Intermittent Fasting / Cutting while in IB

Yeah I’m in the same exact boat… When I’m working a lot the only dopamine I ever get is from food which makes it so tough. I think the key is to drink a lotttt of water, don’t buy unhealthy munchies, and try and eat a well balanced diet for your meals. If you’re really hungry in the morning, maybe eat a greek yogurt with some fruit and nuts in it.

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I would just not do intermittent fasting… All IMF does is keep you in a caloric deficit, hence the drop in weight. A normal cut/calorie deficit will literally do the exact same thing and you can then spread out your meals so that you're not dying. There is absolutely zero need to do IMF as long as your conscious of your caloric intake and the types of foods you're consuming. Seems IMF has been an absolute pain for you so I would just not do it. Guarantee you will feel 10x better and not as shitty just eating 200-300 cals max under maintenance throughout the day. If you’re constantly craving and feeling like you’re dying then that is you’re body telling you that you are not fueling it properly at all. Just cut the fasting.

Traditional "cutting" is pretty unrealistic in this job. You are better off maintaining or recomping slowly over the year. Lack of sleep will crush your gym performance along with any self control you have with food. 

Pick a number and run with it. Males typically require 13-15 calories per lb of total body weight. Women require 10-12. Try to get 0.8-1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight per day. You can spread the rest of your calories however you want between fat/carbs. The most important thing is consistency and adherence. If you notice you're gaining or losing weight, you can increase/decrease by 100-200 calories (ideally from carbs or fat) and reassess every two weeks.

The idea here is to find a baseline for your maintenance calories then apply as much exercise as you can handle throughout your week (be realistic here). Once you establish this, you can start fine tuning your diet to transition to a growth phase or a fat loss phase.

Source: In my early college years I was a slightly above average jacked wannabe bodybuilder (now turned excel monkey finbro). I spent the first couple years of college as a dietetics major wanting to become a research scientist until I realized being poor sucks.

Hey, would say all the tips others have provided about IM hold / how to not IM in general.

But, I was super impressed to see that you manage to lift every day, despite being in a sweaty group. One of my concerns going into banking is how I'm going to continue working out / fit it in my schedule. I currently run a 4x a week split (back/bis, chest/tris, shoulders/arms, legs), and was thinking of switching to a consolidated PPL that I'd run Friday, Sat, Sun so it doesn't interfere with work THAT much if at all. But, given you said you work out every day, I was curious how you make this work/how understanding firms are of folks going to the gym. Thanks!!

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intermittent fasting is insanely easy in IB. the only meals I eat are those I don't have to pay for... dinner

I've been eating once a day for my entire adult life. I just feel better. Eating makes me lethargic and bloated so I just eat dinner. Dinner for me is always when I'm finished my day of work. This could be 9pm or it could be 5am. When I'm busy working food is literally the last thing on my mind. If I'm pulling an all nighter I just won't eat for 2 days. Additionally, I eat the exact same meal every day. I don’t have to take up brain space with figuring out what to eat, it’s just automatic. Also, this way I know I’ll maintain my weight without the error in figuring out calorie deficits and surpluses. I know it sounds crazy, but it works for me. That said, I drink black coffee fairly consistently throughout the day. I have a rowing machine at home that I try and get at least 15 min on a day at a pretty high intensity. Some days it’s impossible obviously, but I’ll always work out on an empty stomach as well.

Best thing I’ve done for my diet is picked up a nicotine addiction. Replace all those snacks with Zyn and you won’t have any cravings

Download MyFitnessPal and track your calories. Set your calorie limit (net of exercise) to whatever you need to cut or maintain your weight. Track everything you eat and stay at the limit. It will be hard at first but soon you’ll learn what foods you can eat that will fill you up for lowest calories (chicken, steak, potatoes, brown rice, Greek yogurt are some of my favorites) and then you will find room for cheat meals when the cravings hit or you go out. Tracking everything you eat will hold you accountable. And as others said, refrain from snacking!

Source: it works for me. Currently waiting for comments from my VP at 1:10am and under my limit for the day.

Develop routine eating for weekdays. This means the same rotation of coffee/lunch/dinner everyday with a choice snack for the dopamine kick.

This way you hit your caloric cutting goals.You can pick two different routines and vary them (ie: MWF you eat eggs breakfast /burrito bowl lunch /chicken rice dinner. TTH you eat eggs breakfast/salad lunch and a pick of your vending machine snacks/salmon combo dinner.)

This way, you put less thought into picking and choosing -> snacking and junk food. Pick routine choices that are healthy but you enjoy and already know its effect on your body.

Try to fill up with protein and avoid carb heavy meals.

I’d personally refrain from tracking cals as much as possible (Mental health). When I’m cutting I don’t each much carbs outside of my rice cakes which I snack on a lot.

Have always had the same problem.  Love to eat healthy when life isn't stressful, but when stuff needs to get done I grab the junk food that's easily available.

For me, keto was the one thing that beat this.  I did it a couple years ago for a few months and got lean, then got lazy again and the weight is back.  Similar to OP, these last few weeks have been a time to re-focus and I'm back on keto this week.  Already seeing the hunger surges disappear.

I don't get too strict about the fasting schedule since keto is already a fast-mimicking diet.  But in general, when on keto, I have a very easy time waiting until late afternoon before eating anything.  

[Not medical advice, consult a doctor beforehand]

Love me some EC stack brah.  Ephedrine + caffeine is great at suppressing the appetite.  Cutting now to hopefully be a ripped 190 by beach season.  We're all gonna make it. 

Analyst 1 in IB-M&A

Hi All -

After two weeks of PTO, sleeping 7+ hours a day, eating only after 12pm and eating clean, I finally started making progress again on my cut and got into very good physical shape. I am extremely active even with work, lifting every day and if I'm not on a fire drill by 10pm, I'll go for a night run. After this it's clear to me that what was holding me back from getting to my ideal body / cut, was a terrible sleep schedule. I work in a very sweaty group and generally log off anywhere between 2-4am every night so sleep is generally very limited.
 

While working I constantly find myself craving unhealthy food for both lunch and dinner. I'm starving and eat by 6 which leads to a desire to snack late night. I also find it hard to do intermittent fasting as I am craving food in the morning especially after little sleep. I've found it incredibly hard to focus on the job without eating this much so I am a bit dazed.
 

Has anyone been able to successfully cut while doing this job and managing the lack of sleep? How can I a) do intermittent fasting / cure my cravings and b) eat enough to focus on the job and do work with clarity? If your answer is "wait til PE" or "it's not possible", please just refrain from saying that. If it's truly not possible, the lack of comments will indicate that to me. However, hoping that someone has been able to do this.

Few people I know basically do Omad to cut. Although not great if you are lifting hard. 

You do not need to work out to stay in amazing shape. If you start a meal routine, you can simply set meals that are whole and natural that will keep you full for a long time. Reason why people are so bloated and have to work out is bc they eat junk food like processed and refined which takes the body longer to process and get it out of your system. 

You can easily make overnight oats in a jar at your place and take to work. You can load it with bunch of things: protein/green powders, seeds, nuts, fruits, etc. That meal will keep you full for a while. Your second meal can be something you order off an app like a big salad or cooking at home a healthy dish. You can even buy healthy bars too if you need feel hungrier. 

This works for me bc it's so simple and does not take a lot of time, however, the problem becomes when people use food as a satisfaction/appetite rather than fueling your body for needed nutrients. 

I have abs and I think i workout 1-2 a week (workouts on weekends). My diet is on point which is the reason i don't need to work out. My sodium levels are low enough from eating whole and natural foods that allow easy digestion and have stronger chizzled facial/body features.

I'm not a big fan of the phrases bulk and cut. Bulking leads people into eating like shit and getting fat. Cutting leads people into eating nothing, or unsustainable diets that leave them mentally and physically drained, eventually falling into an endless amount of eating. Eat sustainably. Look at the number of calories you burn, and be conservative. Then try to eat around that number, and aim for 50% of your weight (lbs) in proteins. However, it's been proven most humans eat too much protein, so maybe you can eat less than 50%.

I don't know how you can manage the lack of sleep situation. Sleep is so important. My advice would be to try to sleep as much as you can, and maybe go to the gym less often to minimize your sleep debt.

A Peloton bike would be a great investment for you. Buy a used one, and even during your crazy schedule you can fit in a quick 30-45 min bike session, hop in the shower, and then you're ready for work again. On weekends, I would hit the weights hard. Please prioritize sleep as much as you can. 

buy a bench, weights and a trendmill in your house, spend 45-1h 4x a week and you'll get ripped/healthy af

I’ve been able to cut 6 pounds last month after just using peloton and eating more healthy food.

Do you take stimulants right now? As a last resort, you could take adderall or vyvanse to suppress your appetite during work hours. It's not too hard to get a prescription if you say you have a binge eating disorder because vyvanse is used to treat that.

Second on IMF: as an analyst 1 I was a plushy guy and had a dad bod. I still got girls because let’s face it - it’s NYC - but noticeably dropped a league, being completely honest. Was definitely not pulling the same kind of women I was while in college / just starting banking.

I started IMF sometime last summer, which meant no lunch and dinner around 6P. I pretty much eat one meal a day. In that time span I dropped like 40 lbs without lifting any weights at all. No I’m not a hunk, but I’m sure as hell not fat anymore. All aspects of my life improved, I definitely got much more attractive without the extra weight, and I now have a gf. Shit wasn’t easy at first but then it becomes habit. If it’s helpful, subtlety follow the eating habits of the skinniest dude / girl (maybe not this) in your office. Banking is infamous for destroying bodies and it really does take an active, not passive, effort to mitigate. For me, controlling my diet was the most feasible and it had paid dividends ever since