Hey McCoy,
I’m reading this topic with interest, and hopefully you can answer a question or 2.
After stumbling upon some interesting research, I am extremely determined to apply CR. However, since I’m build very lean (even if I’d eat a lot and unhealthy the most I could gain would be some belly fat) I’m reluctant to become a walking skeleton of sorts. So before I start CR I’m now deadbound to get myself in shape. I’m already pretty athletic (precisely because I would otherwise close to disappear!) but for the first time I’m pondering bodybuilding and getting “huge” (for now I’ve upped my regular game and now take pea protein since as a vegan you simply fall short) . My guess is, my hope is, although CR wouldn’t allow me to gain additional muscle, it would maintain the muscle I already put on if I continue exercising. I’ve read quite a few NCBI articles about this - though those were mostly directed at the benefits of CR and if exercise provides additional benefits (which doesn’t/hardly seems to be the case) - and it seems muscle can be spared in a state of CR!
Since you seem to be well read on the subject, even though you aren’t on a CR diet, I wonder if you have a say about my little scheme: “get ripped, go CR, don’t disappear”. Will it work? I feel this part, upping calories and protein and growing a lot of muscle, will be a lot harder than CR thinking I normally enjoy about 1500-2000 calories a day if I’d just do my unforced vegan routine. So I’d hate to lose my hardgained effort. I’d happily return in 6 to 12 months and pick your brain on muscle sparing CR diet and caloric-sparse muscle maintenance!
Thanks in advance!