Intermittent Fasting — Can you really build muscle and lose weight?

Many people (mostly males) are petrified of Intermittent fasting because they might lose all that hard-earned muscle mass and, of course, strength. People are afraid that fasting will cause them to make less effort when training; therefore, they believe it’s not worth trying. They may continue with the five meal a day, bodybuilder mentality that’s been around for more years than I have been born!

I was one of those people as well. Initially, when I started my bodybuilding journey, I was encouraged to “eat more” to get lean. I had to split my meals up 5–6 times per day and make sure I had the right amount of protein for each dinner. It was exhausting for me to cook, prepare, and carry around a huge esky filled with glass containers. People at work used to laugh at me, and some would be fascinated with my journey. Thankfully I had many want to be fans who loved seeing the transformation I made with nutrition and exercise.

Later on down the track, I noticed this strategy stopped working for me when that was all over for me. I had developed the worst gut and stomach issues that eating was hard. I was tracking my macros and experiencing bloating, discomfort and also putting on weight. How was this the case? I was following the tried and tested bodybuilder diet — how can it not work now, after all those years?

Sometimes this can happen, guys. Anything that worked in the past doesn’t seem to have the same effect now in the present. It’s due to many factors, and we won’t go into it right now.

When you think about it, do you want to cook all weekend to have 5–6 meals a day that will supposedly keep your muscle-building potential at its peak? Probably not — and there is also the realisation that it’s not always going to work. Our bodies will do whatever they want anyway.

When it comes to fasting, there are several various alternatives you can try. These are all quite flexible, and depending on your goals, you can alternate or stick to a particular one that is right for you. You don’t have to fast every day, and you can always fast for 1–2 days, opting for 24 hours, and then go back to normal eating. The choices are ultimately yours.