Fasting while on atkins

[Jack12]

Hello,

So you use fat as main energy source while on atkins. The main reason why people don't fast is because the amounts of muscle that is lost (athletes, that is). But if you fast on atkins, won't your body only eat away your fat tissue since muscle loss stops after induction? (or mostly stops). I feel it's like a bucket of water (body fat) where you constantly keep adding water (fat from food).

[Slapshot]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

since muscle loss stops after induction? (or mostly stops)

I'm not sure how true that is. Fasting can be catabolic.\

You can't fast on Atkins, because fasting is not part of Atkins.

[heresy]
I've read a substantial amount about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and incorporated into my Atkins lifestyle to push me past real or perceived plateaus. IF fits into my lifestyle as a busy professional on most days, and on some days I take advantage of it by skipping lunch. I'll have an egg-shake (or nothing) in the morning then not eat again until dinnertime around 6. Sometimes I fast for 24 hours. I've been mixing it up. I've also been working out (weights and light cardio) in a fasted state, and I'm shocked at the energy levels I have (driven by fat) during those workouts. It's critical to exercise if you intermittently fast so as to minimize/eliminate the potentially catabolic effects on muscle. Studies seem to indicate that fasts over 24 hours can have a catabolic effect, but fasts less than 24 hours generally do not.

I recognize that IF isn't Atkins so there's no need for folks to tell me I'm doing Atkins wrong or that it's not in DANDR 2002. I know that. One of the reasons I've been lurking more than posting is because I've been experimenting with IF and Atkins, and admittedly am no longer on "Atkins" (per the book). It's a personal decision of mine that I've found works, makes me feel great, etc. I've read much about the conventional wisdom of why people are advised to "eat 6 small meals" a day and the consensus is that it's primarily to regulate blood sugar/insulin levels as a result of constant grain/starch consumption per the conventional wisdom pyramid. If you're regulating your insulin level via Atkins, you'll find that eating six small meals a day is sometimes impossible or unnecessary. This is a very "primal" approach advocated by, among others, Mark Sisson at www.marksdailyapple.com . He explains that our ancestors thousands of years ago didn't eat 6 small meals a day, and often went long periods without food due to scarcity, seasonality, etc. The body's desire for homeostasis allows us to intermittently fast once in a while with no ill effects and sometimes with positive effects. The key here, however, is the word "intermittent." Also, the Eades (Protein Power) have studied (and participated) in intermittent fasting with approval. http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/i...better-health/

Before experimenting with IF, I found that I was forcing myself to eat every few hours. That felt terribly unnatural to me. So, I IF maybe twice a week, and it works for me. Your results may vary. One downside to IF I've noticed is that if I do not have enough fat with my meal at 6pm (a regular sized meal, not a gorge), I'm hungry at 10pm. So, to up my caloric intake, I usually incorporate coconut oil into that meal, along with butter, etc.

[/heresy]

One final time, I recognize that IF is not part of Atkins, not found in DANDR2002, and not recommended by folks who follow Atkins to the letter. IF can be dangerous if not done intermittently, if not done in conjunction with appropriate veggie/supplement intake, etc.

[Slapshot]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

One more thing I'll add. I've lost 99%of the weight I lost in my signature on Atkins. I've only started to recently IF. I don't want folks to think my "success" is due to IF. It's not. It's due to Atkins. I'll report back in a few weeks on how I'm doing with my Atkins eating/IF combination. Atkins got me 50+ lbs down. I didn't want there to be any confusion on that.

[Jack12]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

But on atkins when you run out of fat that comes from food your body starts burning body-fat right? Why would you expirience lack of energy? Are the fats that are in your stomach and body-fat 2 different things?

[Slapshot]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

Why would you expirience lack of energy?

I'm not sure what you mean. When I'm in ketosis/fasting, my energy levels are sky high, not low.

When you are in ketosis, yes, you are primarily drawing upon your bodyfat stores as fuel.

[Jack12]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

So actually it doesn't matter if you're fasting or doing atkins? Since it's more or less the same (apart from the fact that you lose weight faster when fasting).

[Slapshot]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

So actually it doesn't matter if you're fasting or doing atkins? Since it's more or less the same (apart from the fact that you lose weight faster when fasting).

Yes, it does matter because Intermittent Fasting has nothing to do with Atkins. I am "doing" Atkins (i.e. eating via the Atkins principles) when I'm not fasting.

(apart from the fact that you lose weight faster when fasting)

I didn't say that IF helps you lose weight "faster." I said it can be a useful tool for me to break plateaus, however you define them. Dr. Atkins defined a "stall" (i.e. plateau) as 4 weeks with no weight/inches loss. It's not a weight loss strategy in and of itself. I use it as a complement to Atkins. It's admittedly not Atkins.

[RitaCeleste]

Re: Fasting while on atkins

That's interesting, I have been kinda stuck at this weight for awhile. I have added a few days where I just had a protein shake or two to see if that gets anything off. Most of my weighloss was with Atkins. I did loose some muscle mass but I am not big on exercise. I have noticed that I am at least a size smaller now that I was at the same weight before gaining weight. So it would seem to show less fat and more muscle than before. I haven't really tried fasting because I tend to go a couple of days with the shakes then feel entitled to some cheating. Wrong, I know but that can become its own bad eating habit if you aren't careful. The fat in the diet actually helps to make the body produce more fat burning chemicals. So a low fat diet doesn't actually work any faster seems like to me. Its all about getting the body to burn fat, fat coming in means the body isn't afraid to toss it aside and use some of it. And if the end result is about the same, why not have a little cheese or butter?