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Intermittent Fasting is NO magic.
I really just wanted to clear something up since I have received quite a lot of questions regarding the topic of Intermittent Fasting. Many people that stumble upon the concept of IF see it as some kind of gateway to guaranteed & automatic fat loss – while being able to eat ALL the junk they want. As if it’s something magical.
I’m here to tell you it simply doesn’t work that way. There’s nothing magical about realizing fat loss; you need to be in a caloric deficit by either eating less, exercising more or a combination of both.
In this short article I’ll explain why IF might make be a great strategy to make fat loss easier for you. I’ll also explain why I choose to do it myself – perhaps you might recognize something in my reasoning!
The energy balance determines what happens to your body
It’s the simple matter of calories in vs. calories out that determines what happens to your body in the long run. Let’s examine the possibilities:
Weight / Fat loss through a caloric deficit (Cut)
If you are in a caloric deficit; you will lose weight. How much and what kind of weight you lose (muscle / fat) will depend on the size of the deficit and other factors.
Being patient and doing heavy, low-volume strength training, eating a protein-rich diet (not too low in calories) and things like planned refeeds or diet breaks are great strategies to preserve muscle mass during phases of caloric deficits; where the main goal of course should be fat loss. In general, you just don’t want to lose muscle mass.
May 2013, ~77.5kg – During a cut. Through a well planned caloric deficit you’ll end up lean and retain your precious muss!
Maintaining bodyweight by eating at maintenance level
Eating at maintenance calories will help you maintain your weight; simple as that. If you wish to find out your maintenance levels; there are plenty of calculators and formulas out there for a decent estimate:
- IF Calculator
- Harris & Benedict
- Schofield
If you’d like something slightly more accurate, simply start tracking your calories for a while. When you maintain your weight over the course over a few week while eating a certain amount of calories each day (information obtained through logging your nutrition!) you’ll have found what your maintenance level is. If you don’t know how to calculate calories,
Please note that calorie counting isn’t the “end all” 100% accurate and completely failsafe method, but it doesn’t need to be; rough estimates are good enough to help you steer towards future goals.
Gain weight through a caloric surplus (Bulk)
If you are in a caloric surplus, you will gain weight. People usually wish to add muscle mass when bulking and keep fat gains to a minimum; this can be supported by not overfeeding too much (don’t just simply add +1000 or +1500 calories to your diet) – aka doing a clean bulk(+10 to +20% above maintenance) – and obviously being involved in heavy strength training. Fat gains cannot be ruled out completely, so just accept the fact that you will gain some fat on your bulk.
January 2013, ~80kg – What a bulk does to you; make you bigger and flabbier – and hopefully you gain some muss too! (lolface)
A stupid simple image of the energy balance and the 3 ways you can go; gain weight / maintain / lose weight.
Special note on recomposition protocols
Some people like the recomp method; this can be something as eating at a deficit on rest days, and eating at a surplus on training days. This would encourage keeping fat gains to a minimum, whilst supporting muscle growth and possibly have some health benefits (that are accompanied by slight underfeeding in general).
Truth is; what happens to your body in terms of body composition will depend on the size of the deficit and surplus you choose to use. A protocol like -20% / +20% calories on rest / training days will not really get you anywhere fast, and you might end up spinning your wheels.
So, if you do wish to use the recomp method, I’d personally recommend something like -30% to -20% / +10% for fat loss with or -10% / +20 to 30% for weight gain. There’s more sense of direction that way, and the whole process just isn’t as slow. The standard -20%/+20% recomp is pretty good for maintaining when no clear goals like fat loss or muscle gain are desired though!
Why is IF sometimes seen as magic for fat loss?
The main reason IF “works” so well for mainly fat loss is that it puts some sort of restriction to your feeding times. This can lead to a much more easily obtained caloric deficit! Here’s 2 images to demonstrate this phenomenon (I made them in MS paint but it actually took me a while!):
Just think about it logically; a normal person, maintaining at 2500 calories, might eat that amount of calories spread out over 5-6 meals from 08:00 to 22:00 or so. This works great for him, so all is well. Now, he wants to start a cut at 1800-2000 kcal per day. He’s used to eating 5-6 times a day, so he might try to keep that pattern up. His meals might end up pretty small or seem like minor snacks. That might work for him, for a big eater like me that thought triggers a “yikes!”.
With IF and the popular leangains 16/8 hour fast/feed window you typically fast throughout the first portion of the day. In other words; you save up your calories and can spend them later on the day. This basically means you can eat 2-3 bigger meals. Awesome! Some people struggle with eating 2000 calories spread out over “so little” time or over 2-3 meals (I do not). So, if they do not keep track of their calories – chances are very likely they’ll end up at a caloric deficit at the end of the day – resulting in weight loss in the long run!
Using another popular IF approach – alternate day fasting – you basically cut an entire day (or two) of eating out of your week. Looking at your caloric intake on a weekly basis, you will most likely end up in a caloric deficit – which will result in weight loss. Of course it will also depend on how much you ate on your regular eating days; if you binged and ate like 5000 kcal each regular day you basically wasted your fasting days – if your goal is fat loss.
This is the main reason IF “works” so well for fat loss, especially for those new to it, and people who don’t track calories in general. It boils down to calorie restriction by a restricted time of feeding.
So what does IF do for me? Why should I do it?
IF is simply a feeding protocol, or a lifestyle if you wish, that can make dieting quite flexible. The restriction you do put on yourself (fasting early in the day) is a fun card you can play later on the day; you saved up your sink/buffer of calories. Now it’s time to spend them! Enter the large, satisfying meals.
Very valid reasons to consider trying Intermittent Fasting are:
- The thought of eating large meals appeals to you / You cannot stand eating small (especially on a cut) anymore
- You’re someone who loses control over your energy intake easily once you start eating, so dieting down (fat loss) is hard for you. Fasting in the early hours of the day may be of benefit to you to put some form of restraint on you. It’ll promote energy restriction and help create a caloric deficit (just don’t binge and eat over maintenance you fool!).
- You need a breath of fresh air in your life, something new. Perhaps you are tired of the old diet myths (breakfast / 6 times a day / 20-30 grams of protein per meal etc.)
- You’ve never been much of a morning eater anyway, so you can cope with starting to feed later on the day.
What NOT to do
Do NOT stress about your feeding window. Just keep in mind it’s all about the calories in vs. calories out (the energy balance!) if you wish to make changes in your body composition.
OH GOD MY FEEDING WINDOW HAS CLOSED I CANNOT EAT MY REMAINING 800 CALORIES ANYMORE!
Example: If you’re hungry every damn day at 22:00 in the evening because you chose a feeding window from 12:00-20:00 you’re doing yourself injustice. Either start eating later on the day if you want to keep up a longer fast for whatever reason (saving up calories or just wanting to eat 2 large meals later on the day during a cut is, in my opinion, a very valid reason), or make your later meal larger or more filling (adding fibrous foods like veggies, plenty of protein, making the last meal high volume but low calorie, etc.)
Also, I must repeat; don’t see IF as a ticket to eating uncontrolled portions of food (aka binging) – particularly processed foods, crap and stuff like that. You can fit it into your diet plan of course! I actually encourage it if you really want to, because 1. It’s just fun to do every once in a while and 2. It can help you mentally in the long run, as you get to eat what you crave. Restrictions aren’t fun – but fitting something into your diet is better than planning an entire cheat day or something. Back to my original point – please use common sense and eat mostly wholesome foods (you know what I mean – look at some of my staple meals below) – make those your staple! Caloric control remains of great importance.
STAPLE MEALS ABOVE! PLANNED INSANITY FEAST BELOW!
- We definitely planned this PANCAKE CAKE refeed binge!
Why I personally do IF
For a lot of people, including myself, the old MUST EAT BREAKFAST and MUST EAT 6 TIMES A DAY myths were becoming a pain in the ass. Spending so much time of your day on food and food preparations simply wasn’t fun anymore – at some point I was just a machine doing what it needs to do. Feed on whatever clean foods to support growth, etc. It was boring.
So, the discovery of IF changed a lot of things regarding nutrition for me. Now, I love food preparations and food in general; I look forward to pretty much all of my meals. I really do spend a great deal of thought on it however; seeing as I love to plan things like post-workout meals or special rest day meals ahead. For me, they are exciting and fun. It’s something I can pour my creativity in! I also love scheduling dinners and special feasts, and making it all come together like a plan (keeping a calorie buffer or sink for the feast and training prior to the event so I don’t end up on an unplanned +2000-4000 kcal surplus or anything).
I love a good ALL YOU CAN EAT every once in a while – and I make sure to compensate in some form by buffering up some calories!
Conclusion – what to do!
Make your approach to nutrition fit your lifestyle. Make it something that you can keep up doing – you will be successful in the long run. It should be pleasant, it should bring you joy, and it should bring you desired results. If something isn’t right, try tweaking it until it feels good. If Intermittent Fasting appeals to you; go ahead and try it. It might just be what you need.
I recommend tracking calories if you wish to make changes to your body; it’s something that’s always worked for me. Don’t be super strict about it though, just eyeball stuff, use the scale if you wish, and through a handy app/program you can easily find out how much you’re eating and steer from there. It really shouldn’t take much time. Of course – it’s not necessary; following the bodily “signs”, following the set guidelines and going by the mirror might just be enough for your path to success. But if things don’t go according to plan; consider logging and tracking calories!
Eat a diet that consists of wholesome foods, but don’t forget to indulge and have fun every once in a while. I recommend planned feasts and cheats that fit your macro goals.
Have fun with your food and remember; there is no magic trick to fat loss!
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