This is for the OMAD / Warrior diet people here. How do you ensure getting enough protein?
One Meal A Day
if you only have one meal a day, every day, you're not getting enough protein to increase muscle mass and possibly to maintain the muscle mass you have.
The Anabolic Amino Acid
Research shows that Leucine is the Anabolic Acid in protein that preserves and increase muscle mass.
Approximately, 40 gram of Quality Protein is necessary to obtain the right amount of Leucine, in most adults.
Dietary Guidelines should reflect new understandings about adult protein needs
Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide nutrition advice aimed at promoting healthy dietary choices for life-long health and reducing risk of chronic diseases. With the advancing age of the population, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines confront increasing risks for age-related problems of obesity...
nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com
Protein distribution at meals.
A) Ingestion of 90 grams of protein, distributed evenly at 3 meals. B) Ingestion of 90 grams of proteins unevenly distributed throughout the day. Stimulating muscle protein synthesis to a maximal extent during the meals shown in Figure 1A is
more likely to provide a greater 24 hour protein anabolic response than the unequal protein distribution in Figure 1B. (Adapted from Paddon-Jones & Rassmussen Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2009, 12: 86–90.)
Layman's chart below shows 30 gram per meal is the minimum. Metaphorically speaking, the minimum amount of protein per meal is like trying to live off the minum wage.
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Intermittent Fasting
It has is place. However, fasting is catabolic; canabolizing body fat, while preserving muscle mass.
Research show that the sweet spot is fast that are around 16 to 24 hour. However, research shows that a fast of up to 72 hour canabolize body fat and can preserve muscle mass. That dependent on what your daily activty and training program is.
Intermittent Fasting provide additional benefits. However, none of them include the anabolic muscle building process.
Let break it down some more...
The Refractory Period
Research (Drs Layne Norton and Gabe Wilson) determined protein meals/intake need to be 4-6 hour apart for optimal Muscle Protein Synthesis (the anabolic process).
Information has been posted on this form about it.
Branch Chain Amino Acids and Leucine Supplements
It appears (Dr Layne Norton) that ingesting Branch Chain Amino Acids or a Leucine Supplement between meals or in a fasting state can trigger the anabolic process.
However, data indicates that Branch Chain Amino and Leucine Supplements elicit a greater effect when cominbed with whole protein that have the other 9 essential amino acids.
Take Home Message
Intermittent Fasting
...such as OMAD is effective for burning body fat and provides some other benefits.
However, it does not provide enough frequency with protein intake to increase muscle mass, possibly not enough to maintain it.
Training Example
Let say you training revolved around working out once a month. Would that frequency be enough to increase muscle mass or even maintain it?