The FastDay Forum

Hi

I am tempted to give this diet a try, however I have a few questions.

My goal is to participate in a fitness competition during the summer and I need to lose some weight to get my sixpack showing again lol, I was just wondering.

1) Will this diet make me lose my hard earned muscles, since I will not be feeding them regularily?

2) When will I have to eat? Will I experience the same fat loss if I eat my last meal before the diet at about 8pm and don't eat until 8pm the next day, will I then experience the same fat loss as if I do as recommended and eat my last meal before fast at 8am and then fast the entire day until 8am.
I am wondering because fasting the entire day and going to bed on an empty stomach will be unbearable for me, but I know the best fatloss gains are made if you are sleeping on a semi-empty stomach.

Is this Crossfit, strongman or bodybuilding?

If you're cutting for bodybuilding, you're better off following standard bodybuilding info. Google Leangains and maybe stick to 16:8. Caro has given you a link in the post below.

I've managed to lose weight and gain muscle on 4:3 but the key is to eat plenty on non-fast days and clean on fast days. You get over being hungry after the first few weeks and life becomes a whole lot easier (for most people).

Basically, it's all about recovery so dial in your sleep and diet and then experiment with the various IF protocols.

When you eat is up to you and how you best like to manage your day. I'm not a morning eater so started with a minute lunch and large tea (proper food) with milky drink at night, then went to evening only and then eventually 16:8 over the last year. I train fasted, which suits me.

Other ways to do this are bulletproof coffee or pre-workout protein shake, then carbs after with another shake or whatever. Carbs from sweet potato, etc. There are seriously many, many options, I follow the Nutition section of the Crossfit msg boards and the question people mainly ask is whether you are training for aesthetics or function as that also makes a difference.

I'm female and still have a high bf % so what you do might depend on where you are now...

This is a good article that touches on the important points, perhaps more Paleo but these ideas work well with IF in it's various forms.

http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/paleo-hybrid-diet

People, this is heavy training advice, so the supplementation mentioned above is normal for lifters...

[carorees]

Hi and welcome!

Fasting is a good way of losing fat without losing muscle. Scientific studies have found that no muscle is lost during the first 24 hours of fasting.

Regarding timing, it's best to stop eating 4 hours before bedtime, and for maximum fat loss, at least 16 hours of full fasting is best. BUT what really works best is for you to find out what works for you. Night owls prefer eating later in the day, larks like to eat earlier. If you need breakfast but can't face going to bed hungry, split your calories between breakfast and dinner.

There's lots of information on fasting and body composition here http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html though this site uses daily 16 hour fasts (which we call 16:8) rather than 5:2

Good luck

I know the best fatloss gains are made if you are sleeping on a semi-empty stomach.

Welcome to the forum. Just curious how you know that best fatloss gains are made sleeping on an empty stomach? In fact it doesn't matter when you eat, but what and how much - the body is very good at sharing out food intake and the timing of meals isn't important.
Regarding your fitness question - my brother fasted 3 days a week to get to his optimum weight for his kettlebell competitions and it had no adverse effect on his muscle build or performance - quite the contrary.
I lost weight and gained muscle too while fasting (I run). Good luck whatever you decide to do.

I found this study on exercise and fat loss / muscle building. It says exercise fasting in the morning is great for fat loss.

https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/browse/ne/uninews/losefatfaster