My Opinions on Intermittent Fasting

If you haven't heard yet, intermittent fasting is all the buzz in the fitness and nutrition world. As history has shown with any other type of nutritional approach, some people are big fans, and some can't stand it. In today's article I'd like to take the time to inform you on IF (intermittent fasting) and state whether or not I think it's a good idea to implement it into your program. 

WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT'S THE IDEA?

Before we head into the details of IF, we need to know what it is. IF is a term used for diets that go back and forth between stages of fasting and non-fasting. IF is well-known for it's lengthened periods of calorie deficit phases. These fasted periods can last 16-24 hours (sounds like hell if you ask me). 

When it comes to IF, the big picture idea is to deplete an individual's calorie consumption. This is similar to any other weight loss diet. It all comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Deplete the body of calories, and weight is lost. It's not that special, but it does have a twist unlike any other nutrition plan out there.

Rather than taking down calorie consumption on a slow consistent basis like most plans, IF calls for severe restriction, just like fasting. As I mentioned before, said individual would fast for a 16-24 hour period, then return to normal (dependent on the goal) eating for 8-24 hours. I'll admit, when I first heard of IF, I thought it was completely bogus, especially since the people I knew that were doing it weren't making any changes to their physique whatsoever. It turns out there is some science that can show positive effects to both health and physique while fasting.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Before I looked at any of the science behind IF, I was extremely against it for the following reasons: 

1. IF calls for me to fast. Forget that garbage. Food is good. I will eat food. All the time. 

2. I have used different methods with my clients and they all have worked tremendously.
3. I had a hunch fasting for that long can lead to protein breakdown and catabolism.

Now that I've looked at the research, I don't have so much hatred towards it. Thus far, the effects on body composition, performance, and mental health are not extreme in either direction. Let's look at the details.

BODY COMPOSITION

As I talk about body composition, it must be known that I am speaking in terms of individuals who are overweight. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of body composition research on those who aren't. Taking a look at a 2011 study (which was only conducted on women), we see that IF is just as effective for weight loss as continued calorie restriction. Unfortunately, there was another study conducted that showed possibility of increased protein breakdown. If you're like me, and you've spent years building lean muscle tissue, the last thing you would want is some crazy fasting plan ruining all of that. It's possible to put those effects at a halt by taking supplements out there that you can use to try to stop those effects such as BCAAs. It's not guaranteed, though.

PERFORMANCE

There isn't a lot of research on IF and performance, but there are a couple studies out there that show decreased power. Additionally, it is shown that individuals might feel fatigued, even if their strength and endurance isn't down. Personally, I don't want to feel fatigued in the gym. If I'm pushing 100s on the dumbbell bench while fasting or not, I would prefer to feel fully energized.

MENTAL HEALTH

When I don't eat, I get extremely hangry (hungry and angry). I'm no fun to be around and I turn into a complete diva. Fortunately for the individuals in a specific study, they decreased their binge eating or emotional eating while on an IF diet, and improved their healthy restrictive eating. How? I have no clue. 

MY FINAL STATEMENT

Based upon the research and studies that have been conducted thus far, it seems to me that IF isn't too bad after all. It has been shown to decrease body fat as well as upkeep performance. BUT, I wouldn't touch IF with a ten foot pole. I enjoy eating when I'm hungry and when I'm not hungry. Anyone that asks me to go without eating for more than five hours is no friend of mine. Additionally, I work too hard to risk losing lean muscle tissue that I've built. I hope you feel the same way. Having said all of this, I want to be clear that this is my stand and my opinion based on my preferences and goals. I can definitely see how this could be a great plan for an individual who claims they have no time to eat and is only wanting to lose body fat. It's completely up to you. Your body is your own and no one else's. You shouldn't expect everything to work the same for every individual.

For any other questions regarding diets, fasting, or fitness in general, send me an email to adam@poehlmannfitness.com or message me on the following!

Thanks for reading!

References

Harvie, MN, et al. “The Effects of Intermittent or Continuous Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Metabolic Disease Risk Markers: A Randomized Trial in Young Overweight Women.” International journal of obesity (2005). 35.5 (2010): 714–27. Web. 23 Aug. 2016.

Tsalikian, E, et al. “Increased Leucine Flux in Short-Term Fasted Human Subjects: Evidence for Increased Proteolysis.” The American journal of physiology. 247. (1984): n.pag. Web. 23 Aug. 2016.

5 Fitness Myths

Aside from time (which is a b.s. excuse), not knowing what to do is one of the biggest reasons people avoid making the decision to improve their health. Even if they think they know something, odds are that it's turning them even further away from fitness, because the information that was delivered to them was either misrepresented or just plain false. Similar to those nutty Christians on the street corner. It's like "bro, no wonder Christians get a bad rap when you're screaming at people telling them their souls are doomed." Know what I mean? It just drives me crazy. Anyway, I'm here to set the record straight on some of the biggest myths in fitness. Once you've read through this article, you'll have a better idea of how your body operates, and you'll save yourself months (maybe even years) of wandering aimlessly in the gym and in the kitchen. 

1. IF I WANT TO LOSE FAT, I JUST NEED TO DO CARDIO AND HIGH REPS, RIGHT?

I put this one first on the list because I hear it most often. "Adam, If I'm trying to lose weight I should just do a bunch of cardio and 15-20 repetitions when I'm lifting, right?" Nope. Not at all. 

Don't misunderstand me. Cardio burns fat, and weightlifting burns fat. But you need to understand how both work with the goal of fat loss before you implement them into your program. Let's talk about cardio. 

Cardio is very interesting to me because it has a lot of beneficial versatility. While performing cardiovascular exercise over time, your body's ability to use oxygen improves and your body uses different sources of energy to burn calories. Did you pay attention to that? Your body uses different sources of energy to burn calories. Depending on the state of your body, it chooses to use digested energy sources, fat stores, or even muscle tissue as energy. So if our ultimate goal is fat loss, we need to preserve as much muscle as possible and set our bodies up to use stored fat as energy. How do we do this? 

Proper nutrition is the answer. When your body is properly fueled with quality sources of carbohydrates before a workout, your body will choose to burn fat stores during and after your workout. If you are depleted of those carbohydrates and glycogen, your body may choose to use muscle tissue as fuel, which isn't good because we want to maintain as much muscle as possible while cutting fat.

In order to properly hold on to that muscle tissue, we must keep them in as much of a growth state as we can for as long as possible. That means low reps for strength, high reps for endurance, and mid-level reps for hypertrophy. Although we are in a "cut" we must treat our resistance training the same by shocking our muscles, tearing them down, and fueling them to properly recover. 

2. I can spot-reduce my body fat

There isn't much to explain here. The only way to spot-reduce your fat cells is through liposuction. Depending on you body and it's genetic make-up, it will reduce fat cells from wherever it wants to. 

3. cardio before weights burns more fat

Muscle burns fat. Not hours on the treadmill. It is easier for your body to perform intense cardio after weight training than it is for your body to perform intense weight training after cardio. Cardio should always come second to weight lifting. Remember, we want to hold on (maintain) or increase lean muscle tissue because it it helps boost our resting metabolic rate. And, lean muscle looks freaking good, too. I always recommend HIIT (high intensity interval training) with some form of cardio after a resistance training session. 

4. All protein powders are the same

Before I go on, let me say this: it is important for women to be taking some sort of post-workout supplement to re-feed muscles. Don't worry, protein powder doesn't make you look like a guy, testosterone does. And you don't have enough flowing through you to look like a guy anyway. So no more fuss. 

There are all types of protein powders like soy, egg, casein, bean, whey, and more. I believe that some of the best powders for post-workout nutrition are whey, soy, and egg. They all have great Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Scores. I personally take whey protein as it is absorbed by the muscles at a very fast rate. Other forms of protein (let's say casein for example) are digested much slower and therefore are perfect for a late night treat to feed your muscles overnight. 

5. Completely cut out carbs to lose weight

The myth that carbs is the only thing that makes you gain weight has been disproven for such a long time. Anything can make you gain weight. If you eat too much fruit, you'll gain weight. Too much meat, you'll gain weight. It doesn't matter what it is. The truth is that in order to lose weight and cut body fat, you must make conscious, balanced, goal-oriented choices that meet you where you're at. Losing body fat involves a good balance of weight training, cardio, hydration, and good nutrition. It's a very simple process that we often overestimate. This is why all of my clients have custom nutrition guidelines (notice how I said guidelines, not diets or plans). They all come from different walks of life, have different beginnings, as well as different end goals. Are there certain nutritional guidelines that need to be applied to lose weight? Yes, but completely cutting out carbohydrates should never be a part of the question. 

There ya go. 5 myths and their truths. My wish is that you take this with you and apply it to your life. If you have any questions regarding fitness, nutrition, great cheat meals, or anything else in life, reach out to me on these platforms or send me an email! Thanks for reading!

Email: adam@poehlmannfitness.com

My Top Five Cheats

This post is for all of my Fort Collins people. If you don't live in FoCo, it's all good. I recommend you read along anyway. Not all of these exquisite places are local to Fort Collins, so keep watch because you might have one of these places right across the street.

Before I dive into the details of my favorite places to indulge, allow me to put you in my world. But understand this: I do what I do because it works for me. It may not work for you, and it may not work for Joe & Sally, either.

Anyway, it's just any other day. I wake up, and go through my morning routine. Coffee, journaling, and looking through my execution list (no, I'm not an assassin). Once I have finished my routine, I get ready for the day and check my calendar (fun fact: cheat meals aren't on my calendar, nor are they set in my mind). As I see my schedule, it's white. No blue or green blocks. That means it's a day of blogging, marketing, programming, etc. I don't have any meetings or classes to teach, which means it's time spent at home hustling. So I begin to write, market, develop, program, make calls, etc. And then a text comes.

I feel the two vibrations on the table as my phone buzzes. I look over hoping it's text from one of a few people that I consistently communicate with around lunch and dinner hours. Why? Because I know what they're going to ask.

"WANNA GET SOME FOOD?"

Heck. Yes. Heck freaking yes I want to. If anyone knows my heart, they know that food always makes it happy, regardless of the situation. As begin to thumb my way though a reply, the wheels start turning and I ask, "where you wanna go?" Most of the time, I get the same response.

"IDK. YOU PICK."

I have now become the freaking dictator of this relationship. I am in control for the next couple of hours. I have the freedom to make the ultimate decision. Now, my day has begun.

HERE IT IS...

So here we go. In the mind of Poe, ready to make the ultimate daily decision, we find ourselves ready to approach the top five cheats list. 

1. PIZZA CASBAH

*image belongs to respective owner*

If you know me well, you know that pizza is up there on the list of favorite foods. It's so incredibly simple, yet so incredibly delicious. That's what I love about it. Located near downtown Fort Collins, Pizza Casbah is a small, locally owned pizza shop that has some of the best NY style pies out there. Not only are they known for the size of their pies, but the quality of the ingredients as well. I wish I could explain the difference of taste into words, but you'll just have check it out yourself. 

2. CAFE MEXICALI

*image belongs to respective owner*

With the opening of their first restaurant in Fort Collins, Cafe Mex has expanded and now has two other locations in Colorado. If I'm dying for some Mexican-style food, it's always Cafe Mex. Although all of their ingredients and menu items are fresh and to die for, it's crucial that you try their specialty sweet pork smothered burrito with their creamy habeñero sauce. Aside from the flavor, my favorite thing about a good cheat meal is feeling like I have a massive food baby. You'll never come up short at Cafe Mex.

3. STUFT

*image belongs to respective owner*

If you're a fan of a high quality burger in the Northern Colorado area, you know all about STUFT. Burgers and fries are my absolute favorite when it comes to cheat meals, and there is no better way to satisfy the craving than to hit up STUFT. Aside from their great menu of pre-selected burgers, they have a unique custom order style that will give any sort of twist to your typical burger. From the type of protein to the style of bun, you have the choice to make any burger you want from TONS of different ingredients. And when I say different, I mean DIFFERENT. What's so different about it you may ask? Well, let me tell you this: my absolute favorite burger to make at STUFT consists of two beef patties, honey, strawberry preserves, cream cheese, and peanut butter, with a side of sweet potato fries (I have yet to try better sweet potato fries.. they're killer). Sometimes, I'll even have a donut as my bun. Why? WELL WHY NOT? I know, I know, you may be thinking that combination sounds absolutely disgusting. That's what I thought too, until I said "screw it" and gave it a try. Go out of your comfort zone, people. It usually has a positive outcome. 

4. & 5. THE FIVE GUYS & MARY'S COMBO

*image belongs to respective owner*

You may be thinking, how can numbers four and five be together? Do they have an entree and dessert on the same menu? Nope. Numbers four and five on my list are two completely different places, but believe me when I say this: they are a match made in heaven. If you are close friend of mine, you know what my response is going to be when you say "you pick." 99% of the time, I will respond with: "Five Guys and Mary's."

I would assume that most of you know about Five Guys Burgers & Fries. It's phenomenal. In my opinion, it's somewhere in the middle of fast food, and STUFT. More towards the STUFT side, because the ingredients are soooo freaking fresh. The beef is quality, too. If you've been to Five Guys, you know that you can't walk in or out of that door with any sense of shame, because you're going all in on a big ol' greasy burger. Although the burgers at Five Guys are extremely fresh, they are ridiculously greasy and I absolutely love it. They are also known for making you feel like you have a brick inside of your stomach. They're dense. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I'm out of commission for a couple of hours after I eat there. And when I say out of commission, I don't mean that in any way related to eating.... because it's time to take a few more steps.

After my big fat greasy burger, I head to the south door, open it, take a few steps to my right, and find myself in sweet-tooth heaven. It's time for dessert. I don't really have a lot of absolute favorite foods, because I eat and love everything. But if you were to put me in a pressure situation in which I had to pick, I would take Cookies/Milk and Ice Cream over anything else. I can't choose between the two, though. Here's the best part: I can get both of those things at Mary's Mountain Cookies. Mary's Mountain Cookies is a Colorado shop with several locations. I believe they just opened one in Missouri, too. Anyway, the cookies are massive, and out of this world. Beyond cookies, they have ice cream and cookie dough that will knock you off your feet.

If I'm really feeling the ice cream that day, I get the sandwich that has a bottom layer of cookie, stacked with cookie dough, about an inch of ice cream, and another cookie on top of that. IT. IS. AMAZING. You might be asking yourself, "how is this kid not sick by this point?" The answer to your question is: I don't know. I really have no clue. At this point I should be puking but I'm ready to down that ice cream sandwich in 120 seconds or less.

If the ice cream isn't an option for me that day, some of my favorite cookies there are the C.O.W., the Monster, and the Caramel Sea Salt. And no, I never get one cookie. That's lame and for the birds. I always get two or more because it's more cookie to eat, and it's more punches on my card toward a free one. 

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not a saint, and neither is any other personal trainer you've met. We all have our "things", and these are mine. We just have to make sure we treat them as cheats, and not habits. 

So next time you're out on the town, or looking for a new place to indulge, refer to this article and pick one of my favorites. Heck, try more than one if you think you can handle it. 

For articles, posts, videos, and tips on things that will actually improve your health, follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Give my Facebook page a "like" too when you get a chance. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I will probably be eating a cookie within the next 15 minutes. 

Thanks for reading!