I (33yo F 180lbs 5’6”) tried OMAD in the past but it’s not sustainable if I’m doing HIIT and lifting 5/6days. I’ll work out around 10am and eat at noon (and have even tried flipping that an eat at 10am and workout at noon) but then by 6/7pm I’m starving or the following days work out I’m about to pass out, even if I’m using electrolytes. How do you guys make it work? What’s your training and feed schedule?what do eat? What type of workouts? Any advice is welcome TIA
What’s the issue with two meals at noon and six? If weight loss is the goal just stay within caloric limits. You still get a large fasting window. I don’t like omad personally because I have digestive issues with large meals and feel awful after them….My gut is happier with two 600 calorie meals…occasionally I throw in a 24 hour fast but not if I’m working out heavily…
Are you able to do extended fasts yet? Once you can fast for 72+ hours with just water you can start lifting while fasting. It’s certainly harder but gets easier over time and is as overcomable as nor al extended fasting. I farsed at the beginning of Jan for 98 hours and did some heavy lifts in the first 3 days of water fasting. I feel great
For how long are you practicing fasting for? Because it takes time for your body to adapt.
It took me several weeks / months to adapt to this new lifestyle.
And now I’m always working out fasted. And if I’m eating, I’m eating after the workout.
After 1 year of practicing fasting, I could easily do a 90´+ hour fast last week, while working out 5-6x times per week and lifting heavy weights.
My body adapted. But I also have a lot of body fat / overweight. My body draws it’s energy from my body fat.
I’ve been experimenting with 5 days lifting/cardio at 300-500 calorie surplus and fasting on weekends for 2 days.
Previously I did IF before workouts and didn’t have an issue as long as I ate the proper amount.
When I was working out with OMAD I worked out after work at 3:30 and ate later at like 7 or 8pm. The in-between workout and food time kinda sucked but I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out during workouts the next day.
I’m doing OMAD and pushing it longer if I can. I can’t do my Pelaton during fasting because I get hungry. So I’ve been taking a break on Sundays and I did 40 miles yesterday, making up for my week of not being able to ride it.
What did your meals look like before? Are you going from snacking all day to OMAD or already a fasting window? May be worth it to start slow if the former, 2 meals in a 6 hr window, then 4, 2, then OMAD.
For what it’s worth, I find OMAD impossible when I’m eating carbs and very easy when I’m eating a keto diet. That may not be your preference, but you could try out different diets. Maybe test your blood sugar when you get super hungry and see if it’s dropping too low, triggering the hunger.
Also maybe look into electrolytes. The hunger might be alleviated with extra sodium and potassium and magnesium.
I’ve switched my workout to 11am. It works best with my work schedule right now. I eat at around noon depending on how long my workout is. I used to work out at 7am. 11 works best for me. I do 10 minutes of some kind of body weight stuff when I wake up and then my gym workout is weights/body weight/TRX depending on the day. I walk 5 miles a day. I don’t do gym cardio. I used to do a 5 mile run on Sundays but fell out of the habit when it got cold.
I’ve found that adding some extra fat to my meals in the evenings really helps when I’ve been working out hard. It helps me stay asleep and I don’t wake up starving.