IF (Intermittent fasting) 3 month results.

[Pedal, run, rowParticipant]

As I mentioned in another thread (started by ForeverDone) I have been using intermittent fasting to finally dial in my fitness and lose what I thought was that last stubborn 20 pounds, but it now seems to have been 30-35.

I have been keeping meticulous records on a spreadsheet, weighing myself first thing in the morning after using bathroom for body functions, and then again after any workout.
I workout 6 days a week, anywhere from 60 min to 2.5 hours. I do low HR training for cardio (Maffetone method: HR < 180 – age plus 5 for me for training regularly and not being sick or injured in last year), and I do HIIT twice a week 8 reps to 90-95% max HR (220 – age). I do a Strength session same day as hiit (for HGH benefits) later in the afternoon after eating. I do cardio and HIIT in fasted state.

I fast anywhere from 16-20 hours per day and it has gotten easier as time goes on. I had a few fail days early on, where I would get really hungry right before bed and rather than lay awake for hours I ate something like a celery and peanut butter for a small snack. Now it is fairly easy, and most days are 20 hours except the day after HIIT and STR which is usually 16-18. (I eat more on HIIT and STR days to build muscles and eat later to get the extra calories in, so my fast is shorter when logged for the next day.)

I also eat pretty clean, plant based, decent amount of fat from avocado, peanut butter, nuts, healthier oils etc. I drink a protein packed green smoothie on HIIT and STR days.

I just wanted to lay the groundwork, to show what other steps I took, because I don’t think I would have gotten the results just fasting and sitting on my ass.
I have been hard into fitness the past few years, and still couldn’t get down to where I wanted weight wise…

The results: (and it wasn’t a straight linear progression day to day, or week to week even, but the overall trend is pretty apparent.)
Started at 217 after workout weight, didn’t start doing morning weight until week 3.

Month 1 after workout weight difference: -12.6 pounds 204.4 pounds
Month 1 final morning weight 206.6

Month 2 after workout weight difference: – 5.8 pounds 198.6 pounds
Month 2 morning weight difference: – 5.8 pounds 200.8 pounds

Month 3 after workout weight difference: – 6 pounds 192.6 pounds
Month 3 morning weight difference: -6.4 pounds 194.4 pounds

I am hoping this will help motivate anyone looking to try IF. There are some serious health benefits to doing it as well. You can search google or youtube for info, or ask questions here.
I give credit to leangains and kinobody for providing good info on YouTube, but was not limited to them and used several doctors info as well.

Feel free to discuss.

[Secret Agent MGTOWParticipant 22506]

Any kind of supplements and vitamins you take as well when you eat?

Women want everything, but want responsibility and accountability for nothing.

[Pedal, run, rowParticipant]

Secret Agent MGTOW wrote:

Any kind of supplements and vitamins you take as well when you eat?

I take vitamins B supplement, and I use purely inspired organic protein (30-40 grams) in my green smoothies on STR training days.

I have adjusted my eating times as I went along. At the start I had to eat my last meal later (7pm) to avoid feeling hungry at bed time, and even then as I said I had a few times I had to eat again. As time went along I have moved my last meal earlier and it has gotten easier. I try to eat my last meal at 4-5 pm, but on my STR days I eat last meal around 7pm (more of a snack in addition to 4pm regular meal) because I need the extra calories to rebuild and recover.

So I generally eat at 4-5 pm, fast until noon or 1 the next day. The hardest part is the time right before bed, the morning is easy for me to keep going.

I also drink black coffee 2 hours after wakeup. (kinobody does a good video on why. I don’t drink his coffee. I get mine at supermarket.)

Are you thinking about doing IF?

[Back in BlackParticipant 1732]

PRR,

Thank you for posting this info. I have been doing IF about 8 weeks or so. Not quite with the rigor that you are. Usually I go 16-18 hours between meals. It has gotten easier but was not very difficult even at the beginning. Definitely was not as hard as I thought it was going to be.

I don’t have a scale so have not weighed myself. I surely don’t work out like you do (you damn stud!). I have noticed my energy levels are much better. A very strange thing happened to me about one month into IF; I was not tired at all one night. I ended up staying up all night and finally at 6 am I got up and went for a 30 mile bike ride. I felt f~~~ing awesome! Even in my youth if I stayed up all night (partying usually) I was a wreck the next day. Not so this time. I was super awake and energized (and without any caffiene – although I do usually drink it daily).

All in all it appears I have lost a little fat around the waist (my initial goal) and my energy is generally much higher. I think my focus has also gotten better but this is difficult to measure.

Look forward to hearing more about your journey.

BIB

"Women are directly adapted to act as the nurses and educators of our early childhood, for the simple reason that they themselves are childish, foolish, and short-sighted—in a word, are big children all their lives, something intermediate between the child and the man, who is a man in the strict sense of the word. Consider how a young girl will toy day after day with a child, dance with it and sing to it; and then consider what a man, with the very best intentions in the world, could do in her place.” Quote from Arthur Shopenhauer, 17th century philosopher

[Pedal, run, rowParticipant]

BIB, Thanks man.

It helps if you are retired and really enjoy being physically active.

Interesting that it was easy for you from the start. I won’t say it was super hard, but it was not easy beyond 12 hours, in the beginning.
Now though, it is easy. Just today I felt fine at 20 hours and was tempted to keep on rolling, but I reminded myself that tomorrow was a HIIT and STR day and I needed to prepare for it and make sure I had plenty of energy to give it my all.

I too have experience what you describe about more energy and better sleep. I sleep better and don’t seem to need as much and recover from a bad night pretty well.

Keep me/us posted on your experience with IF. Are you going to make it a lifestyle or is it just temporary?

[The Black ScorpionParticipant 2143]

Everyone I know who seriously tries IF (including me) never goes back.

The positive benefits to your over all health are incredible.

I haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch in over a decade.

The greatest tragedy in life is to spend your whole life fishing only to discover that it was not fish you were after. - Henry David Thoreau

[JackinovParticipant 5229]

How many calories would you say you ate in a day?

are you a chia pet in man drag

[Back in BlackParticipant 1732]

I haven’t thought about whether I am going to make this a permanent change or not until you mentioned it. At this time I see no reason to go back to the regular 3 meals a day.

"Women are directly adapted to act as the nurses and educators of our early childhood, for the simple reason that they themselves are childish, foolish, and short-sighted—in a word, are big children all their lives, something intermediate between the child and the man, who is a man in the strict sense of the word. Consider how a young girl will toy day after day with a child, dance with it and sing to it; and then consider what a man, with the very best intentions in the world, could do in her place.” Quote from Arthur Shopenhauer, 17th century philosopher

[Pedal, run, rowParticipant]

The Black Scorpion wrote:

Everyone I know who seriously tries IF (including me) never goes back.

The positive benefits to your over all health are incredible.

I haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch in over a decade.

True. I cannot see myself ever going back to eating throughout the day from the time I get up until I go to bed. It is shocking how because of advent of electricity and refrigeration etc that we have slowly fallen into this unnatural pattern.
It wasn’t always like this even with the modern necessities. My grandparents only ate at meal times, and after dinner the kitchen was closed. It is just since the baby boomers where life began to revolve around eating all the time and everything had to be a party for your taste buds. /oldmanrant

Jackinov wrote:

How many calories would you say you ate in a day?

Sorry man, I don’t count at all and really don’t know.
So on lift days I break my fast with a 6 cup green smoothie – 2 cups almond milk, 2 cups raw greens like spinach or kale, a TBSP or 2 of: flax seed, chia seed, coconut, walnuts, 3 scoops protein powder, 2 bananas, a cup of berries.
I will have a snack of a slice of whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter (just ground peanut) and then final meal of maybe 2 cups rice with steamed broccoli and carrots, snow peas, with a homemade soy, ginger peanut sauce and a little sweet pepper sauce.
I will have a clif bar (200 calories) or an English muffin with preserves for dessert. Or something homemade like a black bean brownie etc.

I have no idea how many calories that would be, but that is typical, though I vary dinner and sometimes have bean burritos, pasta and tomato sauce, or hash browns and pinto or black beans, as my main course.

I hope that helps Jackinov.

Back in Black wrote:

I haven’t thought about whether I am going to make this a permanent change or not until you mentioned it. At this time I see no reason to go back to the regular 3 meals a day.

Same her. My thoughts exactly.

[743 roadmasterParticipant]

Interesting,

mgtow is its own worst enemy- https://www.campusreform.org/

[JackinovParticipant 5229]

Pedal, run, row wrote:

I hope that helps Jackinov.

It does. I ran some calculations and it’s about 1400-1600 calories.

are you a chia pet in man drag

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