Is intermittent fasting the way forward?

Last week, I went on an all-inclusive beach holiday. Although I still trained, got my steps in, and didn’t touch any fake food, it’s fair to say I still ate my fair share.

When I got back, I felt like I needed some struggle to balance out that small taste of hedonism. And since I never went hungry on holiday, intermittent fasting (IF) seemed to fit the bill.

I’ve experimented with IF many times over the years, like the usual skipping breakfast and breaking your fast at noon instead.

But I’ve also tried more extreme diets where I went no carb and only had one meal a day while trying to hit my protein goal for the day. It wasn’t fun, but we’ll save that story for another day.

This time though, I thought I’d try something a little less extreme.

Originally, I was thinking of a two-hour eating window, but after the first day, I extended it to three.

I planned to break my fast between 5 pm and 6 pm and resume it by 9 pm at the latest.

Everything else I’ve kept the same: my daily routine, nutritional goals (2500 calories), and training routine. 

My 3 Day Experience with Intermittent Fasting

What I found on my extreme intermittent fasting experiment.

Monday

I knew I was intermittent fasting today, so on Sunday evening I ate a relatively larger meal. Because of that, I woke up feeling not too hungry and ready to start my day.

I carried out my morning routine before heading to a coffee shop to start some work. I don’t know if it was the placebo effect but it felt like the coffee hit harder on an empty stomach. I was a little jittery but clear-headed and more focused.

I then got to the gym. Instantly I could tell I was a little weaker. I fell short 1 to 2 reps on every set for every exercise.

And although my focus was still high from the coffee, physically I felt like my energy dipped halfway through the workout. On top of that, the pump wasn’t that good.

My light cardio session after the workout felt fine, albeit I was a little hungrier than usual.

After doing some more work, I sat down to eat my first meal.

What would usually keep me going for a few hours didn’t hit the spot at all and I was hungrier after than I was before. Luckily, I had a huge meal coming up.

500 grams of lamb mince with sweetcorn and rice, enough food to feed a family of four. I am a big eater, but that was a struggle.

An hour later, I had a whole tub of plain yogurt with a banana before finishing the day with a protein bar.

Tuesday

Sleep that night wasn’t the best as I woke up three times. It was probably due to the volume of food I ate so late in the day.

Apart from being a little sore, which is unusual for me, and feeling a bit tired, the rest of the day followed the same narrative as the day before.

I was more focused at work, slightly weaker in the gym, and although the hunger was present, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had expected.

I did feel a cold coming on though, and that may have affected the results from this little experiment.

Like the night before, after hitting my calorie and protein goals for the day, I did not feel good.

This evening I had:

• Tuna, sweetcorn, and mayo in a jacket potato

• 500 grams of yogurt with raspberries

• A small bag of popcorn

• 10 eggs, 150 grams of smoked salmon, and a potato

• A shake containing oats, a banana, peanut butter, and semi-skimmed milk

• A protein bar

Wednesday

Weirdly, I slept soundly that night, but my body was still sore from training.

Like the previous two days, I was more focused at work, training wasn’t the best, and the hunger from IF wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had expected.

That evening though, after my first meal, I simply could not stomach any more food in the three-hour window. I had to extend the eating window to five hours and resort to calorie-dense foods to hit my calorie and protein goals for the day.

I had:

• 200 grams of cooked chicken with 300 grams of sweet potato and a banana

• The same shake as yesterday

• 150 grams of cooked chicken with half a potato and rice

• 40 grams of 90% dark chocolate

• 2 protein bars and 35 grams of baked strawberries

• 200 grams of chicken liver
  

The Pros and Cons of Extreme Intermittent Fasting

Here are the key takeaways from my short experiment with extreme intermittent fasting.

Pros

Hunger Management 

One thing I’ve always struggled with is that feeling of being hungry, especially whilst cutting, so naturally, I thought this experiment would be a struggle. 

Weirdly though, it didn’t feel that bad. Don’t get me wrong, hunger was always present throughout the day, but it was bearable. And it wasn’t that much different from a day in my regular routine. It also helps waking up still feeling full from the night before.

So, if you’re currently in a big caloric deficit, and hunger is an issue, try restricting your calorie consumption to a smaller eating window (preferably not as extreme as three hours though).

Time Saved 

Breakfast, a snack, lunch, a pre-workout meal, a post-workout meal, and then dinner. Going from work to preparing meals, and then taking a few minutes to sit and digest before resuming your day can eat up much of your time. 

With an extreme eating window, you’re essentially time-blocking those few hours specifically for eating, and the rest of your day is free.

Therefore, if you’re someone who struggles to manage time, incorporating an eating window may help.

Elevated Focus 

I first heard about the benefits of fasting for focus from Chris Williamson in the Modern Wisdom podcast, and after this experience, I can attest to it too.

You’re less sluggish, your mind is clearer, and it feels as though you get into a state of deep work a lot quicker. 

That carries over to working out as well. That same mental clarity allows you to really focus on muscle contractions, elevating your mind-muscle connection.

Cons

Bad Workouts 

Yes, your focus and mind-muscle connection is better, but everything else isn’t. 

The pump is worse, you’re physically weaker, and you struggle to push yourself because your mind is tuned in to your underlying hunger. 

I’m sure after some time you’d get used to training fasted, but I’d rather not.

Terrible Recovery

By far the biggest con of extreme intermittent fasting is the soreness you experience as your body struggles to recover.

The reason for that is twofold. Firstly because I wasn’t getting any protein in before or after my workout, arguably two of the most important times for recovery. Second, I ate all my protein in three hours. My body simply could not digest almost 200 grams of protein in that time frame efficiently.

In just three days, I could notably feel the effects of worsened recovery which led to cramps and further decreases in my ability to train with intensity. 

Feeling Uncomfortable
Even though I’m no longer physically fat, I still do like feeling full after a big meal. But eating 2500 calories (almost) cleanly in the space of three hours left me feeling uncomfortable.

You’re bloated and slumped and you don’t feel like doing anything except lazing around remedying your overconsumption. 

At the end of the day, you simply don’t feel good.

What I’d Recommend

An eating window of less than 5 hours is pointless, the drawbacks severely outweigh the benefits. I only kept a three-hour eating window to make it a bit of a challenge, and I can confidently say it isn’t worth it.

What I’d recommend, to get all the pros of intermittent fasting and less of the cons, is to break your fast at noon i.e. skip breakfast. That way, you can have a focused work session in the morning, be fully energized for training, and spread your protein intake throughout the day whilst managing your hunger.

And if you want to set a time restraint, try an eight-hour eating window.  

For next weeks challenge, I’ll attempt to run a half-marathon… the furthest I’ve ever ran previously is 5k :)

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