I have used it to get leaner in the past, and I like it a lot for general mental clarity and for traveling. first few days I have to drink a lot of green tea to reset my habits, which probably is part of why IF “feels” right to me. weight gain I’m not sure about. gl
Well I’ll start really keeping tabs on it after spring break in my log, or here, or both. I won’t be working out much over it, so I’ll just start the week after, officially. Right now I’ll just follow it, probably do the same thing over the break by default.
So far, I’ve experienced the same things reported in just about every IF testimonial ever, ha. It’s convenient, hunger isn’t a problem. I don’t know about mental clarity as these people propose where it’s easier to concentrate and all this shit. I just feel fine.
Getting in calories, really isn’t a problem. First meal will by default be small because it’s pre-WO, but I have no problem hitting up a buffet after the initial meal.
As far as the eating window, I think when I actually start, my window might actually be smaller than 8 hours. My goal is to break the fast about an hour before I workout, then take in the rest of my daily calorie needs as quickly as possible after the workout. Once I hit my daily needs, I’ll wait till the next day to eat again.
So I might break my fast around 2PM or 4PM depending on the day, and my window just closes ASAP.
In case anyone’s following this.
So far still doing it, it is terribly convenient to follow, especially for a poor college student. I can go to a cheap buffet on campus and have my way with it ha. I don’t see how anyone can really have problems getting in enough calories with this. After the initial break-fast meal, I have a voracious appetite.
I suspect people who complain about getting in the calories, are the kind of guys who would have trouble getting in enough calories in the first place. The ones that “swear they eat enough” yet can’t seem to gain weight.
Although, a side effect is that I do get very sleepy after my gluttonous meal, so If I needed to get in a lot of calories I’d probably split it up into a few meals instead of one huge one to keep that passing out feeling away.
Will start updating this more frequently when I start after spring break.
Just wondering if you were still intermittent fasting. I used to IF leangains-style with the 8-hour window for a spring semester in college and the following summer. My strength increased every workout and I got the leanest I’ve been.
I chose to eat this way because it was convenient (I was studying for the MCAT at the time while balancing some tough classes) and it made me feel good.
BUT, I only gained a few pounds. I tracked my calories for a while but stopped and just let my appetite guide me. I ate a lot somedays, not so much on other days.
Because I gained only a few pounds and I’m desperately in need of gaining weight, I stopped. I felt good while on it, though, and will most likely try it again when time comes to cut or maintain.
Keep us updated. If you’re gaining weight on this, I’d be really interested.
Hey, so I’m going to be starting the IF on a bulk experiment tomorrow. I’ll be keeping track of my calorie intake on fitday and post everything in my log. I just want to see if this way of timing my food will be any better than traditional way of eating for bulking as far as putting on lean mass and keeping fat at bay, which is what proponents of this style of eating say happens when following this plan.
It is already pretty well established, anecdotally, that IF is good for leaning out. Also, anecdotally, it seems that the worst that can happen is…well nothing happens. I’ve looked around some logs that people started with IF, and the worst that’s happened is that the person maintained…which isn’t bad because that’s what the person was going for. It seems like the muscle isn’t just going to melt off me or my body won’t get all fucked up, is what I’m trying to get across.
The problem I see is that I have yet to see someone actually use this for bulking…so I want to be that guy.
I’m going to be working out twice a day, once in the AM, fasted, and again in the PM. For a more detailed overview, follow my log posts, where i’ll mention calorie balance (intake vs outtake), my macronutrient breakdown, training, and overall thoughts every day.
When all is said and done, in 12 weeks, I will create another thread in this section with the final results and thoughts, whether they be good or bad.