Accidental intermittent fasting & Back at GOAL!!!!!

Okay, now that I'm back at goal, let me tell you what I've been experimenting with.

I went back to my habit of not eating after 7pm and I realized that I was accidentaly using a form of intermittent fasting. By having my last meal before 7 pm and not eating again until after 9 am the next day, I was creating a 12+ hour fast each day.

Great, my weight was responding positively, but I noticed that it was negatively impacting my morning fasted workouts.

After a 12+ hour fast I had very little in the tank to devote to the kind of workouts I do. I of course started to worry about my body breaking down muscle for energy so I decided to do some research.

Enter Martin Berkhan. He has a website called Lean Gains that has a ton of information about intermittent fasting. That's where I got the idea to change the timing of my fast. Instead of a 7 to 7 fast I decided to follow what my body naturally likes which is a 12noon to 9pm fast.

Even as a child, I have always prefered not to eat breakfast. Left on my own, without trying to follow someone's "6 meal a day" diet instructions, I would eat a large meal in the afternoon, snack lightly throughout the evening and not eat again until after noon the next day. Apparently that is how I've been able to do fasted workouts successfully all these years. I always had a bit of fuel left over from the night before.

Here's a link to one of Martin Berkhans pages where he outlines his recommended timing for intermittent fasting.

www.leangains.com/2010/0
4/leangains-guide.html

I decided to give it a try and I LOVE IT!! I'm back at goal and it was a breeze. This is how my day looks.

5-6am - Fasted Workout
11pm Coffee (black)
12 noon - Lunch (Largest meal of the day)
6pm - Light Dinner (Soup, salad, smoothie or sandwich)
8pm Snack

I don't use BCAA Powder because I don't like the taste of it but I seem to do fine without it. I don't even get a hint of hunger until about 11am and the coffee I drink quells it until I eat at noon.

I've only been doing this for a week but I've lost an easy 3.5 lbs in the process so I think I'll continue. I still track my meals but its so easy to stay within my calorie allowance because after my big lunch I am barely hungry for the rest of the day.

Hopefully this way of eating is the dream come true that it seems. I'll keep you guys posted.