FujiKid

Before I post I guess I'll just start off by saying I have no real goal in mind right now. Obviously I'd like to get faster, but I don't really wish to lose weight. Just make this diet more of a "lifestyle"

Anyways, I've come across a diet known as "intermittent fasting". Basically in a nutshell, you eat for 8 hours/fast for 16 hours.

Found Here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

https://www.leangains.com/


Anyways, my current diet/eating schedule is like this.
9-10 a.m (wake up/take 200mg of caffeine + scoop of BCAA's)
11 a.m (Ride)
2-3 p.m (finish riding/ + 100mg of caffeine + 1 scoop of BCAA's)
5 p.m (Start eating)
1 a.m (Stop eating/Start fast)

I've been doing this for the past week and my rides have been BETTER and more efficient than they were when I was training on a full stomach.. weird..
ALL of my rides have been done fasted. and I haven't noticed any muscle loss over the past week or so. but that may just be too short term to actually tell.

- Have any of you tried this?
- Are the BCAA's sufficient enough to prevent muscle loss?
- Thoughts?/Opinions?
-

LAE

I currently use the IF model and have been for some time, fits in very well with my lifestyle. 4am commute, eat at 1pm, eat again at 5pm and a big dinner at 8pm then off to bed and repeat. Cycling for me in the morning is not really an issue and I dont consistently take the bcaas, although that being said I dnt usually put in the miles that most do on here so I can't comment on that. I've noticed no muscle loss but I lift on my non commuting days and I'm generally a muscular guy.

My cycling hasn't suffered at all, my time has consistently improved but I doubt that's down to IF. I get hunger pangs at about 8am but they go in 5minutes or so and I dont really get hungry again until the same time the next morning.

They key for me is the big dinner, usually right after my weights session or a short ride.

FujiKid

bump, anyone else doing this?

CharleyGnarly

I am. Makes a big difference. I am totally sold on it.
Found out about it via Mark's Daily Apple.

hueyhoolihan

occasionally...

i do it between meals.

krobinson103

I don't eat before my 2 hour ride every morning. I'll have a light breakfast of cereal. I usually work split shift physically active teaching. I go out in the morning and teach the 5 year olds which uses a lot of energy. I then have a decent sized lunch. Go out in the afternoon and do the rest of the work - a little more sitting involved. A small dinner and repeat. Leaves me in energy deficit but not enough to stop me from being active all day. Gone a month so far and riding only gets easier and faster.

gregf83 

As long as you're eating enough carbs you shouldn't get muscle loss regardless of whether you eat any BCAAs.

It's unlikely to make you any faster.

FujiKid

Thanks for the input guys.

orionz06

Coincedentally I am doing 16/8 starting this week. Fits my schedule as is, tweak the diet slightly and stop eating early while still eating more calories based on my previous eating habits.

Rhodabike

What are BCAAs?

clemsongirl 

‘Branched-chain amino acid’, they serve as a source of energy for muscle cells. Some supplement with bcaa’s to increase the body’s ability to use fat and lower the rate that the body takes glycogen from the muscles. You can get what you need from foods like lean meats, seeds, whey protein and my favorite…ice cream! Personally I prefer food to get what I need. I wouldn’t call it a fast if I was ingesting bcaa’s but as with the OP some do.


the 100th post is a good place to retire......

Recreate.me

I might be late on this thread but yes i have heard of it, and i gave it a whirl for a few months back from august to about christmas.

Its not really a diet, as you aren't limiting food intake or calories or anything, its just a time shift. The goal is to fast at least 16 hours of each day, to help burn fat.

You should be careful to check if the BCAA's have any calories, otherwise you break your fast. But technically it shouldn't affect muscle building/loss as long as you get your macros during each feed period you should be set for the rest of the rest period.

I plan on going back on this once the weather clears up, i did really enjoy it once i adjusted lol

How long are your rides typically ? have you experienced any bonking, or other troubles? I am curious

Zé Apelido

I fast for 8 hours naturally!

Seriously, IF can work, just like eating small meals frequently can also work. Unless you go multiple days without eating, your aren't going into starvation mode and breaking down muscle. So whatever works for appetite suppression, go for it.

hobkirk

A good friend who doesn't cycle, but averages 100 miles/week of hiking or running (at age 66), does IF essentially. He has a coffee with sugar in the morning and then doesn't eat anything til dinner. Then he has a full meal (he's a big fan of restaurants). He can still wear pants he had in college. [That can be pretty damn depressing to a fatty like me!]

youcoming

I couldn't I would spend my entire life with a headache.

elcruxio

Let's bump this up a bit shall we.

I'll start out by saying that I'm a some kind of diabetic. What kind will be narrowed down when I have my next doctors appointment in a month or so. The choices are type 1, type 2, LADA, MODY or some obscure kind yet undiscovered. It's seriously weird at this point.

Anyways, I was getting a bit of a tummy since this winter hasn't really allowed for much exercise outside. Cycling has been out of the question entirely, skiing has been challenging at best (I got new zero bottom ski's which work well in slush but it's a bit too late now), running in the slush is very much 'meh', so the only thing has been gym work (which really doesn't burn a lot of calories at all).
So I decided to try the whole IF thing with a 16/8 method and calorie counting. This means that I stay in fasting mode for 16 hours a day and eat in the evenings inside an 8 hour window. I also limit myself to 2000 Kcal per day if I don't exercise and add a bit if I do. The highest I've eaten in calories currently is 2600Kcal, but that was a day where I exercised for the worth of 1500Kcal.
I also try to get at least 110 grams of protein per day and preferably a bit more, especially if I've been hitting the gym actively.

Why I chose this method instead of all the other possibilities then? Well I haven't always been a breakfast eater so I thought that daily fasting periods might suit me. Also getting insulin right in the mornings is a huge hassle since my insulin sensitivity varies wildly before 1pm, so after breakfast I would always be either high or low, never perfect. Now that I'm not eating anything in the mornings I don't have think about it anymore. Also, I used to hate limiting meal calories since I would feel hungry all the time. However now when I fast for 16 hours per day I don't really feel hunger nearly as much anymore. I'm not hungry during the fasting period, I can get by with much smaller portions and overall I'm much happier eating more in a small period of time, rather than eating very little in a long period of time.

So far I haven't lost any weight. However I've gained some visible muscle all over (lots of gym work) and more importantly I'm losing half an inch off my waist every day. That'll slow down pretty soon, I'm sure of it, but so far this seems pretty promising. Also, more importantly, the last time my blood glucose has been this good was when I was still undiagnosed and asymptomatic. I have perfect 4-6mmol/l levels during the morning/noon period, I don't really have add any extra insulin during normal meals since my sensitivity is at insane levels and it seems my own insulin production is kicking up as well. I really only inject insulin if I eat something seriously high carb. But nowadays I don't really eat high carb meals since that makes it difficult to get enough protein in 2000Kcal.
Also, I've only gotten one low during all this, when I used to get several a week with normal eating.

Exercise is easier since it seems my blood glucose stays level even if I don't eat during exercise. I used to need to eat constantly when exercising, since the insulin I'm on is a fast insulin with a 5 hour effect window. This meant that I couldn't either exercise 5 hours after eating or I would have to eat constantly to keep my BG level. Now that I don't really inject that much and my sensitivity is so high, I can just go and go without eating. This helps immensely with calorie control.

All in all 10/10, would do again

FrenchFit 

I've passed year two of IFing. No food until 5-6pm, then a 2-3 hour eating window. There is a wealth of posts on the BF if you go back a year or two.

Some funny idiosyncrasies: If you bust out, like eat 3 meals on a Sunday, you can expect to pay for it on Monday - bad workouts. Two days in a row eating during the day you will feel ill, move like a sloth, can't get a good nights sleep. Overtime your peak output tends to diminish noticeably, more the marathoner and less the football player. You'll have motivation problems at the gym. You'll find over time you need no food and very little water on your rides. You will slow down.

The positives greatly outweigh the negatives, but I'm an old guy. If I was in my 20s and going for peak performance I doubt I would be doing this.

LGHT

I got some advice from buddy who's a nutritionist and body builder that competes in tri's when I wanted to lose some weight several months ago and he said 16 hours no eating is a great way to put your body into fut burning mode. However you don't do it daily, but every other day so you're body isn't trained on "storing" food. I basically eat an early dinner around 7pm and don't eat breakfast the next day and just have a light lunch at noon. That's 16 hours without food, but I also drink a ton of water the morning and the night of. To be honest I almost never really feel like I'm starving and that has helped me drop almost 40 lbs in 6 months.

I do take BCAA's, Whey protein isolate, ALC, and creatine after my long bike rides and it makes a HUGE difference for an older fat guy like myself. You can get the same benefits from food, but I found a light meal and supplements to be key in not in-taking too many calories, but still giving your body what you need and when you need it.

wolfchild

I've tried IF for a few months. Nothing positive or extraordinary came out of it, so I went back to eating few meals per day. No more diet fads for me, I am done.

Dunbar

You guys are doing this every day? I thought intermittent fasting was two days a week. I'd be miserable if I didn't eat anything before 5pm every single day. Also, limiting yourself to 2000 calories a day while IF seems contrary to the idea of IF which is that you can eat whatever you want except during the fasting periods. There is no way I could do significant intensity on the bike if I had been fasting for 8+ hours before the ride.

no sweat

When I need to lose weight, I skip breakfast. It goes against everything about nutrition that has been drilled into me since childhood, but so ef'fing what, it works for me. My parents' (and their generation's) politics were all wrong too.

I can routinely eat nothing between 730 pm and noon the next day except for a little milk in my morning coffee.

Then, lunch will be peanut butter & one big apple (fuji or gala). Dinner will be whatever the heck I feel like, but I won't gorge. Whatever I feel like is usually paleo. This is a Winter thing. If I'm putting down 100 or more miles a week, then I don't have to worry about weight control.

What happens to me (I think, I'm not doc) is that when I get fully carb loaded I get locked in the carb craving / high insulin feedback loop and I can pack on the pounds in a hurry. This happened twice this Winter. Fresh hot chocolate chip cookies are my weakness....

Anyhow, skipping breakfast is the way I break the loop. Activity helps (a lot!).

During the years I was sedentary, my fasting blood glucose was always right on 100, and I was roughly 20 - 25% body fat. My docs weren't the least concerned about this, which tells you all you really need to know about the state of healthcare in this country. Now that I've got my game together I'm 13% body fat (not bad for April) and have fasting blood glucose in low 80s.

I never even heard of BCAAs until this thread, lol.

curlyque

Eliminating cravings is job one for me. I try to go 18 hours between eating events. I feel the same effin' way about the not eating late rule :-) I'll have a non carb snack shortly before I go to bed. Since I'm retired it's easy to play around with this diet stuff. I should mention that I drink black coffee most of the day.

elcruxio

The fasting for 16 hours and having an 8 hour eating window is really just a trick for easier calorie control. It's harder to cram down 2000 calories in 8 hours than in 16 hours. But counting calories still reigns supreme. Even with IF if you eat more than you use you're going to gain weight and vice versa.

of course there's also my improved glucose control but the main point is weihht loss. Also this is not for everybody. Some people aren't good with fasting. I handle it pretty well so for me it's perfect

Tabagas_Ru

A preface:
When I mention low carb I mean unprocessed carbs, mainly vegetables and a small amount of fruit are consumed.

I have been IF since Dec. 1 2014, and lost 50 lbs. I only eat supper, or I will only start to eat after I work out. I have found the key to controlling cravings is staying away from all processed food. I call it the “no ingredient list diet”. I will usually eat a huge portion of vegetables, a small amount of fatty meat and the olive oil on my salad or coconut oil to quickly fry my vegetables. After a workout I will have some whey protein concentrate.

There is quite a bit of research on the benefits of fasting. When one fasts the damaged cells and protein structures in the body are targeted first to be consumed through the ubiquitin proteasome system. An interesting effect is that the immune system is consumed by the body, and when one starts to eat again, stem cells are triggered and the immune system (white blood cells) are regenerated. The body’s consumption of damaged protein structures, including neural cells and stem cell stimulation are thought to be part of the mechanism that imparts longevity and health.

Another interesting effect is the increase in HGH production, especially if on a low carb regimen. HGH can increase by 20 fold in men and 15 fold in women while IF.

It has been posited that humans were evolved to engage in a feast and famine lifestyle that IF mimics and this is why so many health benefits are seen. Personally, in my profession I am around disease and sickness every day, and while everybody around me has been getting sick, co-workers and family alike, I have not had so much as a sniffle. Many of my health problems have also disappeared, such as bowel and gout problems.

Another trend I have noticed is that any sick person that I work with eats a poor diet or eats too much, especially processed foods that contain too many carbs. I have even worked with very physically fit and active people that developed diabetes in spite of there supposedly healthy lifestyle. I believe this is because of 2 factors. Extended endurance exercises and high carb diet.

Personally I have noticed that even though I still get hungry during the day, and I do not eat until I get home after work, plus I work out at the gym most days after work, and my shortest work day is 12 hours and my longer ones can push 14 hours. I do not get any of the negative effects of hunger, such as moodiness or feeling weak. My job is very high stress and deals with people’s life and limb. Sometimes I will not stop for breaks for the entire shift, where most of it is on my feet.

I attribute this to 2 things that I have read in the research about IF and low carb, with absolutely no processed food. 1. My blood sugar levels don’t fluctuate greatly during the day. 2. My body has been adapted to using fat as fuel. 3. Improved gluconeogenesis.

JBHoren

I was exposed to Intermittent Fasting by the Hodge Twins (https://www.youtube.com/user/fastingtwins) about a year, year-and-a-half ago, and have been doing it ever since, on a daily basis. My "eating window" is six hours -- 1:30PM through 7:30PM -- which allows me to do all my eating post-workout. I also follow a high-fat/moderate-protein/no-|lo-carb diet and, together with 60 to 80 miles/week riding, have managed to lower my weight from 308lbs to around 200lbs. I've also lowered my fasting blood glucose level from the mid-130s to the mid-80s, with corresponding drops in cholesterol levels. I'm 63 years old, and retired.