As fitness enthusiasts we all tend to believe that eating 5-6 equal sized meals per day is the gold standard for meal frequency to get in shape, feel good and be healthy. However, if you have tried this and failed to get in shape or felt hungry the whole time then maybe a different pattern of eating would suit you better.
Enter IF or intermittent fasting which was first made popular by Ori Hofmekler with the “Warrior Diet”. It involves either fasting or under eating for 20 hours and having a four hour eating window. This is the version of IF I have used for competitions over the last 6 years. I eat very little during the day and have one main meal at night; this is what it generally looks like:
Meal 1: WPC 30g, fish oil, vitamin & mineral supplement
Meal 2: small serving of raspberries or blueberries or cranberries or small handful of nuts-almonds/macadamias or carrot.
Meal 3: WPC 30g
Meal 4: small serving of raspberries or blueberries or cranberries or small handful of nuts-almonds/macadamias or carrot.
TRAIN
Meal 5: WPC 30g
Meal 6: Main meal- Lamb or Chicken or Fish and unlimited vegetables- A least 80% of my calories and most of my carbs for the day are in this meal. I often add butter to the meal after it is cooked too. This meal makes me feel like I’m not dieting and helps me sleep way better. I will also have nuts or 30-60g of WPC if I still feel hungry.
Another IF protocol I have found useful in the off-season to keep in shape is Martin Berkhan’s “ lean gains” approach where you fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour eating window with 2-3 meals. Basically it is as simple as missing breakfast. This is how I have used Martin’s approach in the past:
Meal 1: 11 am- 30-60g WPC, fish oil or fish (salmon/sardines/monkfish) or lentils
4-5pm Train
Meal 2: 5 pm- Main meal- Meat & unlimited vegetables
Meal 3: 7pm- Snack- nuts/fish (salmon/sardines/monkfish) /30-60g WPC
Martin also advocates 7-10 g of BCAAs or a serving of WPC before training. I have a serving of WPC ½ an hour before training.
At present I am eating two substantial meals a day at 2-3 pm and 7-8pm. So a water fast for 18-19 hours and a 5-6 hour eating window. Funnily enough I am never hungry, I feel good and am still making progress in regards to my training goals.
There are other versions of IF out there but these are the 3 approaches I have found that work for me in terms of getting lean and adding muscle. The other benefits for me are:
I get to eat bigger meals- I enjoy eating!
I am never hungry- I don’t feel like I am dieting!
I think and feel better
I have more time to do things (less organisation needed for meals/ not having to stop to eat during the day)
I digest my food better.
However, before I go I must say this is not for everyone – a lot of people do need to eat every 2-3 hours to make gains, feel good and maintain their health. Also females tend to do better with shorter fasting periods of no more than 14 hours.
If however, you are considering it and not sure how it may affect you, break in to it slowly- for example- shorten the eating window over time so your body can get used to it.
So if the traditional dietary approach of 5-6 meals a day doesn’t suit you give these meal patterns a try or experiment and come up with your own meal frequency that suits you. Eat less often, feel less hungry and get in shape-who would have thought!