[SteveMeister]

So, drinking water during your fast period of IF, yes or no?

Yes. You can always drink water. And it can help make you feel less hungry.

[Rez]

I don't know what I was expecting from X2 Legs + Base, but straight-up plyo moves with pull-ups mixed in wasn't it. Holy shit. That felt incredible.

[vatstep]

Yes. You can always drink water. And it can help make you feel less hungry.

And, apparently:

cold water = better for hydration
warmer (room temperature) water = better for making you feel full

Something to keep in mind, even though it's never made a noticeable difference to me.

[sp3ctr3]

I read about the Body BEast nutrition on rippedclub and it turns out that the carbs are needed for the body NOT to break down the muscle mass for energy. So what I've been doing with P90X and a calorie deficit is take enough protein to keep the keep my muscle mass when the body decides to take some when the carbs run out.

Learning is fun :)

well, the site also had a pdf with portion sizes for body beast. But how do I find out how which category I fit into? For an average person of my height/age not doing workout, needs between 2100-2400 kcal to maintain weight. So how many calories do I need if I decide to purchase the body beast program?

[SteveMeister]

I'm not at home right now so I can't look it up, but the "Book of Beast" that comes with the program has detailed information on how to calculate your caloric requirements, and includes recipes for helping you reach your caloric and macronutrient goals.

The Fuel Shot, Base Shake and Creatine supplements are designed & portioned to help too.

[Harry Potter]

Yes. You can always drink water. And it can help make you feel less hungry.

K, I was reading that some purists say no water, which sounds crazy to me. How bout coffee?

[gotoadgo]

So I did the fit test for the second time in Insanity and I went from

• switch kicks 103---->122
• power jacks 40---->55
• power knees 60---->94
• power jumps 20---->37
• globe jumps 6---->8
• suicide jumps 11---->14
• push up jacks 20---->24
• low plank obliques 40---->41(Pretty tired by this point)

Happy with the first few, not too happy with the last few. I guess it's all positive though so that's a plus.

[Hawkian]

Green Apple MP tub why will you not end!! it's like there's no bottom.

[SteveMeister]

Green Apple MP tub why will you not end!! it's like there's no bottom.

Hah! You just need to do more workouts ;-)

I haven't been using any pre-workout drinks during Body Beast. The idea is that you want to use stored glycogen, and then replenish it after your workout. It works ok for the strength exercises. But I think that if I were doing Asylum or Insanity again I'd go back to a pre-workout drink. I'm thinking about adding it back in on Beast Cardio + Ab days.

[Mendrox]

Today is my final day of P90X! Wouldn't believe myself that I would go through that. I guess I trained my weak mind with that too! And I love training now, because before that I never trained (sometimes just a little running..nothingelse) Got much stronger and I am eating healthy! Lost about 5kgs of weight (173cm height, 69kg before, now 64kg) have a nice tummy and want to get even stronger now so I will start round 2 after that and after that Body Beast. I also learned to eat more :) I can only recommend P90X

Oh btw. I went from about 2-3 chin ups to 23 chin ups, push ups don't kill me at all anymore and my weaknesses dumbbell training (only 6kg at the moment, want to get to 10kg in about 4 weeks) and my core will be trained more in the mean time. I didn't see my pics till now so I am excited what changed, I also had to buy new jeans and T-Shirts... :)

[mehdi_san]

K, I was reading that some purists say no water, which sounds crazy to me. How bout coffee?

Coffee (black, no sugar obviously) is the your best friend during IF. Actually, black coffee and green tea both help a lot to suppress appetite. I've been doing IF for more than 2 months now (from Mondays to Fridays only though, weekends I need to spend time with the GF and I believe sharing meals is important), and I'm constantly drinking water coffee or tea during the day. I also keep a box of sugarless mint gums on my desk at work. It helps me keep my mind off and helps with the coffee breath lol.
Basically the rule with IF is as long as it doesn't have calories then it won't take your body out of fasting mode.

[SteveMeister]

Well, I can't go to the Beachbody Summit this year, but I'm not sitting idle. Just signed up for Insanity Certification on June 8! :-)

[Harry Potter]

Coffee (black, no sugar obviously) is the your best friend during IF. Actually, black coffee and green tea both help a lot to suppress appetite. I've been doing IF for more than 2 months now (from Mondays to Fridays only though, weekends I need to spend time with the GF and I believe sharing meals is important), and I'm constantly drinking water coffee or tea during the day. I also keep a box of sugarless mint gums on my desk at work. It helps me keep my mind off and helps with the coffee breath lol. Basically the rule with IF is as long as it doesn't have calories then it won't take your body out of fasting mode.

Great. I'll be doing pretty much the same schedule as you, since my wife likes to eat out/plan meals to make at home on the weekends. The mint is a good tip, I'll be drinking lots of coffee.

[OchreHand]

So, drinking water during your fast period of IF, yes or no?

Are you doing IF while doing Body Beast? I'm considering that option for my next round since I still have some fat around my midsection that I like to lose. (At first I was going to do p90x again but I prefer BB overall)

If you don't mind me asking, what does your schedule look like? I started reading about IF and the amount of information is dizzying.

Edit: Ah, I actually found this example schedule. It looks handy.

[mehdi_san]

My IF schedule is pretty simple:
Wake up around 7am, get ready to go to work. Get back home at 6pm. Start my workout, done around 7-8pm. Then I eat freely till I go to bed, around midnight or 1am.
So fasting from midnight to 8pm the next day, eat for 4h, repeat. Works great for me, and saves me time in the morning and at lunch break (no cooking no eating, so I can be very productive)

[SteveMeister]

I could do IF with my current schedule if I stopped eating dinner. I think it's crucial to replenish glycogen after a hard strength workout, and since I exercise fasted first thing in the morning, I want to drink my recovery drink right after that. But yeah if I skipped dinners I could have my "eating window" from about 6AM to 2PM.

Maybe I'll give that a try.

Based on some discussion in a Body Beast Facebook group I'm in, I ordered some Muscle Pharm Amino 1. BCAAs among other things. Supposed to help with muscle growth, aid in recovery, and help prevent DOMS. Will report on its effectiveness.

Started the final week of the Bulk phase of Body Beast (Lean schedule) this morning, Day 50. Next Monday starts the four-week Beast phase.

[Harry Potter]

Are you doing IF while doing Body Beast? I'm considering that option for my next round since I still have some fat around my midsection that I like to lose. (At first I was going to do p90x again but I prefer BB overall) If you don't mind me asking, what does your schedule look like? I started reading about IF and the amount of information is dizzying. Edit: Ah, I actually found this example schedule. It looks handy.

Ya. I'll be doing it during Body Beast. I work 7:30-4. After if get off work I'll eat dinner (I usually eat dinner around 5 because my wife works 7pm-7am, so an hour earlier isn't that big of deal) I'll take a short break after dinner and then start my workout. I'll stop eating at 8pm and then start the whole thing over.

[mehdi_san]

Speaking of fasting, I highly recommend following Brad Pilon on Twitter or FB. He always writes very interesting posts about lifting, dieting and fasting in general. He just posted this today.
https://m.facebook.com/BradPilon/posts/382336165211068

Ya. I'll be doing it during Body Beast. I work 7:30-4. After if get off work I'll eat dinner (I usually eat dinner around 5 because my wife works 7pm-7am, so an hour earlier isn't that big of deal) I'll take a short break after dinner and then start my workout. I'll stop eating at 8pm and then start the whole thing over.

We all have different bodies and different reactions to fasting, but if it fits with your schedule, try to workout while fasting, and break your fast at the end of your workout. Especially since you're gonna be doing BB, eating your calories (carbs in particular) after lifting weights is better than before I believe. That's also what Martin Berkhan recommends for LeanGains IIRC.

[Deadly Cyclone]

I am so ready for T-25, come on and announce a date already! A bit burned out on Insanity and P90X right now. Trying to find some random stuff to do to get workouts in.

My IF schedule is pretty simple: Wake up around 7am, get ready to go to work. Get back home at 6pm. Start my workout, done around 7-8pm. Then I eat freely till I go to bed, around midnight or 1am. So fasting from midnight to 8pm the next day, eat for 4h, repeat. Works great for me, and saves me time in the morning and at lunch break (no cooking no eating, so I can be very productive)

Wow, is a 20 hour fast healthy? Do you cram like 1600 calories into that 4 hours? I'm doing some fasting but it's generally eat dinner at 7pm, fast until lunch the next day around noon. So about a 17 hour fast. Then I eat a moderate lunch, afternoon snack, and big dinner (after I work out).

[Harry Potter]

Speaking of fasting, I highly recommend following Brad Pilon on Twitter or FB. He always writes very interesting posts about lifting, dieting and fasting in general. He just posted this today. https://m.facebook.com/BradPilon/posts/382336165211068 We all have different bodies and different reactions to fasting, but if it fits with your schedule, try to workout while fasting, and break your fast at the end of your workout. Especially since you're gonna be doing BB, eating your calories (carbs in particular) after lifting weights is better than before I believe. That's also what Martin Berkhan recommends for LeanGains IIRC.

Ok, I'll try it both ways. I was worried I wouldn't have enough energy for my workout. Today is my first day. Second cup of coffee down.

[sp3ctr3]

IF sounds interesting but sounds a bit crazy to do this during BB? That means you have to eat 3500 kcal, 170g protein in 2 meals! Those are some gigantic meals :)

After reading a bit about it I finally figured out why I was so damn skinny in my teens and could eat anything. I only ate lunch and dinner .

[mehdi_san]

Wow, is a 20 hour fast healthy? Do you cram like 1600 calories into that 4 hours? I'm doing some fasting but it's generally eat dinner at 7pm, fast until lunch the next day around noon. So about a 17 hour fast. Then I eat a moderate lunch, afternoon snack, and big dinner (after I work out).

I've been reading a lot about fasting, and there's no reason to think that there's anything unhealthy about it, it's quite the opposite. In EatStopEat (the diet introduced by Brad Pilon), you actually do 1 or 2 full 24h fasts a week, and he supports the benefits of his method with a lot of scientific publications.
In my case, it's just that it ended up being the most convenient for me. I started at first by skipping breakfast. Got used to it so I started skipping lunch. Then when I was ready I also stopped taking any snack before my workout. Working out on a fasted state can be tricky for some people, so it's often recommended to take BCAAs before training, since they are very low in calories. But when used to it, it feels actually pretty good to exercise on a really empty stomach.
Yeah cramming 1600 or more calories was kinda tricky at first. And it's even worse now because I'm trying to build more muscle, so I'm eating over maintenance (aiming for 3000 a day). It's funny because I've been looking for low calories food for so long, because I was eating 4 or more meals a day. Now, it's the opposite.

Ok, I'll try it both ways. I was worried I wouldn't have enough energy for my workout. Today is my first day. Second cup of coffee down.

Try and experiment with it. If your numbers drop too much, try to get some pre-workout drink like BCAAs. Also, I don't know exactly what's your goal, but you may want to try and up your calories when doing IF. I don't remember who said it, but doing IF is like doing very short periods of cutting (fasting) and bulking (eating). In theory, if you get the" correct" balance for your body, you should be able to burn fat and lose muscles at the same time.

[mehdi_san]

IF sounds interesting but sounds a bit crazy to do this during BB? That means you have to eat 3500 kcal, 170g protein in 2 meals! Those are some gigantic meals :) After reading a bit about it I finally figured out why I was so damn skinny in my teens and could eat anything. I only ate lunch and dinner .

Yeah, huge meals if you're doing IF over maintenance mode. The guy behind LeanGains eats this after his workouts:
http://instagram.com/p/Y5x_YYRCIR/
And it made him look like this
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dtaWqzV6d7...h/DSC00316.JPG
(Sorry for the DB post)

[_tetsuo_]

2 weeks of P90X is crazy. My face is noticeably slimmer and my pants, boxers etc. all fit a little bit looser. I wasn't even big, like at all. 6' even, 185 pounds.

[OchreHand]

Thank you all for the IF info!

About working out whie fasting... Because of my day's schedule, I can't work out until 8pm. I normally go to bed around 12:30 am, i guess fasting from midnight till 8pm sounds too extreme. Would it really limit my gains if I have something to eat before 8pm?