Adopting a time-restricted feeding window (16:8 type) during a muscle-building phase allows for limiting fat gain while maintaining strength and muscle gains, primarily by facilitating natural control of caloric intake.

noli's read

The study presented is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that suggests intermittent fasting helps limit excess fat during a muscle-building phase. However, the results primarily show that the time-restricted feeding group consumed fewer calories than expected, which mechanically explains the lower fat gain, as the community correctly points out. It is therefore not a matter of a mysterious metabolic advantage of fasting, but rather a tool for appetite regulation or convenience. Current research, including meta-analyses on the subject (e.g., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition), often confirms that intermittent fasting is as effective as a conventional diet for muscle maintenance, provided that protein intake is sufficient. Here, the exaggeration lies in the idea that food timing "protects" against fat, when the caloric surplus has simply become more modest. The community on the thread converges toward a cautious analysis, emphasizing that this result primarily validates the concept of slow bulking rather than an intrinsic superiority of fasting.

the sources

1. 1Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V, et al. 2018
2. 2Lowe DA, Wu N, Rohdin-Bibby L, et al. 2020
3. 3Liu D, Huang Y, Huang C, et al. 2022
4. 4Jamshed H, Steger FL, Bryan DR, et al. 2022
5. 5r/AdvancedFitness