Results of Last Weeks' Experiment

I am on week 2 of this experiment so we will see the longer term efffects over the next couple of weeks to see how sustainable it is.

Some of you may or may not know from last week but I started a two workouts a day plan. One of the workouts being a strength work out at the gym with some fat burning (lower heart rate) cardio. The second work out of the day is the Couch 2 5K program. Last week out of 7 days I got in 11 workouts. I had one fasting day. I took Saturday off from working out and I changed my eating plan to no****ch my calorie intake and I increased my carbs by about double (so around 80-100). I only ate when I was hungry but I did have a couple of beers too. Basically a cheat day.

Sunday I reduced my carbs but also did no****ch my calorie intake but I got in some exercise (but not my 2 a days).

Net results from last week. Overall I lost about 10lbs and put back on 2 of those lbs from my cheat days. Net loss around 8lbs.

Side bonus my workouts this weeks have been particularly easy. I got enough calories from my cheat days to give me 2 days now of really strong workouts where I did not get fatigued. I have already lost 1 of the 2lbs I gained as of yesterday's weigh-in.

Now there is lots of reasoning for the weight fluctuation and this was not an overly scientific experiement. I did wait a couple of days to measure the effects sort of let the dust settle a bit. I did weigh every day and recorded my weight in the morning. I also weighed after any significant event (workout, bathroom break, etc.). I did not record those, but was surprised how much water weight (dehydration) you can lose from a single 30 min run.

Overall the week was a huge success a net loss of 8lbs and I increase my jogging stamina from 8 to 20 mins. I changed my weight routine this morning, so I don't know if the net effect had significant effect on my strength. I will watch that over the week this week.

This week I plan to continue the experiment with the following changes: Two 24 hour fasts (noon to noon), no cheat day (no alcohol), same workout routine (5 two a days, 1 workout the day after my day off of working out). 

If I can do another 10lb week this week, it will be the biggest 2 week span since my 2nd week post op.

I know I will get some scolding for this post, don't worry folks, I am a big boy and I can take it.

DUDE YOU ROCK!

OK Keith I am basically clueless.  Wouldn't the fasting days just make us put any of that weight we lost back on the next time we put food in our mouth?

Other than that, those numbers are very impressive!!!  And sometimes I get desperate to want to do something to get these extra pounds off but then it scares me to go too low calorie in fear that I will just put those pounds back on the next time I eat 900 calories worth of low carb high protein food.

Keeping in mind that I have no medical experience, I am not a scientist, and I am not a nutritionist, so everything I am about to say is based on what I have read (uncitable unfortunately) and my understanding of how it works plus my personal experience.

The problem in general with fasting is your body can go into a conservation mode based on the time when humans may have to go some time without food, this really happens, but it takes some time. So if you fast for a short amount of time, like 24 hours, basically you are just really hungry, you are not starving. Your body continues to burn calories like it did before. Since you are not taking any in, it is a total negative calorie 24 hour period. When your body starts to realize you went without food you have started to give it food again so it just goes about business as usual. Exercising on top of that just increases your calorie deficit, i.e., losing more weight.

Yes, the next day you gain back some of your loss, but nothing siginificant, plus you are in ketosis. I have been measuring my level of ketosis with ketostyx over the last couple of weeks and the day or two after a fast I get the highest levels. 

From what I have read and I have not tested this yet, the best day to do a fasting day is after an increased calorie/carb day (i.e. a cheat day). This does not mean a day of cookies and candy (REPEAT DOES NOT MEAN). It means maybe eating some oatmeal for breakfast or having a slice of whole wheat bread with your sandwich. A slight increase in carbs over your norm and a slight increase in calories over your norm. Certainly an increase in fats over your norm, like double.

Now the fasting I am experimenting with right now is noon to noon. That way there is never a waking day that my body goes with out food (that way I am never technically starving. I am just increasing the gap between my normal fasting (i.e. sleeping) time. 

Also the day after my fast I keep my carbs way low (I can increase my high ketosis day to up to 4 days just by doing that).

Keep in mind also that last week I worked out twice a day, so the fasting was just an added boost. I never felt any extra fatigue.

For you I would use a fasting period to shake things up a little bit. Your body is very much accustom to how you eat after all this time. This would just throw it a curve ball and amp up your metabolism.

So for me to fast 1 day from noon to noon?  Does that mean I eat breakfast but not eat the rest of the day after 12 noon?

BTW, thanks for all that info Keith!!!

Anything for you my darling.

Yes, or eat breakfast and lunch and then don't eat again until your next lunch time. That's what I am doing now. If you fast for a whle day, meaning you go to bead, wake up, don't eat, go to bed, you end up with like a 30+ hour fast, but for intermittent fasting, I have heard this noon to noon approach is better because you don't suffer physically as much. Your tough part will be dinner time/evening time on your fasting day. If you can get past that, you are not hungry at all when you wake up.

Keep in mind that the purpose of the fast is not to starve yourself, but to extend your calorie deficit period. So don't make yourself suffer. Have a good hearty breakfast (some steal cut whole oats would be really good on that day) but stick to your normal calorie/carb target for a typical breakfast. An iced coffee on this day is probably not going to cut it.

Because you are so used to caffein, you may have a headache on the 2nd morning of your fasting cycle, try to power through it.

Darn it, no iced coffee on that day??? 

OK, sounds doable ... I think ... I hope.  I'm going to think about this.

I hope to lose 10 pounds in 1 week.  (just kidding!)

No seriously, I am going to think about doing this, thanks again!!!!

I think you are wise to shake things up the body is very smart. Also I believe a cheat day every now and then is beneficial.  There is something called adrenal fatigue. It can be caused by low carb diets. I think cheat days help avoid this. My only problem? I have a hard time going back to normal lol.

It is hard, but following a "cheat" day with a fast helps a lot.