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Advancing intermittent fasting for plant-based performance

A structured experiment in metabolic adaptation within disciplined eating windows.

Beyond 20-4 notebook intro

When Intermittent Fasting Matures

Beyond 20-4 advancing notebook

Advancing Onwards

Intermittent fasting often begins as a simple process that unlocks early weight regulation and mental clarity.

But over time, it becomes more complex.

  • Performance goals evolve.

  • Training intensity increases.

  • Fasting windows shift.

 

Beyond 20-4 new questions

New Questions

For disciplined practitioners of intermittent fasting, beginner gains pass and open up new questions:

  • How far can fasting windows be extended? 
  • What results can be achieved while exercising in a fasted state?
  • Can muscle definition be improved while fasting?
Beyond 20-4 finding answers

Finding Answers

The content I share here explores those questions through structured experimentation rather than theory.

And when coupled with a plant-based diet, not all foods work with you ahead of or after, fitness sessions or fasting windows.

Real life, real data.

A Structured, Data-Led Experiment

I began this (ongoing) experiment in advanced intermittent fasting and plant-based performance, on 16th November 2025.

The framework includes:

  1. Extended fasting cycles (including weekly 48-hour protocols)

  2. Fasted strength and endurance training

  3. Structured refeed windows and meal logging

  4. Progressive protein calibration within a plant-based diet

  5. Tracking of weight, waist measurements, performance metrics, and recovery signals (and lots more)

  6. Iterative adjustments based on measurable data

Rather than chasing optimisation trends, the focus is on understanding cause and effect, isolating variables to improve both athletic performance and physical composition.

The goal is not simply fat loss.

It is metabolic clarity, performance resilience, and sustainable muscle definition within a structured plant-based fasting approach.

 

Beyond 20-4 the experiment portrait
Beyond 20-4 CRO principles

Applying Growth Methodology to My Body

By profession, I work in UX and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). Disciplines built on testing hypotheses, measuring results, and improving systems through controlled experimentation.

That same thinking is applied here.

Advanced intermittent fasting and food choices are tested alongside physical exercise sessions.

Assumptions challenged. Results tracked.

Repeated testing has revealed what improves performance, and what doesn’t.

Learn about individual challenges and questions I have tested in the blog.

The ideas explored here form the foundation of my upcoming book, Beyond 20:4 - an examination of advanced intermittent fasting, plant-based performance, and structured metabolic progression.

The book expands on the data, frameworks, and lessons emerging from this experiment.

 

From the experiment

Articles written from data I've recorded

Some people land here because they train on plants and want to know if it's holding them back. Others because they fast and want to know if it's actually doing what they think it is. A few because they do both and the internet has run out of useful things to say. These posts are written from inside that exact experiment.

Dumbbell, skipping rope and towel on a wooden table

Why Even Experienced Fasters Struggle When They Start Training Hard

Even experienced fasters can struggle when they begin integrating serious training into their routine. Training introduces new recovery demands such as glycogen depletion, muscle repair and electrolyte loss, which can shift when hunger signals appear.

Read blog
female hand holding a glass of water

Why Performance Can Improve Without Eating All The Time

When the body becomes metabolically flexible through structured fasting and training, it can draw more efficiently on stored energy.

Read blog
plant-based-meals-that-feed-strength-demand-after-fasting-and-training

Why Nutrition Needs Change When Fasting: Strength vs Fat Loss Explained

In week 18 of my experiment, despite following the same fasting structure and eating the same types of foods, true hunger started showing up far earlier, both during the day and in the night.

Read blog

Register Interest in the Book.

Beyond 20:4 is a book documenting the discoveries and processes I have established to progress my fitness while fasting on a plant-based diet.

Register interest for updates on the manuscript development and publishing progress.

Beyond 20-4 Manuscript in Progress