does fasting burn lean muscle?

[denisens]

I had a quick question about fasting after learning a lot about it. seems like there is a lot of disagreement on if fasting burns muscle because of gluconeogenisis. what does the actual science say? some guys say fasting is the worst thing you can do for bodybuilding cause you burn muscle, others say it does not.

 

[going2cycle]

I had a quick question about fasting after learning a lot about it. seems like there is a lot of disagreement on if fasting burns muscle because of gluconeogenisis. what does the actual science say? some guys say fasting is the worst thing you can do for bodybuilding cause you burn muscle, others say it does not.

If you fast there is some muscle loss, a little at best. The muscle will come back after you refeed post fasting.

 

[Mobster]

Even if it did it'd be a tiny amount. Don't fret

 

[SteveSmi]

Nope. I actually experimented with this myself and have logs up with pics and dexa scans proving it doesn't. the beauty of fasting for bodybuilders specifically is you won't even come close to doing it. someone who is extremely malnourished? that is a whole nother ball game. but bodybuilders get so much nutrients already that fasting is actually a huge net positive in many ways including this one

Do you believe that Mother Nature designed us to store excess energy as fat, but as soon as we need it, we start burning protein instead of fat? No, protein is conserved and fat is burned for fuel during fasting.

In the first 24 hours after eating, you will use amino acids as substrate for gluconeogenesis. Afterward, glycerol from the breakdown of triglycerides provides the substrate. MUSCLE is actually conserved during fasting.

one of the other reasons is the rise in HGH during a fast. it skyrockets from 20 hours for 5 days straight up.

I challenge anybody to prove me wrong on any of this, don't just post "yes it does" and then walk away otherwise I will have to blast the shit out of your post with more science and facts

 

[Masonic Bodybuilder]

I do quite a bit of fasting and have never looked better.

 

[RickRock]

Short term you won't lose muscle. Long term you will. Keep fasts sensible in length like the 16/8 protocol

 

[Tazz]

Short term you won't lose muscle. Long term you will. Keep fasts sensible in length like the 16/8 protocol

agreed

 

[BigArms42]

Nope. I actually experimented with this myself and have logs up with pics and dexa scans proving it doesn't. the beauty of fasting for bodybuilders specifically is you won't even come close to doing it. someone who is extremely malnourished? that is a whole nother ball game. but bodybuilders get so much nutrients already that fasting is actually a huge net positive in many ways including this one

Do you believe that Mother Nature designed us to store excess energy as fat, but as soon as we need it, we start burning protein instead of fat? No, protein is conserved and fat is burned for fuel during fasting.

In the first 24 hours after eating, you will use amino acids as substrate for gluconeogenesis. Afterward, glycerol from the breakdown of triglycerides provides the substrate. MUSCLE is actually conserved during fasting.

one of the other reasons is the rise in HGH during a fast. it skyrockets from 20 hours for 5 days straight up.

I challenge anybody to prove me wrong on any of this, don't just post "yes it does" and then walk away otherwise I will have to blast the shit out of your post with more science and facts

Conserved during fasting but not completely kept, the nitrogen disbalance does cause muscle loss. But after the refeed the anabolic effect (post fast) will bring back the mass lost in most cases.

 

[SteveSmi]

Conserved during fasting but not completely kept, the nitrogen disbalance does cause muscle loss. But after the refeed the anabolic effect (post fast) will bring back the mass lost in most cases.

well if you want to get specific water is lost during the fast. and the muscle is mostly made up of water. so yes. but actual muscle tissue for guys like us? nope. you will actually notice over time more muscle is gained cause you are burning off old cells and creating new ones.

i did a 19 day fast and showed pics and dexa scans. I actually ended up gaining muscle mass while also losing fat at the same time. nobody wants to believe it. my old podcast host trevor did not beleive it until he started to actual look at the science of what fasting is

 

[SteveSmi]

you guys are mixing up eating in a severe caloric deficit and fasting. NOT the same thing! you eat in a severe caloric deficit you will lose muscle, but fasting is different. when you fast you change a lot of things in the body, hormones get upside down. example your growth hormone shoots up and your body goes into fight or flight mode. why would your body lose muscle during this time lol? THINK ABOUT IT. if what you guys were saying was true humans would have gone extinct right away as a species. so would cats, dogs, etc. that isn't how mother nature works.

also your metabolism stays strong during a fast but crashes during a deficit. this is why fasting is NOT the same thing as a caloric deficit which is a dumb and inneficient way to lose fat. fasting you lose fat much more efficiently because you lose fat while keeping or even gaining muscle in the process

if you are prepping for a show, you are better off learning how to fast ahead of the show vs. following these stupid crash carb/calorie diets. you would feel much better and get better results. this is why i work with guys who compete on this and they all love it.

 

[SteveSmi]

growth hormone starts accelerating at the 20 hour mark and shoots straight up for 5 days

so if you did a 5 day fast you would GAIN MORE MUSCLE then a 16/8 fast. you won't get a lick of growth hormone release doing 16/8. essentially a 16/8 all you get during that is you let your gut rest for a decent amount of time which is great but you need to go longer to get the benefits as I outline in my fasting podcast:

what happens during a fast to your body:
18 hrs of fasting - Growth hormone kicks in and accelerates for 5 days straight up
16-24 hrs of fasting - Burning energy from fat, ketones start to go up
20 hrs of fasting - Autophagy, Self-detox
26 hrs of fasting - Stem cell production
26 hrs of fasting - Intestinal stem cells are starting to regenerate
26 hrs of fasting - More BDNF which is Brain fertilizer
26 hrs of fasting - Inflammation starts to go down
36 hrs of fasting - Good for insulin resistance, Gaba rise
36 hrs of fasting - Neurons start to regenerate
72 hrs of fasting - Stem cell production
72 hrs of fasting - Boost your immune system, weak white blood cells start dying
. that is why when you come off a longer fast you get so hungry, those ghrelin levels are sky high. but a 16 hour fast you don't get even close to that. (and no it isn't because your body wants food).

the amount of growth hormone you spit out during a fast is more than you will ever spit out in your life. it would be the equivalent and injecting 20iu's of gh in your body WITHOUT the negative side effects. so those of you who refuse to fast are missing out on a huge weapon