“The fast is the perfect time to be productive and get things done. Don’t sit around, get bored and brood about food.” -Martin Berkhan
Lean Gains is among the finest health and fitness websites around.
The author, Martin Berkhan, is living proof that you can get absolutely shredded by eating infrequently. This man is one of the most ripped dudes I’ve ever seen. The Lean Gains method is founded on an intermittent fasting diet, however it takes it to a whole new level. Eat Stop Eat recommends one 24-hour fast per week. The Lean Gains protocol incorporates daily fasting. It’s a 16-hour fast with an eight-hour feeding window. I guarantee probably nobody you know is using this tactic. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even think about doing this. They’d possibly tell you that you’re out of your mind for even bringing it up. First, I’ll point out that the people who are normally the most successful do things that nobody else does. So before you conform to the masses, let me explain how it works.
Martin Berkhan of Lean Gains.
Here’s the great thing about Lean Gains.
A normal eating schedule that the average Joe follows goes like this. He wakes up in the morning and gives himself the whole day as a feeding window until he goes to sleep. This might be something like an eight-hour fasting period (overnight) and a 16-hour feeding period. Lean Gains takes that and turns it inside-out. By reversing the conventional fasting and feeding time frames, you spend the majority of each day in a fasted condition. The appeal of this is that causes the body to function in a fat-burning environment for most of the day. Some individuals will claim that this is unhealthy, but as I’ve discussed before and as you can read about in far more detail in Eat Stop Eat, fasting is not harmful to your health! In fact, there are numerous health benefits to fasting.
Lean Gains makes your diet win-win.
Following the Lean Gains protocol takes a lot of the pressure off of you to eat healthy all the time. Obviously, you will realize better results if you eat clean, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world. Let me explain. The worst-case scenario is you emerge from your 16-hour fast ravenously hungry and stuff yourself until you can’t eat anymore. You’ll be so full that you won’t want to eat anything until the next day anyhow. For me personally, a 2,000 calorie meal is about the most I am able to manage before I can’t eat any longer. If I do eat a 2,000 calorie meal, I’m usually done for the day. On the other hand, it’s easy for me to eat a 1,200 calorie breakfast, a 1,200 calorie lunch, and a 1,200 calorie dinner for a total of 3,600 calories, almost twice what I’d eat in my worst-case Lean Gains scenario.
The more frequently you eat, the more stringent you need to be with your diet.
If you are eating six times each day, your food intake needs to be flawless and your meals probably ought to be under 400 calories each. It’s very difficult to enjoy a satisfying meal in 400 calories or less. Even if you could make this happen, preparing these meals would be laborious. I can only speak for myself, but attempting to shed pounds by eating frequently is a aggravating and expensive process. The more times you sit down to eat, the more opportunities you give yourself to screw up. These days, I typically eat two times a day. I have one smaller meal and one more substantial meal inside an eight-hour feeding window and that’s it. If my larger meal is unhealthy such as a large restaurant dinner, I’m still keeping my total calories under control and burning up a lot of fat while in the fasting period. If my meals are healthy and balanced, then my results are stellar.
This is how I incorporate the Lean Gains method into my life.
I follow the Lean Gains protocol six days per week (usually Monday through Saturday). On Sunday, I have a tactical cheat day. There are a few options for following the Lean Gains method. You may either skip eating in the morning and eat the rest of the day or forego eating in the late afternoon onwards. I choose the former approach because I’m not often that hungry early in the morning, but ravenously hungry at the end of the day. During weekdays, I make it until about 10am and start feeling hungry, so I have a mug of coffee with a little creamer, Stevia, and ground cinnamon. The calories from this are marginal so the impact to the fast is negligible. I start my feeding window around noon and have a homemade protein shake or salad for lunch. Dinner is my largest meal of the day and this is when I consume the majority of my daily calories. I think this two-meal option works well for people who have nine-to-five careers.
Do not attempt this if you are new to fasting!
Caution! It took me over a year of getting used to fasting on a regular basis before I chose to do Lean Gains six days per week. I started out doing Eat Stop Eat style fasting once a week. Then, I moved to Lean Gains two or three times per week. Today, I’m doing Lean Gains almost every day. This is something you must work your way up to gradually. Also, if the thought of doing this seems torturous, then don’t do it. Try Eat Stop Eat once per week instead. The Lean Gains eating protocol isn’t for everyone. An intermittent fasting diet is not mainstream and probably never will be. But as I’ve said before, the people who see the best results are the ones who do things that no one else is willing to undertake. Mix Lean Gains with fasted exercising and the fat loss is unmatched.
I kept the ketogenic diet for a few months and managed to lose a lot of weight. I thought this was pretty tough in terms of the discipline you need, but the Lean Gain seems tougher. I will give it a try for one day a week and see what happens….Thanks for sharing!
Debi´s last [type] ..The LPN Salary Landscape
Alykhan,
My tactical cheat day is usually Saturday. It’s really the only day of the week when no one’s rushing through breakfast to get ready for school or work. But for the rest of the week I’m all go on a fasting setup that lends quite a bot of homage to Lean Gains.
-Mitchell
Mitchell – Home Fitness Manual´s last [type] ..Weight Management Tips: Stop Thinking Small and Just Eat!
@ Debi,
Lean Gains is tough, but I’m sure you’ll see awesome results!
@ Mitchell,
I’ve found weekend days work best for cheating. This is normally when I eat out a lot at restaurants and hang out with friends. I’ve found it surprisingly easy to get used to Lean Gains fasting during the week. I’m usually pretty busy at work, so I don’t think about eating much. Also, that morning cup of coffee really helps get me through those last couple of hours.
A very interesting idea. I never thought of the time frame we have for eating; I am one of those people who are guilty of stuffing from the moment I woke up until I sleep.
I might as well try that method.
Sandra´s last [type] ..piano sheet music
@ Sandra,
Most people don’t think about eating time frames, so just being aware of them puts you at an advantage. Give it a try… it’s tough, but the results are well worth the effort.
Great review of Leangains! I really started to embrace the approach after reducing my body fat. I’d say Eat Stop Eat is the way to go for beginners and Leangains would be for more advanced exercises.
Dave – Not Your Average Fitness Tips´s last [type] ..Choosing a Workout Routine
@ Dave,
Thanks! I’ve really embraced intermittent fasting over the last couple of years and I totally agree that you should start out with Eat Stop Eat and progress to Lean Gains gradually.
This looks interesting. I might as well try this method since it is a surefire way of reducing caloric intake.
Garrett´s last [type] ..cheap six flags tickets
@ Garrett,
Give it a shot… if you can get used to it, it’s like reducing calorie intake on autopilot.
There is actually a lot more to Lean gains. On non training days the macros are low carb, higher fat and higher protein eating at a calorie deficit of about 20-30%.
On training days, you eat slightly above maintenance say about 10-20%. Calories on training days should be ingested mainly post workout.
Training is done 3x per week with emphasis on heavy strength training. For cardio HIIT is out since as you know fasting has the same effects as intense exercise and HIIT would be even more draining to the CNS when we are after recovery from strength training. Low intense cardio is preferred but strategically like say after your workout when glycogen is low or toward the end of your fast.
Here is my article on the lean gains method – http://www.somebodylied.com/martin-berkhan-lean-gains-fat-burning-muscle-building-diet-i/
I actually have embraced the lean gains method myself so have looked into Martin’s methods quite a bit.
Michael @ somebodylied.com´s last [type] ..Reverse Pyramid Training Using A 3 Day Workout Split
@ Michael,
The training and carb/calorie cycling aspects of Lean Gains are definitely important elements. I think the eating window is the most difficult part to master, though. Many people will see results from doing this alone assuming their diet isn’t terrible.
Yeah it’s a great system and has made me read a lot wider into strength methods. The likes of Mark Rippetoe, Jason Ferrugia to name a few. What I love about lean gains is that it is quite effortless. Doing lots of HIIT and cardio is okay for a few weeks but when your busy on multiple fronts it becomes quite a burden.
Michael @ somebodylied.com´s last [type] ..Reverse Pyramid Training Using A 3 Day Workout Split
This one sounds really interesting. I don’t really get to eat during early mornings because I rush things at work and I think it’d be much easier for me to adjust when I start taking this diet. Great find here! Thanks!
Lorca´s last [type] ..Medellin Spanish School
@ Lorca,
I usually fast in the mornings also and this allows me a little more time to sleep in before work so that’s definitely a good thing!
That diet seems to be a little tough so this should not be done by beginners. They might get discouraged by the thought of food…
Adrian´s last [type] ..six flags discounts
I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a few months now and highly recommend it. Great method to “save up” calories to eat later on when I’m done with the busy part of the day.
Stefan Nilsson´s last [type] ..Lose weight without exercise
@ Adrian,
Agreed.
@ Stefan,
I also like to eat my largest meal at the end of the day. It’s easier to avoid eating during the day when your schedule is busier.
Martin,
The best diet strategy I ever discovered is your approach! Easy, it works and I’m getting leaner all the time. It’s a slow but steady progress. The best part is that food no longer controls my life. Great stuff!
John