Quote: (08-03-2012 02:19 PM)UgSlayer Wrote:
Anybody have any experience with intermittent fasting and sports practice? I train jiu jitsu and muay thai and want to cut down to around 160 walking weight so I can fight at light weight then maybe slim down a bit more later on to fight at featherweight. I currently walk around at 175 to 180 depending on what time of day it is and how much I've had to eat/drink.
Never tried IF, but would I have enough energy to get through conditioning, drills and live training for 2 or 3 hours without collapsing before having my first meal? Also, how long did it take your bodies to adjust to intermittent fasting ie not feeling hungry, irritable, or out of it during the day.
I think Hershel Walker managed quite fine. He has been doing IF for over 30 years and it gave him a Heisman trophy and a UFC career in his 40's.
He only eats one (large) meal a day at supper time. And did this throughout his college, NFL, and UFC career. He is
50 and looks great.
For me the hunger pains went away after a week. In the 2nd week I was forgetting to eat sometimes because my mind/body was just not craving food. Some days my body gets crazy hungry early but I think that is when I don't give my self enough calories the day prior. I had to transition into training fasted and now I have no problem with it.
Energy is never a problem though if anything you will be even more weird. In the first 2 week I had issues with sleep because I was always hyper from IF.
For athletes you would just have to tailor your eating window to suit your needs. Eventually you get used to training and conditioning fasted but to ease into it time you eating window to start earlier maybe to give you fuel to train and just end your eating window earlier.
So maybe have a dense nutrient breakfast/first meal that is not to heavy, protein shakes, a avocado, fish and rice something like that then go train. then have a stupid large meal after you train and cut yourself off.
I really believe IF is more in tuned with the classic way humans use to eat. I believe humans only ate once or twice per day with the rest of the time devoting energy to actually gather and prepare that food.
IF is ideal and something you can do long term for the rest of your life. I am not sold on Paleo because if you break down Paleo for what it is it offers your body nothing good in the long run. It will eventually turn into a problem down the road while IF keeps your body in better condition longer since you still get all proper nutrients and marcos just in a more efficient manner.