IF Life, The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting

Rusty,

A good post, i have been doing I.F/Paleo since Jan 14. It's otherwise known as Evolutionary Fitness Eating. I saw a link to arthurdevany.com on mark reifkind's blog. My experience w/ I.F. has been very rewarding, more focus, more energy, leaner body composition, and i could go on.
I guess im just going to have to wait and see about the longevity aspect ..oh well im in no hurry. Mikes blog has been very useful as well. I can't wait to see pics of the "90 day challenge" once it wraps up.
I do however disagree about one thing..and that is duration. I have done 19 hour fasts ala "fast-5.com" and 16 hour fasts, both were just as effective. In my experience, it seems that one must fast intermittently for at least 15 hours to get the full benefit of detoxification and healing. As always great blog.
Thanks,
Guy

It seems to be a very interesting blog, i'm very fascinated about nutrition, i always have been, and i'll be paying close atention to this blog, i'm sure everyone can learn very good info there. A good recommendation from you Rusty, like always.

Rusty,
Very interesting.. More of an eating to live, not living to eat mentality.. After reading all the links provided, I think the best is the second link, "Things I've learned about Health & Fitness".. Mike is pointing out nothing new here, & he actually comments on that by saying, "There's no knew evidence of a quicker and better way to get in shape.. Everything you read is something that's already been said, but just re-iterated in a new surface".. I like that & its so true.. Its tough to find something new that's not already been said.. I think everybody's body is completely different & responds to different stimulus.. The best shapes & fitness bodies in the world have "honed" in on their body and become a genius on how they're body works! Shwartzneggars (or however you spell Aaaarrrnold's name.. ha) doesn't work for me.. Bill Phillips doesn't know how my body responds to carbs.. Different things work for different people.. I think the real opportunity in the fitness industry is to teach people how to listen to their body and pay attention to signs, signaling positive and negative feedback from foods eaten & training methods performed.. My body took off, for the better, when I started paying attention to what works best for ME.. I think there's a few principles that stand true for anyones body, but you really have to be a pro at micromanaging your own responses to certain stimulus & find a way to stay balanced..
Great link to Mike's stuff.. And also, it is true what you said about keeping your site unique and fresh with new material being tough, but I see my blog as more of my diary of things that run through my mind that have lead to success with my personal body.. I'm pretty tired of reading "How-To's" on getting shape.. There's very little that hasn't already been said.. Instead I like to focus on the mental approach to fitness, & just throw onto paper the things I think about, as opposed to plagerizing what I & everyone else has already read.. You do a great job at this too Rusty.. Most of the time when I sit down to write I end up posting something totally different than what I thought I wanted to say.. I just start writing and let my experiences mold the material into what it becomes.. This keeps it fun for me, gives me a creative outlet, and lets me continue to post on where I'm at in any point in time.. (I have no idea what I want to write about tomorrow, but I'm sure something I see on TV or read in a magazine/book will spark an emotion that turns into published material on my site).. We're both very creative in the first place, so the key is to communicate that creativity well.. You're doing a great job buddy.. You have a great site, and the cute girly pics are always easy on the eyes.. Keep up the good work Rusty!

John Fit..

Rusty,

This IF method does make sense to me and occasional/partial fasting seems to work for my body. Here's why: ever since I happened upon your site (4 weeks ago), I have pretty much changed my workout philosopy: (1) I do more Cardio –mainly jogging/running/some HIIT (2) I do less weight training (eliminating specific lower body training altogether — unless as part of a full-body multi-joint exercise) (3) I've decreased the frequency of food intake to 2 meals per day with most of the calories consumed at the "dinner" or evening meal (4) I am adhering to Lyle McDonalds SPF protocols occasionally (nod to you, Rusty, for the suggestion) and (5) I've been incorporating some "Warrior Diet" ideas (another nod to you!) into my mindset — and this has helped me feel comfortable about not eating the 5 or 6 meals per day that all the weight-loss gurus seem to recommend.

All of this has worked, because basically I am (a) burning more direct fat (SPF protocols, esp fasted cardio) (b) eating fewer calories altogether — and yet I am "satisfied" because I get one good relatively "big" meal per day — even though it is "clean", and (c) I am burning more calories than I am taking in.

I figure I am about 17-18% body fat right now and would like to go just a tad lower, maybe to 15%. I feel that my goal is do-able because I rarely feel starved or cheated, these days. Not eating in the morning is fine with me — I have a little clean lunch and a good clean bigger evening meal and I am very happy with that. I don't feel as if I am "missing" anything or being cheated out of food. As far as I am concerned, the smaller earlier in the day meals that I used to eat were just a waste of calories that were better allocated to later in the day. Early meals only kept me from being able to lose fat and didn't seem to make me less hungry later, anyway.

The result? Over the past 4 weeks, I have consistently lost about 1/2 pound per week — not HUGE, but a pretty good rate for an already slim small female. Let me add that all lower body (waist, hip, thigh) measurements have decreased, so I must be on the right track!

Thanks for all the good info! :>)

Crap Rusty! I'm sorry to fill your site with bad grammar & spelled words.. My comments should go through 3-7 phases of editing before I click sumit (SUBMIT).. My fingers fly on the keyboard.. I may go "wacky foot" by getting back to pecking instead of this home row business.. Sorry buddy.. Don't mean to gramatically soil your site.. Anway.. No more babble from Mr. Fit! The "IF Life" is a Great Life!!!

John Fit..

hey Rusty, you're awesome as heck man and you know your stuff! everywhere i go online, its always eat 5-6 small meals a day, every 2-3 hours apart and im sick of it. guys in the military only eat 3 meals per day and most of them are in tip top shape. i dont know how anyone could eat like that. thinking about when my next meal is gonna be is the last thing i want to be on my mind. i want to be able to eat whenever i want and however much i want. intermittent fasting also helps your immune system as well. Rusty, what is your current diet like? i know you have a big meal in the evening. do you also have fruit during the day? how many calories do you eat daily or do you not really count calories?

Rusty…but your pictures are so much better than mine!

Guy,

Great comment for someone who is doing Intermittent Fasting. I'm doing it as well, but not in a very structured manner. One thing I've really been working on is eating "whole foods" and steering a bit away from supplements. I was kind of a Myoplex Protein Shake junkie for 5 years, but I am trying to get just as lean with whole foods.

Helder,

Not only is his blog solid. You will find a ton of great links to other useful blogs.

John Fit,

I like to talk about "blogging" in general on this site as well. I hope people visit my site or your site and get inspired to start their own. The Internet is filled with junk, so we need true unique content on EVERY subject. Seriously…I have a friend from Kansas City that knows more about BBQ than anyone I have ever met. I told him that he needs to build a better mouse trap and create the best "BBQ Site" on the Internet. I hope some of you come to the rescue and build quality site…people are starving for quality information on every subject you can think of! One more thing…I use bad grammar all the time…it gives it a human quality to a certain extent.

NancyJ,

Thanks for the nod! The best part of your comment was reminding people that if they are close to their target weight, they will lose weight at a much slower weight. The great thing is that if you are close…you look good. Like you, I'm just trying to drop a little weight to fine tune for a trip I'm taking to Mexico. I only want to lose 3-4 pounds. I will lose about 1 pound per week, since I'm already at a ow body fat level. I have no doubt that you are doing exactly what it takes to look outstanding.

Joe,

My diet now is an unstructured version of Intermittent Fasting. I start my day with 3 cups of green tea. I'll eat a piece of fruit and occasionally a protein shake at 1pm, then my dinner varies. If I'm eating with my friends or girlfriend it isn't always typical health foods. I'll eat pizza, Mexican Food, Thai Food, etc. About 3-4 days a week I eat a strict low carb dinner like salad made with chicken or soup made with chicken. If I'm extra hungry on these days I will eat a large cup of vanilla yogurt for dessert. I don't count calories at all…and my friends think I can "eat anything I want" and stay ripped. Little do they know that I don't eat that much leading up to that evening meal. One other thing…about once a week I eat breakfast with my girlfriend. It makes me super tired and reminds me of why I avoid breakfast in the first place.

Mike,

I don't like to brag, but my site does have some very nice pictures!

Rusty

hey rusty,
sorry for my bad english but i`m from germany. i dont know how many readers from germany are here but i think i`m not the first one.
grat blog btw, you often speak about things fitness magazines (especially in germany!) ignore. i think they haven`t heard of h.i.i.t….
my problem:
i love doig cardio the "old" way. that means steady-stead and moderate, sometimes high intense. i`m used to h.i.i.t. i have done for a while. i`ve had great success in weight los and my body got rather toned. but i quit doing it because i miss the benefit of old fashioned "aerobic" cardio exercise. it has such a great influence on me and i dont feel weel without it. i have to say that i suffer under a mental illness you can compare to depressions. the aerobic exercise causes a higher serotonin level in my brain which supports my medication. and i have the problem of nervousness and inner uneasiness, too. aerobic cardio also has got influence because it reveals stress.
well, i´just want to ask if you have some ideas how to structure my cardio training. im not sure if h.i.i.t can replace steady steady cardio for me. but i dont want to miss the benefits for weight loss.
do you have any suggestions? btw, im not interested in high weight loss-just putting up some muscles, get more toned and fit. i have got already a rather good body but i miss the last step..

ok, sorry for the long post but im very excited about this. i think it is very important to be and stay in a good mental health as well!

Rusty!!

I cant believe I am even considering it because I am a strict eat every 2-3 hours kind of person but you (and others who have done it) have me convinced that I could get some really good results from the Warrior Diet!! I just have a few concerns that maybe you can clear up for me….

If I eat at like 8:30 at night then work out at about 6:30 the next morning… is that enough time in between????

I prefer to work out first thing to get it over with plus I work until 8 at night so when I get home the last thing I want to do is workout… anyway should I eat anything after I workout? Fruit/protein shake??? I usually burn around 600 calories so I am thinking I should probably eat something…maybe not!?

For the one big meal at night how much should I eat?? I don't want to eat too much or too little!!!

I know this is would be verrrrry difficult in the beginning but if its going to help me get leaner I will SO do it =]

THANKS!!!

Hi Rusty,

This is the first time in my forty years that I am serious about getting fit (losing some weight) and healthy so I really appreciate your site.

I have been hooked on Starbucks, pasta and junk food nearly all my life. For the past week now I have been eating much healthier and making good food choices thanks to my son.

I never ate much fruit and really any veggies until now. My stomach is very bloated since I started eating these plus a lot of lentils. Would you recommend detox to fix this or will my body get used to the "new" foods?

I plan to start IF on Sunday (great link, site)…

Thank you!

Rusty,
I check your site everyday to look for new post and comments. Great work. Here is my question. I have a habit of nibbling and snacking out of boredom and habit. I think (make that know) that this is keeping me 20 lbs heavier than I want to be. If I go out of town for a week and spend it in a hotel or friends house, I don't have snacks around, so I eat about twice a day. I always drop 4-6 lbs in a week, and I look leaner. What do you think about making a rule that I will only put food in my mouth two times a day? No nibbling on a piece of pastry or grabbing a handful of cereal throughout the day. Just two reasonalbe meals (I figure 2 fist sized portions of food). I think I'm going to keep a log and write my goal in it and review it everytime I want to snack (sorry if I sound like I'm going too Tony Robbins or Oprah here). Anyway, just wanted to get your thoughts. Also, do you nible/snack or do you keep it a straight "fast" in between meals?

Alright Rusy, a couple of questions for you:
I had a cardio heart rate monitor on this morning when doing my HIIT, I stopped going faster (although I've gone faster in the past) when my heart rate exceeded 185. Is there a max speed I should be stopping at with HIIT so I don't hit 100% of my heart rate?
My job is changing hours, I have to be at work at 0530, so no more going to the gym first thing in the morning, I will have to go in the afternoon, which means I can't go in a completely fasted state (unless I eat nothing all day). What are some good things to eat to keep my carb count low until I can work out and still make sure I"m burning fat?

Hey Rusty,

I have recently been doing the intermitten fasting. I can't get over the results and the health benefits along with it. This time last year I was very concious about my half naked body on the beach. Now I am very confident and in the best shape I have ever been in. The fasting has helped me get over the plateau of the '4-pack' and I would recommend it to the people who are pushing to get the last few lbs. off.

An update on my progress of becoming a fitness trainer. I have applied for Fitness and Health promotion at Loyalist College in Ontario. I am about 80% sure I will be accepted. It starts in September of this year and I am trying my best to suck up as much information as possible. And this site is one of my favourite sources. So again, thanks Rusty. I have followed the advice you have given me in the past. This is where it led me.

Cheers,
Adam

p.s. What kind of car you drive?….lol

Funny that the car subject comes up, because even though the topic is IF, cars really get some people going! I saw the Audi R8 the other day, and that is my new "goal car". I believe there are less than 50 of them in Canada, so it will be a tough one to get my hands on. I joined a new gym (okay so now I am going a little overboard and am a member of 2 gyms). However, I joined a really crazy gym that has a pool, and there are lots of hot men walking around to really motivate me to keep working hard. I am going to start IF tomorrow, with the "a few times a week" approach. I don't really want to lose weight, but I find it really easy to gain weight right now if I don't watch it. If I eat badly for a few days I can see the effects, so I want to have more flexibility with my food choices while still keeping the fat off for years to come.

Rusty,

I found out about IF exactly 2 days before you posted the article.It seeems to be working,I'm down 1 pound .I also realized that I when I was 20 pounds lighter that is how I ate.I also ate a lot more fruit and vegetables.
I eat a lentil soup,salad and some fruit in the day 3-4 hours before my workout and a proper dinner with lots of veggies and sprouted grain tortilla.
I want to go down 5 more pounds.I'll still not be at my goal weight but It'll do.
I'm off to India for the summer and I'll be visiting your site from India!

Jennifer,

I love the new Audi R8…I first saw during a Superbowl commercial. In fact, here is the TV commercial. Robert Downey Jr drives it in Ironman.

Shailja,

Enjoy India! This way of eating works very well.

Rusty

I went to the Audi website and customized the exact R8 that I want. It comes out to $150,000. Not cheap. However, it is not as crazy expensive as some of the other supercars available on the market, but it also doesn't have the "history" that goes along with those cars…Italian ones come to mind! I havn't watched Ironman yet, but one of my friends said its good, so I should go see it just to check out the R8!

i'm pretty addicted to the IF life site. oh my gosh, 45 minutes just went by and i didn't even know it! great information, thanks for the links Rusty!

Nothing to do with IF…

Mothership Wit=Awesome.

I even came up with a spec commercial for it. If I ever get around to shooting it, I'll send you a link.

Jennifer,

Ironman is an amazing movie! I have to do a post on that for sure. It may be the best movie I have seen in the past year or two.

Anjalina,

His stuff is insanely good. I am going to team up with him in the near future. I am really impressed with his site ad knowledge. He works his butt off.

Ron,

Mothership Wit is the best beer ever! Please put up a Youtube video of it. I will do an entire post on this if you do and give a shout out to your site in the post!

Rusty

Rusty,

I just wanted to comment about what you've said about eating 6 meals a day vs. the style that you eat. Obviously at the end of the day what matters more is the total number of calories you consume, but I know for a fact it is also extremely effective if you eat 5-6 small meal(healthy too) a day. eating whole grains, fruits, lots of veggies, and a LOT of water drinking can make you lose weight real fast. When I had to make weight for a boxing match I was about to go from 5 foot 9, 159 to about 152 in 4-5 days, and I still felt great, did not have to cut water weight. My daily intake still was only about 1500 calories. The constant eating kept me hungry all waking hours. Of course the 12-15 hrs of hard boxing training had a lot to do with that! But i'm just saying that the 6 meal thing can defniitely work, and work well. Just a matter a preference I guess. Hope people find this somehwat helpful.

Frank

Frank,

It isn't quite as simple as total calories. When someone eats small meals all day, they don't have large spikes in insulin which is good. The problem lies in the fact that insulin levels are at higher level than normal all day long.

The body has a tougher time using fat for energy when insulin levels are too high.

Also…I think the 6 meal per day approach works better for heavily muscled individuals. Guys that are 250+ pounds. A guy with this much body weight could get away with eating 2,500 calories a day and lose weight. This would equate to around 400 calories per meal. A 400 calorie meal is small, but at least it qualifies as a meal.

What if the person is a 120 pound woman trying to lose weight? Six small meals would have to be 200 calories each. That is nearly impossible and it is why women have an even tougher time with this. I think this woman would be happier and have more success with her diet if she ate a 300 calorie breakfast and a 900 calorie dinner.

Either way, you do make a good point here…thanks for the comment,

Rusty

Hey Rusty I got a quick question. I do cardio in a fasted state in the mornings. Should I be eating anything after that at all? Since I lift my legs once a week since they are extremely skinny I usually do Protocol 2 in Lyle's Stubborn Fat Solution of low intensity cardio with that mixture of supplements 5 days a week for about 45 mins to an hour. I usually burn around 400 calories is all for the total session. I usually do this at 8 a.m. and I lift weights at around 3 every afternoon. What time do you think it would be ideal to eat in that window and what kind of food do you suggest? I got the post-workout stuff down just not too sure what I should eat from when I wake up until up to my workout. Thanks as always Rusty!

benjie,

I would eat a cup or two of nonfat yogurt shortly after your morning cardio. This will digest easily because it is exactly what your body is craving. That is what I typically do on the rare occasion when I do cardio early in the morning.

Rusty

Rusty,
I just wanted to share something interesting that I was reading on a blog today. Jessica Alba is on Allure's June 2008 cover and talked a bit about her pre-baby diet when she was her thinnest:

"There are other changes. Jessica is actually eating three meals a day. “Before this,” she says, “it was coffee in the morning, yogurt for lunch, and the only meal was dinner. It was because of my schedule; I never had the time.”

I just thought it was funny because nearly every single person on the blog said that was too little food, an eating disorder, totally unhealthy, would kill her metabolism, etc. But that's basically IF and what a lot of people on this site are doing! It just goes to show how few people know about other effective eating strategies like IF!

Elizabeth,

I love this…"You have to eat 6 meals a day otherwise your metabolism WILL slow down!"

And

"The earth is flat!"

It is funny…I haven't even been exercising as hard as I have in the past, I am going on vacation in 4 days and I am at 6% body fat. I have been eating 1-3 meals per day for 6 years and I don't seem to have a slowing metabolism. Maybe it will happen soon…I better prepare for the big weight gain!

Rusty

i'm completely lost…. if you're doing IF does it mean to eat 3 meals a day or fast for 24 hours straight?

also what's the difference between IF and warrior diet?

all these comments have my curiosity aroused and what to try it.

AND what's you're IF structure Rusty, … i'll take that as an example

sorry, i just need you to break it down for me

hi guys, i just found an interesting post on IF fat loss by a personal trainer…it's on http://projectfit.org/iflifeblog/ and its called Sure Fire Fat Loss…anyone read it?? guy seems knowledgeable

3ller,

There are two ways to do IF. Eat Stop Eat, does fasting for 24 hours straight. The type Mike OD, endorses is eating one or two meals per day (this is what I follow, but I'm experimenting with Eat Stop Eat).

Fran,

Martin Berkhan is awesome. Love his site. He is ripped, by the way. Great suggestion.

Rusty

I'm really curious to know approximately how many calories you eat during the day. I know you said you don't count, but if you had to guesstimate, how much would you say? I want to base how much I eat on how much you do - as you seem to do more exercise than I - so the comparison could help me better determine how much I should eat. I've been averaging about 1200 calories a day, and that seems like enough to me…I've finding it hard to believe that some people say the average for a man is 2500… that is a lot.

Ryan,

I eat as low as 1,500 some days, but closer to 2,000 most of the time. I weigh between 185-190 year round. Lately I have been eating more calories, because my trip to Mexico got me addicted to carbs (I have the same issues as everyone else).

Yesterday, for instance I went to a BBQ and ate 4 hot dogs and a bunch of potato salad…followed by cake and ice cream. This isn't a big deal, since I encourage people to enjoy life. The problem is that I ate quite a few calories the days leading up to this.

Normally, If I know that I have a birthday party or BBQ coming up…I "prep" by eating low carb and doing a bit of extra cardio 3 days leading up to this. Then I just eat whatever on the day of the party.

This works very well in having a balanced life while staying lean year round.

Rusty

I lifted and have stopped recently because I noticed how large my deltoids got and they are pretty large. Not to my liking. This happened because I had a personal trainer who steered me in the wrong direction. My leg muscles shrunk and some of my bicep and tricep muscles shrunk. With that being said, if I am inactive avoid the gym for a month or so while I fast/ maintain a decreased calorie intake will this help my body eat away at the hard earned muscle? I've read a lot of your information that gave me hope but I'd like to know if you know how the muscle loss process works without having to go to the gym.
I would appreciate your advice. Thanks!

The reason why I would prefer not to go to the gym during the process is because I do get tired easily from a very low calorie intake; hence, cardio is hard to do.