Quick facts:Age: 42, Male, 190 lbs (86 kgs). I lifted weights on and off for years (due to family), I’ve been working out steadily for 5 months and planning to continue. I try to lift 5 times a week, with a PPL routine. I successfully did OMAD for a year a couple of years back and it worked out for me.
I had a lifestyle change recently which means I can cook at night for myself now, and I decided to go on IF again, but while trying to maintain and maybe even adding muscle if at all possible.
I read that the best IF method for muscle maintenance is 16/8. I read an article from 2016 (Journal of Translational Medicine) which supported what I read online. So I will be going on a 16/8. Here are my questions:
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I didn’t diet for the first 5 months of strength training, and I’m going to start the IF to cut for a few months before getting off it. Am I wrong to assume I can cut via IF?
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My workout hours are 7:30PM - 8:45PM. Which means that by the time I get home and cook, I will be eating until 10PM or so, considering delays. How bad is this delayed window, because I also read that fat loss is best if you stop eating as early as possible? I go to bed at 11PM and sleep around midnight (reading, not twitter). Should I rush to finish eating earlier, or am I worrying too much over the late meal? I can prepare my dinner in advance, but I’d rather do it fresh because my fast-breaking meal will also be prepped to eat at work.
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To avoid the late-ending meal, should close my eating window before working out? I would hate to work out and wait hours before eating.
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Let’s talk supplements. I take multivitamins and fish oil (since until now I can’t choose my meals, and I can’t eat seafood). I use protein powder and creatine, with carnitine in the morning. Since I will eat at 2PM, some snacks (or another meal) later and last meal ending at 10PM, should I just do the protein powder+creatine “half-before, half-after workout” as usual? Or with IF, would something else work better?
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I also plan to do cardio in the mornings. I’ve always had terrible aerobic capacity because of childhood (cured since) asthma, and having covid late-2020 wrecked my lungs even worse. I will follow a modified version of the C25K and build up my capacity somehow. My question is, the possible cardio time will be 6:15AM-7AM-ish. Right in the middle of the fasting window. Is this doable? I mean maybe I start fasting first so that my stomach stops growling after a couple of weeks, AND THEN start the cardio?
Looking forward to reading your responses. Can be based on what you know, what you experienced, or what you deduce.