I should’ve been a scientist. I love to experiment. I love trying something new and different and charting the progress. I Love seeing how a knee jerk reaction to something can effect the outcome. This is partly why I got into the culinary industry. Besides a latent ability to cook, I like playing with flavors.
‘what if I add … this! How will that change the taste’
That’s a thought that goes through my head many times a day. I love it. I always have.
In the last year though, I’ve gained a new love and that is the understanding and shaping of the human form. I’m amazed at how many different ways there are to lose weight, add muscle, and be strong and healthy. Whether it’s a ketogenic low carb diet like Atkins, or a 100% raw fruit and veggie diet as shown in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead or an extreme one meal a day Intermittent Fasting program as in Martin Berkahn’s LeanGains.
With my journey through the low-carb/high fat diet world coming to an end as my fitness goals evolve I’m looking for something new. While certain facets of the low-carb life will never leave me, like my heavy aversion to bread and sugar, I’m improving my relation with Carbs once again in a healthy controlled way. I could never do a 100% raw fruit and veggie diet, if only because of the cost of time involved, but frankly I like meat. So now, at a dietary cross roads, looking for another stone to step on, on my journey to a fully sustainable maximum efficiency diet to lose fat, gain muscle, and be healthy I turn my back towards Martin and Lean Gains.
Now I emphasize the word “back” because I tried Lean Gains (LG) once before, but had minimal success with it. In fact I’ve toyed with Intermittent Fasting (IF) a couple of times in the past. Trying both LG and the Eat, Stop, Eat (ESE) method but neither gave me the results I wanted, but I know why.
ESE and LG both entail one common factor, not eating during the day. With ESE you’re going an entire day without eating, with LG you’re going the morning and afternoon without eating. The issue I had with both of these plans was a conflict between my schedule, my job, and the IF program. I’m a chef, I eat professionally. Not a lot, but putting down 300-400 kcals a day just in tasting, re-tasting, and re-re-tasting is not uncommon. Add into that my very early morning schedule where I rise at 5am and clock in at 6am, combined with a job that puts me on my feet all day long, the idea of skipping breakfast just doesn’t work for me.
In both cases I would skip breakfast and/or lunch and be miserable. I tried both for almost three weeks and saw none of the near miraculous results that others have seen. I know this is partly do to me not maintaining the key point of both diets, the fast. Having to eat for work, and wanting to eat during work proved to sabotage my results. I tried both of these diets months ago before realizing that there truly is an almost uncountable number of ways to skin a cat when it comes to weight loss.
This dietary experiment will be to invert the LG method. Where Martin recommends skipping breakfast and lunch and eating all your nutrients late in the day, I’m going to flip that schedule to fit my life. I’ll be eating breakfast and lunch, and a post workout meal (most likely a bomb ass protein shake fueled by protein from my friends over at True Nutrition)
Here is the breakdown of my planned schedule:
- 6am – Wake up
- 8am – First meal
- 1pm – Second meal
- 5pm – Post workout meal (Mon, Wed, Friday)
The rest of the time will be a water fast. This will give me 14-18 hours fasted, depending on the day. This will allot an adequate fasting period while also fitting my life. This will be fairly natural for me as well as I don’t eat a massive dinner as it is right now. The largest issue I could see with this method is the social implications. Dinner and late night eating are cross-cultural social times.
I’ll be starting this program in two days (January 16) and will maintain it for a minimum of 6 weeks, reporting back with results every two weeks.
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In the Leangains guide, Martin also has a couple protocols for people who have to eat earlier rather than later. A 9-hour feeding window may also be a bit too long, putting you at 9 hours feed/15 hours fast; the fat-burning effects of IF are maximized by fasts approaching 20 hours. While I haven’t seen the “near miraculous” results (I agree with your assessment) of fat loss yet, I’ve been putting on serious muscle, though this is also in part to my weight routine which emphasizes linear progression of weight and adequate rest periods.
None of them quite fit my schedule, he seems to keep a strong “skip breakfast” emphasis, which I wish I could but simply doesn’t work for me. Maybe I’ll pioneer a new protocol? Wishful thinking right.
I’ll keep the 20 hour fasting window in mind, I can push my breakfast back to 9, possibly, but no later. While I dont expect this to be AS effective as the strict LG guidelines, I’m hoping that I’ll see even 50% of the success LG has. I’m not looking to reach a shredded <10% BF I'd be happy just dropping about 4 points to 12%-13%
Well, his emphasis on skipping breakfast is for two reasons: 1. to challenge the common belief that skipping breakfast is bad for you and 2. retraining your hormone profiles (specifically leptin and adiponectin) for maximum effectiveness. From what I understand, your hormone profiles are changed by the fasted state, no matter when it is. That said, if you’re not skipping breakfast, you may want to skip dinner.
Thats the plan. 4 out of 7 days of the week my last meal will be around 1pm, on my training days my last real meal will end at 1pm but I’ll be taking in a protein shake to put nutrients back into my system post-workout around 5pm (or whenever I get out of the gym)
I might change my workout routine a bit to shorten it so that I’m not taking in that shake to late in the day.
I do IF and have wonderful results, gaining size, losing body fat, getting stronger every workout. The biggest thing I see people screw up on is their macro ratios and calories. Reply to this with your calorie/diet break down and I will go over it for you. The biggest problem people have is they eat way to many calories. I am 209 lbs, and eat roughly 275 carbs 200 grams of protein, and 22 grams of fat on my training days, on my off days its 50 carbs, 200 protein 50 fat. You are not that much larger than me, so give it a shot. I do a little running here or there but focus on the squat, dead lift, and bench.
Please dont email me as I do not check that email.
good luck
It sounds like we’re on very similar regiments, you eat more carbs then I do though, I keep it around 30g on non training days and maybe 150-200 on training days.
My favorite thing is eat what the hell I want. Today was legs and shoulders. I got home from the gym made my own whole grain pizza dough, then put a can of tomato bazil, and orgengo on top with some parm cheese. I ate this whole monster with 3/4lb of chicen marinated in honey bbq sauce.
140 carbs 100 protein 12 fat. Was so full after
I just had a huge bowl of Special K strawberry Cearel with skim milk, a protein shake, and some protein muffins I make.
For dinner I am having french toast and turkey bacon
Its good living
Thats what I’ve been told, it offers much more freedom in what you eat
Dr. John Berardi experimented on himself using three different IF methods and documented it. Free e-book available here:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting
It’s a pretty interesting read and not too long. (And it’s truly free – no strings attached.) People might want to take a look just for a different perspective. One of the methods he tried was Martin’s.
Martin’s program didn’t seem to line up with my schedule, but if he’s got some alternates, I should take another look.
Carnivore
It does not matter if you skip breakfast or not. The idea is 16-18 hrs fasted, eat in an 6-8 hour window. I am in the military and have no problems with my busy schedule. I bring tupper ware to work with Rice chicken, steak, etc. I microwave eggs with turkey bacon and make egg mcmuffins, its a fun diet. I am not trying to sell anyone on it, but it works great. I have been fit my whole life, had a 4 pack but was sick and tired of eat so few calories, doing cardio 7 days week, and always eating every few hours. This really gave me some freedom and enjoyment.
Rice chicken? Is that cooked rice or not cooked? That might work like a breading for the chicken. I do know for IF, you need to eat a lot before the fast. Well for me, otherwise I get too lethargic. The Macros seem a bit too complicated for me though. It would be easier if there was a visual amount of food they would suggest. Also with IF I tend to undereat at only 2 meals. My digestion is slower than usual to begin with.
Calories or portions directly coorespond to the macro ratio.
Carbs and Protein 4 cals per gram / Fat 9 calories per gram
You buy a package of chicken its 2lbs you eat half of that its 1 lb / 16 oz or roughly 500 grams give or take. Comes out to close to 100 grams of protein.
Cook that, then figure out what 100 grams of carbs is in rice, or potatoes cook it. Eat it, its to easy. Once you get used to weighing and eyeing your foods you can guestimate the calories and nutrition info.