If you're going to use BCAAs and your stomach cannot handle you should probably stick to pills.
I buy unflavored BCAAs for when I lift fasted but I mix in crystal light because the unflavored BCAAs by themselves are taste very bad.
Then again - BCAAs are certainly not necessary. If you're not looking to add muscle then I would just skip them.
The idea behind BCAAs is to turn on anabolism for people following the leangains method and attempting to add small amounts of muscle while dieting down to very lean levels. Martin has said they are not neccessary just optimal for those following his methodology.
Hey everyone! I'm new to IF and I'm so glad to have found this forum! I have been trying everything under the sun to lose the 50 lbs. I gained after my pregnancy. I then was hit by a 53' semi trailer in November and have a bad back injury. At this time I can't do any exercise except my physical therapy 3 times a week so I need to cut my calories by a lot! I figure this is worth a shot to help control my calories and turn this into a healthy lifestyle! Do you guys think this is a way of life that could help me reach my goal while recovering from my accident? Thank you for all of your posts they are so inspiring!
Btw this is my 3rd day doing IF and my window has been roughly 12:30-7:30 to start. I am working my way to a 5 hour window. So far I am 4 lbs down in 3 days, I'm sure it's water weight but it is nice to see on the scale!
Hi all! I've been skimming through these posts for a while. Intermittent fasting is something that has worked tremendously for me in the past. I stopped when people, usually family and friends, convinced me that I'm harming myself by eating just once (sometimes twice) a day, that I'm going to go into starvation mode, that it's not something you can do as a lifestyle change, etc.
I'm the type of person who, if not hungry, will binge everything in sight if I have a single bite of something. I guess I'm weird like that. But if I'm hungry, and I mean truly, stomach growling hungry, I'll eat until satisfied (usually in the afternoon) and I'm good to go for the day.
My problem isn't hunger... it's the cravings. If I only wait until I'm actually hungry, I'm fine and I eat what I need and not any more. I've tried eating small meals every couple of hours and had I stuck with it, it would have worked (ultimately it IS calories in vs calories out) but that's just it. For me, it doesn't feel very natural or very practical. It got to a point where eating every few hours felt like a chore. If I wait until I'm hungry, I tend to make better choices, too.
So tomorrow, I will go back to IF. I feel I'm happier, more energetic, less lethargic and more productive that way. Eating every few hours had the disadvantage of making me drowsy and bogging down my mind, too.
@getmybodyback I think IF would be a great way to loss weight before or after an accident. I've been doing fast 5 for almost a year now. It is very sustainable and works great for me and many others. Good luck to you! If you have questions just ask
@Dawn2Dusk Actually, I don't think that is weird at all. I'm the same way, I'm not hungry until I take the first bite then I want to eat everything in sight. That's why IF works so well for me. When my window opens, I can eat quite a bit and don't pick at stuff all day!
I am still experimenting with organizing my food life around IF. Not doing Fast 5 or any organized plan, just doing mini "fasts" in an attempt to feel better and be more organized between fasting and eating periods.
Eventually I will pick a plan.
The IF timer app for iPhone actually has helped me a lot!
Hi All,
have now completed my first 2 weeks of IF and have weighed my self this morning. I was hoping for a couple of pounds, but nearly fell off the scales- Ive lost 7lbs!! yippee.
I am so encouraged by this, especially as this weigh in was after 2 days of normal eating.I haven't lost that much at the beginning of a diet since i was in my twenties.
I am coping well with 2 fasts a week, of 26-28 hours, so that i miss a whole days food each time. Have had a few difficulties with planning when to fast, but thats just because January is a funny month for me- 3 close family birthdays, including my own, all of which involve food!! but I have been out to 2 celebrations in my first 2 weeks and have not gone mad, nor denied myself.
so all in all, am really pleased with this great start.
dawn to dusk and getmybodyback, this has been so easy in comparison to other eating plans I've tried. yes I've felt hungry on the fasts, but because i know that i can eat on my non fast days, it has been easy to ignore it
i know that this rate of loss will not continue, but its really boosted my confidence that the plan can work for me, and as i am only going to weigh every 2 weeks, I am hoping that i will have some weight loss each time, even if its only a lb, and no early plateaus.
anyway, thanks for reading and for all your posts- which i love to read
Dawn to dusk, that is exactly what happens to me. If I eat when I am not hungry I go into binge mode. Thanks for the observation because I needed a phrasing like that to quantify what I have been doing this week.
At least pseudo-IF has kept the damage to a minimum.
Hi there I'm starting today. My fast started at 6:30. I have about 30lbs to lose and hoping to do so before June 1st. I also workout to kettlebells 3 days a week.
Hi guys. I started on Saturday as planned and today is Day 3. So far so good. I gotta say, I've been tempted to check my weight constantly but holding off until Saturday - official weigh-in. I won't lie, it's definitely challenging. Like I thought so, hunger isn't the problem. The growlies happen twice, maybe three times a day, then disappear a few minutes later. It's the cravings that are so trying. But I've been holding strong. It makes the evening meal that much more satisfying. I don't even binge, don't even feel the need or want to, you know?
I figured even if I add in more meals in the day during maintenance at least by ignoring my cravings now and focusing more on hunger I can teach myself to do the same then, too.
As for how I'm feeling: zen and mellow, more patient, less annoyed about stuff and people. No highs or lows/crashes yet, just feeling stable. I've been very productive at work. I have a desk job in front of a computer with minimal amounts of walking but I've been able to put in 6-8 hours so far in the past three days.
OK so today was easy until it was time to fix dinner. I ended up with a 22 hour fast. I didn't work today so I wasn't as distracted as I would be at work. Planning to do it Sunday evening to Monday and Wednesday to Thursday. I'm only going to weigh on Saturdays. So far I'm super excited. I ended my fast with a half of avocado, half of baked plain sweet potato, and a string cheese. I ended up having a bit of chili for dinner a half of apple and a few grapes. Not sure how many calories that is but I'm hoping its under 800
Note to self. If you spend 2 weeks "IFing" with a sugar binge at the same time, dont think you can do a fasted double workout the second day back, need time to remember how to use fat for fuel
