Fasting?

SloTown · Post by **SloTown** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:26 am

I apologize if this subject has been discussed many times throughout this forum, but I am new to the idea of fasting. (Hec, I'm new to just about all the ideas discussed on this site and in The BluePrint!)

Anyway, I am considering trying fasting but I have a few questions I was hoping the BP Army could help me with.

1. I am currently in Cruise of my first BP run, would experimenting with fasting now be a good/bad idea? Or does it matter?

2. I am only considering fasting on my off days right now, which consist of 30 minutes of HIIT and stretching first thing in the morning (5am), then not eating until say 9am to start, then gradually move that back to maybe noon. Does this sound OK?

3. Does drinking a cup of coffee in the morning (before my HIIT sessions) break the fast, or is that OK?

4. Last, but most important. Can someone explain exactly what fasting does, and why it would be beneficial? I have the basic premise, but it really goes against what my limited knowledge tells me is good for the body...

Thanks in advance!

pcallaghan · Post by **pcallaghan** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:37 am

Heres a resource:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-fast ... z1wq1EroEc

There are a good amount of benefits to fasting (intermittent fasting). These guides should get you started.

Typically fasts allow for water/coffee/tea, but they can't have sugar/creamer/etc in them. 0 calories!

What is your typical diet look like? Do you eat grains/sugars (ie not Paleo/Primal)? Your current look at fasting may not really give you the results you are hoping for. Most people who are doing intermittent fasting tend to go for 16 hours fasting with an 8 hour feed period. Some who do the warrior diet go further with 20 hours/4 hours. You need to play around with the ratios to hit it right. I found that pre-Paleo/Primal, fasting was very difficult but as I get closer to being 100% Paleo/Primal and essentially rely on dietary fiber instead of carbs for my energy this becomes easier and easier.

SloTown · Post by **SloTown** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:48 am

Thanks for the links pcallaghan. Excellent info and it looks like the Leangains approach would be best. The info also helps me understand how best to approach it (as opposed to what I was thinking).

My current diet is NOT Paleo/Primal, from what I can tell. Need to read up a little more on this, but I eat most of my carbs from grains and fruits.

I think I can pull off a 16 hour fast/8 hour feeding window, but it may take a couple of days (or a week?) to get there. Right now, I haven't eaten in 13 hours and I'm about to take a bit out of my keyboard as I type this cuz I'm so hungry! But I will work on building up to 16 hours.

Thanks again for the response. Very helpful.

wtmarcus · Post by **wtmarcus** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:27 pm

You can pull off the 16h fast + 8h feeding no problem. Try to keep your meals at the same time each day and it will be a breeze after a while. The secretion of your "hunger hormones" will change to match when you normally eat.

SloTown · Post by **SloTown** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:50 pm

So from what I read in the links, it's best to make this an every day thing rather than only on my off days right?

I'm struggling with a concept here though.
Rob talks a lot about the ever important "2 hour window" after a good workout where your muscles are very receptive to nutrient uptake.
Since I work out first thing in the morning though, I'll be missing this window altogether if I am fasting until noon every day.

I suppose I have several options here.
1. I could change my workout times (would not be easy with my work schedule).
2. I could change my fasting times so that the 16 hours is up at around 7 am (this would be very hard to maintain since that would mean I have to start my fast at around 3pm every afternoon, and I have a hard time going to bed "hungry").
3. Not fast on my workout days (3 days a week).
4. Miss the 2 hour nutrient uptake window after a workout.

Thoughts...??

wtmarcus · Post by **wtmarcus** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:07 pm

SloTown wrote:So from what I read in the links, it's best to make this an every day thing rather than only on my off days right?

I'm struggling with a concept here though.
Rob talks a lot about the ever important "2 hour window" after a good workout where your muscles are very receptive to nutrient uptake.
Since I work out first thing in the morning though, I'll be missing this window altogether if I am fasting until noon every day.

I suppose I have several options here.
1. I could change my workout times (would not be easy with my work schedule).
2. I could change my fasting times so that the 16 hours is up at around 7 am (this would be very hard to maintain since that would mean I have to start my fast at around 3pm every afternoon, and I have a hard time going to bed "hungry").
3. Not fast on my workout days (3 days a week).
4. Miss the 2 hour nutrient uptake window after a workout.

Thoughts...??

My 0.02 euro...

The "anabolic window" is not the be all - end all of training. You can do what both Ori Hofmekler (the Warrior Diet) and Berkhan (leangains) suggest and if you can't time it well then keep hitting either 20g of whey or 10g BCAA or EAA every other hour after your workout until you get to your main feeding time. I gave something of this style a try myself and from my experience it's not ideal but it could work better for you. Personally I'm generally ravenous 1-2 hrs after a workout so it was not the best for my by a longshot. Give it a try.

Going to bed hungry is troublesome for me too. Perhaps one can get used to it.. I gave up after a couple of weeks of trying to adjust to it. Maybe you can take some melatonin to fix this issue though?

Here's som thoughts though. What time do you workout? Perhaps you can eat a meal before you go to be. Get up and do your workout, and then have your main meal at 7 am. So your "feeding window" is actually from before sleep and until right after your workout. And then fast all day until your evening pre-sleep meal.

Not fasting on your workout days sounds a good idea. See if you can find a copy of the book "Eat Stop Eat." I think Brad Pilon supplies it free for download. It's basically eating normally every day and skipping eating 2-3 days / week.

And no.. black coffee won't break your fast. I'd suggest breaking your fast with 10g BCAA or EAA pre workout though.

SloTown · Post by **SloTown** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:21 am

Thanks for the info gents. I have a much better understanding of the benefits and protocols to fasting.

Not sure yet exactly what I will do, need to spend a little more time reading, but I think the Leangains guideline with the Early Morning Fasted Training protocol is going to be the way to go.

Thanks!