Hi guys,
I have been on OMAD for roughly two years now and have lost nearly 30 kgs so far. There have been times spanning weeks to a month when I wasn’t on OMAD due to various reasons. Getting back on OMAD after these breaks has been easy but body has taken time to start losing the extra weight again.
I am 36M, 5’8. I touched my lowest weight of 62.5 kgs a couple of. months ago but since then I took a break from OMAD and now weigh 65 kgs.
I am now thinking of adding weight training to my regime. I have never been to a gym and have shortlisted a few in my area and have spoken to personal trainers for a more bespoke regime. I am looking to lose some fat which still exists and keep my body in shape. I am not really looking for bulging muscles, etc. Just a nice and toned body that looks healthy.
My question to the OMAD community here is this: My preferable time for the gym is early mornings, like 6 or 7 am. But my OMAD plan is dinner at 7 pm. So that’s going to be a 12-hour gap from my dinner.
Is this advisable? Or should I leave OMAD and do like 18-6 and add lunch and dinner to my food plan? Or should I let 16-8 go as well and eat pre-workout, breakfast and lunch (20-4).
I am getting conflicted opinions from trainers. They all want me leave OMAD and eat three meals a day if I start weight training. But I have read some old posts on this community where people have successfully done weight trainings with OMAD diets.
TL;DR: Is it okay if I weight train at 7 am when my OMAD diet dinner time is 7 pm or do I need to make some changes?
Thanks!
Fasted lifting isn’t a big deal as long as you pace yourself. In other words you need a bit of break in between sets. Instead of 60-90s between sets when training say 12 reps in a set you take 120-180s rests to let the body get enough energy for the next set.
In ketosis you are able to draw energy from fat at a lower pace than on carbs so if you work out harder than what your ketosis can handle you will go into gluconeogenesis which is where the body produces cortisol to break down protein into carbs as emergency fuel in tough situations.
It’s probably not even an issue for you at the moment as you’re new to the gym but after a while you’ll be able to lift more weights which will take more energy which in turn can out you in that situation.
Other than that little issue, solved by taking longer breaks you need to make sure you get enough protein in your eating window. Getting enough protein in a single meal can be tough so I would advice you to spring for some whey protein you can supplement with inside your eating window.
Meh, typically trainers are subscribing to broscience and conventional dietary guidelines that make no sense. As long as you aren’t doing overly intense workouts and have ample fat stores to make it through the day you should be fine energy wise, but you might feel more hungry.
For optimum results you would be lifting at the end of your fast when you are in deeper ketosis and have more hgh and such, then you reward your body with nutrients so it’s kind of simulating working for food. However, it’s not a big deal to be that optimized if you aren’t competing or anything. Especially if you are just starting out I wouldn’t really worry about it. If you do have energy/hunger issues then I would try to situate the workout at the end of the fast right before the feed.
Edit: I forget not everyone on OMAD follows keto. If you are not also keto you probably want to eat after you workout.