If you are catching up from a weekend away, make sure you check out this post to see if you are the giveaway winner & participate in a conversation about unrealistic expectations!
Ever since I started following an IF eating plan last week I have gotten a few questions that I wanted to address here for the masses! =) If there is a question I don't answer here, I direct you to the master and creator of IF and his FAQ/common misconception page.
1. Won't fasting slow down your metabolism?
No. In what is viewed as the most extensive review of studies on meal frequency and metabolism, the NIH found "no difference between nibbling and gorging." So, no, eating 6 small meals a day does not "stoke the metabolic fire" or elevate your metabolism.
2. Doesn't fasting induce "starvation mode?"
There is a tendency among the fitness and bodybuilding industry to believe that "starvation mode" is easy to enter and cause; that catabolism will occur the moment we stop keeping vigilant guard. This is simply not true, folks. In a study conducted by the NIH, the earliest evidence of a slowing metabolism occured after 60 hours of fasting.
3. Skipping breakfast is bad!
Yes, numerous studies have shown that people who skip breakfast tend to be more overweight than those who eat breakfast. But correlation does not equal causation -- meaning that while these studies have frequently been interpreted as "skipping breakfast makes you fat," they should be seen through a lens of, "people who skip breakfast tend to be overweight."
So, if skipping breakfast in and of itself isn't causing these people to be overweight, what is?
1. People who skip breakfast may be the type who don't eat breakfast but then make up for it by overindulging in lunch, dinner, and evening eating.
2. People who skip breakfast tend to be less concerned with their fitness than people who eat breakfast.
4. What do you eat?
Yeah I have to admit I'm sort of a complicated eater now. Ovo-pescetarian, high-protein bodybuilding diet + intermittent fasting makes for some unique meals. But I enjoy them! This, for example, was my first [read: smallest] meal of the day yesterday [1700 cal day total -- I'm cutting!!, chest + hamstrings day]:
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| Two tilapia fillets, two over-easy eggs, and 40g of oatmeal + 1/2 scoop vanilla rice protein powder + cinnamon + applesauce + nutmeg |
So maybe other people already realized this but I was so thrilled to learn that fish (tilapia in that pic) tastes AWESOME dipped in egg yolk. Seriously. Amazing.
Special Concerns
I would not recommend anyone with a serious medical condition start IF without talking to their doctor. It's just common sense.
I also would not necessarily recommend IF to anyone who has struggled deeply with an eating disorder in the recent past, or who has unresolved issues with said eating disorder. As a former anoretic, I can personally say that the 'high' of being fasted -- the energetic feeling, the "I don't need food" thoughts, the empowerment that can be felt when one does not need to be tied down to an eating schedule -- can be very tempting and almost addictive. It is, occasionally, difficult for me to dismiss thoughts of, "I could definitely fast for another 2 hours." Luckily, my goal is strength, muscle and power -- and so I am not easily swayed. But I can see that someone who is a little closer to the brink of their disease would have to fight not to be sucked back in.
Does anyone have any other questions about IF/how I eat/etc? :) I am more than happy to answer!
What are some common misconceptions about the ways you eat / work out / etc?
This is great info! I'm so fascinated by your IF experiment (and, I'll admit, your food choices in general) because I've recently been doing a LOT of researching and soul-searching to try to figure out exactly how I should be eating to be the healthiest I can be. I lift weights (heavier than most women I know), but I'm not a BB or figure-competitor. I need to lose about 30 lbs, but I don't want to lose lean mass. I'm trying to figure out how macros, meal timing, processing, and food groups play into my goals.
ReplyDeleteYikes, I just wrote you a novel- sorry! But really, you've been very helpful, so thank you!
hmmm muy interesante.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, how much are you looking to cut and/or for how long?
Thanks for all the info! I am hearing more and more about this, and it sounds intriguing. I've heard intermittent fasting can prolong your lifespan, too, so that's pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteMy question would be what are your macronutrient values like? I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian, and sometimes I struggle with getting enough protein without gorging myself on soy and egg-whites!
ReplyDeletethanks for posting this - it really dispels a lot of the myths out there regarding metabolism and eating frequency.
ReplyDeletei'm glad that IF is working out for you. i know that for me, it would probably be a slippery slope to falling back into my ed. so for now, i'm really focusing on upping protein and keeping my cals up to increase strength.
a lot of people think that i don't eat very much because i don't eat infront of them or i don't eat much at any given time. i just can't/don't like to eat huge meals. i constantly feel the need to list off my food intake to prove how much i eat! i hate that because i also know that i don't need to justify myself to anyone. still, i think with my past issues, it's important that people around me know that i'm doing okay.
Joob -- at the very end of my bulk & the very top of my scale values I weighed 136. I'm estimating maintenance is going to be about 2000 cals for me...I *think* I want to get down to 122-124 and 20-22% BF -- not very lean but veeeeeery maintainable & that's where I see my abs ;) PRIORITIES! :)
ReplyDeleteAli -- Yesterday I ate about 146g protein, 70g fat and 110g carbs (give or take a few grams of carbs & fat -- notebook's in the other room and I'm lazy!) I can't stomach soy in very large amounts (a little too much veganaise and I'll be in the bathroom all day) so I get all of my protein from tilapia, shrimp [low levels of mercury], occasionally salmon, eggs, and pea and rice protein powders. Plus trace protein from oats, oat bran, and peanuts.
Teabag :) -- I'm definitely glad I gave myself a few years to get back to 'normal' before starting IF! I remember those first few years after my ED -- everyone around me was SO concerned about how much/little/what I was eating...it's hard to work up an appetite under that kind of scrutiny!
This is an excellent post Sable, I really appreciate the common sense clarifications and advice. In particular, I always nod vigorously when people point out the correlation ≠ causation! Anyway, I'll be interested to see how you get on with this. IF is getting more and more "press" in the blog world, and as someone whose approach I trust to be founded in legit research and careful consideration, I'm going to follow your progress closely :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. I too have questioned the missed breakfast mostly b/c I used to not eat breakfast and once I finally started eating it, it really seemed to make a difference in my metabolism and how I felt throughout the day in general. For me, being vegetarian comes with too many misconceptions to even begin to list (as I'm sure you know already). Hope you've had a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour meals look at random as mine--but delicious!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you put that little ED disclaimer in there--very wise words. People often think I don't eat much because for me, dinner is by far the smallest meal of the day. So when we head out for dinner with friends, they think my small portion means I never eat, or I'm trying to lose weight. What they DONT know is that I ate a bigger meal at 7, 10, 1, and 4 already! Can get frustrating...
good stuff! I'd never seen the NIH studies but am enough of a nerd to read them and keep a copy - thanks!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Sable. I'm curious about how you feel, emotionally, physically, or otherwise, while fasting. Can you please tell me about that?
ReplyDelete:-) Marion
I'm a vegetarian and also doing IF, and I'm having trouble getting enough calories with out completely gorging myself. What are some high calorie things I can eat that aren't highly processed and can up my calories a little.. I usually sit at around 1100 every day, but even that is hard to get to. I just don't eat a lot, never have :/
ReplyDelete