Why Intermittent Fasting Isn't A Good Approach for Men Looking to Lean And Jacked

Why Intermittent Fasting Isn't A Good Approach for Men Looking To Get Lean And Jacked

Many businessmen I speak with hold a common belief that intermittent fasting will accelerate their results

Now there's a significant drawback that comes with intermittent fasting that not many 'gurus' mention.

This drawback involves the potential reduction in protein intake.

This has been born out in the literature and we've seen clinical trials that have documented this.

Time-restricted feeding within a 24-hour period does not offer any additional benefits beyond the caloric restriction it brings.

In other words, the time restriction in itself does not have any magical effects beyond the reduction in calories.

There is no evidence from clinical trials that suggest time-restricted feeding is more beneficial than caloric restriction.

So whether you eat 2000 calories spread out over 12 hours or 2000 calories spread out over 6 hours with an 18-hour time-restricted feeding window, there is no observed difference.

Now here's the interesting part:

The person who restricts calories has an easier time maintaining muscle mass compared to the person who practices time-restricted feeding.

This is due to two reasons:

1. When you time restrict, you're less likely to consume enough protein.

2. It's a delicate balance to get the right amount of amino acids into the muscles; having too much or too little can affect muscle maintenance.

Expanding on reason number 2, you do not want to waste your amino acids down a gluconeogenic pathway where they're being used as glucose substrates.

This can happen due to an imbalance of protein intake, either too much or too little.

For instance, if you consume only 10-20g of protein, the liver will preferentially convert it into glucose.

Similarly, if you consume more than 50g of protein, the liver will convert the excess into glucose as well.

Let's say your target is 180g of protein per day. Consuming 18 servings of 10g each day will not yield optimal results.

Similarly, having just one serving of 180g of protein will not be optimal either.

The recommended approach is to have 4 servings of 45g of protein each for optimal results.

However, if you're practicing time-restricted feeding, it can be challenging to consume 4 servings of protein within your eating window.

Most guys need 3-4 servings of protein per day.

Unless you're willing to consume protein outside of your eating window, you'll miss out on potential gains.

This could be one of the reasons why you might still have a "skinny fat" physique instead of a lean and jacked one.

Just because a task is easy doesn't always mean it's effective.