Feb 27 2008

Intermittent Fasting 101 - How to start, Part I

94 Responses to “Intermittent Fasting 101 - How to start, Part I”

1. # Greg Battagliaon 27 Feb 2008 at 4:19 pm

   Great post Mike. Good insights for beginners.

2. # Mike ODon 27 Feb 2008 at 4:26 pm

   Thanks Greg, soon I would like to start getting success stories from other veteran IF people (like yourself) for people to understand more views on IF and how to integrate it. In the end, success just comes from understanding how IF works and how to apply and adjust to one’s lifestyle and needs (which can always be changing). Hopefully this will be a good step in that direction for anyone starting off or unsure of what to do.

3. # Ben Moskowitzon 28 Feb 2008 at 10:57 am

   when you say unlimited…what about drinking multiple cans of coconut milk? It’s easy for me to quantify protein requirements, and I have a guesstimate about carb requirements (zone for CrossFit-style WODs, something less for strength training, even less for O-lifting), but…

   The fat requirements have been eluding me. I think I’ve messed up before by
   1) eating all day
   2) eating til full and/or stuffed
   3) not eating enough veggies
   4) eating way too much fat

   I packed on 15 lbs. in a week or two. Some muscle included.

   Now I
   1) eat more veggies
   2) eat 1 piece of fruit in the AM
   3) drink 1L milk PWO
   4) get 1g/lb bodyweight or more of protein (did this before too)
   5) eat fat until satiety/fullness
   6) still eat all day, but I’m trying to implement the no food before bed rule at least.

   On this protocol, I’ve noticed a gradual slide in bodycomp.

   I don’t think I want to implement IF until I get the rest of my eating figured out (as you recommend).

4. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 11:26 am

   Ben - definitely nail down your nutritional eating first before taking on IF full time (or just IF 1x a week if you want to start slow). Your activity level is definitely very high with CF and the hours of O-lifting you do, so your requirements for recovery are much higher than the average person. You are doing the right thing by taking control of what you eat and changing things up to see how they are affecting you. (as only you will know what works and what doesnt for your goals). Remember that even fasting 1x a week may not only improve digestion but in turn increase protein utilization, which means you get more of those amino acids into the muscle for rebuilding. Remember the old saying, if it isn’t working…stop…and change something up.

   Also if you are looking at fat loss, go over my other post on Fat Loss 101 to make sure you are taking all those parameters into account too. Remember, master the basics first.

5. # Jason Non 28 Feb 2008 at 11:43 am

   Wow, great articles so far. And very timely for me as well - thank you very much.

   Now on to my questions. I have jumped right in to IF. I have been zoning for almost a year, BF is low, diet is good.

   My crossfit has been a mixed bag lately - weight on ME days has been going up somewhat, but the metcons are stagnant. So one thing I want is to increase my performance on the metcons.

   Second is the little bit of BF I have hanging around my belly button / sides of the back. It is entirely vanity, but I had promised myself a long time ago to get rid of it and I want to see it through. Many have said it can’t be done so it is a mission for me.

   So what I have done: Sunday I began my fast at 7:00pm, didn’t eat until Monday at noon. I packed enough food to cover the fasting period. Wednesday I wanted to try it differently - I had breakfast and then didn’t eat until Thursday Breakfast. But now I have to eat all the food I didn’t eat yesterday and I am feeling stuffed. I think the first one was easier to do food wise.

   My plan (which I hope to have critqued) is to daily fast 1 or 2x a week which will work with my life constraints quite well. On non fasting days I will eat zone friendly until full but no more. Hopefully this reduction in calories will not be detrimental. I will up my fat intake from zone to 2 or 3x via Almond butter and olive oil.

   Does that sound like a plan to begin?

6. # Jason Non 28 Feb 2008 at 11:45 am

   Hmm, now that I rethink it, upping my fat intake will up my caloric intake considerably - maybe I shouldn’t fret eating sligthly less on a few days a week?

7. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 11:54 am

   Jason - Remember this is not about long term CR (Calorie Restriction). While you have short eating windows and should get in a lot of quality calories, chances are it is always going to be less than your full eating days (esp if you are eating healthy). A great side benefit of IF is that people found they needed LESS calories overall to maintain muscle and performance. For example if you ate every day and needed 3000cal to maintain muscle and performance (note that 3000 is alot to most people unless they are very active like yourself), you may find that on average with IF you only now need 2500 calories. You will see plenty of studies that show that longer lifespan is associated with lower calorie intake (think of it like miles on the car, less you drive the longer it will probably run). Zone without modifications (xfat multipliers) is a low calorie plan already, so make sure you are getting in enough calories on the eat days to offset the lower intake on the fast days. In the end…you try something….see what happens….dont be afraid to change things up especially if you are seeing negative results anywhere. Performance I believe is directly proportional to your strength, lower BF% and most importantly recovery ability (which can be tied to calories needed, quality of food, macronutrient uptake/utilization, gut health and sleep).

8. # Ben Moskowitzon 28 Feb 2008 at 12:09 pm

   Oh, I’m not doing CF right now, just O-lifting/strength training. But it’s some pretty intense stuff. I occasionally rock climb or fence. I guess it’s better to be on the high side of calories in a muscle building activity than the low side, but I’ll play around with it.

   I’m also starting to play around with some kettlebell stuff, but I’m trying to up the volume and intensity slowly so I don’t overdo it. Right now it’s “practice.”

   Keep up the awesome posts!

9. # Jason Non 28 Feb 2008 at 12:11 pm

   So while IF is not about caloric restriction, in the end you end up with less calories anyways, as a collateral effect?

   I haven’t calculated my calories in a while - I think I will today.

   So you are saying stick with my fasting plan for a bit, eat good calories to satiety, sleep well, check performance and see.

   What about the fat increase specifically? Is it a good way to increase calories?

10. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 12:24 pm

    Ben - sounds like fun. Find the activities that you enjoy…and the more variety the more enjoyment you will also probably get!

    Jason - That is the nice effect people have noticed while on IF, maintaining with less (which fits into the whole longevity aspect of health). If I were to guess it would be the increased gut health/digestion (as well as decreasing insulin resistance and making your muscles more insulin sensitive) therefore you are able to more effectively use what you eat….like instead of only really utilizing say 80% of the protein you put in….you can now work at a 90% efficiency rate…so your total intake is lower, but your real usage in rebuilding the muscles is the same) People who have increased their fat intake are usually doing so because their activity level is higher than average, so if that is your lifestyle then it can be effective in making sure your performance level doesn’t drop. You will also benefit from muscle glycogen replenishment of course (adding in more pwo healthy carbs after glycolitic based training). All depends on your sports and activities.

11. # Valon 28 Feb 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Mike,

    Greetings from one of the IF newbies.

    I’ve been cleaning up my diet, which for me primarily means avoiding fast food and preparing my own meals. I’ve been following your dietary advice regarding eating a clean. So, I know what I should eat. It’s just that if I get hungry and I’m not prepared, I will eat anything in front of me - its Girl Scout Cookie time in my office, so the temptation to cave into my sugar cravings is everywhere.

    Anyway, as I experiment with closing my eating window, I have been getting used to that empty hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. What is that? Oh yeah…hunger. I actually forgot what that feels like. And, I have to fight the urge to eat just because that nagging feeling is there. It’s really interesting.

    We’re not allowed to be empty in the land of plenty. Eat, eat, eat. Don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed to have such abundance when so many people are starving throughout the world. But, this is really an interesting experience. I am not starving. I’m just giving my body a break. I actually have to tell myself that. You will eat again tomorrow. Relax!

    Anyway, I’m sleeping like a rock these days which is awesome. I deal with insomnia from time to time – I can fall asleep, but I just can’t stay asleep. I’m not having that problem on the days that I stop eating mid-afternoon and resume at lunchtime the next day. I’ve only done this a few times so far, but the sleep alone encourages me to do more. I’m convinced that part of my weight problem has to do w/ lack of sleep and way-to-stressed-out days in the office.

    Anyway, I’ll report more specific results when they actually start to show in numbers (scale weight, inches lost, etc.) But, I’m not expecting immediate results. I’m just re-starting my exercise program, and I’m trying to enjoy the process rather than being so results-oriented.

    Thanks again for your blog. I’m so encouraged by all of the feedback you’re receiving and look forward to learning all I can.

12. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 2:26 pm

    Val - You will be amazed at how many issues are really traced back to lifestyle (such as lack of sleep, stress, and so forth). If you look at the body in a simple manner and how it was “designed” to respond, you can understand why so many people have health issues nowadays. Our stress response was primal survival…like a tiger came running into your village and you better start running or climbing a tree. Fight or Flight for quick survival….not 8+ hours of worrying about things that you can not control around you (thanks to all the negative sources like the news) and other items that are more “society” based and not “nature” based. Eating clean will definitely go a long long way to improving your health…and just remember that if you “crave” something tell yourself that if you eat sugar that you are telling your body “I don’t want to burn fat for the next 3 hours!” (See the Fat Loss 101 post). Drink lots of water too, that will help with cravings. Getting adequate protein and veggies will help fill you up. Sugar is addictive, so any period of withdrawl will of course be tough, but you will not miss it once it is gone from your diet in just a short time. Make sure also that you are not “starving” yourself with too low calories, or give yourself a free day to eat more often like the weekends. Eat light during the day and make your evening meal your bigger meal around 6-7pm. Play around and I am confident you will find a way that works for your lifestyle! We look forward to hearing on your progress! We have a diverse crowd of everyone from advanced athletes to beginners in weight loss, so your feedback I am sure will be helpful to alot of people out there! (I also started a Success Story page for people to hopefully start sharing their success stories who have done IF already, or practice other IFLife principles like simplicity, with everyone)

13. # Jimon 28 Feb 2008 at 3:59 pm

    I just made it through my first crossfit workout while fasting. I was nervous about doing this, but it went okay. I light headache during warm-ups, but the workout went fine.
    I am very excited about IF and this website. I think it is going to be a great insight for many people.
    This is my 5th day of IF and it is much easier than I thought it would be. Much easier than CR, which makes me feel hungry all day. So far on IF I have felt hungry only a couple of hours on 19 hour fast, and have loads on energy mid morning, when I would normally feel sluggish.
    Thank you very much for all the info, and keep up the good work!

14. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 4:55 pm

    Jim - good job! As long as you are eating enough to recover and not constantly CR, then your performance should be fine. If you notice a dip in performance then it may be a sign of over-training/under-recovering. (which may happen if you do too many glycolitic based training workouts and do not recovery your muscle glycogen for the next workout) At that point you need to mix it up and focus more on recovery with your food and exercise planning. The little hunger throughout the day keeps me more mentally “sharp” and not “cloudy” like some may feel after a huge lunch and then back to work.

15. # Jimon 28 Feb 2008 at 6:37 pm

    Mike,
    Thanks for willingness to be so helpful.
    I am only doing cross fit 3X a week right now and may add a day in a couple weeks. So I am probably not going to over train.
    Non the less, how can I recovery my muscle glycogen.
    It is important to me not to loose too much muscle.
    (I understand I am likely to loose some while loosing weight.) I have been having a protein shake as my first meal and right after the workout. Is this a good idea. I understand shakes may not be ideal, but I have a hard time getting enough protein and I can not eat real food after working out.
    Thank you again for all your help.
    By the way, Scott from Crossfit Portland told me about your site.
    Cheers,
    jim

16. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 6:58 pm

    Depends on your goals, if weight loss is your goal (make sure to read the Fat Loss 101 article) you are definitely wanting max GH. So spiking insulin right after the workout is not ideal, wait an hour and try for more whole food carbs/protein. Your insulin sensitivity (ability for muscle to uptake blood glycogen into muscle glycogen) is peaked post workout (30min-3 hours) so having some (not a ton..but the majority of your daily intake) of carbohydrates (more complex, not veggies) along with protein has shown to ncreased uptake into the muscle than carbs alone. I even think amino acids just pre-workout 30min might even give a great uptake into the muscle than just a whey shake pwo (because it still has to be broken down). There is no need to lose muscle while doing any program, just keep your protein intake high and your body won’t need to break down the muscle (unless there are other factors like overtraining for hours and longer fasts of like 30+ hours). Lots of ways to play with it all, but I like the golden rule of protein+veggies+fat for most meals, protein+carb pwo.

17. # Joelon 28 Feb 2008 at 9:02 pm

    Mike,

    Thanks for an excellent summary. Until now, Dr. Eades’ original entry on ADF was (in my opinion) the best online overview of IF. Your entry has just taken the top spot.

    Keep up the good work.

18. # Mike ODon 28 Feb 2008 at 9:12 pm

    Joel - Thanks for the kind words, however I don’t want to take anything away from Dr Eades….he is much smarter than I am!

19. # Jefon 29 Feb 2008 at 1:59 am

    Did I miss something? I didn’t see “24 hours on / 24 hours off” as one of the I.F. options? I thought THAT schedule was the one upon which all experimental results are based.

20. # Being Peaceon 29 Feb 2008 at 9:14 am

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    Why you should become more aware of your eating habits?
    Many peaple don’t want to think about their eating habits until they have a weight issues or bad health, and are recommended by their doctors to either change …

21. # Mike ODon 29 Feb 2008 at 10:33 am

    Jef - Depends on which study you are referring to. (some are listed in the Resources section…I have more to add too) One could be based on alternate day CR fasting (just lowered cal intake), others could be ramadan style of fasting, or 100% fasting day(s). Most people also confuse 24/hr fasting with eating only every other day, that is not 24 hr fasting. If you stop eating at 6pm on Mon night, fast all day Tues and then eat 8am Wed, that is actually 24hours (to 6pm Tues night) + another 14 hours to 8am Wed (if my math is accurate here) for a total of 38 hours fasting…which is alot for most people (especially if you are very active or wanting more muscle gain). You can easily fast for 24hours if you stop eating 6pm Mon and don’t eat again till 6pm Tues (some people do this). I would only caution that people start slow who are new to IF to get used to the “hunger” feeling and to make sure they do not binge eat on crappy foods as a result of it. Lots of options for IF, and the right one is the one that effectively fits into your lifestyle and gets you the positive results in health and fitness. One person’s style of fasting may not be the same as the next, as we all have different lifestyles and goals.

22. # Sarena Kopcielon 02 Mar 2008 at 8:50 pm

    I was IFing pretty religiously for about 6 weeks with fast lengths up to 19ish hrs or so. More recently when I started Oly training about 5x weeks in the morning, my coach was pretty adamant about my training fasted. I did see the difference as I was better able to focus, lift heavier and not feel totally crashed when done. Had I been training in afternoon, this may be a totally different experience.

    Now I generally IF in weekends or non training days only. I do notice now and in the past, I am able to deal with hunger –anyway that usually passes. But at a certain point, I get so FREEZING cold (yeah in CAPS) which is generally something I cannot ignore and usually signifies I must eat asap. Is that normal?
    For example, I ate a good (very plentiful) paleo meal Fri nite. Had friends over and sat at table a long time (prob 2 hrs) until maybe 830ish. I had planned on morning meal/Sat lunch around 12noon. However at 1130 (about 15ish hrs), I was so frozen that I knew I had to eat immediately. (It was also that time of month!!). Do you think this occurrence is normal? Something to act upon? Perhaps I should monitor if that happens regularly when I am PMS or during cycle? Thoughts, comments welcome please!

23. # Mike ODon 03 Mar 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Serena - watch out you are not too low on calories too often, as you can slow down your metabolism and thyroid output. Signs of low thyroid can include feeling cold, constipation, hair loss, brittle nails, insomnia, headaches and yes even weight gain. Other than it just being cold in NY and your lower BF makes you more sensitive. Coconut Oil is supposed to help with the thyroid, that and just taking some days off and eating…whatever you want. You may notice a difference. Moitor what happens and what changes you made, you can hopefully figure what works best.

24. # Hannahon 03 Mar 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Alright, I’m gonna need some help here…

    For starters, I’m only 17, and I’m female so I don’t know if that matters much.

    What about eating in the morning (6am) and then waiting til about the same time (6pm) to eat again?

    See, I am never hungry in the morning so usually what happens is… I just eat once around 6.

    I know this is probably absolutely terrible for my body as I was taking in only about 400 calories every day (don’t get too mad yet).

    I can’t eat right before I work out (around 4pm) … so that leaves me with just that one meal at six.

    Art De Vany recommends waiting an hour after you work out so that’s roughly 6pm… but he also says big meals (500+ calories i believe) shock the heck out of your metabolism so I don’t want to do that.

    What are your thoughts on what I should do?

    I can in no way do lunch as I do not have a lunch period… due to special arrangements in the school system, really, I go to a tech class that is about a half-hour drive from my school.

    I would love it if I could get some advice…I’m after weight loss, of course, you probably guessed (:

    I’m only 5′1” and about 140lbs… a bit overweight.

    Thanks!

25. # Mike ODon 03 Mar 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Hannah - not eating will only lead to your metabolism shutting down and that of course will never get you weight loss. Remember that IF is not about starving yourself, it’s just about getting enough calories while also giving your digestive system breaks for health. You also do not want to eat all your calories in one sitting (like trying to take in 1000cal at night) as that will also just lead to weight gain. Schedules are hard, but you have to try and see what you can do. With your schedule IF may not be ideal until you can learn how to get enough healthy calories in during the day. Start with a breakfast of mostly proteins and some fruit. Avoid other sugars. Hopefully that will sustain you during the day for energy without any crashes. You can snack on small amounts of nuts during the day if you need something portable (almonds, walnuts, etc). I would of course also recommend lunch (even if it is snacking on something you can bring) You should have something to eat @ 30-60min before your workout (especially if you are not eating since breakfast) assuming it is resistance based, or you will just eat up your muscle. This is one of the few instances I would say go get one of those zone bars or something easy to carry around all day. Eating a healthy dinner of course. On the weekends try to get more frequent meals and tell your metabolism that you are not stranded on a desert island and need to survive on 400 cal a day. That kind of emergency signals will only lead to other health issues (as it has to lower some processes like the immune system). Monitor what you do and note any changes, if it works stick with it….if it doesn’t find a way to change it up. So first things first, get your metabolism back up with more calories from high quality foods (lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, veggies). Worry about IF later if you choose to use it and start slow (like 1x a week). Hope this helps to start you down the road to losing weight and being healthy.

26. # richon 05 Mar 2008 at 4:51 am

    Great post and great site! Thanks for making it. I’ve got some experience with fasting, though mainly long fasts. Currently on my ninth and final day of current fast, which I’m using to kick start a transition into an IF regime, and your site (especially this 101), has been very useful. Thank you! rich

27. # Mike ODon 05 Mar 2008 at 12:00 pm

    Rich - Good luck on your IF routine. Let us know how it works for you!

28. # Hannahon 13 Mar 2008 at 1:58 am

    Alright (:

    Well lately, I think it’s a bit of an improvement…

    …but eating right when I get home (2:30pm) working out 3.30-4… and then eat at 5, again at 7, 7:30ish.

    So is that better you think?

    Do you recommend that I eat once in the morning (6am) and fast during the day and continue the schedule I have lately?
    Or is that still not enough calories you think?

    Of course, I eat all day on the weekends (:

    I will see how this works out for me…

    Maybe I will just try to bring food to school and on the days I forget it… well, there’s my IF for the day. (:

29. # Mike ODon 13 Mar 2008 at 9:08 am

    I would stay step one is just eating healthy. Once you get that down, then you can play with some IF here and there, but your body needs nutrients/vitamins/minerals from whole foods (not the supplement kind) to rebuild all the millions of cells over and over again. If your metabolism is also down because of low calories, it will take more calories to get that back up and running to speed. Remember there are plenty of thin people who get sick too. So go for health first, and a healthy body will always want to burn fat and build muscle. It’s not a race, just a journey….so enjoy it every day and see what happens.

30. # Hannahon 14 Mar 2008 at 9:43 pm

    Ok (:

    And as usual, thanks for your speedy reply (:

31. # Jaredon 18 Mar 2008 at 4:48 pm

    I’m interested in IF and I want to try it. I have always been a follower of a grazing style of eating where I eat smaller portions more often, I assume to keep the metabolism running. I think I might try fasting 1-3 times a week but I don’t want to try a full 24 hours yet. Is there a better eating window to observe on my fasting days.

    For example: Would it be more beneficial to eat in the morning to jump-start my metabolism and then fast for the rest of the day?

    I also want to try the paleo diet but I live on a college campus without a kitchen. Do you have any suggestions for easy ways to eat healthy with limited food prep options and difficulty of keeping perishable items?

    Thanks

32. # Mike ODon 19 Mar 2008 at 12:56 am

    Jared - Like in the article above you could try some days of smaller eating windows like noon-7pm. Remember too that 24 hour fasting is not skipping a whole day, but eating until say 6pm on Mon, and then not eating till 6pm on Tues. When you want to eat is up to you, although most people enjoy not having a full stomach during the day and bigger meals later on (more mental clarity and energy throughout the day). #1 though make sure you are not starving yourself and get in enough quality foods during the day. Limited food prep can include frozen veggies (steam or micro if needed), canned tuna/sardines/salmon (make sure you get anything canned in water…not oil), bags of nuts (almonds, walnuts), beef jerkey, olive oil. Make due with what you can.

33. # Michael Con 24 Mar 2008 at 11:51 pm

    What about the post workout protein shake during an IF day ? That shake with water, can have at least 380 calories. Is that defeating the purpose of the fasting day?

34. # Mike ODon 25 Mar 2008 at 8:22 am

    Michael - depends on a few things like what kind of fasting are you doing? Is the pwo meant to break the fast and eat from that point on? Yes anything that you eat or drink breaks a “true” fast. Also what are your goals and training? PWO shakes are really not neccessary especially if your goal is weight loss. Lots of variables. I believe we also talked about pwo options in the comments section of this post: http://projectfit.org/iflifeblog/2008/02/25/fat-loss-101-master-the-basics/
    Basically for fat loss many do well to skip the pwo shake that spikes insulin, let your GH stay high and then eat a whole food meal of protein and complex carbs an hour or so afterwards. There are also options of amino acid supplementation pre and post but that depends again on your goals and training volume (or recovery needs). I would skip anything that is going to be high in sugar pwo as you don’t need it unless you are training consistently at a very high glycemic based volume.

35. # Doug Blankenshipon 27 Mar 2008 at 2:22 am

    Hello Mike,
    I eat a strict Paleo diet right now and take in about 2400 cal’s a day almost every day and would like to do IF. I’m 27, 5′11″, 24% BF, 174 or 185 LBM (I can’t recall exact number but it is one of those) and current weight is 236.5 as of a few minutes ago. I do crossfit 6 on 1 off and am trying to shed excess body fat.

    I used to weigh in at 329# and have worked my butt of to get where I’m at now and woulld like to get to 200# with IF help.

    I have the plan of attack already laid out regarding the IF times I will start 3 times a week doing 16 hours fast, but reading the warnings above I’m concerned about getting enough calories.

    Is there some real tale, tale signs that will let me know if I need more calories?

    Also, just to double check only water is allowed during fasting correct?

    Thanks ahead of time for any help and keep up the great work.

    Doug

36. # Mike ODon 27 Mar 2008 at 11:39 am

    Doug - 6 on and 1 off is pretty tough training schedule, make sure you don’t overdo it. Getting calories in a smaller window of “clean” foods is always harder than junk foods. Remember that 85-90% of your weight loss comes from eating, exercise can help too but it’s not the big factor. For more on all that check out the fat loss 101 post. If anything you will not be recovering and feel tired and workouts will start to diminish (lower performance) if your cal intake is too low. Make the first priority getting enough protein and then add in the fats/carbs around it. Fasting on water is the ideal as you do not want an insulin response (or water with ACV…apple cider vinegar…as that has many other health benefits too). Start off and see what happens. Beware of things like diminished performance, feeling weak or tired, or even a stop of weight loss…that would be the sign to change something up as your metabolism may be slowing down and you are not eating enough to recover. Well done on the weight loss so far and keep up the good work! Just remember….if something isn’t working in your IF plan…just change something up till you start seeing progress again. (or in the case of overtraining take a couple days off)

37. # Doug Blankenshipon 27 Mar 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Hello Mike OD,
    Thanks for all of the great information on IF, I will give it a soild try and see what happens. The warning signs seem pretty simple and I will keep a good look out for them.

    Thanks again Mike,
    Doug B.

38. # Mike ODon 27 Mar 2008 at 1:36 pm

    Doug - Yep just make sure you are not either over-training, under-recovering, depressing your immune system, losing muscle, or slowing down your metabolism too much….and you will be fine. Just remember there are no “set” rules to IF…just have to start and learn how to tweak all the variables along the way to get you results. When in doubt….more protein and healthy fats always seem to be the answer. Enjoy the journey! You’ll get the results and the simple lifestyle to go with it….many people do.

39. # The IF Life - Intermittent Fasting and Instant Freedom » General IF Q&A and Reader Commentson 28 Mar 2008 at 11:04 am

    [...] Of course I would first say read my post on IF 101. To sum up quickly you can daily fast with a small eating window every day (my choice) or you can [...]

40. # KHon 28 Mar 2008 at 6:18 pm

    I’m glad to have found this blog. I have been doing the Warrior Diet (which is essentially IF) for a few months now and have lost 25 lbs, and after reading a few articles about IF I am trying to incorporate longer fasts as well, as my weight loss is starting to plateau on the WD.

    On the WD, every day of the week I eat only a few servings of fruits and veggies during the day, followed by 1-2 big meals in the evening (all really healthy foods…tons of salad/veggies and mostly low carb/high fat, but a few “carby” days as well)

    For the past few weeks I have started to incorporate one all-day fast per week (32 hrs, from 8pm on Friday to 8am on Saturday), followed by eating liberally all day on Saturday - again mostly healthy foods - then it’s back to the WD-style of IF.

    Does this seem like a reasonable plan or is 32 hrs too long of a fast? It’s not that difficult for me to do, but I don’t know if I am risking muscle loss or other bad effects w/ this long of a fast.

    My exercise level is pretty moderate - 3-4 days week of strength training (20-30 min), often with a HIIT cardio session afterward (15-20 min).

41. # Mike ODon 29 Mar 2008 at 8:55 pm

    KH - Just make sure that weight loss plateau is not due to a lowered metabolism. I’d first try adding in a high calorie eat all day once a week, see if that spikes the metabolism and accelerates weight loss before adding more fasting. If you want to do a longer fast you can rotate in a 24-32 hr fast if you want….but make sure that your metabolism is running strong first. (and weight loss plateau is usually the first sign of slow down)

42. # Robon 09 Apr 2008 at 3:02 pm

    I’m thinking about starting IF to loose a bit of belly fat, whilst obviously keeping as much muscle as possible.

    My plan is to fast for 16 hours, and then eat for 8 hours.

    My question is with regards to carbohydrates. Would it be ok to break the fast with a pre-workout shake, and if so, what would be ok to use in this shake? ie. carbs? protein?

    On my workout days I would then wait an hour after weight lifting, and hopefully eat a meal with protein and carbs. Would a whey shake with raw oats be ok in this instance?

    Finally, after this, throught the eating phase, is it ok to eat carbs such as sweet potato, brown pasta and oats? It’s just that I have always had a problem with vegetables (I know, NOT a good thing) so I guess I was hoping to replace these with good sources of carbs and maybe some fruit.

    I was wondering if this sounds ok, as long as I don’t go massively overboard on calories with the carbs.

43. # Mike ODon 10 Apr 2008 at 1:54 pm

    Rob - I would say keep “sugar” out of your diet if your goal is weight loss. You don’t need a shake to break a fast, whole foods is always better. Eat enough protein to maintain muscle, eat whole food carbohydrates (non processed) that will not spike your insulin. If you need carbs to break the fast because of energy levels, eat a little fruit (berries are the best option). Other than that looks like you have a good plan so far. Like said above I don’t think you need all the shakes if you get enough whole food proteins during the day, but if you must just don’t add sugar to it….could blend in some fresh fruit if you want some taste in the pwo window (as I would keep any fruit to only AM or PWO when insulin sensitivity is highest). Natural whole food carbs are always ok….pasta doesn’t really fall into the natural catagory however, so take it out….better choices are sweet potatoes, rice, fruits, and of course your favorite vegetables. You will lose the weight as long as you do it the right way. Remember, eat enough protein to maintain muscle, lift a couple times a week, go do some fun and enjoyable lifestyle activities like walking, hiking, biking (I will not call it cardio!) and you should notice some positive results. Keep carbs in check and the majority after resistance glycogen depleting workouts (not the lifestyle activities…as those are fat burning events). Remember to get those healthy fats in there….as higher healthy fat diets will spare muscle and lead to more fat loss (esp Omega 3s). In the end remember it’s also about total calories vs daily expenditure.

44. # Robon 11 Apr 2008 at 4:06 am

    Thank you for that, definitely cleared a few things up for me.

    With regards to the protein shakes, I am currently using unflavored whey, which has nothing added. I tend to use them with milk as I don’t really have the freedom to eat a lot of meat at work.

    I lift 3 times a week, using a 5 x 5 routine which has purely all the main lifts within it.

    With regards to healthy fats, I currently take an Omega 3-6-9 supplement. Would you recommend adding a spoon of olive oil to each meal, or some meals so I can get some extra healthy fats?

45. # Mike ODon 11 Apr 2008 at 10:50 am

    Healthy fats, see here:
    http://projectfit.org/iflifeblog/2008/03/28/general-if-qa-and-reader-comments/

    I would say get some liquid fish oil, as that is real EPA/DHA….chances are the supplement combo is based on flaxseed (ALA) which is a cheap source of Omega 3s and doesn’t break down cleanly into the EPA/DHA.

    Add the fats as you need, but also remember there has to be some calorie defecit to get that fat loss…so unless you are working an active job, you may need to tone down the fat calories (still keep it at least 30% of your daily % of cal though…could be higher just depends on how many carbs you intake as well…just keep in mind, if carbs go up…fats go down….and if carbs go down, fats go up….assuming that you are at the right calorie level in the first place). I don’t preach cardio (in the common perception of HR zones and treadmills)…but I do preach active lifestyles…you will be able to burn more fat with the more active lifestyle activities you do at lower intensities (that don’t drain you or require too much food to recover) such as hiking, walking, fun stuff like pick up games (depending on the competitive level of course), etc.

46. # Jenna Rettenmayeron 11 Apr 2008 at 7:19 pm

    Great post!

    What would you recommend for somebody (like me) who works out at 5:30 a.m.? I am interested in trying IF. I currently do the zone diet (mostly paleo - I eat oatmeal for breakfast b/c i am a poor college student, and occasionaly milk/yogurt thrown in - maybe once a week on average, but I will go long periods without it and then buy some and have to eat/drink up). I am doing the zone pretty strictly except that I just can’t bring myself to eat a pre-bedtime snack and I never eat until 7:30 a.m., and that’s only when I have an 8 a.m. class. Would it be detrimental to not eat until noon after an early morning workout? I also do 2 a day workouts often because I bike or run often in the afternoon (not “cardio” though! Most workouts are short, for a cyclist, and are in training for racing. I have done away with my endurance rides of multiple hours.)

    I basically fast for 12 hours a day, most days, and I am curious about not eating breakfast until noon, therefore extending my fast to 16 hours. Or would it be better to skip dinner? What if I am also exercising in the afternoon (i am, often). How does that change things?

    Also, i don’t have a lot of fat to lose, so that’s not an issue. I could lose maybe up to 5 lbs of fat (I think, or else I might look too much like a skeleton) but I definitely want to keep muscle, but not necessarily increase muscle size.

    Thank you so much for your site. It is really educational.

47. # Mike ODon 12 Apr 2008 at 11:01 am

    Jenna - first thing I would always tell someone is to make sure you are getting enough quality foods and calories before trying IF. If you think you have it down and don’t feel overtrained or like you are not recovering, then I would say attempt IF slowly….like only 1-2x a week. Try that for a couple weeks and see how your body adjusts. Remember it is not about “skipping” meals…but you are just moving them till later on. So in a sense you still should be getting in the same amount of calories just in a shorter time window. As for when to fast, most find morning easier as not too many people want to go to bed hungry (I know I don’t). Plus it’s more a social thing to be able to eat larger meals at night with friends (which is an important social aspect for living a happy and less stressful life). In the end, start slowly and see how your body reacts. Make sure your performance is not going down or you are not feeling worn down. If you are familiar with the “zone” then maybe you are also familiar with the “athletes zone” model from CF in which they start with the basic zone parameters and then do 2-3x healthy fat intake to keep up with your activity level. One modification I would make is to also try and get the majority of your daily carbs (60-70% or so) in the 2-3 hr window after a good workout to take advantage of increased insulin sensitivity (those meals should be more whole food carbs, min fat and mod protein). Experiment and make IF work for your lifestyle, performance,health and general happiness.

48. # The IF Life - Intermittent Fasting and Instant Freedom » More on Muscle Building - Reader Q&Aon 23 Apr 2008 at 8:35 pm

    [...] get down to a lower BF%. If you are interested in Intermittent Fasting while gaining muscle, see IF 101 - How to Start post. If you do not know about IF and want to know why it is becoming a popular lifestyle choice [...]

49. # Jenniferon 02 May 2008 at 6:15 pm

    I’m just now learning about IF. I typically do a weight work out in the late afternoon around 4, but just recently have thought about waking at 6am to walk for 30 minutes. If I fasted everyday from 8pm to noon, could I still do the morning walk and afternoon workout, or would it be more beneficial to just just do it all in the afternoon?

50. # Mike ODon 03 May 2008 at 1:00 am

    Jennifer - I will put out an IF irtro book soon (next couple of days)….hopefully that will help you out answer some of the questions. If not, please feel free to ask again and I will be glad to help as much as I can.

51. # Danon 08 May 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Been doing IF for the past 3 months or so, trying to keep it very … evolutionary. Recently I have taken to having a small handful of fruit in the morning (~100 calories), then going all day without food, then doing an intense workout followed by a window of an hour before having an EF-type dinner.

    I’m just wondering - I know this doesn’t make it technically a massively long fast, so from your research, would that little fruit in the morning “undo” the benefits? I could feasibly go without it, but I work intense 13-14 hour days, and I definitely start getting really tired without anything at all in the morning…

    Thanks!
    Dan

52. # Mike ODon 08 May 2008 at 4:29 pm

    Dan - Honestly once you eat anything and stir up the insulin then pretty much a true fast has come to an end (and then you have to start over again from scratch). Not to say that eating all day can’t be healthy and you have to do what you need to do for activity levels to remain high. Again if you have a more active lifestyle, then you need more calories than the average person. To get all the benefits like cellular protection response and longevity things, you do probably need a longer fast either once or twice a week (more along the lines of 18-24 hours without food…could be alternate day fasting for 18 hours…or 1/2 long fasts). On the other days then I would say eat more consistently, as it’s not about reducing calories too much and not being able to recover. Most people who do well with IF on a more daily basis do have longer eating windows and have smaller mulitple meals with plenty of calories. Another option is using the weekends to load up also if you calorie intake all week is too low. Great thing about any IF protocol, is you make it work for your lifestyle and your goals!

53. # Donna Kon 10 May 2008 at 11:47 am

    Hey Mike I signed up for your challenge and I’m getting ready! I have 17 pounds to lose, having just lost 9 of them by doing Dr. Johnson’s Alternate Day Diet, which you may be familiar with. He actually recommends alternate day fasting for weight loss but as alot of folks won’t do that, he has developed this diet whereby you restrict calories one day to approx 20% of your baseline, then eat normally the next. I found that diet extremely easy to follow but am ready to take it to the next step. I’m doing strength training as well and will introduce running after I get my weight down to a point where I don’t worry about stress injury.

    My question to you - you don’t mention 36 hour fasting in this article - by that I mean fasting after your last evening meal, all the next day, until you break the next day, 36 hours later.

    Do you think the 18 or 24 hour fasts are more advantageous? I’m interested in hearing your educated opinion, as there is not that much out there!

    Also, are you aware of what would happen in the long term with IF? Would someone just reach their “perfect weight” (the body adjusting to the way of eating), or would they have to add more calories in order to not waste away?

    Thanks for doing this, it’s awesome! I am SO looking forward to the challenge.
    Donna

54. # Mike ODon 10 May 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Donna - the Alternate Day Diet is what is known as ADCR (alternate day calorie restriction). I’m assuming you could eat all day long but only 20% of total calories. The advantage of IF, is that you can eat enough healthy foods (see latest post for more on this) while not feeling too hungry and still get the same (and more) benefits. Once you become active then you may require more nutrients for recovery to build muscle and feel energetic. I didn’t mention anything about 36 hours because that is really tough for most people to even attempt. Any fast of course has health benefits, but I focus on whether it can be a realistic lifestyle approach….as you need consistency for real lasting health and weight loss (hence why diets never work…because people can’t stay on them or make it a lifestyle). IF is not meant to be a quick fix, but just a way for you to understand how your body works and burns fat. Plus it resonates what our bodies were designed for…feast and famine (as there was no 24hr buffet 1000 years ago). The 18hr are more for those doing it daily…while the 24+ would be a couple times a week. Like mentioned above, read my latest post as I go into much more explanantion. In the end….find what works for you and make it a healthy lifestyle so you can live long and happy! True lasting results will happen without even trying once you get it right for you.

55. # Donna Kon 11 May 2008 at 7:33 pm

    Awesome answer. I look forward to beginning the challenge tomorrow.

56. # kathyon 27 May 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Question: I am interested in doing the daily IF but I need some clarification if possible. If I last eat at 7:00 p.m. the night before and I don’t eat again until 1:00 p.m the next day. As I want my window to be long enough to eat dinner with my family is this ok? How long is my window to eat? And while I am in this window (I assume a few hours, right)? I should eat healthy foods not just one main meal? So my thinking is having some veggies and/or almonds at the beginning of the window and then having dinner. Is this ok? I usually have a salad, a protein and a vegtable with dinner. I work out in the morning usually at the gym by 4:00 a.m. and do weights and cardio between 4-6 days a week. I drink at least a gallon of water a day - I will begin to add lemon juice. I’ve had been doing the warrior diet but haven’t lost much weight ok none. Perhaps I have restricted my calories for to long and besides the fact that I am on synthorid for hypo thyroid… I don’t mind doing the hard work as long as I can see results but currently I just feel like I am making the effort without any results and getting really frustrated. I am a 39 year old female I am 5′3 and currently weigh at least 127 lbs. I have a very small frame and would like to get back to my 112 lbs before I had my son and it just seems like all that I do I get nothing in return… I would love some suggestions. I do, however, like that you take the weekends off as I would like to be less resticted on the weekends when I am home with the family but still be aware of what i am eating and how much.

57. # Mike ODon 27 May 2008 at 3:52 pm

    Kathy - Eating from 1-7pm is fine. Remember that IF should fit your lifestyle and be enjoyable to you. Most people who do daily IF will eat between the hours of 10am - 8pm (picking their window of eating…whether it be 5hours…7hours…9hours). Personally I like the Warrior Diet idea of smaller lighter meals during the day and then have your bigger meal at night (but find what you enjoy). More frequent eating (like 3x during the eating window) is a better strategy for fat loss than one bog meal per day. Of course picking good healthy natural foods is also recommended. Weight loss comes down to 2 things, calories in/out and hormonal issues. You don’t want to be too low for too long on calories as that can bring your metabolism down with a “starvation” response. That’s why I usually recommend people do weekday IF and take the weekends off to get in some more calories (to reset the starvation response). As far as weights and cardio in the AM, keep it short and brief as I have seen plenty of people spend too much time working out, lose their muscle and shut down their metabolism that way. You should only need to lift weights 3x a week max for 30min each and cardio on the other days should be limited to 30-40min otherwise you just tear up muscle. You can also try adding in some Vit C pre-workout and throughout the day to keep cortisol in check. Again just remember that just like eating all day long, there are many different ways to make the eating work for you. Make an IF plan that is getting you results, don’t workout too much and keep the body burning fat all day long.

58. # Markon 11 Jun 2008 at 6:43 am

    I have been doing a ketogenic diet for some time and wanted to add IF into the mix. I used to eat 6 meals a day to get in about 2500 calories. I fasted for 16 hours and when I started eating, the most I could take in was about 900 calories, I could not eat anymore. If I do this daily, won’t this lead to muscle loss? That is my main fear. Trying to figure out how to cram 2500 calories in a 6-8 hour window. Thanks.

59. # JCon 11 Jun 2008 at 11:40 am

    Mike, you say ‘Personally I like the Warrior Diet idea of smaller lighter meals during the day and then have your bigger meal at night’ but that isn’t IF is it? IF is no meals isn’t it? otherwise it’s not really a fast? it’s just eating light, keeping insulin low (ish) & keeping calories low (during the day) & balancing them at night, i mean that’s fine & probably very healthy etc but not really intermittent fasting, please explain (ps this is not a criticism just interested).

60. # Mike ODon 12 Jun 2008 at 10:27 am

    Mark - Are you saying that in 8 hours of eating you could only take in 900 calories? Or was that one big meal? Ideally smaller more frequent meals is still the way to go, not one big meal per day. You may find you can actually maintain muscle mass on less calories because your digestion and protein utilization will increase on IF. If you really fear muscle loss you can try supplementing in amino acids during the day too.

    JC - Yes, IF is going for a fast for a period of time. My hint at the WD style was more in my eating hours that I like smaller meals through the beginning stages of the eating window and a larger meal at night….so if my eating hours are 10am-6pm…then I eat light from 10am-3pm and a larger meal (mostly protein/fat) at 6pm. You can of course play around with what you like to do, but large meals generate a large PNS response and make you sleepy and less alert…not something I want during the day.

61. # Nkemon 12 Jun 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Mike OD,

    I just started IF this week. I’m not new to fasting. I’ve done a 40 day Master Cleanse fast before. My program is kinda complicated, but bare with me here.I do a combination of weight training + HIIT on M,W,F at 5.30am. On T,THURS,SAT I have Muay Thai training from 7pm - 9pm on Tues and Thurs and 1pm - 3pm on SAT. Muay Thai involves a lot of jump rope, calisthenics, bag work, focus mitts, kicking and punching drills etc and it is very intense.

    This puts me in a unique situation because some of my workouts are in the morning and some are at night so an eating window in the middle of the day won’t work for me. What will work is a couple of 24hr IFs a week. What I’m currently doing is the follwing

    Mon: 5.30am: Weights + HIIT. Eat all day and stop eating at 6.30pm. I don’t eat again till 6.30pm on Tues.

    Tues: No workout in the morning. No eating till 6.30pm. I eat an apple and some coffee at 6.30pm before 2hrs of Muay Thai training

    Wed: 5.30am: Weights + HIIT. Eat all day and stop eating at 6.30pm. I don’t eat again till 6.30pm on Thurs.

    Thurs: 5.30am: No workout in the morning. No eating till 6.30pm. I eat an apple and some coffee at 6.30pm before 2hrs of Muay Thai training

    Fri: 5.30am: Weights + HIIT. Eat all day and stop eating at 6.30 pm. I don’t eat again till 4.30pm on Sat.

    Sat: 1pm - 3pm Muay Thai training. Eat till 9pm

    Sun: Recreational activity. Eat all day.

    So I’m basically doing a 24hr IF twice a week and an 18hr IF once a week. The problem is that on my Tue and Thur fasting days, I can only really get 1 good meal in because a.)I can’t eat a huge meal when I break my fast at 6.30 because I have Muay Thai training at 7pm and b)I come back home late from Muay Thai training at about 9.30pm and then eat around 10.00pm.

    Then I have to be up the following day at 5.30am for weight training and HIIT. I’m eating clean healthy meals on my non fasting days. I am not restricting myself. My concern is getting enough calories. I find that on my non fasting days, I’m not as hungry anymore but I force myself to eat at least 4 meals. What are your thoughts?

62. # JCon 13 Jun 2008 at 11:42 am

    Mike, thought this might interest you (posted here because i couldn’t find an email address to send it to), anyway it’s started me thinking maybe some freshly pressed fruit/veg juice might be a good idea to support the fast, any thoughts? (it’s from Dr Ben Kim’s site) -

    Is Fasting One Day a Week Good for Your Health?
    By Dr. Ben Kim on June 13, 2008 Natural Health Care
    Is fasting one day a week good for your health? To answer this question, let’s take a look at what happens in your body when you begin to eat and drink nothing but water.

    After your cells use up the sugar that is in your bloodstream from your last meal or beverage, your body has to find another source of energy for your cells. And the first places that it turns to are your liver and your muscles. Both your liver and your muscles store sugar in the form of glycogen, and when needed, glycogen can be broken down to glucose, which all of your cells can use to produce energy for their ongoing activities.

    During a water-only fast, your glycogen stores are depleted within about 24 hours, give or take a few hours. After your glycogen stores are used up, most of your cells begin burning fatty acids for energy - these fatty acids come from your fat reserves, including fatty tissue that surrounds your organs.

    Two groups of cells - your red blood cells and your brain cells - cannot use fatty acids to fuel their energy needs. Your red blood cells and brain require glucose, and once glycogen/glucose from your muscles and liver are used up, your brain and your red blood cells get their glucose from two sources:

    From glycerol, which is a component of your fat tissues.

    From your muscles - some of your muscle tissues get broken down, and the amino acids from your muscle tissues are used to produce glucose for your brain and red blood cells.

    Clearly, it’s not in your best interest to rapidly eat up your muscles to meet the energy requirements of your brain and red blood cells during a water-only fast. Your body knows this, and somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd day of water-only fasting, your liver begins churning out ketones, which during a water-only fast, come primarily from the breakdown of fatty acids from your fat reserves.

    Once your liver generates large numbers of ketones, your brain is able to use ketones to fuel itself. At this point, only your red blood cells require glucose that must still be derived from breakdown of your muscles, but with your brain no longer dependent on breakdown of your muscles for energy, the rate at which your muscles are catabolized will be such that your muscles are spared as much as possible - this state is called “protein sparing,” and it’s a survival mechanism that is built into human physiology to deal with times of famine.

    Getting back to the big picture, it should be clear that from about the 2nd or 3rd day of a water-only fast, your body meets it energy requirements by burning through your fat reserves.

    Since the bulk of the toxins in your body are stored in your fat reserves, the longer you fast on water only, the more fat you’ll burn and the more toxins you’ll eliminate from your system.

    This is why we see elimination of lipomas, atheromas (accumulated waste in your blood vessels), and other conditions related to toxin accumulation during a prolonged water fast.

    Put another way, your body does not experience significant detoxification during the first 12-24 hours of a water-only fast.

    Your body begins to eliminate large quantities of toxins only after it begins to burn your fat reserves at a rapid rate. And this doesn’t happen until you’ve used up the glycogen stores in your liver and muscles.

    So when you fast one day a week, you deplete the stores of sugar in your liver and muscles, and you begin to break down your muscles - these are the main things you accomplish during the first day of water fasting. Significant detoxification only begins to occur if you continue past day one of fasting.

    This is not to say that there are no benefits to fasting one day a week, or that you don’t eliminate any toxins during a one-day fast.

    You are eliminating toxins with every breath that you take. And your body will always increase its rate of ongoing detoxification whenever you get more rest and/or eat less food, because less digestive burden and more physical rest always mean more available resources for detoxification.

    Rather than fast one day a week on water only, I think it makes more sense to do a juice fast one day a week, or even once a month. With a juice fast, you can supply your body with enough nutrients that you don’t have to deplete the sugar stores in your liver and muscles, or break down a lot of your muscle tissue. At the same time, because the nutrients in freshly pressed juices are so easily digested, a one-day juice fast can ease digestive burden and enhance ongoing detoxification to some degree.

    But let’s be clear: the main benefit of a one-day juice fast is not significant detoxificiation; it’s a concentrated period of rest for your digestive organs, and an opportunity for the organs that are responsible for ongoing detoxification (liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs) to do a little extra health-promoting work.

    To sum things up, I would say that it’s not good for long term health to fast one day a week on water only. If you want to give your body a period of rest and intense cleansing once in a while, it makes more sense to spend a day eating all raw fruits and vegetables, or drinking nothing but freshly pressed juices.

63. # Mike ODon 13 Jun 2008 at 7:11 pm

    Nkem - wow, you certainly are active! Rememeber there is no one right way to IF…just what you can fit into your schedule and make work for you! So if a few 24hr fasts work one week……some 18hr ones work the next week….then so be it. What you will learn to do is tap into your body and it’s signals to you…telling you when it needs replenishment, telling you what it needs, etc. You will also find perhaps different workouts require different nutritional strategies. More carbs/fruits for recovery from intense type of training….more protein and fat on less intense days. Again…find what can work for you and you are doing IF your way!

    JC - Interesting but here’s my $0.02 on it…..
    * It doesn’t take into account any detoxification in weight/fat loss from an ongoing IF diet and exercise program
    * It’s mainly talking about 2-3 days of water fasting which is very catabolic (muscle loss)
    * It doesn’t take into account the state of Ketosis that anyone can experience on IF and a lower carb diet
    * A fast on juice is still going to be loaded with sugar….so really it doesn’t help the health benefit of lowering insulin resistance and therefore improve fasting insulin levels (which is a very important health marker)
    * There is no real way to speed up detox as you do it at one rate no matter what you are drinking or eating. The best way is obviously to exercise (as your skin is your BIGGEST detox organ…aka sweat) and losing fat (the place where toxins are stored)

    All in all…..I still believe the best approach for most is the slow and steady daily (at most 24 hr) fast which will still maintain muscle, lose fat, increase health markers and detox the body.

64. # » Blog Archive » Intermittent Fasting (IF)on 17 Jun 2008 at 11:27 am

    [...] to Mike OD at the IF Life For those that may not be familiar to the term, intermittent fasting is just taking times of fast [...]

65. # » Blog Archive » There's something happening here....on 18 Jun 2008 at 11:51 pm

    [...] I learnt all about intermittent fasting and how to do it, and I decided to give it a try. This link by Mike OD at his blog explains all the details quite nicely. I decided to try the two methods of [...]

66. # Cherylon 22 Jun 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Hi….just began IF using a limited time feeding window. Pretty easy to accommodate so far as I’ve done one day fasts in the past.
    Curious and concerned about my feeding window (1-6p) being quite some time after I finish a workout. Used to eating withing 30-60 min following a workout and now I find that often I finish training and still have over an hour before I “plan” to eat. Is that okay? Have plenty of energy for training (CrossFit) so that isn’t an issue.
    Also, I’ve been eating pretty Zone-style and wonder if I should stay with that here….or just fall back on Paleo. What I mean is that within my eating window, I eat several times….seeming almost continuously. Should each consumption be Zone with a break between. And….isn’t there a limit to how much protein I can handle at one time? I am concerned that I might be getting too much protein at tone time being that each “feeding” isn’t very far apart in that 5 hour period.
    Ive also recently been diagnosed as gluten and egg intolerant with a side order of leaky gut, so that’s put a new spin on things. Makes it a little more complicated, but so far I feel good. I am just trying diligently to get my intestines back in working order. Any help would be so greatly apreciated!

67. # » Blog Archive » Switching things up...on 23 Jun 2008 at 10:31 am

    [...] decided to incorporate Intermittent fasting into my nutrition routine. I’ll strive to incorporate 16-17 hr daily fasts on weekdays and [...]

68. # Mike ODon 24 Jun 2008 at 12:51 pm

    Cheryl - Do you mean that your workouts are AM? What are your main goals? How many workouts a week are you doing? Remember that you can cycle IF to meet your schedule and goals. If you want to eat after the more streneous lifting days, then you can eat normally then. If you want to fast after more of the cardio type workouts then you can fast. As far as zone vs Paleo….again it goes back to your main goals and how insulin sensitive you are. You could time your carbs to be more in the pwo window on workout days and eat more fat and protein on the non-lifting days. You could also play around with zone during the day. Again the main factors being results and your goals. Don’t sweat protein…as your body takes hours to break it down (whole food, not protein shakes). In a sense you could almost keep the 3 main zone meals and ditch the snacks. When in doubt start slow and controlled with IF, test it out…see how you feel and recover. Whether that be a wider eating window like 10-6 or just doing it only a couple times a week. You have control of how you can use IF…and your body is always the best feedback on what is working…and what isn’t. So listen to your body. You may have to find 5 ways that don’t work for you before you find the one right way that does….but that is what makes it fun and enjoyable!

69. # John Davison 09 Jul 2008 at 3:56 pm

    Hi,
    Quick question (and I saw others touch on it). I eat Zone/Paleo (most of the time) and do crossfit workouts but am also otherwise active with wakeboarding, hiking, mtn biking, etc. I am very interested in IF and just started doing the daily’s with 15-16hrs to start. My question is, should I still be attempting to eat my 20-22 blocks worth of food in the 8-9 hr time frame? Im low BF maybe 10% and am only looking for the health benefits and a little more lean muscle. Not to loose weight/fat. Seems difficult to manage eating so much in such little time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

    Thank you,
    JD

70. # Mike ODon 10 Jul 2008 at 10:34 am

    John - It’s one of those try and see methods. The “standard” zone is VERY low in calories for an active person….hence the whole “athletic” zone ratio of doing 3-5x fat for more calories. You will need about the same amount of calories as you are not going to slow down your metabolism. If you are having problems eating that much, then try adding in just a (1-2) couple days of IF to start and make the fasts longer (18-19 hours) for the health benefits. That may be the best way that works for you….but again only you will be able to find that out. If you want more lean muscle make sure you are eating enough protein (or eat more) and getting enough healthy fats. (when in doubt if you are not seeing progress…up the protein or fat). Protein intake should be around 1g/lean lb of bw for an active person to gain muscle.

71. # After Ana » Fasting for healthon 16 Jul 2008 at 6:21 pm

    [...] travels I’ve stumbled upon many variations of a fasting and eating cycling. These are a few: Intermittent Fasting (IF), Warrior Diet, Eat Stop Eat…. Has anyone here practiced or heard of these? I’m very [...]

72. # Achintyaon 27 Jul 2008 at 8:55 pm

    Hi

    Great site, keep up the good work

    Is it ok if you fast for longer than 18 hours? It would fit my schedule best if I just ate every day at around 6pm (after waking up at 6am to work out - total of 24 hours). I would also eat like normal on the weekends to make sure that I’m getting enough healthy calories.

    What’s your opinion on this?

    Thanks

73. # Achintyaon 27 Jul 2008 at 8:58 pm

    Oops, I meant 24 hours after my fast since I’m eating every day only at 6pm, not 24 hours between working out and eating

74. # Mike ODon 28 Jul 2008 at 9:25 pm

    Ach - loads of factors…but I always say that you should start slow…as you can do too much and start getting negative results. If you want to do the 24hr fasts….try doing it 2-3x a week. Then judge your performance and body composition goals. Remember IF is supposed to be “Intermittent”. Give that a try and see how it goes….you also can still adjust the calories and foods you eat on your fast and non-fast days.

75. # Achintyaon 31 Jul 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Hi Mike, have you heard of the book called The Alternate Day Diet? It came out a few months ago - I was reading the summary and it sounds exactly like intermittent fasting. The guy says to eat normally on a day, then eat < 500 calories or 20% of total caloric intake the next day, and repeating that….

    Monday - Eat
    Tuesday - No
    Wed - Eat
    Thurs - No
    Friday - Eat
    Saturday - No
    Sunday - Eat

    What do you think? It seems ok, but I was just looking for your opinion.

    Thanks

76. # Mike ODon 03 Aug 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Ach - Yes that is what as known as ADCR (alternate day calorie restriction). Alot of similiar concepts but not all the same as IF. It can work for weight loss but like many diet books it will not lead to lasting results if it is A) not a realistic approach to daily eating and B) does not stress quality of foods. It may be a good step for someone, but it has to focus on those 2 things above to be successful in the long run. I’m not sure 500 calories every other day is something people would stick with…and may not be healthy once you achieve your ideal weight.

77. # Achintyaon 03 Aug 2008 at 7:35 pm

    Cool, thanks. I’m gonna try ADCR with a high fat, med protein, low-carb diet and see how it goes - will post later

    thanks for the reply

78. # Mike ODon 03 Aug 2008 at 10:08 pm

    Ach - I’d say just do that eating style, add in some IF daily a few times a week, and have a carb up/low fat day on the weekend(s). Main thing…play with it and find what works best for YOU. There are no set rules…just what you can do consistently and get results.

79. # Achintyaon 03 Aug 2008 at 11:18 pm

    I agree, I really like ADCR because it fits my schedule perfectly, so I can’t wait to start it this week

80. # Mike ODon 03 Aug 2008 at 11:43 pm

    Ach - Let us know how it goes for you!

81. # Megan Bagwellon 05 Aug 2008 at 8:20 pm

    Hi! I heard about IF through Dr. Eades proteinpower site and read about it on Tim Ferriss’ blog, and then found my way here through a few other blogs! SO, I also joined your Facebook group, too. Think I added you, Mike, as a friend Don’t worry, you don’t have to accept since I am a stranger an all Anyways, I found the eating from 12-6 everyday (except weekends, right?) seems to be the most doable for me right now. Once I get used to feeling hungry (it takes some getting used to not to fulfill the angry hunger gnaw!) then I might switch to fasting from 6 and night to 6 the next night every other day. I’m on my second day of eating from 12 to 6 except I don’t think I’m eating enough in my window. I’ve been doing low carb and now I’m just used to feeling satisfied and I got stuffed off of a little piece of chicken and a few green beans at lunch and then didn’t think of eating again until about 5 when I then realized I only had an hour to eat so grabbed whatever was around (which WASN’T low carb!) I am amazed at how much energy I really did have all day today! What I’m unsure about is how I will eat enough doing this. I’m already getting stuffed on very little, not sure if I’ll get enough calories in during my eating hours. We’ll see, I’m going to see how it goes for the rest of the week.

82. # Achintyaon 05 Aug 2008 at 10:41 pm

    I wasn’t gonna reply but I noticed you’ve read 4HWW and Tim’s blog

    I did the same thing as you, fasting and eating all in one day, but then I realized it wouldn’t fit my schedule once I got back to college in a few weeks, so now I’m doing 3 day fasts (Eat M-W-F and Sunday, then fast T-W-Saturday) along with a low-carb diet and so far its going GREAT. IMO it’s easier to do than the old way, if you’re interested you should read the post concerning it on this site

    Just my 2 cents

83. # Mike ODon 05 Aug 2008 at 11:11 pm

    Megan - start slow with IF if you don’t think you are getting enough calories. Like doing it only 2-3x a week and eating normally on the other days. Also take weekends off and enjoy healthy foods all day (with an occasional treat if need be) Find what works for you….as you can average a healthy calorie intake. Also make sure you get quality foods in….as that is where health comes from….because our bodies were not meant to run on twinkies and ding dongs all day. Lastly…fat is your friend believe it or not….most people do REALLY well with weight loss and energy on a higher fat, moderate protein and lower carb diet (although it can take a few weeks to adjust to). It’s when fat is high ALONG with high carb/sugar/insulin that is becomes a disaster and weight gain happens. Welcome to the site!

84. # Megan Bagwellon 06 Aug 2008 at 8:13 am

    Thanks, Mike! I’m glad to hear you talking so happily about fat! I’m on the fat train (have you read Dr. Mike Eades blogs?) so I’m all in the know about fat being my friend. I’ve been doing a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet 5 days a week for a little while but now I want to add in the IFing for even better health. Does doing this daily 12-6 eating only have the same similar benefits as 24 hour fasts? Would you say there are more benefits doing the daily fasts (eating between 12-6 everyday) or the 3x a week (6pm to 6pm) fasts. I want the most bang for my starvation

85. # Megan Bagwellon 06 Aug 2008 at 8:25 am

    Hi Ach- Don’t you just love Tim? His blog is so cool, I love all the different topics! That is one mulifaceted person!
    What are your hours of fasting on your fasting days? Do you just not eat at all on those days b/c I find that to be hard to be awake all day and not eat, so I prefer to be sleeping for a good chunk of the hours. So, I might switch soon to fasting between 6 p.m. to 6 p.m the next day every other day so it will be 24 hours but I will still get to eat everday. This was the version that Dr. Eades suggested on the IF article in Tim Ferriss’ blog.

86. # Mike ODon 06 Aug 2008 at 10:03 am

    Megan - Both routines will do great things for health and weight loss in terms of insulin resistance. Also combined with a low carb approach is even better. As far as “other” longevity results….there’s no definite data to say 18 hr fast is better for say SIRT1 or autophagy than a 24hr one….so mix it up, no reason you can’t add in a 24hr fast once a week, as long as you are still eating enough healthy calories (as IF is not about starvation).

87. # Megan Bagwellon 06 Aug 2008 at 4:53 pm

    Ok. I’m sort of new to the longevity terms… what is SIRT1 and autophagy?

88. # Megan Bagwellon 06 Aug 2008 at 4:57 pm

    P.S. I was joking about the starvation! It just takes a little getting used to not give in to a little snack when I’m feeling hungry. I did a lot better with eating enough quality food during my time frame today so I shouldn’t be feeling “starved” tonight!

89. # My Top Tips for Muscle gain without fat! — Zen to Fitness My Top Tips for Muscle gain without fat! : Zen to Fitnesson 10 Aug 2008 at 2:11 pm

    [...] fasts are very good for this also, a few mornings a week is enough to start. Have a look into the this post on the IF Life for some information on starting Intermittent [...]

90. # Achintyaon 12 Aug 2008 at 8:27 pm

    SIRT1 is basically the ’skinny gene’ which is responsible for the weight loss that occurs when you do IF. It’s the master gene that prods other genes and/or hormones to do their thing and make you lose fat

    Autophagy is when your cell essentially recycles parts and rebuilds itself with them, saving nutrients which can then be put to better use

    Note - this is just what I remember from when I took Intro to Bio last year haha, but if you do a search on this blog there’s a post about SIRT1

91. # Korryon 21 Aug 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Interested in IF…

    I am about 215 lbs (97.73kg) at 30% body fat… which would give me about 150.5 lbs (68.41kg) of lean body mass.

    I would like to incorporate a regimen of IF to help me lose fat… I would like to reach the goal range of 165lbs - 175lbs (75kg - 79.55kg) by December 31st, 2008.

    I am currently utilizing a Keto Diet.

    I did a 24 hour fast followed by a 72 hour fast 2 weeks ago… the 24 hour fast, I had no problem with…

    however, the 72 hour fast I had some difficulty with.
    - 1st 24 hours was not difficult
    - 2nd 24 hours was difficult: experienced hunger, sleep problems…
    - 3rd 24 hours was moderately difficult at the beginning, however, it became progressively easier…

    Thank you in advance for any suggestions…

    I will search for more information and read the articles at this site…

92. # Nickon 22 Aug 2008 at 8:08 am

    Great info on the whole site…thanks! I am in the 5th day of 15-20 hour daily fasts. My energy levels are awesome and my strength is as good as it has ever been. The only problem is that towards the end of my fasts, I have been very angry/agressive. I haven’t acted on it, but every little thing seems to set me off. Any ideas what is causing this? My diet has been extremely clean, strict paleo. I have been getting 2000-2500 calories/day, 50% fat, 15% carbs and 35% protein, give or take a few. I was eating the same foods before the IF, with no anger issues. Thanks.

93. # Mike ODon 22 Aug 2008 at 2:52 pm

    Megan - here’s a whole post on the SIRT genes (what science calls the longevity genes) http://www.theiflife.com/2008/04/22/the-longevity-gene-sirt1-part-i-cr-fasting-and-aging-diseases/

    Korry - most of what is talked about IF here ranges from 16-24hr fasts. Although some do longer, that is not the real focus on a more intermittent weekly basis. Long fasts can be healthy, but also can lead to more muscle wasting. Longer fasts I would say are good but only 1-2x a year and it all depends on your current state of health. Since most people have issues, IF in smaller fasts is better suited to help them on the road to slow and steady health, too much can be too much of a shock to one’s system (like a diabetic). You can read more in the free report (with the subscription link). In the end…it’s all about finding what works for you, your performance needs, your goals and keeps you healthy

    Nick - see this post on anxiety and