FAQ: Intermittent Fasting

What is Intermittent Fasting?

I began using Intermittent Fasting (or ‘IF’ as I will refer to it) when I stumbled upon a diet/exercise program called LeanGains. LeanGains was created by a personal trainer named Martin Berkhan as a way to build lean muscle and cut fat.

The main components of LeanGains are:

-Fasting for 16+ hours a day (the IF part)

-Fasted training, with the exception of BCAAs
-First meal of the day is the biggest

-Carb-cycling

On a typical day, you would only eat between the hours of, say, 12-8 (my personal timeslot). On days you workout, you would eat high-carb, low-fat, and on rest days, high-fat, low-carb. Protein amounts stay the same (approximately .8 g/lb bodyweight).

If you want to learn more, go to www.Leangains.com.

Why should you use IF?

There are a few reasons you’d choose to not eat for an extended period of time.

1. When you do eat, you EAT. No more of this “200 calories every three hours” crap. Usually you eat three large meals a day, around 12 PM, 4 PM, and 7 PM, so you’re completely done eating by 8PM. If you’re shooting for 1800 calories a day, then you’d split your calories around 700 for the first meal, 500 for the second meal, and 600 for the third meal. No more 100-calorie packs (which are terrible for you, anyway). I’m talking giant salads, 10 oz of chicken, and big bowls of oatmeal. You suddenly remember what it’s like to be satisfyingly full, and yet you still hit your calorie goals.
2.  Lose more fat. Yes, fat, not weight. In clinical studies, 90% of the weight lost by those practicing IF was fat, while only 75% of the weight lost by those not practicing IF (but still restricting calories) was fat. So what is that other 10%/25%? Muscle. IF preserves that muscle you’ve worked hard to build while you shed fat.
3.  IF is an extremely useful tool when you’re on a cut. As with the Whole30, strict guidelines are your friend. No, you can’t have that morning donut; it’s not noon yet. And that late-night snack you’ve always fallen for? Nope, you’re in fasting mode now. It may seem inconvenient, but once you’ve been doing it for a while, your eating window becomes a guard against mindless snacking.
4. Increase insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidative stress, and resist disease/aging. Whether this is because your body now has time to do other things (like repair your cells) besides digestion, or it’s a product of evolution to survive in times of famine, fasting has been shown to be good for your general health.

Aren’t you hungry?

For the first couple weeks, you will be hungry in the morning. “OhMiGawd, I’m STARVING” even. But listen to me: This feeling will pass. Grab a couple cups of coffee or tea, fill up that water bottle, and get some things done. I have found that my mental clarity is highest in the morning before I’ve eaten (more blood in the brain, not in the gut?). Don’t waste what could now be the most productive part of your day on Pinterest, drooling over pictures of pancakes.

After a while, your body will regulate itself and you will stop being hungry in the morning. I’m at the point where I couldn’t imagine eating before noon.

So, can I eat whatever I want in the feeding window?

No. Calories and macronutrients still apply. Whether you follow a “clean” eating diet or something like IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is up to you.

Can I have______ during the fasting?

Here are things you may have:
-BCAAs (branched chain amino acids. They give your muscles energy for fasted training. Personally, I’ve not experienced a huge effect from them, but I encourage you to give them a try.)
-Black coffee

-Unsweetened tea
-Water

That’s it. No, no heavy cream. No coconut oil. No Splenda. No “insert whatever else you’re asking about here”. You’re sleeping through 11 hours of your 16-hour fast. You’ll survive those last 5 hours.

When should my feeding window be?

That’s totally up to you. In a perfect world, it would revolve around your workout schedule; you’d break the fast immediately after your workout. However, since most of us have 9-5 jobs, that might be a bit difficult to do unless you want your window to be 8 AM-3 PM.

My schedule (12 PM-8PM) allows me to only have a few hours of not eating in the morning, and lets me have a glass of wine with my husband when I come home from work at night. Find the schedule that works best for you.

Do I have to fast for 16 hours? 

16 hours is the recommended amount for men. Women have been told 14 hours, but unless you start noticing huge hormonal changes, I’d say 16 hours is fine for women, as well. You may start noticing you’re going 17, 18, 20 hours without food without feeling hungry, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as you hit your macros/calories.

My advice: Give it a try for at least 3 weeks. Intermittent fasting, like anything else nutrition/fitness-related, is trial and error. This may not work for you. You might find you literally cannot focus without a 9 AM meal. But at least give your body the opportunity to try it out and see if you reap the benefits.

Questions, comments, concerns? Email me at katy.widmer3@gmail.com.

Lift. Eat. Love. Repeat.