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Comment by dmd149 | Hacker News Reader

Been doing intermittent fasting for a long time now and have been doing ADF for the last few months.

I lost fat and retained lean muscle while - eating between 3000-6000 calories on eating days - running 30-35 miles per week - weight lifting 3x per week

Here is a reddit post about my progress with some documentation including pics of recent DEXA scans.

https://www.reddit.com/r/leangains/comments/cliuqk/been_prac...

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I train 3-4 times a week (calisthenics). I tried 5 days of intermittent fasting for 5 days. I was DYING for food in the morning even on the 5th day, I drank way too much coffee, and in the end what really convinced me I had no reason to keep on doing this was HOW BAD AND SICK my (normally fine and healthy) breath smelled. Like, friends felt compelled to actually ask me why that was the case (yes, good friends will tell you if you have smelly breath). I suppose it was because I quickly went into ketosis, but overall it wasn't a pleasurable experience. I went back to my regular balanced breakfast as part of my varied vegetarian diet. I guess IF just doesn't cut it for me and maybe I don't have the patient to turn myself into a smelly monster just to follow some popular nutrition fad, especially considering I'm well into my weight and I have low body fat. Just my 2 cents. Internet doesn't convey smells yet, and that's great news for all the crowded fasting online communities out there, I guess.

Congratulations on your accomplishments. Can I ask how you manage to choke down 6000 kcal on eating days? Even when I'm really hungry I can't physically force myself to eat that much. It makes me feel sick and my digestive system is at the limit.

I’m one of those people that eat quickly and a lot, so I’ve just become accustomed to eating big meals.

That being said, I also eat significant amounts of junk food. Slice of cake is like 500-800 calories. No problem. I can do that x 3 after a meal of normal stuff. Junk is easy to throw down and calorie dense. Also, its fun to eat.

Now 6000 calories of salad and lean meats? That would be difficult...

Regarding exercise during IF, does it have a negative effect on your performance if you don't eat some carbs BEFORE exercise? How do you prevent the body from eating itself up for energy during exercise?

Pretty much no impact. I’ve done 18 mile runs after not eating for 36 hours and without consuming calories during the run. I feel tired but no more than usual. Also weight train fasted, no issues with performance.

The goal kind of is for the body to eat itself...eating body fat.

As for maintaining muscle mass, it seems as if keeping protein intake high while lifting heavy weights does the trick.

Don't you feel like shit if you don't eat anything for a whole day? Does your body adapt?

No. I feel fine. Just a bit hungry around dinner time.

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