So, guys, I have engaged in Intermittent Fasting.

[Dan C]

Let me see if I can dig up an old article about fasting and you'll change your mind on this. I have one from a medical study (on humans) and more or less it says if you fast; you train your body to store energy in the form of fat. I have it at home somewhere on a hard drive and once I'll find it I'll copy/paste. Its rather lengthy and uses big words though so...

You sure it's not talking about STARVING instead of fasting? I know that it is a well-known function of the body to store fat during starvation periods as a survival mechanism. Sometimes these things can be misinterpreted. I'd love to see the study if you can find it.

Regardless, this is temporary. Once I reach my desired bodyfat %, I will be going right back to 6 meals per day.

[theoneandonly]

You sure it's not talking about STARVING instead of fasting? I know that it is a well-known function of the body to store fat during starvation periods as a survival mechanism. Sometimes these things can be misinterpreted. I'd love to see the study if you can find it.

Regardless, this is temporary. Once I reach my desired bodyfat %, I will be going right back to 6 meals per day.

It was about fasting. Actually the study was about brain function during periods of fasting (including sleep); but it had a lot of info about how the entire body reacts during periods of low/no nutritional supply and they charted the declines in the body including skeletal muscle, reaction times, memory, etc. I'll find it and post it. Its a couple years old but it's still a good read. I got it back in school during some Kinesiology classes I took.

[Mini-G]

Let me see if I can dig up an old article about fasting and you'll change your mind on this. I have one from a medical study (on humans) and more or less it says if you fast; you train your body to store energy in the form of fat. I have it at home somewhere on a hard drive and once I'll find it I'll copy/paste. Its rather lengthy and uses big words though so...

Did you really just say that to Dan?

[Dan C]

The other question I would have to ask is: under what context/environment was the study conducted?

My problem with a lot of these studies is the fact that the subjects being studied in the environment they are being studied in, do not conform to people like you and me who are engaging in athletic/bodybuilding lifestyles whereby our caloric intake is far beyond the average individuals. Our macronutrient ratios are vastly different, we eat more protein and more carbs every day than the average individual. These are all factors that dramatically change the situation and the outcomes. If the study is conducted on average Joe individuals who will fast and then eat a total of 800 calories after the fast, that doesn't really apply to us, does it? Furthermore, their macro ratios would obviously be vastly different than us. Therefore, fasting in the context of an average Joe lifestyle might indeed be detrimental to our goals and potentiate fat storage. But for us, I believe the results are distinctly different. Regardless, i'd love to still see the study and i'll even try looking for it later on today if I get the time.

I love studies that are lengthy and use big words, lol. Usually those are the studies that are taken vastly out of context by people who read it (not intentionally, of course). Interpreting studies in the proper context is just as important as anything else.

[theoneandonly]

Did you really just say that to Dan?

You must be new.... lol

[theoneandonly]

The other question I would have to ask is: under what context/environment was the study conducted?

My problem with a lot of these studies is the fact that the subjects being studied in the environment they are being studied in, do not conform to people like you and me who are engaging in athletic/bodybuilding lifestyles whereby our caloric intake is far beyond the average individuals. Our macronutrient ratios are vastly different, we eat more protein and more carbs every day than the average individual. These are all factors that dramatically change the situation and the outcomes. If the study is conducted on average Joe individuals who will fast and then eat a total of 800 calories after the fast, that doesn't really apply to us, does it? Furthermore, their macro ratios would obviously be vastly different than us. Therefore, fasting in the context of an average Joe lifestyle might indeed be detrimental to our goals and potentiate fat storage. But for us, I believe the results are distinctly different. Regardless, i'd love to still see the study and i'll even try looking for it later on today if I get the time.

I love studies that are lengthy and use big words, lol. Usually those are the studies that are taken vastly out of context by people who read it (not intentionally, of course). Interpreting studies in the proper context is just as important as anything else.

I don't know... you would think that even if they used "normal" people for the study; it would still apply to us as our caloric intake is higher but so is our expenditure so it balances out somewhat? As far as I know; the medical community has yet to use "our type" in studies as we are the 1%. Most of society is fat and lives off McDonald's. At the same time big words or no big words; I take most of those studies as the info is worth a grain of salt because for every study there is another study that contradicts it so it seems. They still are a good read and I just like trying to accurately pronounce the big words and sound smart. I did read a study once about AAS that more or less stated that if you take excessive amounts of AAS you're more or less accelerating internal death, lol. Its like if you are bound to die of cancer at 70 years old; AAS will just make it happen faster and you'll be dead at 50 instead of 70. That's pretty much when I stopped paying attention to all the publications and just started focusing on what works for me. What works for me is high protein intake (as much as possible), low carbs/sugars, and eating every couple hours. That's what I do to stay lean and it works so I'm not messing with it.