# Why I use IF



## LDVinny (May 16, 2016)

Any bodybuilding community that you visit and ask about IF you will always get the same answer... it is only a tool, its not that important when you eat it is only important how many calories etc... and to some degree you must agree with this. BUT! When intermittent fasting I find that when you're not eating you don't have the urge to binge eat, that being said for the first couple of days you'll be hungry all the time, but once that has passed I find hunger is no longer an issue. Just looking for your two cents on IF??


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## FuqOutDaWhey (Apr 29, 2015)

Looks more like a riveting tale than a question :lol:


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## Fluke82 (Sep 10, 2015)

I'll be starting IF next week tbf.

I like my food, and so cannot really eat small meals throughout the day etc or I just over-eat.

1pm to 9pm is the window.


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## lukeyybrown1 (Jun 4, 2014)

I have recently been doing this also....... tbh i quite like it ..... it takes the stress away from my mind about gettinga meal in every 2/3hrs ........ i just have an 8hr window now to each all my calories and its sweet.


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## JohhnyC (Mar 16, 2015)

lukeyybrown1 said:


> I have recently been doing this also....... tbh i quite like it ..... it takes the stress away from my mind about gettinga meal in every 2/3hrs ........ i just have an 8hr window now to each all my calories and its sweet.


 I gave up on that idea years ago, trying to ram in 6 - 8 meals a day in. Swear it made no difference to me in terms of training , well apart from having to eat larger main meals, it can be too much hassle bringing around Tupperware boxes with you, for years on end


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## andyboro (Oct 1, 2006)

Drogon said:


> I'll be starting IF next week tbf.
> 
> I like my food, and so cannot really eat small meals throughout the day etc or I just over-eat.
> 
> 1pm to 9pm is the window.


 That's why I use it too - I suck at portion control so it solves the issue without it being one.


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## Jeffers1966 (Apr 19, 2013)

Been doing Warrior 20/4 since October last year , stuff my face from 4 to 8pm and train fasted , as it stands probably do this for the rest of my life , easy to add and lose weight , never felt better


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## GB987 (May 12, 2016)

Does supplementing with BCAAs outside the window have any effect?


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

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[if]

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Synonyms


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conjunction

1.

in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that:

Sing if you want to. Stay indoors if it rains. I'll go if you do.

2.

even though:

an enthusiastic if small audience.

3.

whether:

He asked if I knew Spanish.

4.

(used to introduce an exclamatory phrase):

If only Dad could see me now!

5.

when or whenever:

If it was raining, we had to play inside.

noun

6.

a supposition; uncertain possibility:

The future is full of ifs.

7.

a condition, requirement, or stipulation:

There are too many ifs in his agreement.

Hope that helps.


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## TheScam (Apr 30, 2013)

GB987 said:


> Does supplementing with BCAAs outside the window have any effect?


 Think I read somewhere that they can be used pre/post/intra workout. Think anything over 30 cals generally is considered to break the fast - then again if you are doing it for portion control and dont believe that the long fasted state has any extra impact on weight loss then it would make absolutely no difference.

I train first thing in the morning then eat around 11am as I train fine on an empty stomach first thing. Sometimes I'll have a banana if the workout is intense (i do crossfit so dont know what im doing til i get there)

At the moment I just eat when I'm hungry so ill have lunch around 1pm, dinner around 6pm and then a snack in the evening but going to try and bring that last meal in a little bit to follow an IF style 8 hour window


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Think I read somewhere that they can be used pre/post/intra workout. Think anything over 30 cals generally is considered to break the fast - then again if you are doing it for portion control and dont believe that the long fasted state has any extra impact on weight loss then it would make absolutely no difference.
> 
> I train first thing in the morning then eat around 11am as I train fine on an empty stomach first thing. Sometimes I'll have a banana if the workout is intense (i do crossfit so dont know what im doing til i get there)
> 
> At the moment I just eat when I'm hungry so ill have lunch around 1pm, dinner around 6pm and then a snack in the evening but going to try and bring that last meal in a little bit to follow an IF style 8 hour window


 i read somewhere that one of the main benefits of IF is while you're fasting you're insulin levels are very low so you're body is in "fat burning mode" if you take BCAAs you will spike insulin levels so it defeats the purpose IMO. Of course this doesn't matter if you're just using IF to prevent overeating.


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## TheScam (Apr 30, 2013)

Sphinkter said:


> i read somewhere that one of the main benefits of IF is while you're fasting you're insulin levels are very low so you're body is in "fat burning mode" if you take BCAAs you will spike insulin levels so it defeats the purpose IMO. Of course this doesn't matter if you're just using IF to prevent overeating.


 Agreed, depends on your motives although from what I read up on it it's generally considered that BCAAs dont break your fast.

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Do BCAAs have Any Calories? Won't taking them break my fast?
*

As BCAAs are amino acids that make up protein, they definitely have caloric weight. Fasting is not an on/off switch - ingesting 10 calories won't suddenly turn fasting "off." Taking 10 grams of BCAA is ok.

http://examine.com/leangains-faq/#summary15


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## Jordan08 (Feb 17, 2014)

I loved it.


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Agreed, depends on your motives although from what I read up on it it's generally considered that BCAAs dont break your fast.
> 
> *
> Do BCAAs have Any Calories? Won't taking them break my fast?
> ...


 Get what you're saying but I wasn't talking about the caloric content of the BCAAs (4cal per g) I was talking about the insulin spiking effect of taking them. Insulin is the storage hormone so generally while it is high you won't be burning as much fat.


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/leangains/comments/3k4r9r


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## iamyou (Oct 29, 2012)

The only thing i didn't like about IF was the bloated stomach


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## MartynB85 (May 16, 2016)

If the reason for taking BCAA's when fasted is to prevent muscle breakdown, just use HMB as it's better than the leucine in BCAA's.


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## TheScam (Apr 30, 2013)

Sphinkter said:


> Get what you're saying but I wasn't talking about the caloric content of the BCAAs (4cal per g) I was talking about the insulin spiking effect of taking them. Insulin is the storage hormone so generally while it is high you won't be burning as much fat.
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/leangains/comments/3k4r9r


 Fair enough, thanks for that

I assume a pre-workout drink would have the same effect, plus extra cals?


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Fair enough, thanks for that
> 
> I assume a pre-workout drink would have the same effect, plus extra cals?


 Yep and I think that's also one of the supposed benefits of a pre/post workout drink, spiking insulin and flooding the bloodstream with fast digesting protein and carbs, then working out so in theory the raised insulin shuttles all the nutrients into the muscles, which are primed to soak it up as a result of working out.

i think this was all based on some study done on rats though.


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## TheScam (Apr 30, 2013)

Sphinkter said:


> Yep and I think that's also one of the supposed benefits of a pre/post workout drink, spiking insulin and flooding the bloodstream with fast digesting protein and carbs, then working out so in theory the raised insulin shuttles all the nutrients into the muscles, which are primed to soak it up as a result of working out.
> 
> i think this was all based on some study done on rats though.


 Interesting.

I'm still a believer that a calorie deficit and sensible macro balance will yield the results I need, everything else is just a bit too scientific for me!


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Interesting.
> 
> I'm still a believer that a calorie deficit and sensible macro balance will yield the results I need, everything else is just a bit too scientific for me!


 Same, simple is best!


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## JohhnyC (Mar 16, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Interesting.
> 
> I'm still a believer that a calorie deficit and sensible macro balance will yield the results I need, everything else is just a bit too scientific for me!


 agreed that IF seems too fancy for me, just eat less. I went from 37 to 34waist in 2 months, wasn't hard actually. Just eat until hunger taken away not stuffed, More habit than anything. Bit of education too of course on what your eating


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## JohhnyC (Mar 16, 2015)

TheScam said:


> Interesting.
> 
> I'm still a believer that a calorie deficit and sensible macro balance will yield the results I need, everything else is just a bit too scientific for me!


 agreed that IF seems too fancy for me, just eat less. I went from 37 to 34waist in 2 months, wasn't hard actually. Just eat until hunger taken away not stuffed, More habit than anything. Bit of education too of course on what your eating


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## TheScam (Apr 30, 2013)

JohhnyC said:


> agreed that IF seems too fancy for me, just eat less. I went from 37 to 34waist in 2 months, wasn't hard actually. Just eat until hunger taken away not stuffed, More habit than anything. Bit of education too of course on what your eating


 definitely agree. Eat only when hungry and use smaller portions, and as you say make it a habit.


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## Thunderstruck (Sep 20, 2010)

Feast and Fast has been shown to help increase life longevity too, even BBC Horizon did a program on it and the labs all showed Fasting helped the body fight free radicals and allowed body time to heal itself, so not just a great weight loss tool.


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## nWo (Mar 25, 2014)

Helps me when I'm cutting, normally have a 4-12pm eating window as I always tend to be hungrier during the later hours.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Thunderstruck said:


> Feast and Fast has been shown to help increase life longevity too, even BBC Horizon did a program on it and the labs all showed Fasting helped the body fight free radicals and allowed body time to heal itself, so not just a great weight loss tool.


 I think I remember seeing that programme. I'm not sure IF is enough of a 'fast' to actually have a positive effect though?


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## Jordan08 (Feb 17, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> I think I remember seeing that programme. I'm not sure IF is enough of a 'fast' to actually have a positive effect though?


 It is mate. Body is in fasting state after 12 hours of no food. Actually, real benefits starts after 12 hours of food absence.

Just to add, I followed three protocols when i did IF last year

1) 12 hour fast 12 hour feed

2) 16 hour fast 8 hour feed

3) 36 hours fast once a week.

I felt the second option was the most optimal in terms of performance, fat loss and even skin quality.


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## TREACLE (Jun 6, 2016)

I use the 16/8 method, it's great. Good for bulking and cutting.


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## naturalguy (Jan 21, 2016)

I did 18/6 - dropped from 14 stone 2 to 9 stone 6 lbs, thats how it all started.


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Just started doing 16/8 on Friday, can't believe how good I feel!
Less bloating, more energy, weight loss back on track, as long as I keep busy during the morning I,m fine.

3L of water a day is keeping the hunger at bay, just have a drink when I start thinking about food.


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## gazd83 (Aug 8, 2016)

Bringing this back from the dead!

I'm looking to start an IF diet from Monday. For those of you that did the 16/8 method not eating until the PM, do any of you workout in the AM? How did it effect your workouts? I can workout on an empty stomach fine, but I'm conscious that not even having a protein shake after may knacker me out by the time 12pm comes around.

How about, the 5/2 method? With 600 cals on the 'fasted' days?


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## gazzamongo (Nov 7, 2014)

Been doing 16/8 for years. When at maintenance or excess id say i prefer fasted training. Not compromised at all for me.

Not done 5:2 but have e.o.d which is similar but more extreme. That's great on a cut but energy levels in workouts definitely variable. Next time i do that ill probably not train on the low calorie days OR have my full calorie allowance pre or peri workout


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

This isn't IF but FWIW the last five days were low calorie days for me, where all I ate before lunch was two 20g whey drinks. I also have three coffees in these mornings, which may help with appetite suppression as well as burning a few extra calories and hopefully helping keep me alert.

I'm doing this about one week in four at the moment, just on weekdays. I do it on weeks I have to work the early shift, in part as it means I don't have to get up so early to eat breakfast! My thinking is also that by having very short fat loss phases like this I shouldn't see much of a metabolic adaptation effect. Just an approach I'm experimenting with.


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## gazd83 (Aug 8, 2016)

I'm toying with the idea of 16/8 Mon-Fri to start with. Do you think a normal weekend eating would completely ruin the effort made during the week? That way I can train as normal around 8am, but I suppose I'll have to just wait until 12pm for my whey shake. Tend to knock back some Ephedrine and Caffeine before a workout so quite often I'm not too hungry until lunchtime anyway.

The more I think about it, the more I think the 5/2 method would screw with my work/life routine. I wouldn't want to train on fasted days and it would then limit my training too.

I trialled 16/8 yesterday and had a morning workout, and got to say all was fine. However, I did throw a protein shake down me after the gym.


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## DemonNeutrino (May 18, 2017)

I think the main thing with IF is consistency. The suggestion to do it only a few days a week isn't going to give you its benefit. Even supps need to wait as being in a complete fasting state should mean that other than water and perhaps a very low calorie drink you eat literally nothing.

Personally it's a judgement call. I do it because I'm a big eater, and I struggle eating several smaller meals a day.

On IF, I'm eating nothing through the bulk of the day and then towards the end I'm having large satiating meals with lots of protein and that satisfies me much more. It keeps motivation up.

In terms of energy etc, I actually feel more alert on a fast than I do when I'm eating 6 meals a day. In fact the best I've ever felt is when I've done a 20/4 fast on warrior. That consisted of pretty much no food in the day other than small low calorie bcaa shakes and then a 'clean' feast in the evening between 6-10pm

Without the need to set aside energy to constantly digest not to mention not having a full stomach all the time makes my physically demanding job and training much easier.

Guessing OP has long made their decision but to the bumpers, trial it for a good few weeks, maybe 8-12, give it time to do it's work and see if it's for you. Once you get used to it, it becomes natural.

I haven't bothered with the science here just the reasons I do it, but even a quick google scholar search should give you the facts.


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## RJ™ (Nov 2, 2017)

EAA over BCAA everytime. Especially whilst fasted.


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## Babyjesustits (Mar 12, 2021)

Do any of you actually look half decent that i.f?


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## R5Gtt75 (Apr 20, 2020)

Babyjesustits said:


> Do any of you actually look half decent that i.f?


 Five year old thread, I'd be amaized if any are still training.


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## Babyjesustits (Mar 12, 2021)

Hahaha..this site its so f**ked up..iv joined and i expected it to be used highly..its dead..shame


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## TRT (Nov 19, 2015)

Babyjesustits said:


> Hahaha..this site its so f**ked up..iv joined and i expected it to be used highly..its dead..shame


 the IF sections of most knowledgeable forums are prob dead. people have realised it's not magic, just a way to adhere to a caloric deficit easier. it was all the rage when this thread was made.


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## Babyjesustits (Mar 12, 2021)

Fair play trt...fair play


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