The nutrition rage at the moment is intermittent fasting. You may have heard about big names in fitness utilizing this technique as a means to keep body fat low. As a busy college student, eating every 3 hours can be a struggle some days. Not to mention the amount of meals that need to be prepped to get me through the week. So I decided that I was going to do some research on intermittent fasting, and I am now going to share my findings with you.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
My first thought when I heard about intermittent fasting was that fasting of any kind does not sound like a good idea. I am an athlete and therefore need adequate fuel to perform my best. On the other side of that, aesthetics matter to me as well, so I try to stay as lean as possible. Intermittent fasting increases fat oxidation so the body lets go of its stored fat more easily. When your body let’s go of its fat, it also lets go of the extra weight, therefore accelerating both fat and weight loss. The next piece of intermittent fasting that gave me pause had to do with muscle maintenance. As an athlete, competitive or otherwise, you want to maintain that size and strength that you have worked hard for. So far, informal studies have shown limited muscle growth while intermittent fasting, but have also show limited, if any, muscle loss. My feeling at this point: Great for leaning out or losing weight but not ideal for the person trying to build size and strength.
The Different Kinds of Intermittent Fasting
There are three main types of intermittent fasting: Lean Gains, Alternate Day, and The Warrior Diet. The Lean Gains method consists of a 16 hour fast with an 8 hour eating window. This plan appears to be the best for losing fat while maintaining muscle and is also the one recommended for beginners because there is not a huge fasting window. It is recommended for women to do a 14 hour fast with a 10 hour eating window because it seems that women are equally depleted after 14 hours as men are in 16 hours. That is the only difference between men and women that I can see. The Alternate Day method works on a 24 hour rotation. One day you are extremely restricted, eating only 500-600 calories, and the next day you eat in a normal calorie range. The Warrior Diet is based on a 20 hour fast with a 4 hour eating window. I have not tried any of these methods, but it seems to me that the Lean Gains method is the least restrictive and the most easily followed.
When Should I Workout?
Many fitness experts that utilize the intermittent fasting technique recommend that your workout should take place right before y
ou break your fast for the day. This will help accelerate fat loss further. However, if you are like me and your schedule is different everyday, then get your workout in whenever you can. Do not change your feeding windows just so you can workout before breaking your fast. Keep you windows the same everyday (as much as possible) and workout when it works in your daily schedule.
Carbs or Fat?
As with almost any eating style, the question arises about whether to
prioritize fats or carbs in your diet. After doing some research, it appears that the best plan of action is to break the fast with a low carb meal, but to prioritize carbs over fat on workout days while prioritizing fats over carbs on rest days. This theory is mainly based on the fact that carbs will help you keep strength and muscle on training days, while fats will help maintain aesthetics on rest days.
What Are the Benefits?
Some people have reported that intermittent fasting has resulted in an elevated mood and decreased hunger. When you fast, it is harder to take in the amount of calories that you would if you were not fasting. When fasting, your body also burns more calories and fat naturally because of the way your body responds to depletion. Intermittent fasting has also been found to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels while raising HDL (good) cholesterol and increasing longevity. Given, these benefits are also seen when following a standard healthy eating regimen.
What Are the Drawbacks?
It could take up to 3-6 weeks for your body to adapt to the fasting. During the adaptation phase, people have experienced extreme hunger, irritability, loss of strength, and loss of libido.
My Opinion
I have not personally tried intermittent fasting, yet, but after doing some research I have formed a few opinions. There are many good things about intermittent fasting, such as less meal prep, not super restrictive, and is excellent for fat/weight loss. This way of eating is definitely good for people who have plateaued in their fat/weight loss or want to accelerated it. The downfalls of intermittent fasting could apply to any eating style change. This way of eating is not ideal for those trying to increase size and strength. I would definitely try utilizing this method in the future to reach my goals!
Have you tried intermittent fasting? If so, what was/is your experience with it?
References:
http://easacademy.org/trainer-resources/article/intermittent-fasting
http://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/intermittentfasting?preview
http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/intermittent-fasting-science-and-supplementation.html
