The Intermittent Fasting Chronicles.

As you would suspect, being that I’m a scientifically-minded individual, I try things out all the time – different programs, reps schemes, nutritional approaches – in the search for the most effective, results-getting approaches for my clients, as well as myself.

Most of my experiments involve yours truly. Some have been spectacular failures, some (like my one-arm pullup odyssey*) are ongoing, and some have been home runs. The home runs I keep.

Today, I went on an intermittent fast a la Dr. Eades’ prescription.

I can’t really define what an intermittent fast is better than Dr. Eades, so I’ll just quote him:

Intermittent fasting (IF) is just as its name implies: a period of fasting alternated with a period of eating.

Dr. Eades suggests that the fast period last at least 15 hours, though he admits there’s no conclusive evidence regarding an ideal time frame to optimize benefits while minimizing protein catabolism (muscle tissue being burned for fuel). Hofmekler suggests 20 hours, while DeVany suggests “random mealtimes.”

I fasted for 16 hours (could’ve gone longer but that was as long as I cared to experiment).

Let me intercept your question up front:

No, I don’t really have fat to lose – I’m as lean as I care to be. I just wanted to try it, and since Dr. Eades’ version would be harder for me to adhere to than Ori Hofmekler’s, I figured I’d try his first. I’m much less familiar with Art DeVany’s take on fasting, but he seems to tout the same lines: Go hungry for awhile, then go eat.

Here is what I’ve found while on an IF:

1) I felt unusually good. Not just ok good, but genuinely good - more alert, more awake, improved mood. This was a surprise, as I’m not following a strict low-carb regimen and as such am likely not fat-adapted.

2) The inevitable lulls in energy anytime my body “shifted” metabolically (tapped into fatty acids for energy, increased GH release, etc.) were of much shorter duration and smaller scale. In other words, I didn’t get as much of a drop in energy as I normally do when eating in regular intervals.

3) It would likely fail miserably for me on workout or jiujitsu days. I hauled some heavy bags up and down the stairs during the fasting period and felt like it required far more effort than the task warranted. Could be the fat-adaptation thing again, but I think that for a metabolic battery pack like me, I simply need waaaaay more calories on exercise days.

4) Food tastes delicious after fasting.

I’m considering trying this on a regular basis on non-activity days and taking an hourly log of my mood, energy level, alertness, etc., and comparing it to my other days. But to you, dear reader, I offer two small insights from my one IF experience:

1) It’s not that hard, especially if you’re a busy person and tend to skip (or overlook) meals anyway. I truly regret not having my wife follow an IF regimen sooner (she currently follows Ori Hofmekler’s Warrior Diet). Not difficult to follow + supported by science = cool by me.

2) You definitely feel good. There’s something about the increased BDNF or the growth hormone release that acts as a natural mood elevator and energizer. Of course, if I remembered everything I read, I would’ve expected this. No “diet-enduced moodiness!”

But – tomorrow’s a training day, so back to High Performance Nutrition 101 for now.

Above: On IF, I’d likely not have the energy to pull off a sweet flying armbar like Rumino Sato.

*Note to Michele and Mike, I’m getting close but I keep injuring the arms in jiujitsu. As you can imagine, Sairalyn is extremely happy (sarcastic).