Started IF (intermittent fasting)

[Shogun2698]

After reading some of the threads here I decided to give IF a try. I started on Friday during what would normally be my low carb non-training day.

I have to say my first meal was tough. Taking down that much food was a chore for sure. I'd like to hear other people's opinions/experiences on that and whether I can expect it to get easier, hopefully as my stomach expands.

Like most others I've eaten 6-7 meals a day with a target of ~350 calories on training days. So as you can imagine trying to put down 50% of my calories in one sitting was rough.

Also any suggestions on my diet/training are welcome and appreciated.

Stats:
5'9"
175lbs
15% BF

Training:
Sun, Mon, Wed, Thur *Complete rest on off days
Workout 45 minutes then cardio
Cardio: Treadmill 3.5/6.0mph interval 2/1 minute for 20 minutes
*is this sufficient cardio?

Diet:
BMR: ~1800 calories
TDEE: ~2700 calories
Macro split training days (P/F/C): 40/15/45 (starchy carbs)
Macro split rest days (P/F/C): 50/20/30 (fibrous carbs)
Supplements: multivitamin, BCAAs, probiotics

5:30 am workout
BCAAs prior and post workout (as per leangains.com), *I also drink a cup of matcha tea preworkout ~80mg caffeine, numerous health benefits
12:00pm: break my fast. 50% of total calories.
3:30pm: 30% of calories
8:00pm: 20%. of calories
*I try to take in a higher amount of fats with my last meal than my first one

As much as I prefer whole foods, I think I will need to supplement a whey protein shake with my first meal to ensure I take down enough protein.

[AXx]

I too had trouble starting out, I think I have actually gotten use to doing it.

My first meal is 1100 kcals so yeah I know what you mean. As long as you don't over use the "shakes" I think you will be fine. There are several of use that use shakes with meals to get the added kcals!

Remember you can also put some egg whites in a blender with oats or something to get your kcals. It's a liquid meal vs. a powdered shake. GB, myself, and fatman are all doing it I believe. Hopefully they will chime in as well.

[Shogun2698]

Thanks for the suggestions 3Js. I think liquid meals (of whole foods) would be a good way to get the needed calories.

Just a quick update, today was a training day and I felt no loss in energy and maybe even had some more, though this could be a placebo affect. Only time will tell.

I just finished putting down 1200 calories. Almost half of it came in the form of a shake: 2 scoops whey powder, 1 cup of oats, 1/2 cup plain Cheerios, 1 medium banana. The rest of the calories were in the form of ground beef and white rice. It was still a bit tough towards the end to choke down the rest of the food, but definitely much easier today than previous days.

I think I'm gonna enter a food coma now

[fatman225]

Thanks for the suggestions 3Js. I think liquid meals (of whole foods) would be a good way to get the needed calories.

Just a quick update, today was a training day and I felt no loss in energy and maybe even had some more, though this could be a placebo affect. Only time will tell.

I just finished putting down 1200 calories. Almost half of it came in the form of a shake: 2 scoops whey powder, 1 cup of oats, 1/2 cup plain Cheerios, 1 medium banana. The rest of the calories were in the form of ground beef and white rice. It was still a bit tough towards the end to choke down the rest of the food, but definitely much easier today than previous days.

I think I'm gonna enter a food coma now

For those of us with big appetites, that is a major benefit of IF.

I got to FEEL full at some point durring the day. The endorphins/dopamine, AND not being hungry when I sleep.

The human stomach can only hold so much, and it does not care if you fasted the last 19 hours, to it, full is full.

Isn't it cool how you actually get to feel like you are having a cheat meal, when in fact you are still in an overall kcal deficit?

[SexySweetheart]

Hi welcome and Congrats on doing IF!
*subscribed*

I am a lill confused on understanding your fasting (but than again, I often need stuff spelled out for me lol)...are you doing 48/ 24/17/12/8/ or 6 hour fasting ? and is your IF: daily at a certain time of every day or on a few days during the week?
hoping your stomach will expand...lol this doesn't compute to my girly IF life for weight loss mind. I had to reread your post several times cuz I was confused if your bulking or cutting or wanting a lifestyle change or doing a BB IF rotation = intermit fasting with high intermit feeding.
(what you have looks to me like a BB IF of 12hour morning fast daily with loading afternoon ... is that at all rite/ am I way off ?)

be sure to get that water in sounds like it maybe ruff for you on the times your loading, but its super important even when not fasting
Although I am a girl and I am working towards weight loss which seems different from most others on the board lol...
I think this life style gets easier I tend to look forward to it (24 hour water fast 2x week) and yes energy is better on fasting as well as over all feeling (for me anyway)
I gravitate towards my shakes, less tedious recording macros cuz i know them by heart now ~and less figuring out whats left to stuff in my gullet, easyer for on go eating at feeding times regardless of where I am or where Im going.

I have a intermit feed day/carb load day 1x week after my 2nd fast and unless Im eating all the cr@p I have craved through out the week /dreamed of during weak moments, I feel like Im eating too much on these days, to the point where I want to take a nap after ~ so I hear ya when say "still a bit tough towards the end to choke down the rest of the food," and your mention of food coma's

like 3j said all those fellas are doing it, check out their threads you'll find a bunch of helpfull info for you

I think the only challege to IF is changing the mind set and habbit of feeding at certain times...and having to explain to people why you are not eating when your with them during your fasting times, with out feeling like a broken record of info or getting the roll of the eyes from them lol

[fatman225]

I think the only challege to IF is changing the mind set and habbit of feeding at certain times...and having to explain to people why you are not eating when your with them during your fasting times, with out feeling like a broken record of info or getting the roll of the eyes from them lol

Well, that is one you will get with any diet too.

The thing about IF vs. the other plans is that even though you may not be eating anything, you are at least not looking silly by carrying around plastic box with a dry chicken breast and brown rice. Everyone always wants to comment on how much trouble that looks like having to prepare. Simply not eating anything at all takes zero prep work. They may assume its really unhealthy (polar opposite actually there are some major health benefits to it), but there are a LOT of people who believe rediculous myths.

What I like to do is dodge people's questions, ask them questions instead.

In the situation of family events, I plan my eating time around them. Its does not always have to be the same time each day, and can be reasonably flexible. I prefer to keeop my eating late, as I like to fall asleep with a full stomach, but if I got a family event at noon, involving food, then I will just deal with sleeping fasted, which is not really all that bad anyway these days.

When I ate at a wedding yesterday for example, started at around 4:30 for the reception/eating, nobody there had to know I had not eaten anything else that day.

Was at a graduation party last weekend, and same thing. Nobody had to know I had not eaten breakfast when I woke up, and nobody needed to know I was not going to eat again later.

They surely would have noticed if instead of eating normal food I were to get out the old plastic box.

[Shogun2698]

Isn't it cool how you actually get to feel like you are having a cheat meal, when in fact you are still in an overall kcal deficit?

Hmmm not sure I completely agree with this. To me a cheat meal is something that I crave that I don’t eat on a regular basis, ie: pizza, pasta, hamburger and fries, deli sandwich, etc.

The meals I have adhere to my macros and don’t taste like a cheat meal at all. I wish I could have that feeling you have with the meal though!!

I am a lill confused on understanding your fasting (but than again, I often need stuff spelled out for me lol)...are you doing 48/ 24/17/12/8/ or 6 hour fasting ? and is your IF: daily at a certain time of every day or on a few days during the week? ... I had to reread your post several times cuz I was confused if your bulking or cutting or wanting a lifestyle change or doing a BB IF rotation = intermit fasting with high intermit feeding.
(what you have looks to me like a BB IF of 12hour morning fast daily with loading afternoon ... is that at all rite/ am I way off ?)

My first meal is listed at 12:00pm and last at 8:00pm so I am doing a 16/8 IF. Just for a helpful tip, my TDEE is listed in my stats. The TDEE indicates my maintenance calories for workout days, and my BMR listed indicates my maintenance calories for rest days. If I do not state that I am taking in any calories above or beyond this, then I am in a maintenance state and therefore looking to recomp instead of bulk or cut. I hope this help

...and having to explain to people why you are not eating when your with them during your fasting times, with out feeling like a broken record of info or getting the roll of the eyes from them lol

Well, that is one you will get with any diet too.

This is not a problem for me...I do this for me, not for anyone else.



UPDATE: I got through my first training day on IF. At times, I thought there was no way I was going to get through all the meals. I had planned out three meals but had to do four instead because I got full.

Question: I get EXTREMELY lethargic and sleepy after my first meal (50% calories). Does anyone else experience this? What is the cause, I’m hoping for more of an answer than ‘it’s the carbs’. Rather what mechanism is triggered by the high caloric meal that induces the feeling of lethargy? Is it the rapidly increased blood glucose level? If so how does that trigger sleepiness?

If this persists, I can see this becoming a huge problem in my professional life. There is no way I can crawl under my desk and take a nap after first meal! Also just as a reference this was not an issue during my 6-7 meals a day diet.

[Shogun2698]

Okay looks like I was able to answer my own question after a quick google search (who woulda known): Postprandial somnolence

*seems like I don't have enough posts to paste a link, so I broke it up a bit

scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-i-get-a-slump-in-mental-energy