Further to my article on Best Practices For Time-Restricted Eating/Intermittent Fasting, I’m trying out what is called the Warrior Diet protocol over the last 48 hours. On this plan, you fast, or eat very small amounts of specifically recommended foods, for the first 20 hours of each day, working out during this period of under eating. Then, you eat the majority of your daily intake within a 4-hour over feeding window. After that 4-hour over feeding period, you would repeat the under eating/fasting for the next 20 hours.
Generally, most people place their 4-hour over feeding window at the end of the day, as I have done, as it’s more convenient for family dinners and after-work training sessions. However, modifications can be made based on individual and scheduling differences.
I woke on Sunday and had a black coffee, having finished eating around 12am/middnight Saturday (it may have been slightly earlier than that, I was having a couple of red wines, as you do on a Saturday, and do not recall when I took my last sip). I had green tea, black coffee and other non-caloried beverages throughout the day. I did not eat a full meal until 7:30pm (19.5 hours, so sue me) which consisted of beef in black bean sauce with stir fried vegetable; no ‘carbs’. I finsihed eating well within the 4 hour window.
I woke at 8:30am and have had similar none caloried beverages all day. I intend to have a workout around 6pm and cook myself a chicken coconut curry, no carbs, that i will consume around 8:30pm
I intend to resume normal food programming (shake for breakfast, sardines and leafy greens for lunch, chicken curry again for dinner) tomorrow.
Intermittent Fasting, of which this is one protocol, has been proposed to:
- decreased fat mass
- increased lean muscle mass
- improved glucose tolerance
- improved lipid profile
- reduced inflammation
- higher mitochondrial volume
- protection from obesity
- generally favorable improvements in gene expression
- increased production of ketone bodies, which are used as fuel for the brain
- reduce cancer risk
- lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), which is a more long-term marker of blood glucose levels
- improved sleep
- control body fat levels and prevent obesity
- reduce systemic inflammation, increasing healthspan and longevity
I will let you know how I feel later.
Scott