First, I’m still following my controlled-carb eating. Generally Meat, Leaves, Berries, Nuts, Seeds, with 2 major exceptions – a post-exercise homebrew (Gatorade and protein) immediately after BJJ class, and a carb-containing meal roughly 2 hours post BJJ (a la Paleo Diet For Athletes).

So you could safely say I’m probably fat adapted by now.

One great thing about IF – I’m no longer paranoid about having to scrounge up a meal every 3 hours, lest my body cannibalize my already slight muscle mass for energy. Since I know the GH release protects against catabolism, if I miss a meal, I’ll just finish out the fast period (unless I’m training in BJJ that day). I’m reminded of Pavel’s quote:

“I refuse to graze all day. I have better things to do.”

What I’ve found since this post:

1) Fasting on BJJ days leaves me with a little less in the tank, affecting my performance. To boot, I’m dead afterwards. Much better to eat with a plan on those days.

2) Fasting before weight training: very much the same as #1, except with less performance detriment. I suspect this is due to the low volume of my workouts.

3) I still feel incredibly awesome while IFing, at least for the first 10 hours or so. Clear-headed, present, sharp – it’s great.

That being said, IF is something I do only intermittently (ha ha). My training (both my personal workouts as well as training clients) schedule simply doesn’t allow for infrequent feedings – I tend not to eat enough calories to sustain me.

I’ve had several clients try IFing and for those who IF and follow a controlled-carb diet, results have been great.

I agree with Robb Wolf’s recommendations:

First, eliminate the crap (processed, sugar, etc.)

Second, eliminate the starches and grains.

Third, follow low-carb.

Then, and only then, try IF.

A study Dr. Eades posted several months ago showed that IFing had negative effects (slowing of metabolism, decreased glucose sensitivity) if combined with a crappy diet (high in carbs).

By the way, did you test it out anymore?

With respect to workouts and IF you might find these links of interest:

http://www.fatlosstroubleshoot.com/if.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/forums/showthread.php?p=496150#post496150

Cheers,
Nat