Intermittent Fasting On A Plant-Based Diet
Intermittent fasting (IF) is becoming one of the fastest lifestyle changes in the fitness industry. When you hear the hype about the benefits of intermittent fasting you are probably asking yourself, “Is It For Me, I Could Never Give Up Breakfast!” or “Is it possible to do intermittent fasting on a plant based diet?”
The answer: It Can Be!
Firstly, “Is intermittent fasting on a plant-based diet any different than any other diets? ”
The answer of course is: No!
The one issue that I see over and over again while people intermittent fast on a plant-based diet is that they don’t realize how little of calories they are consuming. Since a plant-based diet is usually made up of less calorie dense foods then most diets we need to:
Remember To Eat!
Give Up Breakfast…Never
Firstly, how many times have I heard people tell me that they are breakfast people…..quite a few! To be honest, I used to be one of those people. But personally, I find that the media and clever marketing are to blame for why you “think” you need breakfast in the morning.
It usually takes around 1 – 2 weeks for your body to get used to eating later in the morning/afternoon. I am not going to lie, at first quitting breakfast feels similar to quitting coffee or smoking.
Here are some tips that can help you curb your breakfast:
- Drink Plenty of Water When You Wake-Up
- Try to consume a black coffee or caffeinated tea or beverage a couple hours after waking. (I sometimes have a non-sweetened almond milk latte on the weekends 🙂 )
- If water isn’t helping you curb your hunger, Try flavored sparkling or carbonated water. Our favorite is Mandarin! Sometimes we use flavored stevia drops in our water.
- If you can’t wait any longer, break the fast with an apple and then try to have your first meal 1-2 hours after.
Will you die if you don’t eat for a couple of hours after waking up, I doubt it. Actually you will find quite the opposite effect!
How IF Can Help You With Both Cutting & Bulking!
Cutting
If your goal is to cut weight, you need to be in a caloric deficient small enough to cause weight loss but not low enough to effect your energy or natural hormonal balance. If you eat too few of calories you won’t be able to hit the gym, lack energy, become depressed and can cause yourself so many bad hormonal problems.
Remember to eat!
You still need to eat and and should try to keep your caloric deficit between 20 – 25% of your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR). Now your probably wondering how can IF help me cut then If I still need to eat. Well, IF can be used as a diet tool to help you feel like you aren’t on a diet while you lose weight! Sounds good to me 🙂
By skipping your breakfast you will already be in a caloric deficit while not even trying and having 2 – 3 big meals around 800 – 1000 calories a day will keep you well satiated at every meal.
A diet that doesn’t feel like a diet….I think I can do that!
Bulking
Likewise, if your goal is to gain muscle and bulk you need to be in a caloric surplus. I get to eat more, GREAT! While eating more food sounds great you would be surprised of how little of calories you need for what the fitness industry calls a “Clean Bulk” .
A Clean Bulk is usually referred to a caloric surplus of 10% of your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR). If you eat too many calories you will gain weight but whether your body uses those calories for muscle or fat depends on several factors. Now your probably wondering how can IF help me bulk if I don’t eat breakfast?
Well, IF has shown to be effective in keeping off that unwanted body fat by enhancing your bodies calorie partitioning. This means your caloric surplus is more likely to go to your muscles other than going into bodyfat!
Also, IF helps with recovery and can also help you build bigger muscle!
Win, Win!
Other Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Human Growth Hormone (HGH): This hormone skyrockets, increasing as much as 5x more. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain (4, 5, 6, 7).
- Insulin: insulin sensitivity will get better and your levels of insulin drop dramatically. This leads to better food partitioning of carbs and surgars. The number one key to fat lose is to improve your insulin sensitivity (8).
- Cellular repair: When fasted, your body tends to heal quicker as it is no longer wasting energy on digesting food (9, 10)
- Gene expression: IF can help unfold your genes in the way that can help with longevity and certain protection against diseases (11, 12).
Do you Intermittent Fast? Have any tips or questions? Leave us a comment!