fasting: workout days or non?

[Mandy LaGreca]

Sorry for all these questions, this fasting stuff is new to me and I am still figuring it out.

I found today that I couldnt tolerate the fast with the heavy workout, 45 minute spin class and 60 min bodypump. I overate.

So is it better to fast on workout days or off days? From your experience.

[Derek Weaver]

Mandy,
Again, it's up to you. All of these answers are here in the IF sub forum if you take the time to navigate and search around.

Nobody's going to be able to give you a definitive answer. Many like fasted workouts, others don't.

Me, tend to eat a small snack before a workout on IF days. Though I'm doing zero fasting at the moment while gaining weight.

[Gittit Shwartz]

It usually takes some time to adapt to fasting and training in a fasted state, so if it doesn't feel right to you now, maybe start out with a small snack before, and try working out completely fasted again in a few weeks.

[Susie Rosenberg]

Mandy:

Why are you interested in IF?

If it's primarily to lose weight, it's not a good weight loss method, IMO. Not only because there's a tendency to overeat (especially at first) but because there is preliminary data to suggest that women handle IF metabolically differently than men. That is, there is a study out there that says that women, but not men, develop decreased insulin senstivity on an IF protocol. That would make it easier to put weight on.

Second, IF is a stress. It's a stress to go hungry. If your life is already stressful, and it sounds like it is with a baby to care for, then IF is like throwing gas on a fire. You just have another source stoking the stress hormones, such as cortisol, which also tend to put weight on, especially in the abdomen.

I'm not trying to bust your chops, but as a woman who has significant stress in her life, I know from experience that what and how we eat can make a big difference in how we feel and how we cope with stress. (Think: AntiInflammatory Diet)

To me, that means that WHAT you eat is far more important than WHEN you eat.

Susie

[Mandy LaGreca]

Originally Posted by Susie Rosenberg

Mandy:

Why are you interested in IF?

If it's primarily to lose weight, it's not a good weight loss method, IMO. Not only because there's a tendency to overeat (especially at first) but because there is preliminary data to suggest that women handle IF metabolically differently than men. That is, there is a study out there that says that women, but not men, develop decreased insulin senstivity on an IF protocol. That would make it easier to put weight on.

Second, IF is a stress. It's a stress to go hungry. If your life is already stressful, and it sounds like it is with a baby to care for, then IF is like throwing gas on a fire. You just have another source stoking the stress hormones, such as cortisol, which also tend to put weight on, especially in the abdomen.

I'm not trying to bust your chops, but as a woman who has significant stress in her life, I know from experience that what and how we eat can make a big difference in how we feel and how we cope with stress. (Think: AntiInflammatory Diet)

To me, that means that WHAT you eat is far more important than WHEN you eat.

Susie

delete

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Mandy LaGreca

I found today that I couldnt tolerate the fast with the heavy workout, 45 minute spin class and 60 min bodypump. I overate.

That's too much.....overtraining/overstressing...your cortisol will skyrocket, bloodsugar plummet and you will gain more fat. Are you teaching these or doing them? Remember that the more you think you are burning more fat with more exercise, chances are the more you will start gaining weight in the process (and start heading down a road of adrenal fatigue and thyroid dysfunction)

Like said above....focus on healthy eating first....IF second.

You may want to read the Warrior Diet....it may be more in line with your lifestyle...smaller meals during the day, larger one at night. But even Ori will tell you, quality food matters.

[Garrett Smith]

I'm not quite understanding when you overate...before this marathon workout session, after, in between...?

That's a lot of (likely) intense exercise. If you aren't used to that sort of volume, that alone would cause a problem. Doing three things (weights, spinning, BodyPump) in one day is like a long endurance session...not good to do more than once a week IMO if at all.

I do eat a lot after my long days--early AM OL session (1 hour), evening yoga class (1 hour), and night-time gymnastics. I do take a small, light shake in the afternoon on days like this--normally a fasting time--to help improve my workouts and not cause any "bonking" (especially when I'm in a handstand...). That would be counter-productive, heh.

[Mandy LaGreca]

Originally Posted by Mike ODonnell

That's too much.....overtraining/overstressing...your cortisol will skyrocket, bloodsugar plummet and you will gain more fat. Are you teaching these or doing them? Remember that the more you think you are burning more fat with more exercise, chances are the more you will start gaining weight in the process (and start heading down a road of adrenal fatigue and thyroid dysfunction)

Like said above....focus on healthy eating first....IF second.

You may want to read the Warrior Diet....it may be more in line with your lifestyle...smaller meals during the day, larger one at night. But even Ori will tell you, quality food matters.

My cortisol is probably hitting the roof, as I also dont sleep well due to baby issues and have to run after her all day. I was feeling really moody and crappy during this fast. Lesson learned. I am also gaining weight, so its becoming counterproductive.

I have a pretty good idea what I like and dislike now, and whats going to help me adhere to a good eating plan:
It needs to be simple (6 meals a day is not for me)
It needs to be flexible (rigid meal plans are not)
I cant be going to bed starving (big dinners help me here, IE Warrior diet)
It cannot be too stressful (Prolonged fasting is stressful I just learned)
It needs to be effective (If I dont measurable results, I get frustrated)

Keep in mind, I always eat very clean, unless one of the factors above causes me to fall off the wagon or lead me to binge eat.

So that being said, I need to put something together that incorporates all these things, something I can adhere to while still getting enough of a deficit to make measurable progress. I am checking out some of Lyle McDonald's work too, and combined with your stuff, I need to come up with a plan.

[Emily Mattes]

I'm betting that between a newborn baby and multiple spinning, Bodypump, and whatever else classes you are so stressed out it will be difficult to convince your body to lose weight at all. Add the stress of worrying about diets and you are entering a recipe for failure.

Is there any way you can drop some of those activities? It sounds like you teach Bodypump, so I can understand if you can't withdraw from that. But are any of the spinning and whatever else optional? Are you able to drop those from your normal workout schedule?

It's easy to assume that more exercise = more weight loss, but that is not always the case, especially when you're talking about heavy cardio endurance sessions. If you must add in extra things, I would put in a few pure strength training sessions a week, maybe something that doesn't stress the body as much (strength training will, but not like a billion hours of spin class). Or better yet, just stick with the occasional Bodypump class and focus on getting through life with a newborn, use the extra time to sleep! Weight loss is 80% diet, 20% everything else . . . And if what I've read of the experiences of others on this board that everything else can hurt your weight loss efforts if you're not careful. If I recall at least a couple of women, Tirzah and Serena, have had better luck with their energy levels and body composition when they dropped metabolic conditioning and really stressful cardio stuff.

[Mandy LaGreca]

Hi Emily,
Thanks for the response. Ive dropped out alot already...
Here is a typical schedule:

Sundays: off
Mondays: spinning (teaching)
Tuesdays: off (but I like to take yoga or lift on this day)
Wed: off
Thursdays: spinning (and I also like to lift before class)
Fridays: Bodypump
Saturdays: spinning

At this point, I only teach and any extra exercise is just lifting ( following NROLW twice per week)

I am the Group Fitness director, so no, I cant back off any more teaching that this, and I dont really want to , as I truly enjoy it. Why should I stop doing something I love? Seriously, there has to be a way around it, and still be able to meet my goals. As for the baby, she is 14 months, not a newborn. But due to her large tonsils, she doesnt sleep well at night and catches colds frequently, hence my sleep issues.

This week I am feeling a cold coming on, so I will be taking the entire week off to relax. We will prob spend more time at the mall since its cold outside...........