I recently started an 18-6 regiment and am loving it. I am not overweight but my goal is to slowly lose between 10-15 pounds to hit my ideal weight. My only issue is I’m struggling with deciding when my eating window should be and how to incorporate my beloved exercising in (combination of running and weightlifting).
Right now, my window has been super early in the day between 9 am and 3 pm. Unfortunately, most days I start working around 11 and don’t end until 6 or 7. I used to go to the gym primarily at night, because it’s my preference, and I’ve never been consistent about making myself do it first thing in the morning. Notably, I like to have a substantial meal and then wait a bit before working out.
So, here’s my question in a nutshell. Is it okay to weight lift/run after my eating period is over at 3 pm and not eat until the next day? If I’ve had 2 solid meals with plenty of carbs, fat, and protein, that energy would be used by my body for muscle growth, right? There are a lot of people who feel protein consumption after exercise is really important for gains. I’m curious if anyone has expertise on this or personal experience to share.
For the record, I’m open to either trying to become a morning workout person (which may have to include fasted exercise which I’m not a fan of) or adjusting my window to be in the evening if eating after exercise is essential (but would mean giving up my breakfast time which I’m not crazy about).
Your daily protein consumption is more important than getting in protein right after your workout. The anabolic window for protein consumption starts from 4-6 hours before your workout and extends to 4-6 hours after, but really muscle repair occurs for 24 hours or more after your workout. Unless you are body building at an elite level, the timing probably doesn’t matter that much if you are just doing daily 18:6. The important thing is to get enough protein. Carbs don’t matter. https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2018.0615