16/8 Fasting
Fasting has been getting a lot of buzz in the fitness industry lately. It is great for fat loss and is associated with many health benefits including increased longevity and improved insulin sensitivity. However, it’s often met with derision by friends and family. Try explaining to a four-year-old why you’re not having breakfast.
I followed Martin Berkhan’s intermittent fasting protocol for about 9 months, with an 8-hour eating window between 12pm and 8pm. I did my workouts around 5.30am and took BCAAs until my first meal at 12pm.
The adjustment period took longer than advertised - my body was used to consuming a large breakfast and a mid-morning snack so fasting until lunch time was a little challenging. I usually felt “out of it” until I ate, but that subsided after about six weeks and I found it to be easy after that on most days.
By far the greatest benefit of 16/8 fasting was its effectiveness at keeping
my body fat down around 10%. I still ate clean food (well, mostly) during my
8-hour feeding window but binge cheat days didn’t seem to matter a
whole lot.
I did find it difficult to build muscle on a 16/8 fasting protocol, most likely because 8 hours just isn’t enough time to eat sufficient calories. This was exacerbated if I started doing any sort of aerobic activity like running.
My calorie requirements are going through the roof now that I’ve started training for an ultramarathon so I need to switch up my eating patterns to ensure that I’m getting enough food at the appropriate time. It would be ill- advised to attempt a 25 mile (40km) run without eating during or afterwards.
Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat intermittent fasting lifestyle is more appropriate for my level of activity. Brad recommends one or two 24-hour fasts each week, so I’ll be able to eat appropriately for my workouts, but can still reap the health benefits of fasting by taking a break once or twice a week on the days where it makes the most sense.
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