Nutrition
What is Intermittent Fasting?
This article will look at the benefits of intermittent fasting and provide you with some simple meal templates to help you get started. Over the past few years, the amount of information and research on nutrition, meal timing and meal frequency has continued to grow as we have changed our eating habits to fit our goals. In the bodybuilding and fitness world, most recommend a diet that consists of many meals spaced 2 to 3 hours apart throughout the day (usually 5 to 6 meals per day).
Today I'm going to give you a little insight into a very popular dietary lifestyle called Intermittent Fasting. I know you're probably thinking the following: Fasting? Is that really a good thing? It sounds counterproductive, how can it work? What are the benefits of fasting and will it be useful if I want to gain muscle mass or lose fat?
Sit back, relax and enjoy what you are about to read. For some it will be magical, for the rest intermittent fasting may not suit their individual lifestyle. The message of this article is this: Intermittent Fasting a lifestyle diet. Intermittent Fasting should fit your lifestyle and make your life easier. Does everyone have to do it? Absolutely not. A lot of individuals who start intermittent fasting look back on it as the best decision of their lives because of the many benefits intermittent fasting has to offer. I am a big advocate of the statement "You shouldn't fix what isn't broken." However, those who enjoy eating five meals a day and find that this fits better with their goals should at least read this article as they will find some interesting information in it.
So where do we start with Intermittent Fasting? How does intermittent fasting compare to eating more meals throughout the day? The whole thing is actually quite simple. Intermittent Fasting (also known as IF) is based on a 16:8 fasting to eating window. You fast for 16 hours and only eat during 8 hours of the day. Do you always have to fast for 16 hours? No. This is also based on your lifestyle. The inventor of Intermittent Fasting. Martin Berkhan, used this structure as a starting point. Martin also says that women can fast from 14 to 16 hours based on their preferences and men can also fall into this category.
The premise is this: this is a lifestyle diet. It should fit your schedule. Should you stress or get upset if for some reason you can't fast for 16 hours? Absolutely not. It's perfectly fine to extend your eating window or shorten your fasting window if circumstances make it necessary. Do you always have to eat within an 8 hour window? Absolutely not. If you want to fast for 20 hours and only eat during a 4 hour window, that's fine. This is all about personal preference and what suits your lifestyle best. It may sound crazy, but believe me, when you see the personal successes of people who follow this lifestyle, it is truly breathtaking. Intermittent Fasting works regardless of the length of the eating window - be it 8, 6 or 4 hours long. Intermittent Fasting can help people with very hectic lifestyles as they may find it easier to eat only during a limited window of time, rather than preparing X number of meals per day. They can eat when they have time and when it fits best into their schedule.
So what does an intermittent fasting day look like? This can vary greatly. As Martin Berkhan says on his website, it depends on when you break the fast (your first meal) and when you exercise. I will therefore show you several possible ways in which you can approach the whole thing.
Examples of intermittent fasting
First of all, you can train while fasting. This may sound counterproductive at first glance, but this is not the case if you understand the underlying logic. Regardless of whether your goal is definition, mass gain or maintaining your existing muscle mass, these guidelines will help you plan your training and diet.
Let's assume that in all of the following examples, the person in question is following an eating window that lasts from 12 noon to 8pm. This is an 8 hour eating window and the fasting phase will last from 8pm to 12 noon the next day.
Training while fasting
Consume 10 grams of BCAAs before and during your workout to help stimulate muscle protein synthesis. This will help your body stay in an anabolic state. Yes, BCAAs contain calories (which do not need to be listed on the label due to nutritional guidelines) but these calories are factored into your total daily calorie intake.
The first meal of the day follows your workout. How many meals you eat after this within your eating window is entirely up to you. Here is an example:
- Fasting - Fast from 8pm the night before until 10 or 11am the following day, followed by a 10 gram intake of BCAAs
- Training - Go to the gym and complete your workout.
- Meal one - 1pm
- Meal two - 4pm
- Meal three - 7pm
Key tips: The BCAAs before and during your workout will count towards your daily calorie intake, but this will not start your eating window. If you are using a pre-workout supplement that contains carbohydrates, don't stress about it. Martin Berkhan allows up to 50 kcal within your fasting window. This can come from milk or sugar in your coffee or a pre-workout supplement. So don't worry about it.
1-2 pre-workout meals
Let's say you train after eating one or two meals. Your setup could look like this:
- First meal- 12 noon
- workout
- Meal two - 4pm.
- Meal three - 7pm/20pm
Or if you eat two meals before training:
- First meal - 12 noon
- Meal two - 3 p.m.
- Training
- Meal three - 7pm/20pm
These are all just suggestions as to what you can do. If you want to eat four meals in 8 hours, that's perfectly fine. If you want to eat two meals in 4 hours, then do that. It is your choice. The above are just examples that you can follow.
In terms of calories, there are a few things that Martin Berkhan promotes that you should take note of:
- The post-workout meal should comprise the majority of your carbohydrates and calories. A good guideline is to consume at least 50 to 60% of your daily calories during this meal.
- Pre-workout meals should be fairly light. But again, this is just a personal preference. You know best what your stomach can handle. I remember reading on Martin's website that he eats poultry, some fruit and some vegetables (400 to 500 kcal) during such a meal. Something small that gives you some protein and energy for your training sessions is ideal. If you are training in a fasted state, then forget this information.
- On training days, Martin Berkhan uses a higher carbohydrate intake. He likes to use a cyclical carbohydrate and calorie intake. On non-training days, he lowers his calorie intake and eats more fat (again, this is just his personal preference). Does this play a role in the end? Absolutely not. If you know that you can cope better with a higher carbohydrate intake every single day, then you should stick to it. If you want to eat the same amount of calories every day, then do that. Do what makes your life easier. Always remember that this is a lifestyle diet that should fit you and your daily routine.
Now that we have a generic understanding of what intermittent fasting is and how we can plan a meal plan based on our daily routine, let's look at the benefits of intermittent fasting next.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
Does intermittent fasting limit muscle gain? Not really. You won't lose muscle. You simply eat your calories within a set period of time instead of eating smaller meals throughout the day. You will fast in the morning and drink diet drinks, coffee, water, etc. until it's time to break your fast. What you drink is your choice. As I mentioned earlier, you can have up to 50 kcal in the form of milk/sugar or other things if this helps you to control your appetite.
In the beginning, intermittent fasting can be difficult as your body is used to regular meals (which has to do with ghrelin, the body's hunger hormone), but it will adapt over time.
If you want to read more about the hunger hormone, you can find numerous articles and research on Martin Berkhan's site Leangains.com. I remember reading that Martin said the following about his diet and fasting window scheme:
"Believe it or not - we're just animals, like the rest of the world. We're not meant to wake up and eat right away. Where would this food come from? We would hunt to find food and then eat, not knowing when the next meal would follow." Basically, this is true. Think about cavemen and how they fed. Were some of them big and strong? For sure. Were there some scrawny individuals with little muscle? Yes. But that ultimately comes down to how much you eat overall. Think of bodybuilders who count their calories and make sure to get their planned amounts of protein, fat and fiber each day. Apply this scheme to a shorter time frame. This is exactly what intermittent fasting is.
The 6 meal theory was based on ensuring a continuous supply of amino acids and protein. This works of course, but if your body is constantly burning food/calories then it's not always burning fat and it's not always working to keep you lean. Total calories are what matter most - not how you eat them. The truth is that eating 6 meals a day has no advantages over intermittent fasting when it comes to maintaining lean body mass, burning fat, gaining muscle mass, increasing the body's natural growth hormone release, increasing serotonin levels, etc. Martin Berkhan covers all the relevant studies in detail, but at this point I would just like to give you a brief overview of this form of nutrition and what it has to offer. Here's another reason why I believe that fewer meals are better. Layne Norton conducted an infamous muscle protein synthesis study. As part of his study, Layne showed how eating meals 4 to 6 hours apart in combination with leucine (which is found in BCAA products) can maximize muscle protein synthesis.
How is this possible? Well, eating more frequently is actually counterproductive to building muscle and stimulating muscle protein synthesis, as protein levels never get the chance to drop back to their starting point before being increased again. Basically, the longer break between meals helps to maximize muscle protein synthesis and the use of BCAAs between meals to increase protein levels allows for a longer gap between meals. Is this another argument against eating regularly? Absolutely, and there is more research investigating intermittent fasting. We haven't even mentioned Alan Aragon and his research described in his book "Girth Control". This book is a good read along with the books by Lyle McDonald.
Intermittent fasting and supplements
Do we really need supplements? I would consider using BCAAs regardless of whether you are training in a fasted state or not. I am a fan of BCAAs as they are digested virtually instantly compared to whole foods or whey protein which are digested over several hours.
What do we lose during training? Glutamine and amino acids if you train in a fasted state. These are essential if you train on an empty stomach. If you eat a meal before training, I would at least consider it optimal, but I am also someone who prefers to play it safe. I would recommend the following basic supplements in addition to BCAAs:
- Whey protein
- A multivitamin supplement
- fish oil
- Creatine
These supplements should be consumed on a daily basis. You should take them during your eating window.
Here are a few more recommendations I'd like to highlight regarding training and cardio. Martin Berkhan is a big proponent of consistent low-intensity cardio, which includes activities such as walking and the like. He advocates this form of cardio training (e.g. 20 to 30 minutes of fast walking) during the fasting window. This could be done several times a week (2 to 3 times a week). Nothing crazy in terms of speed or incline (you can use a treadmill if you want) - just get your circulation going. If you want to do HIIT training (high-intensity interval training), Martin Berkhan recommends taking BCAAs before HIIT or doing it during the eating window. Depending on your goals (definition/mass gain/body recomposition), the amount of cardio training will vary. In terms of training, Martin Berkhan has a good description of RPT (reverse pyramid training) on his website. But in the grand scheme of things, Intermittent Fasting is a lifestyle diet, which means you should use the workout that suits you best.
Conclusion
There are a few more key points I want to address before concluding this article. If something like a dinner invitation or other social event gets in the way of your fasting window, then just live your life and don't make yourself a slave to your diet.
Stopping intermittent fasting for a day or a meal won't make the difference between success and failure. Stop it and carry on as normal the next day. Count your calories if you can and keep going. Sometimes life is more important than a meal. You can find more in-depth information regarding studies and research, as well as more information on Intermittent Fasting on Martin Berkhan's website www.leangains.com. This site is packed with great articles that support his statements on training while fasting, cardio while fasting, fat loss and many other aspects of intermittent fasting. This article is just meant as a general introduction to give you an idea of Intermittent Fasting and how you could incorporate it into your life. Intermittent Fasting is based on a 16 hour fasting window and an 8 hour eating window. Whether a person wants to fast these 16 hours or extend the fasting period is a matter of personal preference. Some people extend their fasting window to 20 hours and enjoy 2 to 3 large meals within a very short eating window, while others take full advantage of the 8 hour period to spread their meals over a larger window of time. I highly recommend that everyone use a food intake tracking program to help you calculate and monitor your calorie intake. Such a program will also help you to monitor your protein, carbohydrate and fat intake.
The next step is to set your eating window (as I did in the example above from 12pm to 8pm). If you had a late lunch at say 2pm, this could mark the start of your eating window. The eating window could then last until 10pm or end earlier based on what's going on in your life. There is a lot of speculation around the topic of meal frequency, timing of meals and nutrition, but Martin Berkhan has a firm stance on this based on his experience and the experience of his clients. Those who follow it reap the benefits and will continue to "preach" that it is the best thing they have ever done for their lives and bodies.
Some people enjoy fasting with larger meals, while others prefer to eat many meals spread throughout the day. In the end, everyone has to find out for themselves what is best for them. Give intermittent fasting a chance for 8 to 10 weeks and then decide based on your mood, energy and training.
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/understanding-intermittent-fasting
Losing weight doesn't have to be a secret. The following fat loss tips provide you with practical, real-world advice that can help you get on the right track today.
Want to lose fat?
Fat loss can seem like a mystery and sometimes near impossible and once you've achieved it, it can seem just as hard to maintain those gains. And most of us don't just want to lose fat, we want to look good and achieve a high level of muscle definition at the same time. The following fat loss tips can help you lose weight, maintain muscle, or even get hard and defined and achieve that six pack you're after.
100 fat loss tips
1) Instead of simply choosing a diet plan, focus on developing a new lifestyle. If your diet plan isn't sustainable once you've lost fat, there's a high risk that you'll quickly gain back most of what you've lost as you fall back into old habitual patterns.
2) Eliminate as much refined white sugar from your diet as possible. This includes processed foods with added refined white sugar.
3) Eliminate as much white flour from your diet as possible. This includes processed foods that contain white flour.
4) Do not use starvation diets to lose weight. Starvation diets are the worst way to lose weight. Not only will you lose valuable muscle mass, but you risk gaining back substantial amounts of the lost weight once the starvation diet is over. Men should eat no less than 1800 kcal per day and women no less than 1200 kcal per day.
5) Eating late at night is fine and will not slow down your fat loss if your total daily calorie intake is reasonable and in line with your fat loss goals.
6) You don't need cardio to lose fat. Although cardio is useful to improve overall health, you don't necessarily need to do cardio if your total daily calorie intake is in line with your fat loss goals.
7) When starting a weight loss plan, don't get too deep into your workouts and try to exercise every day of the week. Start slowly with low intensity workouts and increase volume and intensity slowly if you have done little or no exercise before. If you get too sore muscles at the beginning or are constantly exhausted, you risk losing your motivation quickly.
8) Allow yourself one cheat meal or one hour per week during which you can eat something that is not on your diet plan - within reason, of course! Don't eat a family bag of potato chips and a large carton of ice cream.
9) Fatty foods will not make you fat - excessive amounts of calories consumed daily will make you fat. Make sure that you consume at least 20% of your calories in the form of healthy fats as part of your diet plan.
10) If you want to maintain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat, do NOT switch to lighter weights and higher reps. Instead, train with the same intensity and weights as before the diet. If you make your body understand that it doesn't need all the strength it has at the moment, then you are encouraging it to lose muscle mass.
11) People who eat a lot late at night should consider intermittent fasting. With this eating strategy, you eat nothing for 16 to 20 hours a day and consume the majority of your calories during the remaining 4 to 8 hours. This allows for large evening meals as long as you stay within your daily calorie limit.
12) Defined abs are made in the kitchen. Doing endless amounts of crunches and sit-ups will not sculpt a six pack. Only weight loss will do this and this requires a lower calorie intake per day. Train your abs like any other muscle group - with a reasonable number of sets.
13) Allow yourself to plan your weekly cheat time window around social events and life events so that you don't have to deny yourself a little partying with your family or friends.
14) Make sure you're drinking plenty and staying hydrated.
15) Addicted to ice cream? Try sugar-free pudding made with low-fat milk if you get those ice cream cravings.
16) Hate vegetables? Spinach is easy to "hide" in most foods. Simply place chopped spinach with a small amount of oil in a Teflon pan and heat gently until it shrinks. Then add this spinach to your favorite meal. It's virtually tasteless and will add a ton of nutrients to your diet.
17) Don't just try to lose fat, work on building muscle. Extra muscle mass will increase your metabolic rate, allowing you to eat a little more each day without gaining weight.
18) Make sure you're eating plenty of protein, especially if you're exercising. Men should aim for at least 150 grams per day and women should aim for at least 100 grams per day.
19) It's better to just try to eat healthier than to just go on some fad diet.
20) Try to avoid all drinks with calories. Calories from drinks add up quickly.
21) Juices from the supermarket are not a particularly healthy choice. They lack pulp. The pulp is where most of the nutritional value of fruit is found, which means you're primarily drinking sugar and empty calories. You're better off just eating fruit.
22) Craving something sweet? Strawberries and blueberries are low in calories. You can eat almost as much of these foods as you want during the day without worrying about gaining fat.
23) Drink 350 ml of water immediately before each large meal. In addition, you should also drink fluids during the meal. This will help fill your stomach and reduce your urge to overeat.
24) Do you find Stairmaster Cardio boring as hell? You don't have to be a slave to the machines. Fun forms of exercise will burn almost as many calories, if not more. Walk the dog, play mini golf, have sex, swim or play with the kids.
25) You should know that cardio exercise is not a magic silver bullet for weight loss. If you run 3 kilometers on the treadmill, you won't even burn the calories of a candy bar. You're better off getting your diet under control first before adding cardio to your plan.
26) Prepare your weekly work meals in advance. This will make it far less likely that you will grab fast food from the vending machine or canteen.
27) Take healthy snacks like fruit, cheese, almonds, etc. with you to work.
28) Always have a pack of sugar-free gum on hand at work, in the car and at home. Chew gum for 15 minutes when you get a craving for a snack. This will give you something else to focus on.
29) Allow yourself to eat 10% of your daily calories in the form of "junk food". A little bit of chocolate may be just what you need to get you through a bad day.
30) Always have some dark chocolate on hand and allow yourself to eat just one piece when you get a craving for something sweet.
31) Supplement with a good multivitamin.
32) Supplement with fish oil. Fish oil supports joint health, brain function and much more.
33) Use protein supplements to help meet your daily protein needs. These are very low in calories and convenient.
34) Go to bed earlier at night. The earlier you go to bed, the less likely you are to binge on more snacks.
35) Is a colleague in the office buying out? Don't even go near the food. Don't even look at the food. Stay away from it completely!
36) If you have a choice between grains and fruits and vegetables, you're better off eating the fruits and vegetables.
37) Surround yourself with positive and successful people who are working towards the same goals as you or who have already achieved what you are trying to achieve.
38) Hire a good, experienced personal trainer who has experience with bodybuilding or figure class athletes. They are masters of discipline and will be able to teach you a lot.
39) Analyze situations or places that make you overeat and try to avoid them.
40) Are you going crazy and planning a binge? Choose a steak, endless amounts of nuts and/or fruit instead of junk food. It's far better to overeat on healthy foods than to stuff yourself with too much junk food.
41) Don't bring home food that can tempt you. Never. No excuses.
42) If possible, always try to exercise during the day when you have the most energy. The likelihood of you losing motivation and not exercising at all will be much lower.
43) Use the most effective exercises in your training sessions - primarily multi-joint exercises. Multi-joint exercises are the most intense and give you the most value for your efforts.
44) No time for cardio training? Reduce the pause length between your training sets with weights to 15 to 30 seconds. This will get your heart rate up and burn calories.
45) Increase the duration of your repetitions to 4 seconds for a boost in intensity when training with weights. This will make each set very challenging.
46) Consider high-intensity interval training (HIIT cardio) instead of your regular cardio workout on the treadmill. Studies suggest that HIIT is a very effective fat burner.
47) Take the stairs everywhere instead of the elevator.
48) Park as far away from your destination as possible - everywhere.
49) Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Use the following rule when buying food: the fewer ingredients and chemicals, the better!
50) Avoid margarine. It is a "fake food". You are better off eating a small portion of butter. Butter has a high nutrient density and, when used appropriately, can contribute greatly to the nutritional value of a weight loss diet.
51) Avoid alcohol. It's just wasted calories.
52) Consider doing 3 full body workouts per week. These are more intense than they will seem at first because they work your whole body instead of just one or two muscle groups.
53) Make sure you get enough sleep! Take naps when you have the chance. You are more likely to eat too much or the wrong thing when you are tired and weak.
54) A workout in the morning could be just what you need to kick-start your slow metabolism.
55) During the first week, weight loss will be exceptionally high. Your body will excrete excess water due to the lower carbohydrate and sodium intake and lower digestive demands. Do not expect to continue to lose weight at this rate for the next few weeks.
56) Monitor your weight loss during the first two or three weeks of your diet. If you are not losing weight fast enough, then reduce your daily calorie intake by 200 kcal and maintain a stable calorie intake for two more weeks before making adjustments again.
57) Cycling your carbohydrate intake can be an effective way to support fat loss. After determining your daily protein intake and subtracting 20 to 30% of your daily calories for healthy fats, you can determine your average daily carbohydrate intake and then schedule high, moderate and low carbohydrate days throughout the week so that you stay at that average daily carbohydrate intake for the week. Use these days cyclically.
58) Diet pills will not change your eating habits. You need to adopt a new eating style - preferably one that focuses on healthy eating.
59) Boost your workout performance with creatine. Creatine is one of the best-studied supplements on the planet and it's also relatively inexpensive.
60) Pre-workout boosters can give you the energy you need to turn a mediocre training session into a hardcore training session. If you feel tired during your workout or lack the necessary drive, try a few different pre-workout formulas.
61) Eat smaller, more frequent meals. This way your next meal won't be too far away when you start to feel hungry.
62) Use a tested and proven workout program. Don't just go to the gym and do whatever comes to mind. The more focused you are on your training, the better your results will be.
63) Before you go out to eat, look at the menu online and choose some healthy options in advance.
64) Eat slowly and savor the taste of your food. This will also prevent you from eating more than you need to be full, as your brain will have more time to realize when your stomach is full.
65) Use a smaller plate or bowl. It will be easier to overload it.
66) Do not eat more than one portion of a specific food at a time. A portion is no bigger than your clenched fist.
67) Use the "one third" rule for your main meals. Fill your plate with one third vegetables, one third carbohydrates and one third meat/protein.
68) Scientific research suggests that glutamine may help prevent muscle loss and the more muscle you maintain during a diet, the better.
69) Consider CLA supplementation. Scientific research suggests that this may help reduce body fat and it's also great for overall health.
70) Create your own menu - a menu that includes healthy side dishes and healthy dessert variations. Make sure you have all the ingredients for these dishes at home so that you can prepare any of these at any time if you wish.
71) Clean out your cupboards. Throw out anything you're no longer going to eat. This is like a little "reset" button.
72) Try something new and different like hot yoga, hiking or spinning classes.
73) Watch weight loss programs like Biggest Loser on TV to motivate yourself.
74) Read success stories that you can find on many sports and bodybuilding sites. These are not only motivating, but can also contain some practical tips.
75) Keep a training diary. You can now also log and monitor your progress via mobile apps or online on numerous fitness sites.
76) Keep a food diary. This will help you to keep a close eye on your calories and macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat).
77) For every hour you watch TV, take 5 minutes and do some kind of exercise - kettlebell swings, sit-ups, treadmill, etc. This can easily add up to 2 to 3 cardio workouts per week.
78) Try to convince your partner to join you. Fat loss is easier when your partner works with you.
79) Eat more fiber. This helps to slow down digestion and will keep you fuller for longer.
80) Are you going on vacation? Then plan some activities like walking or cycling.
81) Be careful with low-fat foods as they often contain added sugar to make them more palatable.
82) Be careful with low-sugar foods as they often contain added fat to make them more palatable.
83) Eat several portions of fruit a day. These snacks can help you get through periods of cravings for sweets or snacks.
84) Hate fish? Give talapia a try. It's almost tasteless and you can find it in many supermarkets.
85) Do cardio training after training with weights and not before. Maintaining your muscle mass should always be a top priority - not only for your appearance, but also for your metabolism. Always train with weights when you have the most energy.
86) Be realistic...you will have bad days. Don't let 1 or 2 bad days throw you off track. Get back on track with renewed vigor.
87) Do you have problems estimating portion sizes correctly? Use measuring cups and buy a kitchen scale.
88) Avoid light drinks and drink water or whey protein shakes instead. The sweetness of light drinks can contribute to increased sugar cravings in some people.
89) Learn to spice up your bland food and make it tasty. There is a whole world of spices that are both healthy and tasty. Browse online collections of low-calorie recipes and start experimenting with new spices and herbs.
90) Forget your current yogurt and try low-fat Greek yogurt. It's higher in protein and a better choice overall. Greek yogurt can also be used as a substitute for creme fraiche.
91) Learn how to make vegetable soup. Turn boring vegetables into a delicious soup that you'll want to eat more of. Most vegetable soups are low in calories, which allows you to eat a plateful without feeling guilty.
92) Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat restaurants at all costs. There are no exceptions here.
93) Skip the cheese on sandwiches and use vegetables instead - pickled vegetables, fresh onions, tomato slices, peppers, spinach leaves, etc.
94) Not sure where to start with the healthy fats? A little butter is a good choice. Nuts, seeds, avocados and eggs are also good sources of fat.
95) Fancy a salad bar? Avoid fruit salads as they usually contain syrup or sugar. You should also avoid bacon bites, cheese, croutons and most salad dressings. Use a small amount of vinegar and oil dressing.
96) Use more salsa. Salsa is basically an easy way to add some flavor to bland foods from baked potatoes to chicken breast.
97) Use a crock pot. You can leave meat and vegetables cooking all day long and make big meals without much effort.
98) Buy a steamer and steam your vegetables, poultry and fish.
99) Your weight on the scale can fluctuate wildly for a myriad of reasons - irregular bowel movements, high carb or high salt days, etc. Don't panic if you are on the right track with your diet but notice a temporary weight gain on your scale.
100) Do you hate eating breakfast? Mix a fruit smoothie with a scoop of your favorite protein powder and some yogurt.
Source bhttps://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/100-fat-loss-tips
Intermittent Fasting is more than a conscious decision to feel lousy - on the contrary, many people feel and train better than ever with Intermittent Fasting! Here's a brief introduction to the main approaches to intermittent fasting and a way to test whether intermittent fasting might be right for you. If you've spent any time surfing the web on fitness and nutrition websites, then you've probably heard of intermittent fasting. At first you may have laughed at this concept. I mean don't we always fast in phases when we don't have food in our mouths? However, when you dig a little deeper, it's hard not to be intrigued by this idea of fasting - if only because the people who love it seem to really love the concept while those who don't love it see it as unimaginable. Supporters of intermittent fasting say they feel better than ever and point to a wide range of improved health markers. Opponents of the concept scoff. The intensity is so high on both sides that many wonder which side they would take if they had to choose one.
But where is the best place to start? How do the different variants of fasting systems differ? Wouldn't you starve to death in the long run?
If you were to reduce all intermittent fasting systems to the lowest common denominator, it would probably be this: sometimes you eat and sometimes you don't. But you spend more time eating. But you spend more time not eating than eating. That's the real point. This premise might be enough for many to click the little red x and make this article disappear.
If you're not in that group, then read on as we take a closer look at the appeal, risks and different interpretations of the 'eating window'.
Why is intermittent fasting so popular?
Perhaps the most important reason behind the increasing popularity of intermittent fasting among men and women is that this dietary strategy is convenient. Think about it: You wake up in the morning and instead of spending time in the kitchen, you can enjoy your coffee in peace and then go straight to work. You don't have to prepare food, you don't have to clean up and nothing gets in the way of your productivity. In addition to this, many people report that fasting gives them a feeling of elation. They say that they feel more energized and alert and as a result are better able to complete their tasks.
Raise your hand if you're someone who likes to snack in the evening. That's probably most of us. Now keep your hand up if you often find yourself in the kitchen in the evening, opening cupboards and drawers in the hope that different snacks will magically appear before your eyes. Moving your eating window back means you can eat more in the evening when your willpower is at its weakest. Why is this great? Normal weakness is transformed into strength. Does it really make sense to deprive yourself of things you really want during moments of weakness? It doesn't have to be like that.
Some people simply try to reach a state of satiety by eating treats and whole foods. Others crave carbohydrates in particular and have a craving for rice, sweet potatoes, bread and the like. Still others reach for gummy bears and want nothing more than to snuggle up in bed with a bowl of ice cream before drifting off into the realm of dreams. Intermittent fasting gives you the freedom to indulge your cravings to a certain extent, rather than fighting them all day long and only making them worse. Many people can - within reason - still eat what they want and still stay slim. With pretty much all intermittent fasting systems, you can go to sleep with a full stomach and a satisfied grin on your face and still stick to your macros for the day.
This means you can lose fat without feeling like you're on a diet. In general, you will face much less resistance in your food choices in daily life.
Who is Intermittent Fasting suitable for?
You might like intermittent fasting if you fall into one or more of the following categories:
- You lead a very hectic life
- You have a job that makes eating regularly a real problem
- You are rather lazy when it comes to cooking
- You have a very big appetite
- You hate Tupperware bowls and can never find the right lids
- You have already experimented with intermittent fasting in a rational way and have had positive experiences
How do I know which system is right for me?
At first glance, you won't know. At second glance, you will realize that one variant will appeal to you a little more than the others and that you will have to read up a little more on the subject. I know that you would prefer it if I told you exactly what to do. You want the answers and of course the inventor of each of these methods will tell you that their version is the best. But from a non-financially influenced point of view, I can tell you that different approaches are best for different people. The trick is to find the best method for you.
Here is a very brief overview of some of the most popular intermittent fasting methods. These are only very, very rudimentary summaries, so I encourage you to do a little research on the internet and find out more about each of these approaches. Each of these approaches has a different approach when it comes to how you should behave during the "settling in" phase, which you should keep in mind when doing further research.
Lean Gains by Martin Berkhan
- Includes a 16/8 protocol (which means you fast for 16 hours a day and eat for 8 hours)
- Macronutrients and total calorie intake are cycled throughout the week. You consume more calories on training days and less on non-training days.
- Cheesecake and other treats are allowed several times a week during specific time slots.
Website: https://www.leangains.com/
Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon
- You fast once a week for 24 hours and eat normally for the rest of the week
- You are completely free to decide how and what you eat on the non-fasting days
Website: https://www.eatstopeat.org/
The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia
- 16/8 protocol (14/10 for women), with the majority of carbohydrates consumed in the evening.
- Very much health-oriented: whole organic foods, although the list of permitted foods is quite short.
Website: https://www.renegadedietbook.com/
The following two diets are often included in the category of intermittent fasting diets, even though they allow limited food intake during the day. Thus, you will not spend part of your day in a fasting state, which generally begins 8 to 12 hours after your last meal.
The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler
- 20/4 Meal plan: You hardly eat anything during the day, but eat all the more in the evening.
- The window of limited food intake can include limited amounts of raw fruit and vegetables, eggs, yogurt, coffee and tea.
- Allow free consumption of all food groups during the eating window until you are full.
Website: https://www.warriordiet.com/
Card Backloading by John Kiefert
- In Kiefer's 18/6 protocol, you consume protein and fat during the day and save most of your carbohydrates and calories for the evening after your workout.
- Allows and encourages the consumption of high-glycemic foods during the post-workout meal, including donuts and pizza.
Website: https://www.carbbackloading.com/
What you should look out for
You may look at the list above and feel that one of these approaches must work for you. However, even though I have had great success with my clients using different variations of intermittent fasting, I would like to point out that this diet is not for everyone.
First of all, you need to be aware of the following: Fasting is not just an excuse for not eating. I know women who have reported that intermittent fasting has eliminated a large part of their chronic eating disorders, while other women have experienced the exact opposite with increasing frequency of binge eating, anxiety and neuroses about food.
On a purely physical level, some will just feel like crap and won't be able to get through the mornings without noticeable hunger. Others will feel groggy, lethargic and lacking in energy during intermittent fasting. Some will find a way to abuse the rules of intermittent fasting. You may try to justify your continued junk food dominated diet as you have now packed your food into an 8 hour window, as if this will somehow make it better if you consume junk (which is not the case). You may also become more obsessed with food: You'll look at your watch more often, count the seconds until your fasting window is over, etc.
If any of this happens, don't try to force yourself into something that doesn't suit you. There is nothing wrong with eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day if this works better for you. Neither method is necessarily wrong. What is wrong is being a slave to your diet, or losing control completely.
Done? Not so fast...
Rather than jumping headfirst into pure intermittent fasting, I would strongly recommend that you have a 2 to 3 week acclimatization period before starting any of the systems described. It's not uncommon to experience some quite unpleasant hunger pangs during the introductory phase, which is why I think it's a good idea to slowly reduce your eating window rather than jumping straight from 14 to 8 hours. For example, during your first week you can try to shorten your eating window from say 6am to 8pm to 8am to 8pm. That's a 12 hour window you're working with. That seems doable, doesn't it? At best, hunger pangs will be completely absent and at worst, mild.
In terms of food choices, you should continue to eat what you have been eating or, depending on the form of intermittent fasting you have chosen, slowly start to eliminate certain foods from your diet and replace them with others. Maybe you give up those sweet breakfast cereals or save them for your post-workout meal. You could also replace butter with coconut oil when cooking. Or you could incorporate more fish or fish oil into your diet. During week 2, go one step further and eat from 10am to 8pm. Just think of it as a late morning breakfast and dinner is still your dinner. Week three is the final phase of your adaptation period as you reach your first 8 hour eating window. Congratulations, you have now lost your Intermittent Fasting virginity.
At the end of these three weeks, there's a good chance you'll know if Intermittent Fasting (or at least the approach you've tried) is a good fit for you. There's no better teacher than experience, right?
I know some readers are impatient and can't wait to dive right in. You think you're too hardcore to need some wimp acclimatization phase. In that case, you are of course free to go straight to an 8 hour eating window. But don't say afterwards that I didn't warn you.
FAQ
I am a shift worker. Can I still practise intermittent fasting?
Technically you can, but if your eating window is constantly changing then this can have devastating effects on your metabolism. It's far from ideal. Work with what you have, but do your best to eat at least around the same times each day.
Do I need to count macronutrients during intermittent fasting?
No, you don't, but you should also be aware that just because your eating window has shortened doesn't mean you can suddenly eat everything in any quantity. You will continue to gain weight if you consistently eat more calories than you consume - no matter how narrow your eating window is. Intermittent fasting is great, but it's not magic.
What if I miss my eating window? What if my typical eating window is between 10am and 8pm, but I eat something by 10pm one night. Do I then have to adjust my eating window the next day?
There will inevitably be days when this happens because life gets in the way. The train may be late, you may be struggling with your baby or you may simply have forgotten to eat. These things happen. Just eat when you can and eat again the next day at your usual time. Don't worry about it. Just try to stay as consistent as possible.
How will intermittent fasting affect my training sessions?
You don't necessarily have to change the way you exercise just because you are now doing intermittent fasting. Some methods require specific training and if this is the case, then follow the appropriate training protocol. Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing in the gym.
What if I train early in the morning?
If you train early in the morning or at any other time before the start of your eating window, then it's a good idea to take some BCAAs while you train. Different programs have different opinions on supplements, but I personally have found amino acids to be helpful. You can either start your eating window right after your workout or continue the fast with more BCAAs until it's time to eat.
What would a typical day look like if I trained in the morning?
There are many ways to approach this. Here is just one of many possible examples where BCAAs come into play:
- 6:00 a.m.: 10 grams of BCAAs with water
- 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.: Workout + 10 g BCAAs with water
- 8:00 am: 10 g BCAAs with water
- 10:00 am: Meal 1
- 14:00: Meal 2
- 18:00: Meal 3
The timing and macronutrient intake of each meal will inevitably differ based on which Intermittent Fasting protocol you follow, but in general such a scheme works quite well. If we're talking about cardio training, then you probably don't need BCAAs unless it's high-intensity cardio training,
Will my strength decrease?
A lot of people report that they can actually see an increase in their performance at the gym, which is pretty cool, right?
I've tried Intermittent Fasting, but I feel terrible with it. What can I do? The whole point and purpose of eating a certain way is that it makes your diet lighter - not heavier. If you really feel so bad about it, then do something else. It's as simple as that.
By Sohee Lee
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-your-fast-guide-to-fasting.html
Here's a quick summary:
- The ultimate Paleo diet for strength athletes is a diet based on the caveman diet, with a few starchy carbs and exercise nutrition thrown in to support training with weights.
- There is no such thing as essential carbohydrates, but tell that to someone who combines large amounts of anaerobic training with a no-carb diet and whose chimes have been lifeless for a year.
- The pathway of anaerobic energy production runs on glucose/carbohydrates. High-intensity muscle contractions require glucose.
- The true value of a nutritional approach based on the diet of our ancestors is what that approach removes from the average person's diet.
Let's make it simple. The optimal nutritional approach for a combination of health, performance and improved body development is to follow a caveman diet - animal protein and vegetables, no junk - with the inclusion of a few select starchy carbohydrates and appropriate training nutrition to support a workout with weights - that's it.
It's a "pimping" of the classic "don't eat junk, match the macronutrients to the demands of your sport" nutrition plan. And even though this is slowly becoming a mainstream approach, as evidenced by the legions of new Paleo converts pondering whether a caveman had access to rice crackers or quinoa, the dust has far from settled. Many office workers still follow a high-carb diet that would be better suited for athletes, and many strength athletes follow a no-carb diet that would be better suited for sedentary populations.
The principle of specificity has been lost in the insistence on dogma and people are confused across the board.
Paleo musings
What has been lost in all this intellectual talk and academic posturing is what should be the true goal of any educator - to give people simple, effective, actionable strategies that will help them produce results in the real world.
So let's leave it to the gurus to argue this out for the purpose of nutritional supremacy. You should focus on finding the most effective way for your individual situation and goals.
The Paleo way
The caveman theme is simple. It works for virtually anyone from the advanced athlete who has been overloaded with information by the fitness industry to the complete beginner who doesn't know much about nutrition (or doesn't care much about nutrition) and needs a simple approach to get started.
Paleo simplifies the overly complicated and gives people workable steps rather than hopelessly overwhelming them with lofty scientific debates. Ditch processed junk and eat more plants and animals. I'd wager that for 90% of people that removes 90% of all doubt.
Paleo sh...t on the "health industry" that thrives on uninformed consumers. Organic junk is still junk. Gluten-free junk is still junk. Gluten-free organic cookies are still cookies and are not good for your health or your body composition goals. Wild salmon and spinach are also gluten-free.
But in some elite athletic or academic circles, you may not even mention words like "paleo" or "caveman". If you did, it would make you seem less innovative or advanced and guaranteed not to give you access to V.I.P parties where everyone gets off on their own qualifications. So we have flowery language, unnecessarily technical dietary strategies and an obsession with unimportant details. Are you no longer interested in getting things done?
While the science underlying such complicated approaches is mind-bogglingly complex and could take a lifetime to master, the most effective nutrition and exercise programs are often also the simplest.
Stop cramming junk into yourself
Take it from someone who has worked with clients of all ages and former athletes who have wreaked havoc on their bodies with uninformed and extreme methods: the cumulative effect of your diet over the course of your life is what really matters - not some 10 week window of time. Serge Nubret once said "Every disease comes from food". I believe that genetics and environment also play a role, but food is the part you can control.
If we leave out the theory, marketing material, endless discussions with studies and counter studies and pointing to that one genetically blessed guy who gets away with it, then you can't tell me that if you take a step back and just use your common sense that you think that stuffing junk into you every day can be good for your long term health.
There are many athletes who look good on the outside but are wrecks on the inside. They are extremely unhealthy and struggle with side effects such as insomnia, depression, increased risk of disease, metabolic damage and digestive problems.
Whether you like it or not, choosing the right foods is important for optimizing your overall health. If you want to keep eating pizza and cake every day, of course you can.
Low carb is for couch potatoes
The Paleo approach is certainly not the only way, and it's definitely not the only method I use, but it is effective for certain populations.
A sedentary person doesn't exercise and certainly won't deplete their muscle glycogen stores (300 to 500 grams), so they don't need to worry about replenishing them on a daily basis. Carbohydrate-rich diets (300 grams or more per day) are more appropriate for athletes and regular exercisers who go through a cyclical depletion and replenishment of their muscle glycogen stores.
Inactive people need only worry about consuming sufficient amounts of carbohydrates to keep their liver glycogen stores adequately replenished, which regulate normal blood sugar levels and provide energy to the brain and nervous system. This can be achieved with about 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. You don't need to remember any of this - just remember that athletes can cope with more carbohydrates than people with an office job.
That's why scientific research shows that lower-carb, caveman dietary approaches may be the best approach for improving body composition and biomarkers of health for overweight, insulin-resistant and sedentary people.
The bottom line
If you are severely overweight, insulin resistant and/or sedentary, then a Paleo style diet may be the best approach for you at this time. Maintain a calorie deficit, eat adequate amounts of protein, consume about 100 grams of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables and fruit and consume your remaining calories in the form of healthy fats.
Where all the sectarian fanatics go wrong
Let's talk about the Paleo diet in terms of its generally accepted, well-known version - the low-carb, high-protein, high-fat version (eat animal protein, non-starchy vegetables, fruits and healthy fats).
There is no "one" Paleo diet and the food choices and percentage distribution of macronutrients vary depending on the time and region under consideration (Inuit vs. Kitavan, etc.). I know this isn't fair to the Paleo movement, but this article is about simplifying things, giving people applicable strategies, and explaining them in terms they know.
Specificity matters
The problems start when a nutritional approach becomes a pseudo-religious cult - fanatical teachers preach it as the only way with no possible modifications based on individual goals, hardcore followers condemn all other methods, brainwashed students who may stunt their progress or harm themselves by following the teachings of an inflexible system spread the fear that if a starchy carbohydrate ever touches your lips, the wrath of the four winds will destroy your village.
You will never convince me that a 150 kilo, obese, insulin resistant, sedentary office worker trying to save his life should eat the same as an athlete trying to achieve maximum performance. But that's exactly what you must believe if you dogmatically follow one of those "one size fits all" systems.
The true value of a caveman approach to nutrition is in what it removes from the average person's diet - high fructose corn syrup and table sugar, trans fats, unhealthy oils - and not in a religious adherence to the one specific macronutrient distribution scheme regardless of individual activity levels, metabolic state or goals.
Why? Because 100% Paleo (as it is usually defined) simply does not address the differences in individual activity levels, individual metabolic factors, overall health, and the differences between average citizens and elite athletes.
Starchy carbohydrates and avoiding the "skinny-fat" syndrome
Animals and plants provide us with the essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and macronutrients we need to survive and function normally. Everything else is about providing us with the energy we need for our daily activities.
"Added fat" is a source of energy and not an essential nutrient. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your overall calorie needs and goals, the type and amount of training you do, and the composition of the rest of your diet. A healthy and active human body is adaptable and can cope well with both.
Low carbohydrate diets are well suited for certain populations - sedentary, insulin resistant, etc. - and should be the default diet for probably 70% of our population.
However, exercise generates a unique metabolic environment - an altered physiological state - and changes the way your body processes nutrients both during activities and up to 48 hours after a training session. If you train intensively three or more days a week, your body will be in recovery mode virtually 100% of the time. It is in an altered state 100% of the time and its nutritional needs are completely different from those of an idle couch potato.
In a sports nutrition context, carbohydrates are therefore considered essential. I know there is no such thing as essential carbs, but tell that to the guy who combines large amounts of anaerobic training with zero carbs and whose junk has been lifeless for a year, or the gal whose thyroid hormone levels and metabolism are shot.
I believe that starchy carbohydrate consumption should be directly related to high-intensity, glycogen-burning activity levels. Fats should be regulated up or down accordingly so that you stay within your required calorie levels. If the training is different, then the diet should be different. This is simply common sense that goes beyond dogmatic creeds.
The anaerobic energy pathway runs on glucose/carbohydrates. It cannot use fats or ketones. While the body can use fatty acids for energy at rest (and the brain can use ketones) and even those who only train in the aerobic zone can adapt to fat as an energy source, intense muscle contractions require glucose.
Therefore, chronic carbohydrate deprivation combined with anaerobic training can impair performance and eventually lead to muscle wasting - the skinny-fat syndrome, i.e. you're thin but still flabby. The body will break down amino acids as a reserve energy source to get the glucose it needs for high-intensity activity. You know how it's said that fats and ketones protect muscles better than carbohydrates? Not necessarily when anaerobic training is involved.
And low-carb diets with consistent high-intensity activity can come with a host of metabolic, hormonal and physiological drawbacks, which can include impaired thyroid hormone production, low testosterone levels and sex drive, a reduction in metabolic rate, muscle breakdown, skinny-fat syndrome, insomnia, depression, irritability and reduced immune function.
For those who fear carbohydrates during their fat loss phases, remember that total calories are still the most important factor. If you train with weights while maintaining a relative calorie deficit, you can still include some starchy carbohydrates in your diet while still losing significant amounts of body fat.
The hybrid approach
Use the Paleo diet as a base template for your food choices - avoid processed foods and favor animals and plants. Include some starchy carbohydrates in your diet to support your training with weights. Try to minimize sugar, gluten, anti-nutrients and toxic compounds. What you are left with are root vegetables (yams, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes) and white rice. You may be okay with gluten or dairy, but a large percentage of people don't do well with them. Test it out and see what works best.
For a simple educational template that you can memorize as easily as the Paleo diet, I recommend the traditional rural Japanese diet, which consists of fish and meat, non-starchy vegetables, fruit, rice and root vegetables.
I don't care if this is historically or anthropologically accurate (i.e. what was eaten in a village in 1678 compared to a village in another region in 1594). This approach is only meant as a simple tool to give people viable strategies.
If you don't want to feel like you're turning into a Japanese person, the Uri peasant diet (meat and potatoes), the Okinawa diet (pork, vegetables and sweet potatoes) and the Kitavana diet (fish, fruit and root vegetables) are other good examples and templates. Carbohydrate-based diets minus processed junk is the common theme here.
The bottom line
The natural bodybuilding standard of a calorie deficit, adequate protein intake, vegetables and fruit for micronutrients, moderate amounts of fat as a by-product of animal protein sources and some starch to support anaerobic training, combined with hypertrophy-based strength training are far better for fat loss than the current low-carb, high-fat diets combined with cross-training and boot camps.
Find a way to win
I encourage you to take some responsibility and experiment on your own to find out what works best for you. Don't be like a chick waiting to be fed what your mommy thinks is appropriate for you.
Maybe you see this as not having a point of view. Maybe you see it as bro-science. I would call it figuring out what works. And as for the true application of the scientific method, even scientific research studies only give you steps one through three: question, hypothesis, and prediction. Each person has to do steps four and five for themselves - test and analyze.
You should use science and systems to find a well-informed starting point, but you shouldn't dogmatically cling to anything regardless of the source. Just find a way to win.
By Nate Miyaki | 01/14/14
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/paleo-hybrid-
Some fat loss myths never seem to die. While they may not slow down your progress, these myths can still waste your time. Maximize your fat loss by avoiding these 9 myths. It seems like old myths never die. Although we live in an age of unrivaled information sharing, most of the old fat loss myths continue to be passed around.
Most of this unfounded advice is quite harmless, but can waste your time with unnecessary practices. The following fat loss myths still prevail. I regularly see them being spread around. I even recently received a spam email containing each of the following myths.
9 Fat Loss Myths
Myth #1 - Eating regularly will increase your metabolic rate
It seems like this notion will never die.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that regular, or frequent, meals increase metabolic rate. A review of relevant studies concluded that total daily calorie expenditure was the same regardless of the meal frequency used (1).
The frequency of meals in this meta-study ranged from one to seventeen meals per day. The scientists came to the following conclusion: "Studies that used whole-body calorimetry and doubly labeled water to determine energy expenditure over 24 hours found no difference between many small meals and few large meals." Since 1997, all recent research studies have supported this conclusion.
Myth #2 - You need to eat protein at every meal
Adequate protein intake is essential for fat loss. It helps your body maintain valuable muscle mass and helps you improve your body composition while losing weight. While it's not bad to eat protein with every meal, it's not necessary. As long as you achieve an adequate daily protein intake, it generally doesn't matter when and how you eat your protein.
Don't panic if you miss a protein meal. You won't become catabolic and lose all your muscle gains. This obsessive belief has ruined the day for many.
Myth #3 - You shouldn't eat carbs after 2pm
This is another persistent myth. As long as you have your daily calorie intake under control and you don't consume excessive amounts of carbohydrates relative to your other macronutrients, it won't matter when you eat those carbs. There is nothing magical about consuming carbohydrates in the late afternoon or evening. The human body does not have a magic switch that suddenly turns all carbohydrates into fat after 2pm.
The assumption behind this myth is that the metabolic rate slows down during sleep. However, this is generally not the case, even though the human metabolic rate initially slows down by 35% after falling asleep (2), it later increases significantly when you reach REM sleep.
The end result is that your metabolic rate during sleep is not lower than when you are inactive during the day (3, 4). In addition, it should be noted that exercising during the day will also lead to an increase in your metabolic rate at night (5).
Myth #4 - You need to do endless hours of cardio training
Wrong, wrong and wrong. Even though 3 to 4 cardio workouts of 20 to 30 minutes per week are great for overall health, cardio itself is not an efficient fat loss tool - diet is more effective.
Let's say you walk 5 kilometers per hour. 1.5 kilometers burns about 100 kcal. So you'd have to walk over 50 kilometers a week to burn a pound of fat. And even if you walked that much, you wouldn't lose any fat if you don't have your eating habits under control.
Don't overdo the cardio. Use a structured diet plan and the weight will come off. Do some cardio every week for better health and fitness.
Myth #5 - You should cut your calories immediately
Just blindly cutting calories doesn't address bad eating habits, nor does it help shape a new lifestyle. Without addressing the eating (and drinking) habits that got you into this mess in the first place, there's a good chance you'll fail again and regain the weight you lost.
Before you rashly just cut your calories, you should seriously evaluate your diet. Try to remove 90% of the following:
- Sugary drinks and fruit juices (fruit juice is like fruit without all the good nutrients found in the pulp and skin.
- Processed foods (ready meals, most frozen foods, etc.) - Junk food snacks (cookies, crackers and candy)
Once you've removed all of this nutritional junk from your diet, you can choose healthier options instead. At this point, it's time to start controlling calories.
Myth #6 - Rapid weight loss is always a good thing
While it may be necessary for severely overweight people who are trying to improve their health as quickly as possible to lose 4 to 5 pounds per week, this is not the best way to lose weight if you want to look good when you're done. Let's leave out extremely obese people and talk about you. Most of us need to lose a maximum of about 20 to 40 pounds of fat. If this is the case, and you want to look as good as possible when the fat loss process is done, then you should aim for a fat loss of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week.
This rate of weight loss will allow you to maintain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat. This is what you want. If you lose weight quickly, then you will lose muscle mass and fat and risk looking thin, but still soft and kind of flabby.
Myth #7 - Fasting cardio is best for fat loss
Not true. Without going into all this discussion about different types of cardio and the optimal time to do cardio, I want to use some common sense.
We've already seen that diet drives fat loss and that cardio only has a minimal impact (unless you have enough time to work out for hours every day). Once you understand this, I would strongly recommend that you simply do the following:
- The type of cardio you enjoy.
- The type of cardio that is appropriate for your age, health and fitness level.
- Cardio training at the time of day that makes the most sense for you.
While HIIT cardio may be the best form of cardio on paper, HIIT could also be risky for you. Walk, swim or go bowling. Just get moving. Once you've started to improve your fitness and conditioning, you can do more challenging forms of cardio when you need to. And it makes far more sense to do cardio at a time of day when you're neither pressed for time nor tired. You are more likely to enjoy your cardio training and stick with it without missing a training session. Returning to the topic of cardio training while fasting, here is a quote from Schoenfeld on the subject:
To summarize, the literature does not support the efficacy of early morning exercise on an empty stomach as a tactic to reduce body fat percentage. At best, the net fat loss effect associated with such an approach will be no better than exercising after a meal and may even produce better results (6).
Myth #8 - Choose low-fat foods to lose fat
Eating fat will not make you fat. This is one of the most quoted but also most ridiculous nutrition myths. This myth needs to die and I want to encourage you to help with this process. Excess calories make you fat. Candy, cookies, chips, crackers, high-calorie fast food, convenience foods, sugary drinks... most people consume too many of these foods while consuming too few real, whole, nutrient-dense foods. Low-fat products often contain sugar for flavor or are misleading from the start. How many times have you seen the term "low fat" on a packet of sweets or cookies? Of course these foods are low in fat - as they are almost entirely made up of sugar! A "low fat" label on a food is often meaningless. That food can still be very high in calories.
A high calorie diet will make you gain weight. Control your calories and you will control your weight. Fat will not cause you to gain weight if your eating habits are sensible and balanced.
Myth #9 - Avoid fruit during the fat loss process
This is another foolish fat loss myth. Yes, fruit contains some sugar, but no, fruit is anything but high in calorie density and it's hard to overeat on fruit. In addition, fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals. We're going to toot the same horn here: total calorie intake is the most important factor when it comes to weight gain. I have yet to meet a single person who got fat from eating too many strawberries, apples or oranges. A reasonable amount of natural sugars and carbohydrates found in fruit won't make much difference and certainly won't make your belly grow if you have your total calories under control. If you want to lose fat, it's best to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables each week. This will allow you to get a wider range of vitamins and minerals and is great for overall health.
Fat loss summary
Here is a summary:
- Eat meals that fit your daily routine and needs. There is no urgent reason to eat every 2 to 3 hours. This will not increase your metabolic rate, but could cause you to waste a lot of time trying to figure out what to eat at 6 to 10 meals a day.
- It's okay to eat a meal that includes little or no protein. This won't affect your fat loss or the maintenance of your muscles. Aim for a minimum amount of protein per day. It won't make much difference when you eat this protein.
- Eating carbohydrates after 2pm is fine as long as you keep your total calories under control. These carbohydrates are not directly converted into fat.
- Your eating plan is your primary fat loss mechanism. Use cardio to support overall health and improve your fitness, but not as your primary tool for fat loss. Cardio training combined with a poor diet will not result in fat loss.
- Before rushing to reduce your calories, you should analyze your poor eating habits. If you don't take steps to change these habits, you risk getting fat again when your diet is over.
- To maximize your muscle mass during fat loss, you should aim for a weight loss of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week. This will help you look your best when your diet is over.
- When and how you do cardio doesn't really matter. Choose a form of cardio that you enjoy and do it at a time of day when you are likely to have the most energy.
- Eating fat does not make you fat. Excess calorie intake makes you fat. Low-fat foods are not inherently low in calories. They are often overloaded with sugar. Be careful.
- Eat a wide variety of fruit each week. The small amounts of sugar and carbohydrates contained in fruit will not affect your fat loss as long as your total calorie intake is within a reasonable range.
References
- Bellisle F, McDevitt R, Prentice AM. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr. 1997 Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.
- Seale JL, Conway JM. Relationship between overnight energy expenditure and BMR measured in a room-sized calorimeter. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Feb;53(2):107-11.
- Zhang K, Sun M, Werner P, Kovera AJ, Albu J, Pi-Sunyer FX, Boozer CN. Sleeping metabolic rate in relation to body mass index and body composition. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002 Mar;26(3):376-83.
- Mischler I, Vermorel M, Montaurier C, Mounier R, Pialoux V, Pequignot JM, Cottet-Emard JM, Coudert J, Fellmann N. Prolonged daytime exercise repeated over 4 days increases sleeping heart rate and metabolic rate. Can J Appl Physiol. 2003 Aug;28(4):616-29.
- Biston P, Van Cauter E, Ofek G, Linkowski P, Polonsky KS, Degaute JP. Diurnal variations in cardiovascular function and glucose regulation in normotensive humans. Hypertension. 1996 Nov;28(5):863-71.
- Brad Schoenfeld, MSc, CSCS, NSCA-CPT. Does Cardio After an Overnight Fast Maximize Fat Loss? http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/articles/does_cardio_after_an_overnight_fast_maximize_fat_loss.pdf
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/9-fat-loss-myths
