Day #6

8:30am Update:

It's already a great day! Kelsey decided to sleep until about 7am this morning...7am is considered sleeping in around these parts! Leigh is at the gym working legs, when she gets back it's my turn. Going to work out with my brother John. We haven't worked out together in years...I wonder if he still has tree trunk legs like he used to have...guess we'll see. I took 5mg Yohimbine at about 7:30, I'll take another 5g around 9:30, and then I might take another at 11-11:30. From what I understand, the a2 blocking effect doesn't last long after ingestion of the Yohimbine, so it's basically useless if taken while during the fed state where little fat burning is happening. I'm planning on taking my Amino Energy before the workout, and then after, I should be close enough to 12pm to go ahead and eat. If not, I'll take some Xtend BCAAs to bridge the gap. Got a lot to do this afternoon...so the next update will probably be later in the evening.

9:30pm Update:

Leg workout went pretty good. I tried to stress the importance of a proper warm up to my brother John, but you know how brothers are... Anyway, long story short, on the second set John pulled a muscle in his quad, so he ended up having to watch me work legs, but he did get a back and shoulder workout in. He'll be fine in a week. The good news is his form looked pretty good, and he knocked out his first set pretty good. We're going to work out chest and triceps tomorrow. I got a hunch he'll warm up with me this time.

Here are my numbers on squats and front squats. Successfully increased weight from last week! Who says you get weak when you are fasting?

Squats (free weights)
135lbs - 10 reps
225lbs - 12 reps
255lbs - 10 reps
285lbs - 8 reps
305lbs - 6 reps


Front Squats (free weights, full range of motion)
135lbs - 12 reps
145lbs - 10 reps
145lbs - 10 reps
155lbs - 8 reps

I ate a lot today...but didn't eat the best foods. There might have been a ceaser wrap, a cookie, and a hamburger in there somewhere. I'm very curious to see how the eval goes tomorrow. I really have no clue if I'm eating too much, or not enough. I hope I'm eating too much, because I honestly don't know how I could eat more food...I am stuffing myself at every meal. Overall, I'd say week 1 was a success...I was able to adhere to the fasting pretty well, and I made progress with my leg workout. Fingers crossed I see some positive changes in body composition and circumference measurements.

Finished my last bit of food late tonight (8:40pm), but I was planning on eating early tomorrow anyway because we have a class at the church. Eval results and pictures will be up later in the afternoon tomorrow!

Day #5

8:20am Update:

Woke up and weighed myself this morning. I was planning on waiting until Sunday for the weekly weigh in, but I couldn't wait...wanted to know if I had gained, maintained, or lost. The scale said 190lbs, down 2.4lbs from last Sunday. That can't be true weight loss, because I'm pretty sure I'm eating enough to not have an 8,400 calorie deficit in 5 days. What is more likely is a fluctuation in water/food, but just in case I brought EVEN MORE food today. Hopefully when I weigh in Sunday I'll be up just a bit from 190lbs. It that doesn't work, I'm going to have to look into some high density calorie meals that are low in fat.

Today I'm going to work out back and biceps at lunch. We have a small gym here at work that has dumbbells up to 50lbs. If you get creative with that, you can get in a pretty good little workout. Fasted training toward the end of the fasted cycle is supposed to be the most efficient time for fat burning because the vast majority of the energy expelled should come from fat stores. I'll take 10g of the Xtend BCAAs at 11:45am, just before the workout, then eat like a horse right after, approximately 12:45pm. Yohimbine supplementation at 7am, 9am, and 11am today.

1:25pm Update:

Today is probably the toughest day since I started I.F. For some reason I felt hungrier today, and then I got a headache, which didn't help. I took my BCAAs and then did a quick 30 minute workout at lunch. I just ate lunch and I am stuffed. Here is what was on the menu today: protein shake, turkey sandwich, PB&J sandwich, banana, multi-grain wheat thins, yogurt w/ granola added, 3 fig newtons (multigrain). I R FULL!

8:50pm Update:

Long day today...felt tired a good part of the day, and still feel pretty tired now. Not sure if that has anything to do with the I.F. or not. Going to watch a movie and hit the sack. Sticking with the fast on the weekend!

Day #4

11:00am Update:

Running a little behind today on the blogging...since I don't get paid to blog it has a slightly lower priority than my day job. Anyway, I just finished conducting some training for our supervisors and I've got a few minutes to get this blog updated for the morning. Afternoon will likewise be pretty busy, so I'm going to try to throw as much as possible into this update in case I don't have time later.

This morning I got up at 4:30am and met some friends at the YMCA in Downtown Montgomery for a CoreZone workout. What is CoreZone? Here is a video that will give you the basic concept - click HERE. This machine has numerous ropes, pulleys, bands, etc. and each exercise that you do heavily involves core stabilization. Don't let it fool you though, you are working A LOT more than just your core, and if you do it right, this is a cardio intense exercise. We worked out in a circuit format for close to an hour. In some ways it is very similar to our Boot Camp concept. While I am following the intermittent fasting (I.F.) protocol, I really want to avoid doing cardio because I am trying to maintain or gain weight. For that reason, I want all of the calories I'm expending through exercise to come from strength training to promote muscle growth.

Adjusting to the fasting schedule:

I have to say, the adjustment to the fasting schedule has been much easier than I anticipated. It is probably due to the fact that I was already very regimented with my meals. I had set times I would eat snacks and meals, and because of that I am pretty good at avoiding "impulse" eating. If I do get waves of hunger, they are typically mild and temporary. In fact, I originally planned to break the fast on the weekends, but now I see no reason to...so as long as I feel like I'm seeing positive results, I'm going to keep moving forward.

Why are you starving yourself?:

Haha...this is what one of my brothers asked me last night as we were eating dinner. You know how siblings are...they typically don't listen to what you have to say. Anyway, despite explaining the concept, methodology, and my goals to him previously, I had to once again reiterate that #1 - I am trying to consume as much or MORE calories as I regularly do. #2 - I feel stuffed more often than I feel hungry due to the large meals I'm trying to eat. #3 - I am not trying to lose weight...although I suppose it would be reasonable to see a few pounds drop in weight if I can't build muscle on pace with burning fat. I'm sure he was picking on me, but just in case anyone else got the wrong impression hopefully this will clarify things.

BCAAs the right way:

I finally got a good BCAA supplement in yesterday and started taking it today. The BCAA mix I was taking earlier in the week is Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy. This mix contains BCAAs, but I honestly don't know how much because the amounts of amino acids in their "amino blend" is proprietary. Additionally, it has 4g carbs and 20 calories for the amount I was taking. During the fasting phase, I really shouldn't be consuming calories or carbs, although I don't think 4g carbs is going to trash my progress. One thing I liked about the Amino Energy is it had caffeine...which always helps in an early morning workout. Therefore, I may continue to take the Amino Energy pre-workout only, and then use the new BCAAs going forward. The BCAAs I will be taking going forward is Scivation Xtend. It has 0 sugars, 0 calories, 0 carbs...yet provides the 10g BCAAs that I need in order to fuel protein synthesis during fasted training. Got the green apple flavor...not bad, just powerful. Will order the watermelon flavor next :)

Stubborn body fat and Yohimbine HCL:

Along with my new BCAAs, I ordered some Yohimbine HCL. This is a natural herb that some studies suggest may help reduce stubborn fat deposits around the lower abs and back in lean men. It sounds pretty ridiculous, but there is a valid explanation. The body fat around men's lower abs and back has a higher proportion of alpha-2 receptors than beta-2 receptors. Without going into a lot of detail, fat that has a high proportion of b2 receptors can be considered "easy" fat to burn, whereas fat that has a high proportion of a2 receptors is considered "really hard" to burn. Men carry this kind of fat in their lower abs and back, women carry it in their hips and thighs. Yohimbine is an alpha-2 inhibitor, meaning it can "block" the a2 receptors allowing this stubborn fat to become "less stubborn." Keep in mind, Yohimbine is not a fat burner, nor is it going to be useful for someone who isn't already pretty lean. The I.F. protocol alone results in some a2 inhibition, but the Yohimbine can help speed up this process. I'm starting out with a very low dosage, and will increase gradually.

Ok...that is about all I've got for now. Took my Amino Energy this morning at 5:15am, worked out from 5:40 to 6:40ish, took the Xtend BCAAs at 7am, 9:30am, and will take some again in a few minutes. I'm also thinking about lifting weights at lunch for a few minutes. I missed my chest and triceps workout this morning so I'd like to catch up on that. Then after the workout, my favorite time of the day...lunch!

2:00pm Update:

Oh my gosh I feel stuffed...ugh. I did end up working out chest and triceps for about 30 minutes before I ate lunch. For lunch I had a protein shake, banana, turkey sandwich, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some multi-grain wheat thins, some yogurt, and a few cocoa powdered almonds. I know I have to eat again at 3:30...hopefully I'll be able to.

10:00pm Update:

For dinner I ate a Royal Red Robin Burger, fries, and a coke. I figure hey, if I'm trying to make sure I keep my calories up, why not eat about 1,800 in one sitting! BTW...it was DELICIOUS! Wouldn't it be awesome if I did this, and still ended up losing some body fat this week? I know, I know...a lofty goal, but we'll know in another 3 days!

Day #3

8:00am Update:

Got up this morning at 4:30am and hit the gym at about 5. I normally go to the gym that is 1 minute from my house, but because I wanted to work legs this morning I drove a little further down the road to the Prattville gym.  The gym near my house has a Smith Machine (bar on a track) but no free bar, and no rack for squats like the Prattville gym has. Up until last week I have pretty much always done squats with the Smith Machine, but after reading more I've become convinced that I should transition over to a free bar. The free bar forces much more core and lower back work, so I'll get much more out of my squats this way. Like many guys, I never really worked legs very hard. Only within the last year can I say that I've actually consistently hit a leg workout...before I'd always find an excuse, or just do a really light workout which probably didn't benefit me much. I am starting to put a little more effort into legs now so I'm excited to see if can make some progress with my workouts.

After my 10g of BCAAs, here is what I did this morning:

Squats (free weights)
Warm up - 135lbs - 6 reps
225lbs - 12 reps
245lbs - 10 reps
275lbs - 8 reps
295lbs - 8 reps


Deep Front Squats (free weights)
135lbs - 12 reps
135lbs - 10 reps
135lbs - 12 reps
145lbs - 10 reps


Plyo Jumps (height is estimated)
32 inches - 6 reps
36 inches- 6 reps
40 inches - 6 reps


Seated Calf Raises (slow w/ full range of motion)
90lbs - 10 reps
90lbs - 10 reps
90lbs - 9 reps


Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Press (slow)
45lbs - 12 reps
55lbs - 11 reps
60lbs - 8 reps

Took 10g BCAAs at 7am, and will take 10g more at 9am. I'm hungry, but not uncomfortable. Looking forward to lunch already :)

1:00pm Update:

Banana, protein shake, foot-long turkey and ham from Subway, and some yogurt. Decent lunch, but that is 3 days in a row now I've gone to Subway for lunch...I think I'll pack my lunch for the next two days. Also, I am probably going to try to work out just before lunch Thursday and Friday. We'll see how that goes since I'm also planning on doing a Corezone workout with some friends tomorrow morning at 5:30am.

4:00pm Update:

Eating my 2nd meal of the day, and took a time out to read up a little more on fasted training and BCAAs. I just found out that I have an hour gap in my plan to stimulate protein synthesis...from 11am to 12pm. On days when I train (lift weights), I take BCAAs at 5am, 7am and 9am, and then I eat at 12pm. Berkhan (who as of right now I'm inclined to believe is a genius) recommends BCAA supplementation every other hour when training during the fasted state. Furthermore, protein synthesis begins to climb in the 3-4 hour window after exercise...so it is especially important to not have a gap in there if I want to ensure I provide my muscles with a plenty of amino acids. So...looks like I'll be changing up my BCAA supplementation to the following: 5am (pre-workout), 6am (post-workout), 8am and 10am.

I know that the true test of the science is in the results...but the more I read about this stuff the more it makes sense. Is it conventional? Absolutely not...but people used to think the world was flat too.

Day #2

Fasted Workout and BCAAs

Today is my first day with a fasted workout. I usually get up in the morning, take some BCAAs, and drink a Gatorade before a workout. The Gatorade gives me some fast absorbing carbs which provides fuel for my workout...but during the fasting window this would be counterproductive. I want to force my body to use more fat reserves for energy. This probably will result in a performance decrease depending upon how long my workout is because the process your body uses to convert fat to fuel is not as efficient as carbohydrate conversion.

You may be asking yourself what in the world are BCAAs? BCAA stands for Branched-Chain Amino Acid. If you remember anything from biology or physiology, you may remember that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When your body synthesizes protein, it breaks it down into amino acids which the body uses, among other things, to repair and build muscle. I'll spare you the atomic breakdown of the BCAAs...but feel free to look it up if you are a nerd :) Yes...I am a nerd...I looked it up. The 3 amino acids that make up the BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These 3 amino acids are the most important of the 9 essential amino acids to repair and build muscle. Another really interesting thing is the BCAAs are metabolized in the muscle versus the liver, where other amino acids are metabolized. If you want to read more about BCAA supplementation here is a pretty good link: http://www.exrx.net/Nutrition/Supplements/BCAA.html

Why am I taking them? On workout days I'll take 10g of BCAAs before I workout, about 2 hours later, and then once again 2 hours after that. This is done to ensure that protein synthesis continues even though I'm fasting so that my muscles have what they need to rebuild and grow. If I don't have a supply of amino acids and lift weights during a fasted state, protein synthesis won't take place and I may not be able to repair and grow muscle efficiently. This could also result in catabolization of muscle, which is bad! As for why I'm lifting weights during the fasted period of the day...training causes more energy expenditure (calorie burn) and doing so during the fasted state means that more fat is burned for energy.

Why not just take protein? The reason I'm taking BCAAs instead of protein is to avoid all of the calories and carbs. The BCAA supplement I'm taking right now actually has 4g carbs and 20 calories. I don't think this small amount will jeopardize my results, but I have ordered another BCAA supplement that actually has no carbs and no calories. Once that comes in I'll probably use a mixture of the two.

10:00am Update:

Day #2 is underway! I got up this morning at 4:15am and met two of my boot campers at the gym to show them some strength training exercises. At about 5:30am I took 10g of BCAA's and got in a back workout. I had to cut things a little short for time, but still feel like I got in a decent workout. Here is what I did:

Wide grip pull-ups (4 sets)
Body Weight - 11 reps
Body Weight - 9 reps
Body Weight - 8 reps
Body Weight - 7 reps


Seated bent-over dumbbell row (4 sets)
50lb - 12 reps
50lb - 12 reps
50lb - 12 reps
50lb - 10 reps


Single arm dumbbell bench row (3 sets)
100lb - 12 reps
100lb - 12 reps
100lb - 12 reps


Hanging Chin Ups (full range of motion) (4 sets)

Body Weight - 10 reps
Body Weight - 8 reps
Body Weight - 6 reps
Body Weight - 6 reps


Dead-lifts (3 sets)
205lb - 8 reps
225lb - 8 reps
225lb - 8 reps

I definitely felt "glycogen-depleted" as the workout went on, and after the workout. I kind of had that weak feeling like I hadn't eaten anything...imagine that! At 7:00am I took a second dose 10g of BCAAs, and at 9:00am took a third dose. I am feeling pretty good about the fast this morning. I am definitely hungrier today than I was yesterday, but I think my state of mind is a little better after making it to 11:45am yesterday. I don't see it as a problem making it to 12pm today.

1:45pm Update:

Success! No crash after lunch today! I purposefully avoided the high Glycemic Index (GI) foods for lunch today and that made a huge difference! Surprisingly, the fast was pretty easy today...made it to 12pm with no problems. Sure I was hungry, and my stomach definitely talked to me a little bit, but I never felt uncomfortable. I don't want to take anything for granted and think that it will get easier and easier, but as of right now I'm pretty comfortable with the eating and fasting window. Here is what was for lunch today: Banana + protein shake (24g) + Subway, foot-long roasted chicken on wheat w/ cheese, lettuce, tomato, spinach, and light mayo + strawberry yogurt + a few multigrain wheat thin crackers. Martin Berkhan (LeanGains.com) recommends calorie cycling (eating more on training days, less on rest days) for better results. I don't know if I'm fully convinced on the science behind that because of how I've always understood the muscle recovery time-frame, but I'm at the very least trying to eat as much as I can on training days to keep my calories up. I actually brought even more food for lunch, but feel stuffed right now. Maybe I'll be able to fit that in with my next meal at 3:30pm.

8:30pm Update:

Had a pretty good sized meal at 3:45pm, and again tonight at 7pm. Finished it off with a casein protein shake w/ skim milk at 8pm. I am stuffed! I tried to eat a lot of calories today...but I'm definitely not counting. I hope when I weigh in this Sunday, I'll still be around  192. I don't mind going up or down a pound or two, but my goal is to remain neutral. Tomorrow morning is a leg workout. Fun times.

Day #1

8:00am Update:

It's been 12 hours since I've had anything other than water, and so far so good. Today (Monday), would normally be a workout day and I would have been at the gym at 5am doing a back and biceps workout. However, I had to conduct some annual EEO/No Harassment Training for our supervisors in an operations meeting early this morning...so had to skip the gym, or get up at 4am. It just felt like a good day for a rest day :) I felt a few brief hunger pains around 6:15 and 6:30 this morning, but they weren't bad and they left quickly. Drinking water helps. I think I'm going to be much hungrier on workout days due to the additional activity, so I'm fully expecting my stomach to be screaming at this time tomorrow morning.

10:00am Update:

Still fasting! Since I'm not doubled over with hunger pains I've decided to go ahead and push it past the 14 hour window and try to get closer to the 16 hour window that I'll eventually need to get to. I'm not going to lie, I think about food a lot...but I think about food a lot normally. I have become so regimented with when I eat that I kind of break up my day with snacks, so I'm typically looking at the clock in relation to when my next snack is. Anyway, aside from a big stomach growl at 9:30am, I have found this surprisingly easy today. I am sure tomorrow will be a completely different story since I'll wake up earlier, and will lift weights. So, for all of the complaining I'm not doing today, I'll have to double that up for tomorrow :)

11:20am Update:

Looks like I'm going to make it to 12pm on Day #1. I am definitely ready to eat but again, it's more because I like food than because I'm extremely hungry. I need this first meal to contain plenty of calories to make up for breakfast and morning snack, so I'll probably be eating quite a bit of food. I'll also make my afternoon snack at 3:30pm a little larger than normal. I wonder what Leigh is going to cook for dinner?

12:10pm Update:

I ended up breaking the fast at 11:45am, just a few minutes early. It's amazing how I didn't feel that hungry until I started eating...now I'm tearing through some food and I'm still hungry. Maybe by the time I finish lunch I''ll be full. What's for lunch? 6 inch Subway Turkey and Ham on wheat w/ cheese, lettuce, tomato, spinach, and light mayo + a banana + 30 cocoa powdered dark chocolate almonds + mozzarella stick + sun chips + yogurt + a few multigrain wheat thins + some fresh fruit (grapes, pineapple, strawberries). Yum!

2:00pm Update:

Zzzzzzz.... Wow, I should have seen this one coming! I just had the biggest glucose crash I've had in a while. After the 16 hour fast, and then a big meal packed with plenty of foods that are medium and high on the Glycemic Index (GI), I experienced a big blood sugar and insulin spike. And of course, after that rapid spike...comes the crash. Check out the little chart I found that graphs the influence of the Glycemic Index on the Blood Glucose Level. Looks just about right to me. I was feeling fantastic until about 1:30pm, right at an hour after eating...and then boom! Crash and burn!

The crash hit me hard...and I've got to be productive this afternoon. Good thing I've got my Amino Energy mix with me today (BCAA's + plenty of caffeine). I took a quick serving of that and I'm already feeling much better. I'll just have to remember to focus on low GI foods for lunch  to try to avoid a gigantic spike like I did today. Speaking of...if there are any of you out there who get EXTREMELY tired in the early afternoon after a meal...you are probably experiencing a glucose crash due to consumption of high GI foods. Check out what you are eating against the GI and try to swap some high GI foods out for low GI foods to avoid this.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited about seeing how tomorrow goes working out. I'm sure it will be a challenge. Next meal is at 3:30pm!

8:00pm Update:

Day #1 is in the books. For my 2nd meal of the day at around 3:45pm, I had an apple + a PBJ on 100% whole wheat w/ all-natural peanut butter and strawberry jam + a muscle milk light + a mozzarella stick. For my final meal of the day at 7:15pm, I had a Chick-fil-a Char-grilled Sandwich + a medium carrot raisin salad. then at about 7:45pm I squeezed in a small cup of frozen yogurt w/ a little chocolate syrup + a casein protein shake w/ skim milk. I feel like the fasting on non-training days is pretty easy to do...the real test will come tomorrow.

Pre-Program Evaluation

If you missed the explanation of Intermittent Fasting and why I'm doing it...read my previous post here: http://www.majorpainmatt.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-is-intermittent-fasting-and-why.html


Each Sunday for the next 4-6 weeks I’ll weigh in, take circumference measurements, and will also take full body composition measurements (not only body fat %, but also millimeter measurements from 7 places on the body. Finally, I’ll take photos each week to see if there are any visible changes over time.

Goals I hope to accomplish:
I’d like to drop 1.25% body fat over the next 4-6 weeks, bringing my body fat % back down to 10%.
I’d like to do this without losing any body weight.
I’d like to increase muscle mass.
I’d like to retain or increase my strength at the gym.

Oh, and one more thing…Leigh has decided she wants to try this program with me! Therefore, I’ll be tracking Leigh’s weekly evaluation each week as well. She’ll follow a similar intermittent fasting plan, but her fasting window will be 14 hours instead of 16 hours.

Matt’s Evaluation #1 – Pre-Program

Weight – 192.4 lbs

Body fat % - 11.25%

Body fat lbs: 21.64 lbs

Lean lbs: 170.76

Pinch test (millimeters): Chest – 6, Abdominal – 16, Thigh – 14, Tricep – 10, Subscapular – 12, Suprailiac – 8, Midaxillary – 10.

Circumference Measurements (Inches): Bicep – 14.5, Flexed Bicep – 16, Chest 41.75, Waist 36.5, Calf – 15.25, Thigh 23.5.
*Note: Waist measurement is around the broadest part of my waist; right below the belly button where I carry all of my fat. It is my goal to reduce this measurement significantly.

 Relaxed pose

Relaxed side pose

 Flexed pose

Leigh’s Evaluation #1 – Pre-Program

Weight – 119 lbs

Body fat % - 26.65%

Body fat lbs: 31.71 lbs

Lean lbs: 87.29

Pinch test (millimeters): Chest – 13, Abdominal – 26, Thigh – 24, Tricep – 20, Subscapular – 17, Suprailiac – 20, Midaxillary – 20.

Circumference Measurements (Inches): Bicep – 10.75, Hips 37.25, Waist 30.75, Calf – 13, Thigh 20.5.

Relaxed pose

Relaxed side pose

 Flexed pose

Day 1 of the fast starts tomorrow…well…technically tonight at 8pm. No food from 8pm to 10am. I have to give a presentation tomorrow morning at 7am, so hopefully I won’t be too uncomfortable with hunger and mess that up J I’ll have an update sometime tomorrow morning.

-         -  Matt