Two meals a day + protein intake/muscle loss

I recently started doing a ketogenic diet. I workout hard about 5x a week, the other 2 days I’m doing aerobic stuff like walking 2 miles. I also started doing IF and eating 2 meals a day. I lost a lot of weigh and was doing moderate protein, definitely lost a lot of body fat, too. I did an InBody Scan at my gym and it said I lost 2.5% Body Fat but I also lost some lean muscle mass. So I upped my protein during my 2 meals. I noticed my weight was stagnant. I did another InBody Scan and now it says my body fat has remained essentially the same (it went up 0.2%), and I lost more lean muscle mass. Any ideas why? Should I start spacing out my protein intake throughout my eating period instead of eating a bunch during my two meals? I’m thinking 3 meals per day with 1 or 2 protein shakes in between.

Answer

I have just recently learned that powdered protein may not be the help we think it is, that powdered carbs (flour/sugar) and powdered protein spike insulin higher than their physical counterparts.

So as you figure this out, try to get protein that you chew, not these synthetic processed powders we make (of which I was actually quite a fan until now).

Answer

What is your main goal here? You’re going to lose muscle when you lose fat. It’s unavoidable. You can mitigate it through lifting, protein and general nutrition, but it can’t be avoided.

You also want to make sure you are getting enough sleep, allowing for recovery and giving your body the nutrients it needs to perform as optimally as possible. I’d focus on making sure I was eating a varied, whole food diet as much as possible. Your body can only make use of so much protein. Beyond a certain amount there’s minimal return. This varies by age and a few other things. Throwing more protein powder at your diet is probably not going to help.

Where possible try to get your protein from actual food. Beans and tofu are great sources of protein. You can blend them into smoothies stuffed with fresh fruit and veggies to help get in those nutrients.

You also want to make sure you are properly hydrated, especially if you are taking supplements.

A lot of this stuff is nutrition and rest rather than more time in the gym or more/less protein/calories.

I’d say that once you’re hitting the basics (protein, working out, eating enough) sleep is the next biggest lever.

Answer

from what i remember about nutrition, there is only so much protein the body can digest in one meal (google say \~20-25g) so spacing your protein intake throughout the day might indeed be better for you.