[the666thmessiah]

So does anyone do it? - Im not sure how it works out/how frequently you would have to do it, but judging by wikipedia (I am a university student, I am well versed in using wikipedia to find stuff out), it has health benefits?

For those looking to gain strength/size, it increases your sensitivity to protein and the growth hormones synthesized after you eat. (for example).

If you do it; do you excersize on the days you fast, or not?

[silent ninja]

Check our Lean Gains. There's a wealth of information there.

[ch0c0h01ic]

(Original post by the666thmessiah)
So does anyone do it? - Im not sure how it works out/how frequently you would have to do it, but judging by wikipedia (I am a university student, I am well versed in using wikipedia to find stuff out), it has health benefits?

For those looking to gain strength/size, it increases your sensitivity to protein and the growth hormones synthesized after you eat. (for example).

If you do it; do you excersize on the days you fast, or not?

There is certainly growing evidence that intermittent fasting and/or long term calorie restriction can improve some health parameters and life expectancy. However as a means of gaining strength and/or muscle the quantity and quality of supporting evidence is very questionable.

Unfortunately anecdotal stories and interesting, but far from conclusive, scientific findings are being reported as fact by a small but very vocal minority to drive site revenue and nutritional/personal-training consultations (*cough* Mr Lean Gains *cough*).

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You need to appreciate that improving your diet and exercise regime (and more importantly consistency) will significantly improve the way you look and feel regardless of how many meals you eat a day. Unfortunately the vast majority of the progress Mr Lean Gains and his followers have made can be directly attributed to that rather than IF per se. At the end of the day there aren't any shortcuts. If you want to get significantly stronger, leaner and/or more muscular you cannot get away from the fact that you are going to need to improve your diet and exercise regime.

Be under no illusions, all diets have their advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately the final decision lies with what best suits your lifestyle and likes/dislikes. Now if you don't live a particularly active lifestyle, you have plenty of money to waste spend on supplements to fuel your fasted training and your main issue with weight loss is discipline at mealtimes then sure, you might make slightly better progress with IF. On the other hand if that isn't the case you will probably make better progress (and enjoy life more) on a different diet.

[NB_ide]

^ You don't need supplements with IF or to fuel fasted training. I fast for ~22 hours nearly every day and have done so for a number of years now, nil by mouth until after workouts. I only broke that sort of routine when I was performing genuine manual labour for long hours - which doesn't apply to many people at all, keen to over-estimate their activity level though they may be.
Your third point about discipline at meal times is spot-on, though, and IF removes all of the obsessive anxiety that can come with traditional BBing/fitness eating patterns and the problem of never being satisfied after a meal.

Everyone's different, though, of course. It can make a huge difference to people it does work for, though. I find it 100x easier and more natural than when I used to make myself eat every couple of hours (what's the point??), much more sociable and discreet, and my immediate ability in workouts is unaffected or increased (I always preferred training on an empty stomach anyway).

[iReza]

Tried this diet for a few months, didn't work for me and I hated the fact I was restricted on when to eat. That said, it surely works for some people so good luck to them!