Worked out hard today fasted. Dead's were fun; hit heavier weight than usual. Strong military presses too and felt really strong on pullups
I just can't do the 6 meals a day thing anymore. It's too difficult, and really makes it hard to stick to a diet. More important than any hormone response or metabolic change, is actually sticking to a diet.
Here's an analogy:
"Eating six meals a day, in my experience makes each meal like having an incredibly attractive woman enter the room, dance around for a couple of minutes showing a little skin, then abruptly leaving you with your hard on."
I can't stick to an eating plan like that, but I can stick to this one
If you can't show any studies then i'm afraid YOUR the one following the dogma.
Zauner et al (2007)
"
Resting energy expenditure in short-term starvation is increased as
a result of an increase in serum norepinephrine"
Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1511:5.
Stote et al (2007)
improved bodycomposition with a 20 hr fast
Results: Subjects who completed the study maintained their body
weight within 2 kg of their initial weight throughout the 6-mo period.
There were no significant effects of meal frequency on heart rate,
body temperature, or most of the blood variables measured.
However,
when consuming 1 meal/d, subjects had a significant increase
in hunger;
a significant modification of body composition, including
reductions in fat mass; significant increases in blood pressure and in
total, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations; and a
significant
decrease in concentrations of cortisol.
Conclusions: Normal-weight subjects are able to comply with a 1
meal/d diet. When meal frequency is decreased without a reduction
in overall calorie intake, modest changes occur in body composition,
some cardiovascular disease risk factors, and hematologic variables.
Diurnal variations may affect outcomes.
Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:981: 8
Ann Nutr Metab. 2006 Aug 24;50(5):476-481 [Epub ahead of print] Related Articles, Links
Actions of Short-Term Fasting on Human Skeletal Muscle Myogenic and Atrogenic Gene Expression.
Larsen AE, Tunstall RJ, Carey KA, Nicholas G, Kambadur R, Crowe TC, Cameron-Smith D.
School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.
Background: Skeletal muscle mass is governed by multiple IGF-1-sensitive positive regulators of muscle-specific protein synthesis (myogenic regulatory factors which includes myoD, myogenin and Myf5) and negative regulators, including the atrogenic proteins myostatin, atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger 1 (MuRF-1). The coordinated control of these myogenic and atrogenic factors in human skeletal muscle following short-term fasting is currently unknown. Method: Healthy adults (n = 6, age 27.6 years) undertook a 40-hour fast. Skeletal muscle biopsy (vastus lateralis) and venous blood samples were taken 3, 15 and 40 h into the fast after an initial standard high-carbohydrate meal. Gene expression of the myogenic regulator factors (myoD, myogenin and Myf5) and the atrogenic factors (myostatin, atrogin-1 and MuRF-1) were determined by real-time PCR analysis. Plasma myostatin and IGF-1 were determined by ELISA.
Results:
There were no significant alterations in either the positive or negative regulators of muscle mass at either 15 or 40 h, when compared to gene expression measured 3 h after a meal. Similarly, plasma myostatin and IGF-1 were also unaltered at these times. Conclusions: Unlike previous observations in catabolic and cachexic diseased states,
short-term fasting (40 h) fails to elicit marked alteration of the genes regulating both muscle-specific protein synthesis or atrophy. Greater periods of fasting may be required to initiate coordinated inhibition of myogenic and atrogenic gene expression.
Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism.
Heilbronn LK, Smith SR, Martin CK, Anton SD, Ravussin E.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA.
BACKGROUND: Prolonged dietary restriction increases the life span in rodents. Some evidence suggests that alternate-day fasting may also prolong the life span. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine whether alternate-day fasting is a feasible method of dietary restriction in nonobese humans and whether it improves known biomarkers of longevity. DESIGN: Nonobese subjects (8 men and 8 women) fasted every other day for 22 d. Body weight, body composition, resting metabolic rate (RMR), respiratory quotient (RQ), temperature, fasting serum glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, and ghrelin were assessed at baseline and after 21 d (12-h fast) and 22 d (36-h fast) of alternate-day fasting. Visual analogue scales were used to assess hunger weekly. RESULTS: Subjects lost 2.5 +/- 0.5% of their initial body weight (P < 0.001) and 4 +/- 1% of their initial fat mass (P < 0.001). Hunger increased on the first day of fasting and remained elevated (P < 0.001). RMR and RQ did not change significantly from baseline to day 21, but RQ decreased on day 22 (P < 0.001), which resulted in an average daily increase in fat oxidation of > or =15 g. Glucose and ghrelin did not change significantly from baseline with alternate-day fasting, whereas fasting insulin decreased 57 +/- 4% (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Alternate-day fasting was feasible in nonobese subjects, and fat oxidation increased. However, hunger on fasting days did not decrease, perhaps indicating the unlikelihood of continuing this diet for extended periods of time. Adding one small meal on a fasting day may make this approach to dietary restriction more acceptable.
Research indicates that a haphazard meal frequency, not necessarily a lower frequency, negatively impacts thermogenesis, blood lipids, and insulin sensitivity [1,2].
Contrary to popular belief, a high frequency has no thermodynamic advantage over a low frequency under calorie-controlled conditions (as opposed to ad libitium or free-living conditions) using 24-hr indirect calorimetry [3,4]
With little exception [7,8], the majority of
controlled intervention trials show no improvement in body composition with a higher meal frequency, with treatments ranging from 1 to 9 meals per day [9-11,15].
1 Farshchi HR, et al. Beneficial metabolic effects of regular meal frequency on dietary thermogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and fasting lipid profiles in healthy obese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):16-24.
2 Farshchi HR, et al. Decreased thermic effect of food after an irregular compared with a regular meal pattern in healthy lean women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 May;28(5):653-60.
3 Taylor MA, Garrow JS. Compared with nibbling, neither gorging nor a morning fast affect short-term energy balance in obese patients in a chamber calorimeter. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Apr;25(4):519-28.
4 Verboeket-van de Venne WP, Westerterp KR. Influence of the feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Mar;45(3):161-9.
7 Swindells YE, The metabolic response of young women to changes in the frequency of meals. Br J Nutr. 1968 Dec;22(4):667-80.
8 Iwao S, et al. Effects of meal frequency on body composition during weight control in boxers. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1996 Oct;6(5):265-72.
9 Young CM, Frequency of feeding, weight reduction, and body composition. J Am Diet Assoc. 1971 Nov;59(5):466-72.
10 Antoine JM, et al. Feeding frequency and nitrogen balance in weight-reducing obese women. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1984 Jan;38(1):31-8.
11 Verboeket-van de Venne WP, et al. Frequency of feeding, weight reduction and energy metabolism. Int J Obese Relat Metab Disord. 1993 Jan;17(1):31-6.
15 Speechly DP, Buffenstein R. Greater appetite control associated with an increased frequency of eating in lean males. Appetite. 1999 Dec;33(3):285-97.
I was 5 pounds lighter the next time I weighed which is no small feat for someone who is relatively low bodyfat to begin with.