Intermittant Fasting has many health benefits. Try reading the book Eat Stop Eat or check out Martin Berkhams site leangains.com for the best fasting method to combine with bodybuilding.
I myself fast 16 hours everyday and feel great.. Its better for bloodsugar, growth hormone, insulin resistance and much more.. I feel more energetic, my sleep patterns are better and i wake up more refreshed. The first week sucks but after that i promise you will love it. Just be sure to eat enough veggies, fruits and lean meats and fish during your 8 hour eating window. Fasting done right can benefit everyone. Its even proven to help with type 2 diabetes..
Stay healthy
good post.
martin berkham (and lyle mcdonald) are two go-to's in this regard, incredibly well-researched adn -presented information on IF + training.
for your 2nd paragraph, i'm in the same boat. i was always "paleo/primal ISH" in my diet, but maybe a month ago i took a look at paleo/IF/bulletproof/whole9/etc, and was convinced i should make some further upgrades to my intake. after about a month of IF (i'm at an ~8hr window like you), i cannot praise it highly enough. my first couple days were rough (more likely attributable to my new morning-intake, than IF or paleo per se), but from then til now i've been sleeping better, feeling WAY more energetic (clean energy, not sped up, if that makes sense), and just routinely noticing little things here/there that are almost surely attributable.
for me, getting used to heavy coconut oil was a MUCH bigger digestive issue than ditching carbs. i actually brought carbs back a little bit, as i wasn't comfortably able to keep w/ training in ketosis (for long stretches; i never break fast before my training, usually do mid/late afternoon training, and then feast from then until bedtime)
my new routine:
~7a natural wakeup; 1/2l saltwater+magnesium+potassium
~730: 1/2l coffee (super-concentrated brew + heavy butter + heavy coconut + dark cocoa powder).
AM/noon nutes: creatine; D3; O 3's; calcium.
training drink (sometimes started before/during, otherwise within 30min of finish): 10-15g whey, 2g creatine, cocoa powder, and swallow some antiox pills (ala, C)
after training, i begin my feasting, where i'll eat as much as i desire (i try not to forcefeed anymore), until bedtime (with an eye on keeping portions in control, otherwise i have trouble when i lay down w/ heartburn and needing 2X bathroom in the middle of the night
)
before bed: more of all previously mentioned nutes (except D3), plus gelatin/collagen (usually 5g Knox if i didn't have broth that day; i'll add more knox or broth if i had especially hard training, or if i have
any joints feeling questionable, which is more often than not!)
i'm LOVING this approach! my body feels fast/clean/strong/positive, i'm able to fall asleep w/o meditation or watching stuff (don't even think to take benadryl or melatonin much anymore), i wake up naturally refreshed and eager to start my day, my #'s are still progressing (however slightly..), etc etc. my fridge is packed w/ meat, kerrygold butter, some veggies, etc, and i shudder to think that i used to drink gatorade, or consume anything w/ soy in it
EDIT: i should note that 'fasting' in the sense that many use it isn't fasting per se, but rather ketosis. and fwiw, once your body's on an IF schedule, well for me anyways, it doesn't 'feel' like that (otherwise i probably wouldn't do it). example- right now, i've been up for 3hrs, but i'm not hungry. i'm drinking my fatty-coffee, and will do that til training time and/or hunger comes. i DO NOT go around putting off eating - this is a schedule that feels good and right, it's not like you'll ever catch me wanting food but not eating it (whether due to time of day, or the type of food. i was actually sad i couldn't have pizza the otehr day - it wasn't that it looked so good and i knew the nutes to be bad, or the timing to be wrong; i simply do not want to eat things i consider bad, regardless of their taste (in this case, hydrogenated oils and grains) )
