Intermittent fasting (IF) part 2

Part 1 about intermittent fasting (IF) was very positive as IF can help you lose fat and build muscle at the same time. But there are doubts that every IF method will bring you these advantages. Next we will discuss two popular IF methods often followed, and discuss while one seems like a bad choice.

The 5–2 pattern

With the 5–2 pattern you eat normal for 5 days a week and limit your caloric intake to a quarter of your recommend intake on the other 2 days. These two days of “fasting” do not have to be consecutive days meaning you can limit your intake on Monday and Thursday while eating normal the other days of the week.

This method does not make much sense to me as one of the advantages of IF is a more efficient use of nutrients resulting in an increase of muscle mass. But now you are supposed to limit the nutrient intake drastically? The most probable result will be serious negative effects on your recovery as your body will not have enough proteins available to help your muscles recover. Besides, the very low nutrient intake will probably lead to low energy levels which will be unfavorable for your workout.

The 16–8 pattern

Here you are supposed to fast for a period of 16 hours per day and eat your daily nutrients during the other 8 hours. Some people adjust this pattern even further to limit the eating period to 6 or 4 hours per day, fasting the rest of the day.

With this method you still make sure you have all your necessary daily nutrients on a daily base, you just eat them during a smaller window of time. That might mean you feel hungry during the fasting period, and stuffed during the eating period. By keeping your nutrient intake on track with your requirements you make sure your body has enough proteins for building muscle, enough fats to function optimally, and enough carbohydrates for energy. And this is the biggest advantage over the 5–2 pattern and therefore recommended for most people.

Fasting for 16 hours straight seems like a long time, but a good part of that time you spend sleeping. And since most people do not eat a big meal right for going to bed it is well possible you are already fasting 10–12 hours a day without even realizing it. By skipping, or better said postponing, your breakfast it can be a small effort to reach 16 hours.

Example of a 16–8 pattern:

Eating period: 12PM till 8PM

Fasting: 8PM till 10PM

Sleeping: 10PM till 6AM

Fasting: 6AM till 12PM

In the last part about intermittent fasting we will give some tips on how to make sure you have all the benefits of intermittent fasting without feeling tired or hungry all day long, and without compromising on the quality of your training and recovery. There will also give a very important warning you don’t want to miss before considering if intermittent fasting is something for you!