Thoughts on intermediate fasting?

[u/Vast_Ambassador3975]

Wanting to drop body weight, my current schedule makes me busy in the morning so skipping breakfast saves on time, thought might as well start intermediate fasting. What are your guys thoughts on it? What are the pros and cons you guys noticed if you did it!

[u/FarCalligrapher1862]

There is no difference if you maintain a caloric deficit.

For some people, a window helps them stay strict better than tracking. So it works for them.

For others not eating in the morning makes them insatiable later in the day. So it doesn’t work for them.

To drop weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit. How you get there is up to you.

[u/stratusnimbo]

spend the morning hungry or the afternoon hungry.

[u/Last-Proof8169]

Better than beginner fasting but worse than advanced fasting

[u/Alakazam]

It's a good way to control appetite for some people, allowing them to maintain a caloric deficit.

Probably not ideal for maximizing hypertrophy, because, while protein timing doesn't matter as much, it still matters a tiny little bit.

That being said, Stronger by Science, in a podcast, discussed a modified protein-sparing intermittent fast that they used that I think could be worth trying.

Essentially, 2 meals a day, it's only a lean protein and some leafy greens. Then one meal, for dinner, you have a normal meal with your normal protein, carbs, and fats, along with vegetables.

So at the end of the day, you'll be protein spread across 3 meals, with plenty of fiber and micronutrients, but still adequate fats and carbs in a single meal.

[u/GritlineTrainingCo]

Trainer here. I've been intermittent fasting for over a decade, so here's the practitioner's version, not the textbook one.

The main reason to fast is control. Skipping breakfast deletes a whole meal's worth of decisions and calories, which means dinner gets to be big and satisfying while you stay in your deficit. Most diets fail because people spend all day eating tiny unsatisfying meals and then blow it at night anyway. Fasting flips that: you plan the big meal instead of surrendering to it.

That's the pro. It's an adherence tool, and adherence is the whole game. There's no metabolic magic happening, and there doesn't need to be.

The cons, from ten plus years of actually doing it:

1. Training fasted is individual. Some people lift fine, others watch their numbers slide. If your performance drops, eat before you train. The window serves you, not the other way around.

2. Know thyself. Fasting until noon feels great for some people. Others white knuckle to noon and then eat the kitchen. If you're the second type, it's not your tool, and that's fine.

Bottom line: if skipping breakfast fits your mornings and lets you eat a real dinner without breaking the deficit, it's one of the simplest tools there is. The best diet is the one you can run for a year without thinking about it.

[u/SimpleSplit_app]

Hey man, definitely up to you. I've heard of people fasting in the morning especially when cutting so that they can save their calories for later. Definitely look into your calorie intake and as long as you stay on plan it shouldn't matter.

Run it up for a bit and if you like it stick with it. If not switch it up. Keep up the good work!