Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit? - PaleoHacks.com

Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-10-26T17:31:46Z

I've been adhering to a Leangains style IF protocol for about 6 months now, and following it regularly for the last 4 out of those 6 (Hence RFing - regularly fasting). It's really blasted away most of the bodyfat I've always had as a skinny-fat dude. I've been in the process of slowly modifying my body comp from skinny and weak, to lean and muscular, and I've made massive progress. Paleo eating has certainly revealed to me that I DON'T have to be a hardgainer, and that with the right attitude, plans and nutrition I can add muscle while burning bodyfat.

With all that said, I know the purported benefit, and replication of ancestral circumstances such as famine, unsuccessful hunts etc., is the ultimate goal of IFing. It has certaqinly worked for me, however, I've been wondering whether or not RFing negates any of those benefits, and if they are, indeed, based on the randomness of the IF protocol?

Anyone care to chime in? Anyone also RFing like me? Have you noticed a plateau/stall of loss of bodyfat? How do you combat this effect?

EDIT: I guess there is some misunderstanding of my question. Let me clarify: I'm wondering if there's a loss of benefit from regular (i.e. scheduled) fasting versus intermittent/random fasting.

Answer by Dragonfly for Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-10-26T17:47:35Z

First of all, Intermittent means: "coming and going at intervals : not continuous" :-)

So whether you IF on a regular schedule or a random schedule is up to you. I was doing it regularly at first & now I do it more randomly. Both have worked for fat loss for me, though I enjoy the random IF more, since it feels more natural and works with my changing schedule.

Answer by akman for Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-10-26T18:19:01Z

I find it's easier to IF every day from 6pm to 11am. It fits well into my schedule, and it keeps me regular. If I try to change the schedule around, say eating at 7am and 7pm, I get hungry during the day. I have been doing this about 6 months and broke a stall, but now weight is very slowly coming down, although I have only 5-10lbs left to lose. I will keep doing this as long as it fits my schedule.

Answer by Sunshine for Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-10-26T18:32:27Z

I fast everyday until dinner time (breakfast time?) which is usually around 9pm at night. I Lost a lot of body fat this way ( i know weight loss is from fat-loss because I've maintained or gained strength in my lifts). I leaned out a lot in my mid section.

I suspect it's a combination of reduced calorie consumption combined with hormonal effects. For me, it was definitely the former since I always tend to overeat. Now I feel as though I can't eat as much as I used to - stomach shrinkage?!?!? oh noz.

Answer by San Diego Dude for Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-11-13T09:44:18Z

I've been fasting for 24 hours every Thursday (my leg workout day) and end the fast by downing about 120 g of protein in the form of whey protein and wild caught salmon. Seems to be working; I'm gaining lean muscle and I'm maintaining bf %.

I'm a little concerned because on my fast day, it's basically a coffee fast, and I don't like consuming that much caffiene because I don't want raise my cortisol levels and strain my adrenal glands but I make sure I get at least 9 hours of sleep on my fast days.

Answer by SlightlyReworded for Daily, scheduled fasting vs. random fasting, benefit?

2011-11-13T12:53:05Z

I can see that you're keen on the term RFing, but IFing on a regular basis is still IFing. Intermittent fasting means you juggle fasting with periods of not. You fast or don't intermittently. It explains the protocol pretty well, and the term "intermittent" is what seperates the practice from just "fasting," and specifies.

Regularly Fasting, however, isn't an optimal term to describe IFing on a regularly, continual and consistent basis. As an acronym it's a bit confusing. Also, your practice doesn't really need its own term to draw itself apart from the leangains protocol, which recommends a short fast errrday.

I think this is more a question of IFing versus Eat Stop Eat or spontaneous fasts.