Intermittent-fasting Vs Frequent Meals

[Preango]

I'm about to start a meal plan for fat loss and I was wondering which eating style is better: intermittent or frequent eating.

By frequent I mean having many small meals spread across the day, whereas an intermittent would be 16h fasted and 8h eating. 

After watching Bear Grylls the island, I noticed that the islanders were practically on an (extreme) intermittent diet where they had roughly one meal a day which seemed to make them much more sturdier and active people which was quite interesting. Could I replicate the same?

Then again, I feel frequent meals will keep my metabolism steady and my body constantly fueled which seems like the more logical answer

But I don't know, you tell me. 

 

 

[Preango]

I know that @pluto and @Siim Land both support intermittent fasting. Advice is appreciated 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Preango

[Siim Land]

@Preango From the perspective of the first law of themodynamics - that is calories in vs calories out - it doesn't matter which option you choose. However, weight loss is more than calories in vs calories out because not all calories are created equal nor do they cause the same metabolic reactions. 

With that being said, I still think that intermittent fasting is a better option for not only fat loss but also as a healthy eating strategy. Fact of the matter is that your body won't starve or begin to slow down its metabolism. In fact, it does the opposite and turns your body into a fat burning machine. What's even more, fasting improves other hormones, such growth hormone, IGF-1 and insulin sensitivity, which are essential for sustainable weight loss and longevity. 

The reason why people gain weight with skipping meals isn't that fasting puts them into starvation mode or anything the like. It's just that they gorge themselves like animals after breaking the fast, don't count their caloric intake and are randomly winging it, expecting to get results. You have to choose which option suits you better. Do you like to eat small meals more often because of not being able to stand a bit of hunger or do you prefer large meals less frequently. From the perspective of health, eating less often is always better with occasional exceptional cases.

I've made some videos explaining some science about these topics as well. Check them out.

Difference Between Fasting and Starvation:

The Breakfast Myth:

 

Thanks. Maybe this helps.

[Preango]

@Siim Land Brilliant information, I appreciate this a lot.

Videos look like they've got a lot of good content, definitely will give them a watch.

I guess I was just under the misconception that the body needs constant food, like fuel, to function optimally. When really the body is a lot more adaptable and survival savvy then we give it credit for. 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Preango

[The Monk]

@Preango I would go with the second option, because as you've said the increased metabolism will help you lose more fat. As well as, a constant fuel to burn throughout your day. however, I'm assuming the people on the Bear Grylls show usually ate meals when they felt hungry, which is something that Leo did in order to simply lose weight, which may lower your rate of metabolism, but ensures your not eating for no reason, or overeating which is something that drastically limits your productivity. So, to conclude I would say stick to the planned meals, but just don't overeat in order to be more 'study and active' like the guys in the video. 

[pluto]

Here's something interesting @Preango 

When i was a kid me and my family did this often, We would eat only a fruit, something light or nothing at all but water, tea or coffee in the morning(sometimes we would snack on nuts/seeds during the day but still keeping it light) and then go to work all day and when we came home the women of the house usually had a feast ready for us and themselves as well since they did gardening and house work all day and we would consume main meals in 1-2hour window and get together and then light snacks the next few hours.

Then we are usually finished by 7-9pm and sleep and repeat. Where do we get the energy? Well from the Load up of food from the night before and the less often you eat the less energy the body uses thus more overall energy=more time to repair/restore.

The Human body is indeed amazing when it comes to adaptation. The body is our Temple, Trust and Respect it.

Hope this helps

Edited November 30, 2016 by pluto

[Preango]

@Siim Land @pluto Thank you both, I'm glad I made the choice to consult with you two about this! 

@Aamir King Logically it might make more sense but in reality the first option is what the body was made for.

The people on Bear Gryll's the island could only eat food they could find, catch or forage. There was no 'eating when they were hungry'. As a result they usually averaged one meal a day, yet looked to be more active and athletic than before but of course there is a fine line between starvation and fasting. 

I'm going to give intermittent fasting a chance.

[nahtanoj]

I'm been doing Keto Diet with Intermittent Fasting and some weeks I do 1 or 2 days of Fasting. This is the best Diet/Life Style I had in a long time. I have energy and I don't feel like crap after eating. 

I started doing IF  first and after researching more I find out about Keto. I have been doing Keto/IF for 3 months and I have lost 40lbs.

I Recommend to everyone to read the book: The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung 

He was the one that convinced me to start doing fasting. I would put pictures of myself but I need to look for them in my phone and that is a lot of work. But you can check this tread in Reddit about Keto: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/search?q=title%3A[Pics]&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all

Here is a video of my hero Dr Jason Fung:

 

Edited January 28, 2017 by nahtanoj

[Siim Land]

@nahtanoj What kind of an eating window do you follow?

I myself am doing IF and Keto as well. I've been eating only one meal a day for about 8 months now and I've never felt or performed better. The two are like a match made in heaven because they put you into an optimal physiological state.

In fact, doing intermittent fasting on a ketogenic diet is the best and healthiest way of doing it because they are physiologically almost identical. Fasting for prolonged periods of time puts you into ketosis and eating a ketogenic diet mimics a fasted state. Combining them together allows your body to function extremely effectively by using its own stored fuel. I have energy all day every day no matter the time or place and I almost never get hungry.

I've also had experiments where I fasted for 100 hours (4,5 days), went to the gym and did heavy back squats of 265 pounds for reps and muscle ups. Zero muscle catabolism, signs of hypoglycemia or exhaustion. I'm just so well fat adapted that it doesn't matter whether or not I've eaten.

I've written several blog posts about the logic and science behind it, so you can read them here:
Combining Intermittent Fasting and Ketosis
My 100 Hour Fast Experiment
Can You Eat One Meal a Day On Keto

Thanks!

[Life Coach]

Check this guy out, not sure if he is legit or not.

eats only one meal a day, yet he looks like a hetero Xerxes.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Old Soul

[nahtanoj]

@Siim Land I was addicted to sugar and to junk food. I saw that video of Dr Jason Fung and after that I decided to start fasting so that same day I was off of my  work (I move a lot in my work) I started a 24 hour fast that day and only completed 20 hours of fasting. It was (it were really) like coming out of an addiction. So after that day I did another 20 hours of fasting. After that I set up a regime by free days and work days. 

Monday/Free/Fasting 24 hours

Tuesday/Free/Fasting 16 hours

Wednesday/Work/Fasting 12 hours

Thursday/Work/Fasting 12 hours

Friday/Work/Fasting/12 hours

Saturday/Work/12 hours

Sunday/Free/ 12 hours

I did this for the first 3 weeks then I changed to one meal per day when working and 2 meals when free except for Mondays that I do 24 hours fast. I could do that because I started Keto and could control better my hungriness. Some weeks I did 3 days of fasting on my 3 days off. I used to not fast while working because It is a fast paced job in a big company and I get dizzy while trying to do 24 hour fasting while working. But recently I started doing 1 day of fasting while working every week and 1 day when free. So I'm improving. Now I'm doing only one meal a day some days two (because my wife) and now I'm drinking Bulletproof coffee in the mornings when I work just for testing out different things. 

[pluto]

On 29/01/2017 at 5:36 AM, Old Soul said:

Check this guy out, not sure if he is legit or not.

eats only one meal a day, yet he looks like a hetero Xerxes.

I've read some of his articles and can share them if you want, he is quite the intellectual and i can understand how he does it to an extent. For example for the protein factor he focuses on the core aka Amino Acids instead of protein amount itself as with everything else he boils down to the core and uses that to guide him into his success. Let alone his prolonged fasting and calm energy preservation added with extremely nutritious post workout shake and food intake i can see how this physique and strength can be obtain but sadly others argue its genetics

I did it for a month, i felt great, didn't lose muscle mass or energy nor gained but i feel i wasn't educated enough to gain optimal results and needed more time to adapt to this lifestyle. I am hoping to give it another go in the future when i study his articles better and have the optimal circumstances to perform this experiment efficiently.

Edited February 2, 2017 by pluto

[Siim Land]

@pluto Ye, I think that he hasn't most likely been following this one meal a day approach consistently for his entire training career. Probably he was quite strong and big in the past and has now transitioned over to a different phase in his life where he's focusing on health, maintaining muscle and strength without trying to get bigger. However, I've been eating one meal a day on keto and have managed to build lean muscle quite easily. Then again, my biological potential is by far reached and I have a lot of room for still making intermediate gains.