I’ve been asked what Intermittent Fasting or IF – today’s hottest weight loss and muscle building program – is all about and what my opinion of it is. Well, I’m not going to get into talking about my opinion too much, since that’s all it is, but I will explain the gist of Intermittent Fasting as best as I can.
IF is not considered a diet, but, instead, a way of eating or “nutritional lifestyle”. It is not about counting calories, or eating specific foods. It is about not eating, known as fasting, certain hours of the day or days of the week, and only eating during designated times. It’s vital that fasting not be done randomly, but only during the specified hours, which fortunately, includes sleeping hours. Alternating periods of fasting and eating constitutes the philosophy of IF.
Intermittent Fasting offers various fasting plans; restricting food from 16 hours to 36 hours – depending on the individual’s choice. During the “feeding window” (which is an 8 hour period for the 16 hour fast and so on), any food or amount can be eaten, with the goal being to consume a day’s worth of calories during this designated eating time. Of course, to get the best weight loss and muscle building results in addition to health benefits, nutritious, high quality foods, particularly protein packed foods, are recommended. So, if you’re going to go to the trouble of intermittent fasting, maximize your results with clean eating.
This fasting program challenges the theories of eating small frequent meals throughout the day, and is oppositional to the benefits mainstream society has come to accept as healthy and effective. Supposedly, blood tests have supported and confirmed improvements in blood lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides), along with blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and hormone production – primarily human growth factor or HG – that intermittent fasting claims can not be easily achieved through conventional eating. By keeping sugar and insulin levels low throughout the day, not only is fat burning during fasting, but these low levels have positive impacts on health… but then we all knew that.
The concept of eating less or restricting calories to increase longevity and improve health is believed true by many knowledgeable people throughout the world, and is IF’s number one argument for supporting this very ridged style of eating. Besides improving some aspects of health, the fast claims it’s the ideal method of dropping fat and gaining muscle; attributing increased muscle mass to the increased production of HG, which helps muscles to grow.
Many people have adopted the fast as their way of eating and are seeing promising results; however, IF is not for everyone. Those who have trouble building muscle, have low weight, are diabetic, insulin resistant, or who have other metabolic disorders, are not good candidates. But if you have weight to spare, and are in good health overall – this program may be what you’ve been looking for… if you can get through the first week or two of fasting. I’m sure it’s tough, but claims are made that appetites decrease after a week or so.
The bottom line with Intermittent Fasting is calorie restriction. Restricting calories should result in losing weight, especially if healthy food is eaten. Does it have to be done by IF rules? I don’t think so. I understand the benefits of calorie restriction. I just don’t think it has to be achieved by fasting.
I’ve trained for many natural bodybuilding competitions by restricting calories in order to drop fat quickly, and required no fasting to do so. Reduced caloric intake and a high protein diet, coupled with the amount of workout time, caused fat to drip off and muscle growth to accelerate. Now, did I achieve the health profile IF participants claim to? I don’t know, but chances are I benefitted in similar ways while training. Calorie restriction, weight loss, and healthy food usually do have positive impacts on health and blood test results.
Another concern I have, that doesn’t seem to be talked about, is what the affect of eating large meals and large amounts of food in relatively short periods of time have on blood sugar and insulin levels. Depending on what’s eaten, both can spike pretty high, contradicting the theory behind the program. Large meals raise sugar and insulin levels more in comparison to the same foods being eaten in lesser amounts. That’s the main reason 6 small meals and snacks per day are recommended by most doctors and nutritionists today. It’s possible the steady, low sugar and insulin levels that occur during fasting are enough to counteract what happens once eating is resumed, but I don’t know. Although there’s probably truth in the belief that nature did not design us to eat three squares a day, I’m not convinced we’re designed to overload ourselves with lots of food in short time frames, either. If we’re going to get back to nature, my money’s on us being foragers, which means eating little bits of food throughout the day… but that’s just my guess.
Another requirement of IF is not eating breakfast. They throw out the notion that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Good thing, since participants who don’t eat for a minimum of 16 hours, beginning at bedtime, won’t see any food until early to mid-afternoon the next day, depending on when they go to bed. And it’s even longer for those who fast longer, more extended hours. To help get through this fasting period, participants load up on food before bedtime. How long can a guy eat like this without it eventually catching up to him? Not only does eating within two hours before sleep interfere with the body’s rest and restorative time, since energy is going to digestion and not repair, but it’s inviting digestive problems by lying down with a full gut. Not that I don’t eat before bed at times, but I don’t eat a large meal and lie down everyday, either.
These are just some issues and concerns that come to mind with IF, and, as with most everything else, there are pros and cons. I just don’t want anyone to think this “non-diet” program is problem free.
I almost forgot to mention the fast is always finished with a workout before eating. This is a way of burning fat more effectively. I’m sure most guys have to work up to successfully pulling it off without dropping on the floor after 16+ hours of fasting. It seems to me the body is being stressed by the extremes it’s being subjected to: no food during times when the body naturally requires fuel, and then heavy taxation on digestion, etc. in a short amount of time. Again, just my thoughts.
Ok, I said I wasn’t going to voice my opinion much, so I’ll stop for now. My opinion and beliefs are mine, and I’m not expecting you to think what I think. However, I do hope you educate yourself before making a decision to get involved with IF or any other extreme diet program. If you’re interested in learning more about Intermittent Fasting, there is plenty of information online. For those who are already Intermittent Fasters, we’d love to hear from you.
