I wanted to respond to the diabetes issue. It is surprising for many people to discover that fewer larger meals allows your body to better regulate blood sugar levels.

I'm sure it isn't the case for everyone but here is a bit of a review on some research.

http://www.leangains.com/2011/01/bet...ower-meal.html

Thanks for that posting John.

It's amazing, that I have been a diabetic for so long and that with all the diets and weight loss my sugar never went down to where it should be. Only after IF did I accomplish this.

I also noticed that with IF I am not hungry all the time like I used to be and I am enjoying my healthy meals so much more.

I am following a 12-6 daily eating time. I use to hate to make myself eat breakfast and I always had a problem with night time eating. IF is the only thing that has ever solved these issues.

I feel so much better and my weight loss has been steady and smooth with IF.

I do have a question, if anyone knows the answer. Is taking any kind of supplements at night or not during eating times discouraged? I am assuming it is but would love some feedback on it.

Glad to find the thread! I was starting to sweat I have a friend who is hypoglycemic. She decided to give IF a try and hasn't had one episode since she started (Fast 5). She used to average a couple of "spells" a week from it.

Visionary - congratulations! That is amazing! So glad IF is working so well for you! IF is life-changing!

VISIONARY - Congratulations!!!!

I can only tell you that I take meds and vitamins with my IF meals, to discourage breaking the IF habit I worked so hard to build and if I take them without food I feel sick. On a side note, if I am sick and need to take meds outside of my IF mealtime then I will have something small, like a fruit and icecold seltzer water, to take with it.

What kind of supplements? I only take fish oil pills and occasionally a multi-vitmin.

I have been reading leangains website and am wondering about fasted workouts and muscle protein synthesis. Sometimes I think that the things I'm reading might be geared more toward body building or already very fit people vs. someone overweight.

I workout in the mornings till about 10:30 then try to get home and have my protein smoothie (EAS plus fruit and omega oil and greens) within 30 min. as recommended in most places. But it seemed like he was saying that

1.) It's ok to have a pre-work out BCAA drink which I realize is not the same as a regular protein shake. But as a nonbodybuilder is a regular protein shake ok? Is there anything you recommend? Will taking BCAA vs. protein shake make a difference?

2.)You don't need your post protein within 30 minutes of workout because you will get the same benefits if you get your protein within 2 hours.

I realize just moving and getting in the exercise is the most important but sometimes I feel like I might have a little more energy or have a little more efficient workout if I eat something before hand. But I don't want to ruin the IF process. So far I have been doing my workouts only drinking water before and during. My eating window is from about 11am to 6-7pm. thanks!

In response to my earlier question, I have my IF eat time from 1-6 and will give myself a 12-5 window if needed ( Having lunch w someone or just need to eat).

I used to like to take a detox supplement before bed and just don't know if I should do it on a IF plan. I was not doing it every night just if I felt I needed an extra detox boost through the night into the morning. I can drink detox tea... no calories and a liquid. But is a tablet or capsule ok? or should I just stay away from it to keep the integrity of my IF plan.

I am so happy with the results so far, I want to stay with what is protocol.

Also, thank you for the nice encouragement.

As happy as I am with my weight loss, I am BLOWN AWAY by how IF has helped my diabetes!

I continue to love IF. I'm on week 4 and have done approximately 2 24hr fasts each week, and have a 6 hour daily window. I'm down 21.5 lbs and feel great. I'm glad to see all the newbies in here and love reading the successes

@luvinit The info on the leangains site re BCAA's or protein are referring to workouts where people are lifting heavy. The site says light to moderate workouts while fasting are fine without supplementation with BCAA's or protein shakes. Unless you are lifting hard and heavy at the gym or doing highly aerobic workouts, you won't need to take anything. I.e. I walk on my lunch hour, lift some hand weights in the AM and don't eat until 5 PM.

As for the fast, BCAA's aren't considered to break the fast. A protein shake will. Hope this helps!

@Visionary Eating 50 calories or more is considered to have "broken the fast." If your pills and teas don't have more than 50 calories total you should be fine taking them in the fasting window. Guess it's a matter of whether they should be taken with food. A lot of vitamins and supplements need to be taken with food to be effective, but some don't.

Folks - would you recommend BCAAs for someone with a physical job who has hit a wall towards the end of the day and dragging their feet towards the last few hours - or strictly for high intensity workouts/weights?

I think SOME days I'm just going to need SOMETHING to keep me going at work - at least for the first month or so - just trying to figure out what the best something would be to keep myself in as much of a fasted state as possible and keep me losing weight.

This is something I think I may try...

I have an odd schedule, since I'm a night-shift nurse (11p-7:30a). I usually wake up around 4, do some errands, gym from 7-8:15, come home, eat, shower, go to work, get home around 8am and sleep. I think IF would work if I made my window 6p-11p (or something like that), b/c I could have a pre-gym snack, an energy drink at the gym, a protein shake when I get home from the gym, a Fullbar (love those) and my dinner meal all before I go to work. I'm usually so busy at work that I don't have time to eat anyways, and if I do, it's junk. I think eating a lot within a few hours would be better, and keep me full through work. Well, I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Yes - I would suggest eating. Your post suggests you don't understand how fat loss works. Fasting doesn't induce some magical state of weight loss or change the laws of thermodynamics. You can fast for 20 hours and eat for four hours and gain fat if you eat enough during the 4 hours. Calories matter. IF does nothing to change this.

If you're running out of steam than adopt a shorter fasting period. You don't have to fast for 24 hours or 20 hours or 19 hours for IF to work. I follow a 16/8 window. A 14/10 window works good too.