Will you lose muscle if you do short term fasting?

Below is an info email from www.eatstopeat.com (Brad Pilon, author)
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Hi,

As you can imagine, I receive lots of questions about Eat Stop Eat, with the most common question being about fasting and losing muscle.

Most people are still very concerned that they will lose muscle if they don't eat every 3 hours. My answer has always been, don't worry, if you are resistance training then you won't lose muscle.

The other day, I received a very interesting question that went something like this - "If calorie restriction doesn't cause
muscle loss, then what does?"

Great question. We all know that people who are bedridden and on a low calorie diet lose muscle. When I first starting writing
Eat Stop Eat, and was running the idea past several dietitians for input, they all brought up stories of muscle loss in their patients who were bedridden and on a low calorie diet.

And since I am constantly saying that caloric restriction doesn't
cause you to lose muscle if you are working out, then that leaves being 'bedridden' (or 'disuse' as they say in research) as the
cause of muscle loss.

In my opinion, the best way to lose muscle it to not use muscle.

Ever break your arm and have to wear a cast, or know someone who did?

Do you remember how skinny that arm was when the cast finally came off? Put a cast on your arm and your muscles will shrink
faster then an expensive new shirt in the dryer.

There was no change in nutrition, only a change in the amount the muscles were used, and the muscle wasted away.

In fact, 'casting' is so effective at causing muscle loss that it has been used in research to study something called 'disuse atrophy'or muscle loss from lack of use.

In a study conducted at the University of Nottingham, 22 male and female studies had casts put on their right leg for two weeks.
Their diets didn't change, yet after only two weeks the cross sectional area of their quadriceps (the big muscles in your thigh)
decreased by 10%.

NO change in diet..but the muscle still decreases in size by 10%.

The Bottom line is as long as you are working out, and meeting some sort of caloric minimum (studies have gone as low as 80 grams of protein and 800 Kcals a day) you will not lose muscle.

Most importantly you will definitely not lose muscle following Eat Stop Eat. However, since you will be losing weight, it means all the weight you lose will be fat.

Brad
www.EatStopEat.com

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• BFL
• health
• fitness
• fasting

[MikesBodyForLife]

Hey Buddy! OK, so in MY OPINION (which is as a Weight Watchers leader), we already know that NOTHING blasts the metabolism into hyperdrive like GOOD CLEAN eating, and eating sufficient calories from healthy food sources. I will research this, but if I am not mistaken, long term independent studies support that people who periodically fasted not only had a tougher time losing weight, but a higher rate of regain, than those eating optimal clean calories for health. I'll find out! :) - - Mike

[silverplatter1]

Thanks Mike. Any research or articles that you can link me to, or send me by email, would be awesome. Hope you are feeling better today!

[Protentials0013]

I don't understand why everyone is hating on this guy. WTF if you don't know the answer, stfu as easy as that. He asked a question for gods sake.

[dakid4rmlondon]

dude.... if your going to bash on someone.... at least use proper grammar.

have fun cursing at this post. lol ignorance is so predictable

[IHVHandmind]

@MikesBodyForLife - Hello, it's been a long time "about 3 years since you posted this" but I was wondering how your' research went. What did you find out about intermittent fasting? I'm wanting to lose bodyfat and gain muscle ideally at the same time. I've read eat stop eat but because it's so different from what everyone's practicing and pushing - I just don't know what to think anymore.

[Thevide0123]

its okay to fast and lost some body fat becasue you still have alot of body fat,

[bioobird]

@Cyborgfromhell very uplifting image.... thank you... lol... but i guess the truth aint always pretty

[TrueGreatness73]

You never mentioned what your diet was coming off of the fast which is very important. Fasting has worked wonders on the way I feel and overall health. Fasting and working out is 1 great secret I am surprised many people are too blind to see. Main stream media which is owned by the same people who own Big Pharma makes money of peoples medical conditions and tries to debunk simple effective cures.

[FilthyRichLikeMe]

I fast 2 days ina row from 10pm to 6pm then I have a day slightly above metabolic rate in cals and do full body weight training with little rest between sets on that day. Ive done this for a year now and lost 78 lbs and went from 30% bf to 11% with great muscle mass. Every 3 to 4 months I do simple diet for a month just below my BMR in cals and get rid of the fasting just to reset my matabolism. then I start all over again. Works like a charm. I love fasting because I'm never hungry

[PullTheTricker]

I have many times gone trough fasting the whole day, and eating 12 hours after waking up. A big meal of course, eated everything untill satisfied.

And then the next day upon waking up. Breakfast only consists some fruits like a orange, banana and cucumber etc. Then in my first workout later that day, I allready make personal strength records. 275 lbs squat x6 reps.

The idea of muscle loss is very very overrated. People are just paranoid, and need to try fasting for themselves.

[saltfan2]

But will you gain it?

[nedopking]

i eat every 3 hours to boost my metabolism. I never skip meals. I think you do lose muscle. But maybe not if you drink lots of water and if its a short time span.

[Cyborgfromhell]

hatin dumbasses. He wanted to share all he knew. His motives are simply to help others as much as possible and gather information to help himself. I have to agree that this person has little knowledge, albeit it seems quite ironic to me that it is one of the first results of typing in "fasting and fat loss."

[Cyborgfromhell]

@dunn5102 takes at least a month to die actually from no food. Can go up to 60 days depending on how nourished you were before starting the fast. Id say that 4 days is optimal. But ur right that 20 days will probably take muscle mass. The body first uses up sugar from the blood, then moves in on protein(NOT EXACTLY FROM MUSCLE) Once this source is depleted, it moves in on fat, which breaks down into keytone. Then it moves to muscle, then vital organs in starvation mode. Thats when u die