So currently i wake up at 4AM and work from 6AM to 3PM, i’m a gas pipeliner so my job is labor intensive, my question is what would be the most effective schedule for fat loss, i can skip breakfast and lunch but mandatory i eat dinner, im also semi new to fasting, was on a 16:8 awhile ago in my previous job. any help is greatly appreciated!
I think it is possible you may be hitting around a 3k+ calorie requirement. At this rate it is imperative that you eat high quality food and eat alot. IF will be more difficult for you because of of your energy requirements. I will note that a huge change that people rarely discuss in this forum is the change in gut microbiome that accompanies fasting. Do you eat on the road? American fast food (including sit down resteraunts) is absolutely detrimental to the gut biome and causes an undergrowth of bacteria that need special sugars (lactobacillus) that are healthy, and a overgrowth of bacteria that produce cytotoxic compounds that eat simple sugars.
My dietary backbone is high fiber, low in simple sugars, high in quality fat (with balanced omega 3/omega 6), and high quality protein (fish, eggs, and high quality red meat)
So this is what it would look like for me:Oatmeal with blueberries and banana and omega3, taken with a probiotic if you have a fridge to keep them cold.
Lunch is just 80/20 grass fed ground meat, a little salt and pepper. If I have it I pair it with a live probiotic sourkraut. Sometimes I do fish.
Dinner is usually a salad or cooked greens with butter.
Low carbs, high fiber, the salad is skipped for IF days as it does not usually have more than 500 calories.
I’m linking this lecture if you have time to watch what may be the most important key concepts. Its a all evening lecture but just nails all the core concepts.
If your job is your primary exercise, I’d suggest starting your eating window after or towards the end of work, such that you’re working (out) in a fasted state.
I’m a fellow manual laborer and I personally find it fairly easy to fast while working (my work’s a lot of repetition, but also fast paced) and quite rewarding to feast while off. I’m guessing/hoping you go to bed fairly early so depending on how long you want your fasting window to be open I’d suggest something like eating from 3-7pm (20:4), 1-7pm (18:6), 12-8pm (16:8).