Pulse Feast as Pulse Fast Alternative

So i’ve been eating in a similar way to this for some time now with decent success in both gaining and losing weight. What are peoples thoughts on the approach?

What is the question? The approach to which one?

[quote]jonny142 wrote:
So i’ve been eating in a similar way to this for some time now with decent success in both gaining and losing weight. What are peoples thoughts on the approach?[/quote]

I don’t like it. When I stop eating solid meals my digestion also stops or at least slows down considerably. I can’t imagine anyone who wants to have a decent amount of mass doing this.

I admit, I couldn’t handle the pulse fast. I couldn’t go without solid food all day…simply couldn’t.
So, I sort of stumbled upon this approach in my failed attempt at doing the pulse fast…the only difference from the article is that I pulsed fast in the morning, throughout the afternoon, and then ate 1 or 2 big meals (big is relative…these were normal meals for me) in the evening. By pulse fasting here, I mean taking one serving of MAG-10 every 2 or 3 hours. That is different than the mere 3 pulses (each pulse = 3 servings of MAG-10…3 scoups) as indicated in the article.

1st day I did my version of the pulse feast…I was dying throughout the morning and afternoon…but it was all psychological. By the evening and having my meals as normal, I was actually able to keep this eating protocol up 5 days a week. THAT is amazing to me (the fact that I am able now to not eat anything solid for the whole day and only at night), especially after years (no decades) of training myself to eat up to 6 meals a day 365 days a week.

I’m a believer. My digestion and gut has never felt better. I did NOT lose any lean mass with “my” version of the pulse feast and have actually gotten “tighter” (all subjective of course) over the course of changing my eating pattern to this. The real beauty of the method portrayed in the article is now I don’t have to consume something every 2 hours…I can now see if I can go for 4 or 5 before another pulse for example. That would really free up my time!

It should be noted that I like this JUST as good when I use Metabolic Drive Muscle instead of MAG-10 for my morning and afternoon “meals”. It could be just my specific physiology, but I’m not noticing any negatives doing this…I actually feel alot FULLER doing it this way. I might alternate between MD muscle “pulse” feast and the real pulse feast with MAG-10.

Samurai,
I’ve read a couple of your posts on this topic and am interested in your experience.
What time of the day are your workouts, and what is your nutrition like around this time?

Thank you.

[quote]buffd_samurai wrote:
I admit, I couldn’t handle the pulse fast. I couldn’t go without solid food all day…simply couldn’t.
So, I sort of stumbled upon this approach in my failed attempt at doing the pulse fast…the only difference from the article is that I pulsed fast in the morning, throughout the afternoon, and then ate 1 or 2 big meals (big is relative…these were normal meals for me) in the evening. By pulse fasting here, I mean taking one serving of MAG-10 every 2 or 3 hours. That is different than the mere 3 pulses (each pulse = 3 servings of MAG-10…3 scoups) as indicated in the article.

1st day I did my version of the pulse feast…I was dying throughout the morning and afternoon…but it was all psychological. By the evening and having my meals as normal, I was actually able to keep this eating protocol up 5 days a week. THAT is amazing to me (the fact that I am able now to not eat anything solid for the whole day and only at night), especially after years (no decades) of training myself to eat up to 6 meals a day 365 days a week.

I’m a believer. My digestion and gut has never felt better. I did NOT lose any lean mass with “my” version of the pulse feast and have actually gotten “tighter” (all subjective of course) over the course of changing my eating pattern to this. The real beauty of the method portrayed in the article is now I don’t have to consume something every 2 hours…I can now see if I can go for 4 or 5 before another pulse for example. That would really free up my time!

It should be noted that I like this JUST as good when I use Metabolic Drive Muscle instead of MAG-10 for my morning and afternoon “meals”. It could be just my specific physiology, but I’m not noticing any negatives doing this…I actually feel alot FULLER doing it this way. I might alternate between MD muscle “pulse” feast and the real pulse feast with MAG-10.[/quote]

Sounds very similar to the Warrior Diet or similar approaches.

samurai, i’m glad you commented on using Metabolic Drive instead of MAG-10 for the pulse-feast. i was considering trying something like this with whey instead of MAG-10 since the full pulse-fast was brutal and i felt like shit and MAG-10 is too expensive for me to use long-term aside from a scoop or two during my workouts.

[quote]tigrvision wrote:
Samurai,
I’ve read a couple of your posts on this topic and am interested in your experience.
What time of the day are your workouts, and what is your nutrition like around this time?

Thank you.[/quote]

I train late afternoon or early evening.
As indicated, I now follow a nutrition plan very similiar to what is outlined in the pulse feast article. I am experimenting with using Metabolic Drive Muscle instead of MAG-10 and though I “believe” MAG-10 pulsing for the morning and afternoon “meals” probably is better, I need to find out for myself. The object for me at least, is to improve digestion first and foremost, and I honestly believe taking supplements like MAG-10 OR Metabolic Drive Muscle is easier on the gut than my old eating methods. Then, just as the article points out, I engage in solid food eating…and lots of it.

I keep writing this, but I have to keep saying it because I think this is very very important: what I do seems to work for ME. It doesn’t mean it will work for YOU. YOU have to experiment with the concepts layed out in articles like what T-Nation puts out, but do NOT get into the mindset that you HAVE to do it that way only. I think it is a good idea to try the protocols exactly as outlined in the beginning…but you will find moreso than not that you will have to do some tweaking to optimize it for YOU.

[quote]E99_Curt wrote:
samurai, i’m glad you commented on using Metabolic Drive instead of MAG-10 for the pulse-feast. i was considering trying something like this with whey instead of MAG-10 since the full pulse-fast was brutal and i felt like shit and MAG-10 is too expensive for me to use long-term aside from a scoop or two during my workouts.[/quote]

I really think you should experiment with that…but you also need to experiment with the protocol as layed out in the article. Just my opinion. You need the perspective of that experience to really gage how alternative protocols that you can think of compare.

In my case, I like the MAG-10 pulse fast in the morning and afternoons (by pulse fast I mean ONE serving of MAG-10 every 2 hours)and then eating whatever I feel I need to in the evening. I know this protocol has been working for me now.

I also know, that substituting Metabolic Drive Muscle Growth (because I really am finding I need some carbs to keep me fuller throughout the day…and I don’t want to use just any carbs…I like the carb sources in Metabolic Drive Muscle Growth alot) for my morning and afternoon “meals” is working just as good if not slightly better than the pulse fast method outlined above. In this case, I take Metabolic Drive Muscle Growth 3 times prior to the evening solid meal food fests.

I have NOT tried the pulse feast method as outlined in the article yet, but that is my next experiment.

Buffd - Do you limit your carbs or anything like that in the evening or how does macro control play into your plan?

I would just like to chime in here. I am a big fan of the Pulse Feast over the Pulse Fast. I’ve tried both and the Pulse Feast just seems to fit me better, both physically and physiologically (i.e. I feel better). Today I didn’t even need a second pulse. Basically I woke up at 9am, had my first pulse at 9:45am, worked out around 2:00pm (2 Anaconda, 1 MAG-10, 1 SWF, 1 FINiBAR), and then ate 3 meals starting from 5:30pm. 5:30pm was leftover chili, 8:00pm was chicken cacciatore/chicken wings, 10:30pm was a MD shake and some almond butter.

Now in the future, I’ll probably have less meals at night, something like 2 big ones, and maybe add in the 2nd pulse if I feel I need it. The thing is, in today’s case, I had LOTS of chili where I was quite full but not too full, and then 2-2:30hrs later I was hungry again, so I didn’t argue with it, I ate some chicken.

A shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and then a sensible dinner.

I think I’ve heard this before. =0)

Yeah what I think I’m gonna be doing is this, more cost effective. I am finding I really love a shake in the morning with good quality carbs, it keeps me fuller than actual food sometimes! Something like the below.

9:00am - Shake (2 tbsp almond butter, 2.25 scoops Grow! Whey, 1 cup oats, cinnamon, ice/water)

or just take Metabolic Drive Muscle Growth Formula with some almond butter on the side.

1:30pm - Lift (1 FINiBAR, 2 sc ANACONDA, 1 sc MAG-10, 1 sc Surge Workout Fuel)

4:30pm - Metabolic Drive Muscle Growth Formula

7:30pm - FEAST MOTHAFUCKA!!!

11:00pm - Metabolic Drive Low-Carb w/ cocoa nibs, nuts on the side

[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
Buffd - Do you limit your carbs or anything like that in the evening or how does macro control play into your plan?[/quote]

For ME, I do not limit carbs for the sake of limiting them. I basically go hog wild and eat whatever I want, but my choices always naturally tend towards carb sources like vegetables (cabbage,lettuce,green beans, squash, cucumber, spinach), yams, potatoes, rice, beans, etc. This is paired with some form of FATTY meat…like ribeye, turkey or chicken dark meat, eggs, etc.

I think the article states what are reasonable things to eat for one’s different goals…kudos to the authors.

thanks for asking.

I am new to this approach. I want to try it but a little confused on the feast part. I wanted to know when we feast are we aiming to get all our macros in for the day or just eat whatever? My goal is to gain lean mass then cut for a show next july. This style of eating is way easier for me and my schedule. I normally eat 6 meals a day and get 50g pro, 60g carbs and low fat with each meal. Do i just combine all 6 meals for the FEAST? Thats pretty much impossible for me. lol I was planning to use HumaPro and a BCAA drink during the day for my 2 pulses then train at 530 then feast after my workout.

Suggestions?

[quote]BB2K wrote:
I am new to this approach. I want to try it but a little confused on the feast part. I wanted to know when we feast are we aiming to get all our macros in for the day or just eat whatever? My goal is to gain lean mass then cut for a show next july. This style of eating is way easier for me and my schedule. I normally eat 6 meals a day and get 50g pro, 60g carbs and low fat with each meal. Do i just combine all 6 meals for the FEAST? Thats pretty much impossible for me. lol I was planning to use HumaPro and a BCAA drink during the day for my 2 pulses then train at 530 then feast after my workout.

Suggestions?[/quote]

That is basically what you do as I understand it. While in theory this eating style sets you up to partition the nutrients better, calories still matter. Especially if you are competing, its a BIT misleading to say “eat whatever you want” … You have to remember the article is written by, and for, physique conscious people who probably eat the same damn thing every day of their life and know ± 5% the kind of calories they are taking in without overtly counting them.

Remember that you are getting 90g of protein in the pulses leading up to the feast, so its not as if you are going to be eating 300g of protein in the feast.

Also, think of the feast as a WINDOW of eating, not a single MEAL. Anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on what you need. If you need to split the feast up and eat once at 7pm and again at 10pm, so be it.

Many, many people have had success using the LeanGains approach, which actually allows for an 8 hour feeding window, so that might be something you want to look into as well.

[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:

[quote]BB2K wrote:
I am new to this approach. I want to try it but a little confused on the feast part. I wanted to know when we feast are we aiming to get all our macros in for the day or just eat whatever? My goal is to gain lean mass then cut for a show next july. This style of eating is way easier for me and my schedule. I normally eat 6 meals a day and get 50g pro, 60g carbs and low fat with each meal. Do i just combine all 6 meals for the FEAST? Thats pretty much impossible for me. lol I was planning to use HumaPro and a BCAA drink during the day for my 2 pulses then train at 530 then feast after my workout.

Suggestions?[/quote]

That is basically what you do as I understand it. While in theory this eating style sets you up to partition the nutrients better, calories still matter. Especially if you are competing, its a BIT misleading to say “eat whatever you want” … You have to remember the article is written by, and for, physique conscious people who probably eat the same damn thing every day of their life and know ± 5% the kind of calories they are taking in without overtly counting them.

Remember that you are getting 90g of protein in the pulses leading up to the feast, so its not as if you are going to be eating 300g of protein in the feast.

Also, think of the feast as a WINDOW of eating, not a single MEAL. Anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on what you need. If you need to split the feast up and eat once at 7pm and again at 10pm, so be it.

Many, many people have had success using the LeanGains approach, which actually allows for an 8 hour feeding window, so that might be something you want to look into as well.[/quote]

Ive looked at the lean gains approach but with my training schedule i dont have an 8hr window unless i stay up until 3am. So all i need to do is subtract the protein i get in my 2 pulses from my total then feast in the rest…? So if i get 100g of pro in my 2 pulses all i need to get in at feast time is 200g…? Carbs shouldnt be to hard to get in using rice and oatmeal… ill be bloated as hell though lol

You can do “Lean Gains” with a 4-6 hour feeding window if you like that better, thats just the option he likes the most.

Also, No need to use 50grams of protein per pulse, I would rather do 3 pulses of 30, than 2 of 50. Creates one more anabolic spike in amino’s.

[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
You can do “Lean Gains” with a 4-6 hour feeding window if you like that better, thats just the option he likes the most.

Also, No need to use 50grams of protein per pulse, I would rather do 3 pulses of 30, than 2 of 50. Creates one more anabolic spike in amino’s.[/quote]

awesome i will do that. 3 pulses with 30g. but what about after my workout? i have that 5hr window to cram 6 meals in? even if i deduct the 3 pulses with 30g each i still need to get 200+g of pro in and 400g carbs. pop tarts have 35g each so that is a tasty carb for me, the rest needs to be rice and oatmeal right? I have a kick ass cut diet, bulking is what i fk up on. plus im trying to bulk using IF. Sorry for all the questions, i just dont want to screw it up.

[quote]BB2K wrote:
awesome i will do that. 3 pulses with 30g. but what about after my workout? i have that 5hr window to cram 6 meals in? even if i deduct the 3 pulses with 30g each i still need to get 200+g of pro in and 400g carbs. pop tarts have 35g each so that is a tasty carb for me, the rest needs to be rice and oatmeal right? I have a kick ass cut diet, bulking is what i fk up on. plus im trying to bulk using IF. Sorry for all the questions, i just dont want to screw it up.[/quote]

Its not a matter of thinking in terms of “meals” but rather just in total food intake during the 5 hour window. I dont know about you, but most of the “meals” I ate when I was contest dieting would not come close to filling me up, so it is very easy to condense “6 meals” into “2 meals.” Again, just eat all of your food in that 5 hours, whether that means 5 meals, 1 meal, or just constantly grazing.

There is no reason that the carbs you eat have to come from Rice and Oatmeal, no. Whatever you find that you like, make those the carb choices. Potatoes, rice, yams, bread, tortillas, veggies, etc…

I am just like you when it comes to bulking, and I really need to fix that (which I am working on). Its just so easy to eat a little bit extra thinking it might help with the gains a little bit… only to make you fatter every time.