MY INTERMITTENT FASTING EXPERIMENT AND AN UPDATE
After reviewing various fasting time frames, I settled on 16 hours fasting and 8 hours of feeding. I chose this for few reasons:
- I wanted to at least fit 2 meals a day and have dinner with my wife.
- I wanted to maximize the potential fat burn by adding 4 more hours to 12 hour fast.
Around 10 am, I start my workout and break my fast around 12 pm. The first post-workout carb-up meal is the most important meal of the 3 meals. And remember: the beauty of the IF is that you getting to lose fat while still getting lean while being able to eat anything you want everyday. The object of the first meal is to top of your muscle with glycogen like you would do with your ride. This would create an anabolic environment in your muscle cell. Some have theorized this carb-up creates a kinetic expansion of the muscle cell, which promotes growth. This is best accomplished with increase insulin sensitivity and my 16 hours fast does this. In addition, incorporating an intense strength workout at the tail end of the fast ensure we get the best carb-up in our first and post-workout meal.
My workout
For a long time, I worked out using classic bodybuilding and powerlifting methods. Lately, however, I have moved away from bodybuilding exercises to more gymnastic strength and bodyweight training like handstands, levers, and ring work, which I think is a much harder but much better form of working out. Although it takes more patience and smarter programming, the pay off in the long run is greater, resulting in more functional strength, fewer injuries, and a healthier body. I don’t know about you, but most girls I know–including my wife–seem to prefer the Olympic gymnast’s symmetrical look to any other body type out there. I do however still have include a separate squat or quad dominant day and a deadlift day for hip dominant movements because nothing is worse than chicken legs.
Hey Dave, so what do you eat?
Like I have stated above, in this diet you get to eat your cake literally but only once a day, which is during your post-workout meal. After my workout in my first meal, I have eaten a bagel with cream cheese, two slices of pizza, 60 grams of whey protein, one tablespoon of coconut oil. Other times, I have downed a bowl of pasta, a big cut of brownie, two blueberry muffins, 60 grams of casein protein. This is the beauty of the diet. You are allowed, at least in one meal of the day, to eat whatever that floats your boat or tickles your fancy. From cheesesteaks to fries or both to hotdogs, hamburgers, you can choose to eat the yummiest food and still lose fat and keep the muscle and not go crazy by trying to eat clean all the time. For other two meals, however, is best to eat cleaner food with the purpose keeping insulin level depressed to reduce potential fat gain. So for dinner, for example, Kate usually makes any sort of meat and a side of veggie.
So far…
So far I have been on IF for two months and I’ve been taking a selfie each week to record my progress. I’ve still got 10 weeks to go, so I’ll keep you updated on my progress as we head toward summer.