I’m 39m and started working out again. I started at 222 lbs on the 1st of this year. I’m not to concerned about gaining muscle. I just want to lose fat and work on my getting my strength back. I used to be dedicated to the gym 4 years ago and was pretty strong. I’ve been fasting like 16 hours a day. Usually eat around 1 or 2 and a meal for dinner at 5ish and that’s it. I workout in the morning on an empty stomach. Trying to cut carbs out of my meals. I weight train everyday. I’m down to 215 now so I’m happy about it but is it the best way to go about it? Can I still tone my muscles and make them stronger while not eating alot of protein? I’m not trying to gain mass like I say. Just get down to a healthy weight and get some strength back. Will working out fasted eat away at my muscles if I have alot of fat to burn? Any advice would be great. Thanks
>Will working out fasted eat away at my muscles if I have alot of fat to burn? Any advice would be great. Thanks
Your muscle and strength are safer if you are working out than if you don’t work out.
Some days I even feel stronger when working out 16-20 hours into a fast, but there are days once in a while where I start to feel sluggish before head to the gym. (I go in the morning at the end of my work shift) Just listen to your body. If getting under a heavy bar or loading up a heavy deadlift feels sketchy just switch up your routine a bit for that day.
Weight lifting/muscle building depends on your body fat. It is generally recommended to “cut” if your BF is >20% (some argue little lower). You are technically not gaining more pounds of muscle while fasting BUT since you are losing more fat, the PERCENTAGE of muscle mass is increases. People who are lean already wont lose as much fat while fasting so the result is not as apparent.
​
I try do 4 days lifting and 5+ days cardio (zumba). I know the total calorie expenditure is not going to be significant BUT it will be something. maybe reduce an extra pound a week is still something.
I just ran 15 miles yesterday during my 18:6 fast right before my feeding period and I was fine. Just carry emergency energy bars or gels just in case you do end up feeling nauseous or dizzy. I do not recommend eating anything that will raise your insulin levels prior to working out because any amount of sugar/protein will spike your insulin causing your blood glucose to drop during working out. If you’re in a fasted state your body is pretty good at mobilizing energy from fat stores.
Should I avoid cardio while intermittent fasting? I was doing csrdio at first but stopped . I just weight train pretty intense for an hour and a half then sauna everyday and on my rest day I’ll some light cardio
I’d recommend you drink around a gallon of water everyday if you intend to do cardio, and lift weights. The only annoying thing is that you’ll be using the rest room a lot.
I’ve been doing similar fasting workout routine for the past month and half, and staying hydrated plays a HUGE role in maintaining the energy towards workouts. I personally feel like crap during my workouts if I didn’t hydrate correctly throughout the day. This my personal experience only