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Zig-Zag Fat Loss Anonymous
Alright, so I'm checking out this book Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. It says the best way to lose fat is to go total calorie deficit for a few days, and then over your maintenance level, back and forth. It makes sense but I was surprised to never have come across it on /fit/ before.

Has anyone tried it with success? Or maybe it doesn't work and that's why I've never heard of it?
>> Anonymous
After reading my course reader from a diet&exercise course I took two years ago in order to try to find a perfect ratio for weightloss/muscle gain... I found it impossible. Too much protein spikes insulin levels, lowers fat lost during exercise. Carbs do the same. Too much fat isn't a very good idea on its own. The human body seems to be a perfect, efficient fair game against losing fat easily.

But when I saw this post, I realized what a great idea zig-zagging is. One day normal, slightly above maintenance + exercise diet to get your metabolism rev'd up, and then the next day of medium intensity exercise to utilize fat stores most efficiently. The third day is like the first day except still minimized carbs and exercise to burn off the excess.

I don't know. Looks good, but I'm no nutritionist.
>> Anonymous
I was looking into this recently too. It seems a little questionable. I mean, you would think this would be common knowledge if it were really effective, right?

It really seems like the calorie surplus days just inhibit fat loss... How stimulated can the metabolism be from just one day of surplus?
>> Anonymous
>>185802
Here's the deal, though. Studies (per my course reader) show that after 6 hours of fasting, fat is burned at a much larger ratio compared to carbs than normal during any exercise. Not only fasting, either. Eating less protein and carbs overally before working out will keep insulin levels low and thus keep exercise burning relatively more fat on those days. It's not about metabolism stimulation as much as it is just getting the most relative fat burn out of your exercise. Then when you go and surplus for a day, you're preventing starvation mode or BMR adaptation.
>> Anonymous
>>185834
so if i fast before i ride my bike... then what
>> Anonymous
>>185923

I have a grand idea. Try it and see what happens faggot.
>> Anonymous
>>185923
If you fast for 6 hours and then ride your bike, you will burn more fat during that bike ride than if you had eaten prior. More fat compared to carbs being burned with lower insulin levels (triggered by carbs).