So I enjoy the 5+ day water fast. I lose fat, and as long as I don’t binge afterward, all is good. I’m trying to crush another 30 pounds of weight. I enjoy lifting. But, lifting without digesting protein, which then breaks the fast, seems counterproductive. Correct me if I am wrong.
Also, this “no more than 30 grams of protein per meal” seems like nonsense. How could those on OMAD digest enough protein without going beyond 30 grams??
And black coffee has 10 calories per 12 oz. I drink like 8 shots of espresso each morning. Surely, that breaks a fast?
TIA
I lift during water fast. You don’t gain muscle but you do have heightened levels of HGH and I can lift heavy. Reason why I lift so my body knows my muscles are in use and lessen the risk of muscle catabolism which won’t really happen if you have enough fat on you. Apparently coffee kick starts the metabolism and I felt a bit off after I drink it.
You won’t gain without the protein as you state but if you are fat adapted you should still have the energy/stamina to lift weights. If you are not fat adapted which means you are not doing a low carb diet of some sort for an extended period, I don’t even recommend working out that much while fasting. This means you are running on carbs/sugar and it could be detrimental since your capacity for that kind of fuel is limited.
I lifted weight during a 15 day fast and was ok. Had to do lower weights than normal on my reps but otherwise ai could tolerate ok wven with 45 mins of cardio before lifting. I would just drink electrolytes after the workouts. Also plain black coffee has negligible amounts of calories. If you like starbucks, drink their plain black roast, all fancy coffees will have some bullshit added to it, so stick to simple blacks.
at least one study showed that it increases the signals to retain muscle fiber during extended water fasts. And people who lifted at least moderately lost less muscle than those who didn’t.
And a study with a sample size of one (me lol). Showed that lifting weights usually gets harder past day 3. But just drop the weight and reps a little and it’s not too bad. As far as difference in muscle loss I’m not sure because I don’t have a good way to measure it, but logically it makes sense if you’re using your muscles hard your brain/body will be less likely to break them down during a fast than off you were sedentary.
As for the 30 grams of protein per meal, I eat way more than that most meals, no idea how much is getting absorbed, but I’d rather eat more than my body can take advantage of than to be leaving some on the table.