Hey everyone!
I'm a 24 year old male college student, checking in at 6'5 (1,95m) and 218lbs (99kg).
My current goal are 200 lbs (91kg), getting rid of the fat and building some muscles again.
I tried intermittent fasting in 2019 to avoid my late night snacks while gaming with great success, but my situation has changed now that i gained some weight and I am seeking some Advice for my upcoming IF plan.
1. Is a 16/8 split a good choice when trying to cut down body fat while working out or wold you recommend something else?
2. My current training schedule consists of soccer practice every monday/wednesday 8PM - 10PM and basketball practice on thursdays 6PM to 8PM.
I think I won't be able to come back from my practice sessions at 10PM without having something to eat so I need to find a good timing for my 8 hour window.
Will having my last meal after 10PM slow down my body while fasting or is the timing rather irellevant?
3. Should I rather focus on my protein intake while not fasting or should I just stick with avoiding sugar for the fat loss journey?
I'm thankful for all of your replies in advance and am looking forward to my journey on here! :)
Answer
Just one person’s opinion here. I do OMAD or 20:4 (depending on the day), and like to work out while fasting. I can almost feel the fat melting off me. I’ve gotten my fasted energy system pretty well trained, so it feels good and I don’t go hard enough to miss the blood glucose.
If you wanted to eat at the same time every day, I would eat at 10pm, after your workout. Or if you can stand a little daily variation, eat at 8pm most days, and later on b-ball days. You may find that you like being fasted while exercising, but if not this may not be for you.
Since you’re targeting 16:8, you could eat twice. This would make you fed while working out, which I think is less good (but if you’re going hard, you may need the energy). Do an early meal at like 4-5p and another after your workout. Probably eat the lighter meal early, so you don’t feel heavy during exercise. Maybe do most of your fruit/carbs in the early meal (and don’t eat too much), and the fat/protein later.
Anyway, that’s my non-expert opinion. Good luck. I love IF, and hope it works for you 👍