My New Early Time Restricted Eating Schedule
Let’s go over early time restricted eating (eTRE) and why you might want to incorporate it into your fasting schedule.
eTRE means that you start eating earlier in the day. So, for example, the schedule I’ve been following is 1st meal 10:00 AM and the last meal before 6:00 PM. So I’m following a 16/8 eTRE schedule. I do it six days a week, and I’m still doing One Meal a Day (0MAD) on Sundays.
At first, it was hard for me to eat breakfast because I was so accustomed to skipping it for over a decade. I usually wait until 12 or 2 o’clock to eat my first meal but based on all the new research about TRE and circadian rhythm, it’s a good idea to take in protein earlier in the day. It helps me maintain muscle mass and gives me more energy for my midday workouts.
I don’t want to contradict myself. There is still a benefit to skipping breakfast and following a 16 /8 or 18/6 late schedule because it’s an excellent way to reduce calories, but you can try a couple of hacks while following that late schedule to help you take in some protein early in the day.
1-You could have a whey protein isolate shake around 10 o’clock, which is only about 125 calories and could give you about 25 g of protein.
2-You can take some essential amino acids (EAA’s), which are only about 15 or 20 calories, that will give you the equivalent of a 25 g scoop of whey protein powder.
Both these hacks slightly break your fast, but I think it is a good idea if you like TRE and skipping breakfast.
I’m always experimenting and mixing things up, looking for the optimal diet and healthy lifestyle.
Let me know if you’ve experimented with eTRE or have tried any of the hacks I spoke about in this post.
Best – Mike Cola
