Intermittent fasting and protein intake

[Lori]

Does anyone have any thoughts on protein and intermittent fasting? My recommended amount of protein is 80g per day, obviously if I fast im missing this. Does it matter? Will my muscles suffer in any way? Should I try to make up for the protein i should have had by adding it on later (like a weekly protein total), and how does all this fit in whilst trying to have a great calorie deficit?

[Amy]

Don’t worry about it on a fasting day. The protein reccomendation is what you should shoot for on a regular day. If you are fasting 24 hours break it with a regular meal that is high in protein you will not break down any musclet issue that fast

[Jean]

Hitting your protein REQ will not increase your rate of fat loss. But yes you need to hit it as a rolling average- meaning if you are under one day, try to go over the next. You can eat above it as much as you want- I tend to eat 150% of my REQ. That is what makes me feel best. The reasoning behind hitting your protein REQ is twofold- one, protein is necessary for muscle growth and repair. Two, protein is great for satiety.

[jessica]

I don’t worry about my protein goal on fast days and I try to hit it on all the others BUT…for me I don’t see any different results in my weight or rate of losing by being over/under…I DO see and feel a difference in my satiety though just like Jean mentioned. I can sustain a calorie deficit for a longer period of time when I eat up to my 75g of protein daily.

[Lori]

Thanks for all your input. My rational self says im not going to give it a second thought now on fast days. Its one of those deeply ingrained beliefs that’s drummed into most of us repeatedly, rearing its ugly head again – saying ”if you dont eat every few hours your body will believe it is starving and will begin to eat your muscles for fuel!” … That is one of the major reasons why I found myself here in the first place, eating when not hungry because thats what the media says your supposed to do ‘to keep metabolism up’ or because authorities on health and society in general say we should ‘eat 3 square meals per day’ or ‘6 smaller meals throughout the day’.

I am much happier on mostly 2 but sometimes 1 meal per day. I can see im going to find the mental aspect ( the effects of decades of brainwashing ) alot more challenging in the longer term , some beliefs are so embedded they become almost reflexes in our psyche.

[gemma]

Fasting gives your body time for autophagy, so it is helpful for muscle repair. Remember that your protein intake is a rolling average, so as long as your average protein for the week is at ideal or above- then you are just fine.

[betty]

If you concentrate on your protein when you do eat and plan your meal around it you will be fine with eat stop eat fasting. 24 hrs is not long enough to cause muscle loss or starvation mode anyway. That is total BS. You do not need to worry about that if you are over 12% body fat as a female.

As for regaining muscle that is a function of training more than diet. Train hard and get enough protein and you will be fine. As Gemma pointed out it is a rolling average over time. Even with a 24 hr fast that is still one meal a day. Make that mostly protein and you will be fine.

[carol]

Hi, everyone!

I have a question about how necessary getting enough protein is on the days that I fast from dinner to dinner. I don’t have a problem getting my 75 g minimum on the rest of the days, however, I have not been able to come up with a dinner and snack that can get me to the 75 g on the two days a week that I fast.

I love the program and have steadily dropped 1 to 2 pounds/week and maybe not hitting my 75 g of protein 2 times a week is no big deal. I would just like the advise from others that are doing the same thing. ESE is working great for me, as long as I have my fast days when I’m working, otherwise I don’t know if I could be as disciplined at home with access to food.

[Isabelle]

Wow you are doing great! So awesome!

I wouldn’t worry so much if it’s only those two days. What matters on everything, including calories for fat loss is the running daily average over time. If you can get over the requirement on other days, especially the maintenance days you will feel better in the long run. Protein can really be a game changer for sustainability and performance.

[carol]

Thank you so much Isabelle. I have averaged over the 75G per week so I will continue on as is. I love this program and being able to ask questions in the community is wonderful.

[betty]

Carol, you are doing fantastic!! If protein becomes an issue on fasting days you could always have a chicken breast for dinner and greek yogurt for dessert.

100g chicken breast = 21.2 g protein and 115 calories (The average chicken breast is at least 200g.) 1 cup Oikos 0% fat greek yogurt = 22 g protein and 120 calories. (I like mine with 1 TBS apricot preserves.)

Just these 2 foods gets you really close to your daily goal with less than 500 calories.

[Author]

Posts