9 replies to this topic

[lassie]

I know this is super super late haha but I'm feeling inclined to spill some thoughts... I agree ADF has been super efficient at least for me, sometimes I'd do that for about a week and then switch to OMAD (one meal a day), basically always some form of intermittent fasting. ADF+OMAD together for a few days is a killer combo for fat loss but definitely unsustainable, and I often end up binging or being miserable when I go too extreme. I'm always on some form of IF, though, and never without CR. It's been the best for me, already lost 10kg that way along with the occasional home/outdoor workout. I make sure I'm not miserable or sleepy meanwhile because that will kill your metabolism and very seriously slow down loss.

 

If you've also ever heard of the ketogenic diet... it's basically maintaining your carb intake at <20g, eating mostly fats and decent protein so your body only metabolizes fat for energy and has less trouble switching to body fat and burning it more efficiently when you fast. The longest I've stayed on keto is a bit under 2 months, and that combined with IF (and of course always regulating my calorie intake) seems to literally melt body fat, at least for me... there's a ton of reading you can do on the subject out there, as this diet has grown in popularity quite a bit lately. Good luck!!

[lassie]

Oh I forgot to add, keto as well as IF have separately been proven to be probably the absolute best diets out there for preserving muscle mass! That's super important to me as I'm a bit of an athlete as well haha

[flickerbeat]

If you've also ever heard of the ketogenic diet... it's basically maintaining your carb intake at <20g, eating mostly fats and decent protein so your body only metabolizes fat for energy and has less trouble switching to body fat and burning it more efficiently when you fast. The longest I've stayed on keto is a bit under 2 months, and that combined with IF (and of course always regulating my calorie intake) seems to literally melt body fat, at least for me... there's a ton of reading you can do on the subject out there, as this diet has grown in popularity quite a bit lately. Good luck!!

 

When you're no longer in ketosis, do you tend to gain the weight back? Or does it stay off? How do you keep it off?

[lassie]

In my experience and according to all the research I've read, you don't! It's even easier to keep it off since your body becomes more efficient at burning fat and remembers it even when you reintroduce carbs. However, I don't think it's good to stay in constant ketosis for more than a few months since your body might forget how to properly process a lot of good carbs such as fruits and you might get digestion issues. In the long-term, variety is super important...

 

The good thing is your hunger decreases in ketosis and you won't have that massive urge to binge when you come out of it. Of course as long as you do minimal processed/junk food and don't consume past maintenance, you don't regain anything  

[relaxingterror]

high protein, low fat, moderate carbs, focusing on lots of veggies is key for me. something similar to the fighter diet by pauline nordin. i usually eat 2 meals a day around 500 cals each and they are SUPER filling i don't even feel deprived sometimes it's great. also drink tons and tons of water/tea.

 

with keto^ it's not enough carbs to fuel workouts properly, and even then it has a low success/sustainability rate. once you start eating carbs again you blow up too just lol who wants that.

[ItsBoshyTime]

I've been thinking about this lately too...

 

We all know calories can't tell time and that CICO is a thing so... Im wonder if I eat a large amount of calories after a heavy workout (enough to cause hypertrophy) and then fast or eat on a deficit will I gain muscle and lose fat? Yes I know you lose muscle on a deficit too blah blah blah but... If you keep your protein high its less likely that this will happen so in the end you will be losing more fat and gaining or at least mantaining muscle.

[ozatana]

I've been thinking about this lately too...
 
We all know calories can't tell time and that CICO is a thing so... Im wonder if I eat a large amount of calories after a heavy workout (enough to cause hypertrophy) and then fast or eat on a deficit will I gain muscle and lose fat? Yes I know you lose muscle on a deficit too blah blah blah but... If you keep your protein high its less likely that this will happen so in the end you will be losing more fat and gaining or at least mantaining muscle.

You really think pro level bodybuilders (and other athletes) who are trying to maximize their body composition (as much muscle as possible with as little bodyfat as physically possible) eat 4-6 meals a day, time their macros correctly and avoid stupid nonsense fad diets (such as the one you mentioned) for nothing?

[Explosion-san]

You really think pro level bodybuilders (and other athletes) who are trying to maximize their body composition (as much muscle as possible with as little bodyfat as physically possible) eat 4-6 meals a day, time their macros correctly and avoid stupid nonsense fad diets (such as the one you mentioned) for nothing?

I don't think you can really correlate what body builders do to what works for a normal person. They're all on multiple anabolic steroids and fat burners and do super intense workouts every day, although what they do does work, it doesn't mean it's the only way, especially if you're of a reasonable size and aren't trying to get to something ridiculous like 6% body fat.

 

As for doing a big meal and then fasting for a short period of time (24-48 hours), that doesn't work well as you burn a lot of protein in that time period before going in to ketosis. A short fast of 12-16 hours (time restricted feeding) can be good as it lets your insulin levels drop. The important thing is to get enough protein when on a cut.

[ozatana]

I don't think you can really correlate what body builders do to what works for a normal person. They're all on multiple anabolic steroids and fat burners and do super intense workouts every day, although what they do does work, it doesn't mean it's the only way, especially if you're of a reasonable size and aren't trying to get to something ridiculous like 6% body fat.
 
As for doing a big meal and then fasting for a short period of time (24-48 hours), that doesn't work well as you burn a lot of protein in that time period before going in to ketosis. A short fast of 12-16 hours (time restricted feeding) can be good as it lets your insulin levels drop. The important thing is to get enough protein when on a cut.

Drugs aren't magic, they will just allow a person to go next level, the effort is still needed in order to reach peak level results

Sure short term (sub 24hr) fasts aren't harmful regarding nuscle retention however your results will be better with 4-6 evenly spaced protein feedings