Why are you only eating 2300 cal a day? What's your squat? And whey is very satiating, in general.
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Intermittent Fasting Question
From searching and reading previous threads I've gathered that you're not a fan of intermittent fasting except when needed for compliance. It seems the main issue is fewer opportunities for muscle protein synthesis, right?
I've been doing a simple type of IF for almost six months now. Basically I get up at 8:00am and don't eat until 2:00pm-ish, and usually try to finish eating by around 10:00pm, though I'm not very strict with that cutoff. For me it definitely helps with compliance as I'm eating around 2300 calories a day and this way I get to have decent sized meals, plus I'm not hungry in the morning and I have no problem getting to 2:00pm on just coffee.
I'm wondering if just having a couple of scoops of whey with water when I first wake up would be likely to make much of a difference in terms of mps/muscle building/recovery/etc. if I stick to the above eating schedule for everything else. I don't think one watery protein shake would stimulate my appetite the same way eating a small breakfast in the morning would, but lately I've been getting enough protein through actual food so if it's not going to make much difference I'd just as soon not throw away money on whey protein.
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Why are you only eating 2300 cal a day? What's your squat? And whey is very satiating, in general.
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Squatted 385x5x3 yesterday, trying to get up to 405, but also trying to not get fatter and ultimately I want to lose body fat. I'm 5'11", hovering around 240ish for the last few months with a target of 2300 cal a day, but not being super strict, so actual average maybe more like 2800 a day. BF probably in the high 20's I would guess.Originally Posted by Jordan Feigenbaum
I am self employed and basically sit in front of my computer all day long, aside from training, so that is a factor in the caloric levels.
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I'd bet you're eating even more than that. Carry on.
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So do you think a couple of scoops of whey upon waking would make any kind of significant difference?
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Just curious, how old are you?
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Not really, no.
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I'm 31.
Cool, I guess I'll keep doing my half-assed IF and save the whey for those nights when I get 1000 calories in craft beer.
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Just invite me over for those nights and we're good!
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I also do daily IF, having breakfast around 12 or 1, but I do go for a small prebreakfast (primarily protein) snack, and I'll explain the importance of it:
Cortisol is a catabolic hormone; it breaks down stored energy, including converting protein and fats into glucose (gluconeogenisis). The body's cortisol levels are regulated primarily by your circadian rhythm. Cortisol reaches it's daily low around midnight, beginning a steady climb upward around 2AM, peaking out half an hour after waking up, at which time levels decline (with a few mini-peaks mid-day) until bottoming out again at midnight. Your morning peak is about 8 times the level of the daily low at midnight.
If you don't eat anything until 2PM, your body will breakdown stored protein to supply your energy needs. You can protect against the catabolic effects of cortisol with a small protein snack. One scoop of whey should do it. No need for that right when you wake up; you can have your scoop at ten or eleven. I sometimes make a protein shake mixed with coffee, sweetened with stevia. Other times I go for Green Tea with BCAA and glutamine as a pre-breakfast catabolic protection. Sometimes I mix in a cup of prune juice with the tea if I feel that calorie restriction is leading to harder bowel movements.
The pre-breakfast snacks should strengthen your workouts.
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