[quote]chobbs wrote:
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
IF is just a way to eat. You can do it with a low carb diet, IIFYM, carb cycling, whatever.
[/quote]
This.
IF is a very general way of eating, and can be used for any sort of goal. I think a lot of people confuse it with a comprehensive plan - it is simply a way of timing your meals, nothing more.
I follow IF and have done for almost a year. I have an identical approach with macros and peri-workout nutrition to what I would do if I was following any other type of timing with my meals.
I typically break my fast with a high protein, high fat, low carb pre-workout meal, I eat my main meal after my workout and then I eat another meal before I sleep. The final meal will be high protein, high fat, low carbs (usually eggs) if I’m being strict, but more often than not I just have some PB sandwiches. The main meal is lots of meat, veg and sweet potatoes.
As for the ratio, it’s really up to you. I recommend just experimenting and seeing what you prefer. I’ve found that between 18/6 and 20/4 works well for me, but I think it varies loads from person to person. If you are going to give it a go I’d recommend easing into it gradually. Starting with 16/8 is probably best.
I don’t really change my nutrition between workout days and non-workout days, but I train with a high frequency so it doesn’t really matter for me.
I’m no expert, but this is just what I’ve found. Hope it is useful![/quote]
Very useful! What does a normal day look like for you? Did you find it difficult at first to get all of your macros in?[/quote]
Glad to help!
I find it easy to get my macros in for 2 main reasons: 1) I’m a glutton and 2) I don’t need a huge amount of food
I can give you an example of my exact diet while cutting (2,000kcal).
Pre-Workout Meal
15g cashews
15g almonds
25g biltong (like beef jerky)
Main Meal
500g chicken
Small broccolli
100g brown rice
120g tomatoes
1tbsp peanut butter
Evening Meal
3 eggs
2 apples
210g protein/115g carbs/75g fat
Now I’m just maintaining I pretty much do the same, but more carbs in the main meal and the evening meal.
EDIT: I just wanted to add that, although I’m not generally eating a large amount, I think it wouldn’t be too hard to eat a lot following IF. On cheat days when I blew put completely I could easily hit 3,500kcal relatively cleanly. So you can definitely bulk with high calories doing IF.