So I’ve been doing OMAD for 2 weeks now (consistently at least) and I’ve been going to the gym 6 nights a week in that time. I do 40 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weight training. My weight loss is going well, I’m down 8kg in the last month-ish, and I’m fairly certain that’s mostly bur ed fat from my cardio.
My question is, will I be able to gain any muscle from my weight training, or will that only help keep maintain what’s there? My first priority is burning off fat but when I reach my goal weight I want to get a bit more toned. I know absolutely nothing about fitness so maybe my working out hasnt been accomplishing anything. Advice would be appreciated.
In general, yes. OMAD is a way to manage calories. You can use it to lose weight, maintain or even gain weight.
If you are new to weight lifting, you can get stronger & gain muscle relatively easily even in a deficit. At some point you will eventually need to be in a calorie surplus in order to add muscle efficiently.
I personally started resistance training during my weight loss phase and felt that I gained muscle. After achieving my goal weight I continued OMAD (@maintence calories) & resistance training for a about a year. After no longer progressing on my weight program, I now alternate between a 18-6 calorie surplus bulking phase & OMAD calorie deficit cutting phase every 4 months or so.
Working out too much imho. I mean, that’s fine, but not needed to that degree. Lifting is far, far more important as far as lean body mass growth and fat depletion. Cardio is for cardiovascular health, which is important, but basically unrelated to weight and body composition.
It’s hard to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, easier to lose the fat first and then build the muscle once you’ve leaned out.
If you don’t really care about uber strategies, then just eat protein at 1.2g per pound of body weight and really keep the carbs low.