clear upside too. And by my estimation, the upside wins. So in short, if someone says ‘I can’t do PB–can I give IFatting a shot with cheese?’ I would encourage them to do so. I would add that, while definitely not as toothsome as more refined forms of cheese, Velveeta-type products (no financial interest, BTW) make portion control vastly easier than it would be using block-cheese.
I’ve never used it as a go-to low-carb food myself, but the nutrition profile seems similar to other cheeses. Assuming one could manage the temptation to overindulge–always an issue with foods you spoon yourself–it seems like a reasonable form of cheese to employ (bearing in mind that nut butters are preferable because of the leucine issue).
I just read the answers, usually no one asks me any questions back or either there’s weird questions that I don’t really know what those individuals are getting at so I don’t know how to answer them
