Donald Lee
05-31-2008, 11:38 PM
I've read Eat-Stop-Eat, Fast-5, and a bunch of other online resources about intermittent fasting.
Brad Pilon's Eat-Stop-Eat was the first book I read about IF, and one of his most important assertions is that metabolism is hardly affected by eating. He states that our metabolisms are mostly a function of our body weight, and that any effect of eating on our metabolism is minimal. So he states that CR and intermittent fasting doesn't slow metabolism. This assertion and his assertion that muscle loss doesn't come from a reduction in caloric intake but from disuse of muscles when lowering caloric intake are his two of his big arguments.
I frequently read, even from authorities on intermittent fasting, that fasting or lowering caloric intake could slow your metabolism. I also frequently read that muscle loss results from reducing your calories.
Here is an interview of Brad Pilon. (wfs) http://eatstopeat.com/brads-interview.html
And here is a quote from a newsletter:
As you can imagine, I receive lots of questions about Eat Stop Eat ,
with the most common question being about following Eat Stop Eat
and losing muscle.
Most people are still very concerned that they will lose muscle if they
don't eat every 3 hours. My answer has always been, don't worry,
research has shown over and over that if you are resistance training
then you won't lose muscle.
The other day, I received a very interesting question that went
something like this - "If calorie restriction doesn't cause muscle loss,
then what does?"
Great question. We all know that people who are bedridden and
on a low calorie diet lose muscle. When I first starting writing Eat Stop Eat,
and was running the idea past several dietitians for input, they all brought up
stories of muscle loss in their patients who were bedridden and on a low
calorie diet.
And since I am constantly saying that caloric restriction doesn't cause
you to lose muscle if you are working out, then that leaves being
'bedridden' (or 'disuse' as they say in research) as the cause of
muscle loss.
In my opinion, the best way to lose muscle it to not use muscle.
Ever break your arm and have to wear a cast, or know someone who did?
Do you remember how skinny that arm was when the cast finally
came off? Put a cast on your arm and your muscles will shrink faster then
an expensive new shirt in the dryer.
There was no change in nutrition, only a change in the amount the
muscles were used, and the muscle wasted away.
In fact, 'casting' is so effective at causing muscle loss that it has
been used in research to study something called 'disuse atrophy' or
muscle loss from lack of use.
In a study conducted at the University of Nottingham, 22 male
and female studies had casts put on their right leg for two weeks.
Their diets didn't change, yet after only two weeks the cross sectional
area of their quadriceps (the big muscles in your thigh) decreased
by 10%.
NO change in diet..but the muscle still decreases in size by 10%.
The Bottom line is as long as you are working out, and meeting some
sort of caloric minimum (studies have gone as low as 80 grams of
protein and 800 Kcals a day), you won't lose muscle. And, you will
definitely not lose muscle following Eat Stop Eat. However, if
you don't use the muscle, then it really doesn't matter what you're
eating, the muscle is going to shrink.
Brad Pilon's Eat-Stop-Eat was the first book I read about IF, and one of his most important assertions is that metabolism is hardly affected by eating. He states that our metabolisms are mostly a function of our body weight, and that any effect of eating on our metabolism is minimal. So he states that CR and intermittent fasting doesn't slow metabolism. This assertion and his assertion that muscle loss doesn't come from a reduction in caloric intake but from disuse of muscles when lowering caloric intake are his two of his big arguments.
I frequently read, even from authorities on intermittent fasting, that fasting or lowering caloric intake could slow your metabolism. I also frequently read that muscle loss results from reducing your calories.
Here is an interview of Brad Pilon. (wfs) http://eatstopeat.com/brads-interview.html
And here is a quote from a newsletter:
As you can imagine, I receive lots of questions about Eat Stop Eat ,
with the most common question being about following Eat Stop Eat
and losing muscle.
Most people are still very concerned that they will lose muscle if they
don't eat every 3 hours. My answer has always been, don't worry,
research has shown over and over that if you are resistance training
then you won't lose muscle.
The other day, I received a very interesting question that went
something like this - "If calorie restriction doesn't cause muscle loss,
then what does?"
Great question. We all know that people who are bedridden and
on a low calorie diet lose muscle. When I first starting writing Eat Stop Eat,
and was running the idea past several dietitians for input, they all brought up
stories of muscle loss in their patients who were bedridden and on a low
calorie diet.
And since I am constantly saying that caloric restriction doesn't cause
you to lose muscle if you are working out, then that leaves being
'bedridden' (or 'disuse' as they say in research) as the cause of
muscle loss.
In my opinion, the best way to lose muscle it to not use muscle.
Ever break your arm and have to wear a cast, or know someone who did?
Do you remember how skinny that arm was when the cast finally
came off? Put a cast on your arm and your muscles will shrink faster then
an expensive new shirt in the dryer.
There was no change in nutrition, only a change in the amount the
muscles were used, and the muscle wasted away.
In fact, 'casting' is so effective at causing muscle loss that it has
been used in research to study something called 'disuse atrophy' or
muscle loss from lack of use.
In a study conducted at the University of Nottingham, 22 male
and female studies had casts put on their right leg for two weeks.
Their diets didn't change, yet after only two weeks the cross sectional
area of their quadriceps (the big muscles in your thigh) decreased
by 10%.
NO change in diet..but the muscle still decreases in size by 10%.
The Bottom line is as long as you are working out, and meeting some
sort of caloric minimum (studies have gone as low as 80 grams of
protein and 800 Kcals a day), you won't lose muscle. And, you will
definitely not lose muscle following Eat Stop Eat. However, if
you don't use the muscle, then it really doesn't matter what you're
eating, the muscle is going to shrink.