Losing fat, building muscle, and improving health through Intermittent Fasting

[Guest guest]

An Intro:

LP: Obviously there are many ways and methods one can go about fat

loss. Low carb, caloric cycling, shakes only, etc. What do you feel

that IF offers that sets it apart from other methods? Where do you

think it really shines, not only in a scientific standpoint, but

mentally as well?

MB: The answer to this question is best answered from different point

of views. Bear with me and you'll understand where I'm going here.

For the dieter, IF offers something very unique, in terms of enjoying

physically and psychologically satisfying meals while losing weight.

The absence of hunger and cravings are also a welcome feature when

using IF for weight loss. Contrary to popular belief, the fasting

phase has a suppressive effect on hunger. Hunger pangs may come, but

they disappear quickly, to be replaced by a sense of well being and

total absence of hunger.

This is my take on generic weight loss methods: I believe that the

" nibbling " approach to dieting, which is so often encouraged by

mainstream nutritionists and mass media, may aggravate hunger, rather

than keeping it at bay. I can speak for myself, and several of my

clients, when I'll say that several small meals a day does more to

potentate cravings, and subsequent hunger, rather than suppressing it.

There's also the psychological sense of hunger that must be taken into

account, while discussing how dieters think and work. I honestly feel

that the psychological form of deprivation, i.e. the absence of some

favorite foods that you might not be able to enjoy on a generic high

meal frequency plan, is much worse than any form of physical hunger.

Some people will gladly trade constant cravings for the casual

physical hunger that might occur during the fasted phase on IF. Notice

that I'm saying " might " , since some people, including me, don't get

hungry at all during the fast (there's probably an adaptive component

to be taken into account here).

Now, obviously the above doesn't hold true for everyone. Like every

diet approach out there, there's differences among individuals in what

works and what doesn't, but so far, in my experience, there seems to

be a lot more " hits " than " misses " , when it comes to the success rates

of people using IF for weight loss.

There's also the nutrient partitioning effects I believe that IF may

provide when combined with strength training - basically, I think that

IF is a very flexible tool, that can be used in several ways, to

improve body composition.

Others will enjoy the cognitive effects of IF. I'm mainly thinking

about people with professions that require a high degree of focus and

concentration; for example programmers and writers, that may want to

increase their productivity during work hours. Due to the increase in

catecholamines during the fast, productivity goes up and you'll feel

more involved in whatever you're doing; the effect can be compared to

a mild stimulant.

Personally, that's one of the benefits I really appreciate as a writer

and online diet consultant. I spend a lot of time in front of the

computer, reading, writing and corresponding back and forth. Having

not to think about food, and feeling clear headed and focused, is

something I find very useful when it comes to time management and

productivity.

And then again, there are the health benefits not to be forgotten.

Improving insulin sensitivity and other health indicators, such as

cardiovascular health for example, is undoubtedly of interest to a

large number of people, whose main priority is to stay healthy and

reduce risk factors for different types of metabolic and

cardiovascular diseases.

IF also offers neuroprotective benefits, which may protect from brain

degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, for example. These benefits are

unique to this diet approach and cannot be achieved, to the same

degree, with traditional calorie restriction and exercise.

http://avidityfitness.net/2008/01/12/interview-martin-berkhan/

Body Transformation

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6324201

--

" How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest

gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within

her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her

own substance and she then returns it as a child! "

St. Chrysostom

[Guest guest]

-I'm wondering if this explains what has been working for me. I've

tried to lose weight gained from steroids for years - but being

hypothyroid/adrenal I have not been able to get it to move until

recently when I started strictly eating only when hungry and stopping

at full.

Although it's not actually a fast, I feel the same effects mentioned.

I feel better when I do this than I have in years - I have so much

more focus and energy, so I get more accomplished, I don't have

cravings for junk and most of the time, I could care less whether I

eat or not.

I have been pondering what it is exactly that makes this work so well.

I don't think I really eat less - it's just 'arranged' differenly -

though I suspect I do eat fewer carbs, since I dont' actually want

them most of the time - but not to the extent you could term it 'low

carb'. Whateer it is, I like it.

-- In , <slethnobotanist@...>

wrote:

>

> An Intro:

>

> LP: Obviously there are many ways and methods one can go about fat

> loss. Low carb, caloric cycling, shakes only, etc. What do you feel

> that IF offers that sets it apart from other methods? Where do you

> think it really shines, not only in a scientific standpoint, but

> mentally as well?

>

> MB: The answer to this question is best answered from different point

> of views. Bear with me and you'll understand where I'm going here.

>

> For the dieter, IF offers something very unique, in terms of enjoying

> physically and psychologically satisfying meals while losing weight.

> The absence of hunger and cravings are also a welcome feature when

> using IF for weight loss. Contrary to popular belief, the fasting

> phase has a suppressive effect on hunger. Hunger pangs may come, but

> they disappear quickly, to be replaced by a sense of well being and

> total absence of hunger.

>

> This is my take on generic weight loss methods: I believe that the

> " nibbling " approach to dieting, which is so often encouraged by

> mainstream nutritionists and mass media, may aggravate hunger, rather

> than keeping it at bay. I can speak for myself, and several of my

> clients, when I'll say that several small meals a day does more to

> potentate cravings, and subsequent hunger, rather than suppressing it.

>

> There's also the psychological sense of hunger that must be taken into

> account, while discussing how dieters think and work. I honestly feel

> that the psychological form of deprivation, i.e. the absence of some

> favorite foods that you might not be able to enjoy on a generic high

> meal frequency plan, is much worse than any form of physical hunger.

>

> Some people will gladly trade constant cravings for the casual

> physical hunger that might occur during the fasted phase on IF. Notice

> that I'm saying " might " , since some people, including me, don't get

> hungry at all during the fast (there's probably an adaptive component

> to be taken into account here).

>

> Now, obviously the above doesn't hold true for everyone. Like every

> diet approach out there, there's differences among individuals in what

> works and what doesn't, but so far, in my experience, there seems to

> be a lot more " hits " than " misses " , when it comes to the success rates

> of people using IF for weight loss.

>

> There's also the nutrient partitioning effects I believe that IF may

> provide when combined with strength training - basically, I think that

> IF is a very flexible tool, that can be used in several ways, to

> improve body composition.

>

> Others will enjoy the cognitive effects of IF. I'm mainly thinking

> about people with professions that require a high degree of focus and

> concentration; for example programmers and writers, that may want to

> increase their productivity during work hours. Due to the increase in

> catecholamines during the fast, productivity goes up and you'll feel

> more involved in whatever you're doing; the effect can be compared to

> a mild stimulant.

>

> Personally, that's one of the benefits I really appreciate as a writer

> and online diet consultant. I spend a lot of time in front of the

> computer, reading, writing and corresponding back and forth. Having

> not to think about food, and feeling clear headed and focused, is

> something I find very useful when it comes to time management and

> productivity.

>

> And then again, there are the health benefits not to be forgotten.

> Improving insulin sensitivity and other health indicators, such as

> cardiovascular health for example, is undoubtedly of interest to a

> large number of people, whose main priority is to stay healthy and

> reduce risk factors for different types of metabolic and

> cardiovascular diseases.

>

> IF also offers neuroprotective benefits, which may protect from brain

> degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, for example. These benefits are

> unique to this diet approach and cannot be achieved, to the same

> degree, with traditional calorie restriction and exercise.

>

>

> http://avidityfitness.net/2008/01/12/interview-martin-berkhan/

>

> Body Transformation

>

> http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6324201

>

>

> --

> " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest

> gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within

> her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her

> own substance and she then returns it as a child! "

>

> St. Chrysostom

>

[Guest guest]

Sure-Fire Fat Loss

My name is Berkhan and I work as a nutritional consultant,

magazine writer and personal trainer. I also happen to be a proponent

of intermittent fasting for health, fitness and fat loss. I have my

own blog about fasting (www.leangains.com), but when Mike asked me if

I'd like to make a guest post on his blog, I thought that'd be a great

way to present my method in greater detail.

The Leangains protocol consists of two phases; 16 hours of fasting,

followed by 8 hours of feeding. During this period, three meals are

usually eaten. Depending on the day, the composition of those meals

varies; on workout days, carbs are prioritized before fat, while on

rest days fat intake is higher. Protein remains fairly high on all

days. That's a very basic and general description of the protocol I

employ; of course, variables change depending on goals, gender, age,

body fat and activity levels, but it would be hard to describe it in

greater detail without drifting off too far.

Most of my clients are fitness enthusiasts, athletes and weight

trainers, but the great majority of them have one thing in common – to

look good naked. The 'gain' in Leangains can therefore be a bit

misleading, as most of my clients wants to lose fat, while retaining

as much muscle as possible in the process. While their diets might

vary, it rests on some nutritional principles that I thought I'd

present to the crowd reading this post. These principles will work for

everyone, regardless of fitness level.

Here are a few guidelines that I consider success factors for

performance, fat loss and excellent diet compliance.

• On workout days, break the fast with meat, veggies and a fruit. If

you're planning to train shortly after this meal, add a few carbs in

the form of a starch source – potatoes or whole grain bread, for

example. Make it a medium sized meal and don't stuff yourself. Train

within 3 hrs of having eaten this meal and have a much larger meal

after your workout; in this meal, add more complex carbs – and you may

even have one of your favourite treats as dessert, if it's not too

high in fat and if eaten in moderation. Good examples of what I refer

to as 'treats': low fat ice cream, sorbet or JC's cheesecake. Bad

example: Chinese buffet or your son's birthday cake. You get the

point, keep it within moderation and don't pig out.

• On rest days, eat less calories than on workout days - do this by

cutting down on carb intake, and make meat, fibrous veggies and fruit

the foundation of your diet for this day. The first meal of the day

should be the largest, in contrast to workout days where the

post-workout meal is the largest. Largest doesn't necessarily mean

largest in terms of volume; I suggest getting at least 40% of your

calorie intake in this meal, and the dominant macronutrient should be

protein. I'll have some clients eating upwards to 100 g protein in

this meal, so don't be afraid to pile on the meat (or whichever

protein source you prefer). Fattier meat and fish like ground beef and

salmon are examples of some excellent protein sources that may be

consumed on rest days.

• In the last meal of the day, include a slow digesting protein

source; preferably egg protein, cottage cheese (or any other source of

casein based protein). Meat or fish is also ok if you add veggies or

supplement with fiber. This meal will keep you full during the fast

and exert an anti-catabolic effect on muscle protein stores by

ensuring that your body has an ample supply of amino acids until the

next meal.

• Whole and unprocessed foods should always take priority over

processed or liquid foods, unless circumstance demands a compromise.

For example, you might find yourself in situations when there is

little time to eat or prepare foods – in such a situation, having a

protein shake or meal replacement bar is ok, where as solid, more

satiating foods should be consumed whenever there is ample time to

cook.

These are a few of the principles I've employed with great success;

there's a bit more to it, but this should get you started in the right

direction.