Intermittent fasting or IF is the practice of fasting for a certain period, then squeezing in all your calories within a short window.

There are a few different strategies for intermittent fasting but the most popular seems to be fasting for 16 hours then eating for 8.

First, we know from research that intermittent fasting does not have a fat burning advantage over a standard diet when calories are equated. But it can be an effective tool.

Intermittent fasting might be for you if there is a certain point in the day where you have trouble controlling your calorie intake. I find that for some of my clients who experience this, it tends to be after work.

This is effective for some people, as they have a lot more calories to work with at the time in the day they feel hungriest. Some people also find it harder to overeat in that 8 hour window.

It can also be a useful tool to incorporate if you have a social event coming up where you want to enjoy yourself.

Simply save your calories for the time frame of your social event and fast the rest. Just make sure you are still in a calorie deficit for that day.

 

Intermittent fasting does have a drawback though, as it is not the most optimal for muscle growth. Research has shown that muscle protein synthesis is best stimulated by having protein intake spaced more evenly throughout the day.

I’m not saying you won’t grow while doing intermittent fasting. It just may not be the best choice if you want to maximize muscle growth.

One claim made about intermittent fasting is that it increases growth hormone, which in turn helps build muscle mass.

 

We know from research that growth hormone isn’t actually anabolic towards muscle. It is only anabolic towards connective tissue.