IF for mass gains?

[Shannon Clark]

I'm new to this forum...linked here from another site and it's really great to see a whole section devoted to IF.

I recently started reading about this concept and decided to give it a try. At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle the hunger and was eating small amounts of nuts during the fasting period, that seemed to tide hunger over as they didn't affect my blood sugar (I normally have blood sugar issues and tend to do better on a slightly lower carb diet).

As time has gone on though I've been finding it easier to fast and the hunger is not as bad. I usually get one period for an hour or two where I'm feeling it pretty good but then I have my coffee for the day (miracle cure, I swear) and I feel ten times better.

My setup though is slightly different, I work out first thing in the morning so I eat a pre/large post-workout meal, finish that around 10 am and then fast until about 10 pm at night where I have my second large meal.

I am trying to gain weight right now so I'm just curious if anyone has had any results with this set-up for gaining. It seems to be very good for recomping, and even me, I was fairly lean before starting but since starting about 2 weeks ago, and it seems as though my weight has stayed the same but I do look leaner. Also, it appears my maintenance calories may have gone up. I came off a dieting phase eating around 1500 calories per day (I'm 5'6" and 112 pounds....yes wind blows me over ) but now I'm up around 1900-2000 and still maintaining as far as I can tell.

Also, do you think there is any drawback to fasting every day? Currently I am. On days I don't lift I'll do a longer cardio session so I basically keep the same protocol/calorie level.

[Mike ODonnell]

Weight gain is all about the total calories in a day....so in principle Yes you can gain weight while also doing IF....HOWEVER...you need to consume major calories during the feeding hours...and if you can handle that volume you will see gains. IF also gain reverse insulin resistance, increase insulin sensitivity and also increase protein utilization...all good things for packing on muscle....I eat only between 1-7pm....but can pack in major calories including about 200g of protein....that's alot. Also depending on your workouts, may want to use some BCAAs and Creatine PWO to take advantage of the window. You will probably need at least 1gr of protein per lb of bodyweight to build more muscle....that said and done, find a good buffet that serves meat....

When it comes down to it...it's an energy equation...you need to consume more energy (through food) than you require by your daily activities....that and protein...lots of it...

[Shannon Clark]

Thanks for the response. I am fairly talented and pushing down large amounts of foods so that shouldn't be overly bad I don't think.

Right now I'm getting about 230 grams protein, 160 grams carbs and about 35 grams of fat. Most of my protein at this point is coming from cottage cheese as I've never been a huge meat eater. Generally aim for about 100 grams protein per meal, and then 30 before working out.

I'm wondering at this point if it's better for me to add more protein or more carb calories to continue gaining.

[Mike ODonnell]

Most people here will say dump the carbs and up the healthy fats.....230grams protein is alot for someone your size although I would try to alternate your sources (eggs, meat, fish, etc) ...don't always get them from one place as the amino acids can vary. Real muscle gain is slow....otherwise you are just going the BB route and increasing the volume of the muscle with stored glycogen and water....Nothing wrong with either approach just depends on why you are doing it.....

Fat adds up the calories real quick....(vs carbs)....and make sure you get plenty of Fish Oil as it has a protein sparing and muscle building boost...

[Garrett Smith]

More fat...fat is good for gaining muscle mass. Make sure it's the right kinds/sources. Get some saturated fat in there.

[Allen Yeh]

Chris Forbis' workout log has a lot of great information in regards to IF and mass gain.

[Chris Forbis]

IF and mass gain can go together. As Mike said, total calorie intake needs to be HIGH to gain mass. Sometimes this is difficult to do with IF.

I had good success with 1-3 days of fasting a week while on my mass gain program. Those days I wouldn't eat anything until 12-1pm or so. And then lots of calories.

If you don't feel like you're going to be sick from eating too much food, you aren't eating enough.

And you definitely need to up the fat. I was getting 3000 or so calories of fat a day.

[Mike ODonnell]

Also is the strategy of only working out 2x a week and dumping all cardio.....you will get more mass....although your performance and endurance may go to crap....you can always get that back later....remember your muscles grow when you are NOT working them out (aka tearing them down)...so work them hard...and then let them recover fully....

[Shannon Clark]

Thanks again for all the advice.

So what are your thoughts then with adding more fats to the last meal of the day? Right now I'm mostly trying to stick just with carbs/protein.

And Chris did you find you required more calories while doing IF than a standard approach to gain more weight?

There have been a few nights where I've felt insanely full going to bed but as I do it more and more it seems as though my body is growing used to it. At first 1000 calories was a lot but now not such a big deal.

I do want to keep some cardio in there though, I need it (stress relief, etc) so then I just increase calories more I guess... I'll try and keep it to a minimum though. For me cutting cardio is always the hardest part. I'd way rather just add more food.

[Chris Forbis]

I always find my body handles carbs better on the first meal coming off an IF. So you may find it beneficially to load up on the fat at the end of your feed period.

In general, I think you can get by with a slightly lower total caloric intake to gain weight on IF.

And I forgot to mention it, but Mike addressed it. I think a low activity level was just as important as food intake for my weight gain. I had 3 active days a week. 2 were heavy lifting, the third was short sprints.

My official tally was +21.1 pounds in 12 weeks. Now I'm working on metcon.