Intermittent Fasting – Good OR Bad?

Intermittent Fasting is a hot nutrition topic and a lot of people think of it as something “new”. But when you look deeper you’ll see that the whole idea of intermittent fasting is as old as eating itself.

Back in our caveman hunter gatherer days we never had the luxury of eating a meal every 3 hours during the day. You only ate after you killed an animal, caught a fish, or found some eatable vegetation. And depending on the situation there could be long periods of “fasting” in between those meals.

Even in today’s modern society everyone still does intermittent fasting to some degree, when you go to sleep you literally fast all night long. Hence the reason you wake up and eat “Break-Fast” in the morning.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Now some dieters have taken this a step further and will purposely reduce their meal frequency in effort to create a caloric deficit for fat loss. And simply eating fewer meals is one of the easiest and simplest ways of restricting your calorie consumption.

But than this opens up a whole can of worms with questions such as…

Do you really have to eat 6 meals per day?

Will you lose muscle if you don’t eat every 3 hours?

Is intermittent fasting dangerous?

Will intermittent fasting ruin your metabolism?

That’s what we’ll discuss in this “Ask Lee” video…


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About The Author

leehayward

Lee Hayward is a former competitive bodybuilder and muscle building coach who has been online coaching people since 1997. His work has been featured in several international magazines such as: FLEX, Muscle Insider, Muscle Mag International, Testosterone, Ironmag, and Forbes. Lee's main focus right now is with helping men over 40 - who don't want to be fat anymore - lose the gut, build muscle, and get back in shape. If you're ready to "Start Again" for the last time and finally build a lean healthy body that you can be proud of, just e-mail Lee to discuss a realistic action plan that's right for you... lee@leehayward.com

13 Comments

  • I agree with you 100% on this. It all comes down to calories balance, and I find intermittent fasting is a very convenient way to limit my calories. I know a lot of guys who do very well with frequent feedings, but planning and preparing six meals just isn’t for me. Muscle loss is very unlikely as long as the calorie deficit is reasonable and you are training with weights.

  • Will

    They key to this is calorie control and hormone manipulation. IF works if it fits with your lifestyle – if it doesn’t, then don’t do it. For me, it’s just not a practical way of getting my calories. However, if it works for you and fits in your lifestyle then go for it! Ultimately if you’re getting less calories in than you expend you will lose weight – and if you eat the right foods, and do the right exercises you will predominantly burn fat over muscle.

    There are a lot of diets out there, and lifestyles – you need to choose one that works for you. Another key fact I’d like to add is that you need to ensure you keep away from processed and refined foods – that’s the number 1 thing you can do to enhance your dietary health.

  • Remember there are so many more benefits that come with Intermittent Fasting (than weight loss or gain).

    I find that after my last meal, I am so FREE to do anything and not worry about when my next meal is going to be.

    IF is such a cool way to approach everything in life – You are in control of when you eat and when you do. You are succumb to the massive amounts of food marketing bs and always living in the FED state.

    It’s been almost a month for me now and:

    1. I don’t feel sluggish
    2. I don’t have cravings (look into ghrelin and IF)
    3. I don’t feel tired when fasting
    4. I have amazing heavy weight training sessions totally fasted.

    I tend to eat 4 meals still though because I like the variety of clean foods I eat. I seriously seem like I’m feasting for about 5-6 hours after my workouts! BOOM!

  • Thanks for the comments, the key is there is no “One Size Fits All” diet plan. There have been guys get in fantastic shape eating 6 meals a day, and there have been guys get in fantastic shape doing IF type diets. It all comes down to the individual and what works for them and their lifestyle.

  • Will

    leehayward:
    Thanks for the comments, the key is there is no “One Size Fits All” diet plan. There have been guys get in fantastic shape eating 6 meals a day, and there have been guys get in fantastic shape doing IF type diets. It all comes down to the individual and what works for them and their lifestyle.

    Couldn’t agree more. 🙂

  • Sam

    Nice article Lee
    Fasting is very important for a sound mind, and this brings about a strong body. So don’t worry about losing weight but concentrate on the gains of strength that come about by fasting.

  • Jerry Lee

    I just read a recent Yahoo News article where Hugh Jackman describes the 16-8 diet that he followed to give him impressive abs for the new Wolverine movie. He fasts for 16 hours and eats 5,000 calories (includes a lot of steamed spinach & steamed chicken without salt) during the following 8 hour period each day. Sure worked for him, but I’m sure genetics & workout ethic are also important factors. I’m curious to know if he includes much, if any, cardio.

  • Jerry Lee,

    I don’t know Hugh Jackman, but you can rest assured that he is doing regular cardio and weight training workouts in order to get in top movie role shape.

  • Intermittent Fasting does work, I have seen noticeable gains when doing a cycle. What I will say is that you need to balance it with a proper diet and as with everything MODERATION is the key, don’t let it turn into a “starving” cycle. Just my two cent

  • Hey Lee, I am not sure if this is where I should post this or not, but I have a question about contest prep. The last 2 times I was going to do a show, I would get down to 10% bf and get stuck. Why is it so hard to get beyond that point?

  • Tommy Garrett:
    Hey Lee, I am not sure if this is where I should post this or not, but I have a question about contest prep. The last 2 times I was going to do a show, I would get down to 10% bf and get stuck. Why is it so hard to get beyond that point?

    That’s actually quite common, it’s a lot easier to go from “fat” to “lean”, than it is to go from “lean” to “ripped”. Most people agree that those so called “last 10 pounds” are the hardest 10 pounds you’ll ever lose. If you would like for me to help you personally bust through this fat loss plateau with advanced diet cycle strategies, than I highly recommend that you sign up for the Total Fitness Bodybuilding Inner Circle Coaching Club at: http://www.totalfitnessbodybuilding.com

  • Its funny. Online you find people you like even if you don’t need to purchase their products. Lee you are that to me. I do trust your advice and expertise but mainly i watch your videos for motivation to stick to my training and diet plans. The Nice Guy of Bodybuilding. Keep it up.

  • Hello Friend,

    I am also dedicated to the study of intermittent fasting and one of the great doubts and fears of many and the question of muscle maintenance, since many people still have the fear that when they practice fasting they would be at risk of losing muscle mass.

    What has been clarified in your article and would like to say that the article is formidable! Congratulations!