[GTO]

Originally Posted by Hayek

I see that many of you are on a Keto diet and have derived short term benefits from it.

Originally Posted by ampere

Even I dont believe on a 100% Keto mode.

I think 'moderation' is key to most things in life. I don't strictly follow LCHF nor Keto. I follow LCHF about 80-85% of the way. That way, I can have some fun too . After all, you got to live a little .

[avisidhu]

Have started following IF after going through the posts here. Got to say, initial results have been more than encouraging. The weight did drop 2-3 kgs in about 2 months. No workouts, only brisk walk for 40-50 mins.

But more importantly, I realized that my indigestion issues have vastly reduced. I would feel uneasy after having food outside, which is now no longer the case. Some reading on net validated the same, so anyone with an upset tummy might want to explore this option and benefit.

Now a question to the experts here. If I finish dinner by 6 or 7 pm, can I still have intense exercise around 8 odd pm? Does muscle recovery get impacted? Would be obliged if someone with experience in this regard can guide.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Have started following IF after going through the posts here. Got to say, initial results have been more than encouraging...

...

If I finish dinner by 6 or 7 pm, can I still have intense exercise around 8 odd pm? Does muscle recovery get impacted? Would be obliged if someone with experience in this regard can guide.

What type of intense workout are you planning to do? Is is cardio or strength training?

In many articles in the internet written by athletes who do IF, I have read that the requirement to eat protein immediately after workout for muscle recovery is overrated and the body can easily carry out muscle recovery from the protein from the food eaten before workout (protein takes longer to process in the body and can remain in the body for several hours).

Do a Google search of Wolverine diet. Hugh Jackman follows 16/8 intermittent fasting and integrates IF and workouts. There are also many articles where many athletes have successfully integrated IF and training.

Here is my experience. I have been experimenting with IF and training for Triathlon the past 6 months. My fasting window is from 8 PM to 12 noon. And my workouts are usually in the morning at 6 AM. In the beginning, I found it very difficult to workout in a fasted state. I would hit a wall 30 minutes into a run. But then I persisted and in a month's time, I could run 10km in fasted state and extend the fasting for 4 hours after the workout. It is about training your body to tap into the fat reserve for fueling the workout from its normal dependency on glycogen stores.

Of late, my training load has increased. Weekend workouts are much longer (3 to 4 hours) with combination of cycling and running. And some of the weekday workouts are very intense interval workouts. In these types of workouts, I have not been able to sustain with IF and LCHF. So, I am now doing IF on the days with moderate workouts of around 1 hour and on days of longer or intense workouts, taking my carbs (fruits, energy gels etc) around the workouts, and limiting carbs (still not full LCHF) during other periods of the day. I am seeing my fitness levels increase a lot, but weight has plateaued. I need to shed 4 more kilos. Planning to get back to proper IF and LCHF after my Triathlon event in January when my training load will reduce.

In summary, I don't think there is any simple answer to the question if one can do IF and training. It depends on various factors like type of workout, your body's ability to adapt etc. I would suggest you to experiment with your IF window and workout timing and find the right combination.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

But more importantly, I realized that my indigestion issues have vastly reduced. I would feel uneasy after having food outside, which is now no longer the case. Some reading on net validated the same, so anyone with an upset tummy might want to explore this option and benefit.

This is very true. Basically you are keeping your assembly line empty! And hence its helping you to recover and regulate.

Now a question to the experts here. If I finish dinner by 6 or 7 pm, can I still have intense exercise around 8 odd pm? Does muscle recovery get impacted? Would be obliged if someone with experience in this regard can guide.

Originally Posted by graaja

In summary, I don't think there is any simple answer to the question if one can do IF and training. It depends on various factors like type of workout, your body's ability to adapt etc. I would suggest you to experiment with your IF window and workout timing and find the right combination.

Ideally the best possible impact is having your food after the workout. A work out during a fasting windows helps even more. But like @graaja said, you will have to play with your fasting window to make sure, it fits well into your daily schedule.

[srishiva]

I am following IF with reduced calories on 2 days a week reduced to about 500-600 calories. I workout 2 hours a day vigorously and on days I do IF, I eat a bit of rice at nights. This keeps me energetic for my morning workouts. Its important to have bit of calorie intake around the work out time else it would make you really tired and you lose focus during workouts.

[ashwinprakas]

Hey guys, back to extended fasting and this time I'm doing some monitoring with Keto Diastix(Available on Amazon) to monitor when the Keto starts kicking in and to what degree.

So it takes exactly 72 hours for first signs of Ketosis to even show up on the scale, I did a check at under 60 hours and the strip showed no signs of Ketosis, it was only after the 72 hour mark that the strip slightly changed color indicating slight Ketosis.

Hope this serves as a benchmark for those trying out Intermittent Fasting to induce Ketosis.

And here's something I stumbled upon while reading up on 'Bigu';

[vibbs]

After getting good returns from a low carb diet, I have now hit a plateau at 79 kgs. To overcome this, I plan to club IF with Low carb. Also I plan to have my work out sessions in the evening rather than early in the morning.

My question to those who are already following IF, is do you guys take tea or coffee in the morning? While some sites I checked talk about taking only black tea or coffee, some places do mention that small amount of milk coffee or tea does not matter much. How do you guys do it? A cup of tea in the morning is mandatory for a good start to the day for me.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vibbs

After getting good returns from a low carb diet, I have now hit a plateau at 79 kgs. To overcome this, I plan to club IF with Low carb. Also I plan to have my work out sessions in the evening rather than early in the morning.

My question to those who are already following IF, is do you guys take tea or coffee in the morning? While some sites I checked talk about taking only black tea or coffee, some places do mention that small amount of milk coffee or tea does not matter much. How do you guys do it? A cup of tea in the morning is mandatory for a good start to the day for me.

Yes. If you have plateaued with only LCHF, a combination of LCHF and IF will kick your body out of the plateau. I too had plateaued at 78kilos with LCHF. When I included IF, I was able to drop down to 75.

But when it comes to fasting, you can only be in two states. You are either in fasted state or not. There is nothing in between. If you take a cup of milk coffee or tea, you will not get the full benefits of fasting. I will explain a little more about this later today. My suggestion: avoid any calorie intake at all, however small it may be. Have black coffee or green or red tea or just hot water as much as you want. Also, in the first few days, you will get some symptoms like hunger pangs in the morning. You will have to persist through these symptoms. Once you get over these and the body adjusts, you will actually feel energetic during fasting.

Also, exercising during the fasting period increases the effectiveness of the workout.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

So it takes exactly 72 hours for first signs of Ketosis to even show up on the scale, I did a check at under 60 hours and the strip showed no signs of Ketosis, it was only after the 72 hour mark that the strip slightly changed color indicating slight Ketosis.

You mean one has to fast for 3 days to experience ketosis? But IF is usually 16 hours only.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Samurai

You mean one has to fast for 3 days to experience ketosis? But IF is usually 16 hours only.

Its different for different people is what I've been told but 3 days is the general rule.

I'm around 100 kg's and have nicotine lingering in my system, not sure if that has an effect but just saying.

Exactly after the 72 hour mark I could sense my skin tingling(premature signs of the Keto Rash) and when I check with the urine strip it shows Ketone Traces, anything below the mentioned time line and the keto strip shows no signs of Ketones.

I've started refeeding as I'm at my parents place for the weekend and because there is only so long you could go without itching yourself to death(Keto Rash is a Killer!), but from tomorrow I'd be back on the fasting wagon and closely monitor to see if the timeline remains the same, would post updates.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Samurai

You mean one has to fast for 3 days to experience ketosis? But IF is usually 16 hours only.

Even if you restrict carb in take to less than 20g a day, your body will go into Ketosis. But it does take a few days to get there. That is why in Keto, they say even one day’s cheat meal can set you back a few days.

Strict Keto is much more difficult than the regular LCHF.

[GTO]

You can go LCHF wherever you want; just have to put in a little effort. Currently travelling. At a 5-star and this was my brunch. Not perfect LCHF like at home, but still close.

[GTO]

CNN just wrote on intermittent fasting, for those of you following it (or are keen to):

Link to article

Since the Taylors have been intermittently fasting, often called just IF, they've maintained a healthy body weight, been more alert and energetic, experienced less stress, and are less prone to getting sick. While Taylor admits that whether or not he will live longer as a result of his eating pattern is a "good question," but he feels optimistic.

"I already feel as though I am younger," said Taylor. "And if I am showing objective signs of being younger -- more vigor and positivity -- then I think it is logical to assume that I have already lengthened my lifespan by moving to IF."

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by GTO

CNN just wrote on intermittent fasting, for those of you following it (or are keen to):

Link to article

I have been following 16/8 IF for last 50 days after reading about it on this thread. I've also watched a video by Jagannath Dixit about eating 2 times only. This is somewhat similar but difficult for me as I work-out & need to eat 3 time at the least, including my protein shake.

I have lost about 4 Kg weight in this period. The indigestion and other related problems are mostly gone. I try to go for LCHF food with good amount of protein intake to remain full for longer time. Late evening cravings for food are still there, which I am somehow managing.

I think this could be made into a discipline in a long run.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by graaja

Have black coffee or green or red tea or just hot water as much as you want.

So during IF, it is ok to have black coffee or green tea? I was under the assumption that only water is allowed?

Second question I have is whether 16 hrs is a hard limit for the fasting phase. Or a consistent range- say from 14-16 is acceptable.

Third question is whether it will be effective if done say 5 days a week? Or say for 2 weeks and then a break for 2-3 days. Does it have to be for a good length of time without any breaks in between?