Allen's IF experiment and observations

Allen Yeh · 01-09-2007, 05:12 AM

I wanted to put a thread up on what I'm doing for IF and how I'm feeling while doing IF.

After reading PM's #6 and 16 I decided to just start my IF experiment right away. I started the night of January 5th and decided upon 15 hour fasts for now. This is a large departure from what I used to do when I'd typically be eating 15 hours of the day, the whole 5-6 small meals a day thing. I actually wasn't sure I'd be able to do it as when I did the 5-6 small meals a day thing and would miss a meal I felt like gnawing my arm off!

height- 69"
BW - 194 lbs
BF - ~15%

Rules for right now:
-I eat between 9-10 am thru 6-7 pm I will eat dinner with my family and dinner time needs to be flexible.
-I have green tea and water throughout the day.
-Coffee- 2x a day on training days, otherwise 1x a day, 2 tbsp of heavy cream (Just started since I saw a few people here did it and the Lights Out book recommended it, so the reason why?) and some splenda (I know I know...but 1 thing at a time)
-180-200 grams of protein per day
-80-100 grams of fat per day
-150-200 grams of carbs per day - dependent upon if it's a training day or not - During the day it's mostly broccoli/spinach and typically 60g's total with Pre/Post WO drink and then a higher carb intake at dinner time with family.
-8.5-9.5 hours of sleep - Hard to keep with a 18 month old, but I'm trying.
-Fish oil - with first and last meals of the day, it's 30% EPA/DHA so I aim for 10 caps per meal.

Observations:
As of the dawning of day 4 I've definitely noticed a few things:
-The last 2 days I haven't gotten my mid afternoon slump typically around 3-4pm I feel drowsy but since starting IF I haven't noticed.
-The few hours before I eat in the morning I'm really really hungry 7-9am is bad.
-I feel more alert.
-I guess this has to do with being more alert but at work I feel more focused, typically at work I'll be all over the place.
-Caffeine sensitivity has gone up in just this short amount of time.

Questions:
-Is it ok to have green tea / coffee before my first meal or should I aim to only drink these during my "eating" hours?
-I was thinking of adding more fat?
-Does everyone else follow the Zone block system?

Any comments are welcome.

Steve Shafley · 01-09-2007, 05:25 AM

Looks pretty good.

What I like best about IF is that you're not wedded to macronutrient ratios. On top of that, during the eating part, I am attempting to target my carbs before and after training, and go pretty much low carb or meat+veggies outside those two times.

I'm just picking it back up again after about a 3 month hiatus.

It is all about the calories though. If you've got fat to lose, this is less an issue, if you are already lean, I imagine this becomes much more important.

Scott Kustes · 01-09-2007, 07:02 AM

I drink green and white teas during my fast. I have experienced no ill effects. I also typically workout on empty. Add more fat. I eat a ton of fat and protein, pretty low carb during the winter. It's a great way to keep yourself feeling satisfied for hours between meals. I don't follow the Zone...I'm a Paleo guy and the macros work themselves out. Once I cleaned out all the crap, my body pretty much lets me know what to eat.

kevin mckay · 01-09-2007, 07:37 AM

I gotta say that I was pretty skeptical about the whole if thing, but now I consider it my best dietary asset. I have been eating between noon and 6 since about mid October and nothing has given me the consistent energy, mental focus, and hunger suppression that IF does.

Robb Wolf · 01-09-2007, 07:41 AM

Allen-
Looks good. Steve and Scott covered everything I thought to mention. I don't tolerate coffee during the fast...I need to save that for after i eat. you'll just have to tinker and see how that goes. The extreme hunger of the AM should decrease with time.

Keep us posted!

Mike ODonnell · 01-09-2007, 08:39 AM

What have people like Allen and Kevin experienced with body composition changes (if any)? Are you still able to get in enough calories to maintain muscle while keeping performance levels high?

Allen Yeh · 01-09-2007, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike ODonnell

What have people like Allen and Kevin experienced with body composition changes (if any)? Are you still able to get in enough calories to maintain muscle while keeping performance levels high?

Don't know yet, only on day 4, and day 1 and 2 no workouts, day 3 was a squat day and it felt good, but then again I've had 2 weeks off so I'll update on this after a few more weeks.

I will also post body comp changes...if any.

Scott Kustes · 01-09-2007, 08:50 AM

Mike,
In the last year, I've dropped from 185@12% to about 185@9%. I could probably push it a touch lower, but I enjoy a few beers on the weekend and don't really worry about quantity when I'm eating...I eat till full, then stop. My performance levels, while not stratospheric from CF perspectives, are consistently in the 50-75th percentile, depending on the workout. I've added weight to my deadlift, clean and jerk, and squat in that time too, which would seem sensible since I have gained muscle.

kevin mckay · 01-09-2007, 11:42 AM

Steve,

"What I like best about IF is that you're not wedded to macronutrient ratios"

I am not sure what you mean?

Allen Yeh · 01-09-2007, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin mckay

Steve,

"What I like best about IF is that you're not wedded to macronutrient ratios"

I am not sure what you mean?

I thought on IF you were supposed to get the same amount of food/zone blocks/macronutrients just in a much shorter time frame?