[chokeme]

This is basically a "what the hell do I do with what I’ve got?" thread. Please be nice. (=

A bit of background: I've spent the last six years wanting to lose fat, and the last 16 months doing something about it. In the last 16 months I have gone down from a size 16 to a 10/12 (UK sizes) through a calorie deficit and HIIT. I’m 5’3.

I recently came across intermittent fasting which many, if not, all people who have done it reported it to be more effective than calorie counting/restricting. I've been doing it for a few days and I'm a lot happier with this method because it suits my dietary habits better than the "eat 4/5 small meals a day" bs. Also, someone recently gave me a pair of 3lb dumbbells which I don’t know what to do with!

I'm currently in the process of developing the three parts of this new lifestyle and I need help from anyone who can give it!

Part 1: IF
My previous diet consisted of a low amount of calories which I divided over four meals. First two meals of the day were oats and last two meals were protein. As I got comfortable with this, I became more and more relaxed and started consuming another 500-700 calories in refined carbs and sugars. I ended up gaining a dress size, specifically 2” on my hips and waist. (My measurements went from X-30-36 to X-32-38)

With IF, my window is 8 hours (4pm-11pm/12am) so I'm fasting for the rest of the time. In the 16 hour fast, I drink 1-2l of water and I occasionally have black coffee. I'm also consuming 1000-1200 calories during the 8 hours, most of which is fiber and protein.

1. Am I doing anything wrong here?
I often read that a lot of people don't count calories whilst doing IF, but I feel more comfortable counting.
2. Have you guys tried it?
I'd love to hear your responses/results!

Part 2: HIIT
When I say "HIIT", I actually mean week 1 of C25K.
I managed to get to week 3 of C25K in March/April but on one of the workouts I stupidly went overboard and extended the 20min workout into 90min and had a calf/hamstring pain since. I recently recovered, but I've had to go back to week 1 because I've become so unfit!

I do the workout every other day, and definitely don't plan on doing it for more than 20min (25-30 at most if I'm that far from home.)

3. Should I stick to C25K and run/jog at a mild pace or do you think I should get my body used to week one of C25K (1min run, 1.5min walk) so I can do HIIT via that workout?

Part 3: Resistance training
I have never used dumbbells before. Well, not properly anyway. I don't know where to start and nothing I read makes sense. I've spent the last few years reading about diet, cardio and pilates/yoga. Never did I think I would even pick up dumbbells so I neglected reading about resistance training!

4. Where do I begin?
The only resistance training I've done in the past are push ups and squats.
I don't want to become supermodel-lean so if the strength training can sort of consolidate the fat loss, then that would be more than I could ask for.

These are the only questions I can currently think of. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
PS. Any additional info would also be much appreciated!

[Becca]

Firstly, I'd be happier if you were consuming more calories. 1000-1200 is on the low side, Make them good calories like lean protein and leafy green veg rather than the refined carbs you described and you shouldn't have any problems with overeating. What exactly are you eating in your feeding window? Can you give a sample day.

I've never tried IF, but I've read a bit about it and it seems to work for people who already have similar eating patterns. I like to spread my meals out a bit more since I start a busy job early in the morning so I need the energy, but if it matches your lifestyle then I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

HIIT - Couch 2 5k isn't HIIT, sorry! It's low intensity. If it was HIIT, you'd be getting your heart rate very high for a short amount of time (20-30s) then resting for a short amount of time. You could think about incorporating more intense exercise into your regime like some 100m sprints or sprints on a stationary bike/rower. Also look into other forms of exercise like swimming, outdoor cycling, joining some type of sports team etc. Anything that gets your heart rate up that will help you burn calories.

Resistance training - this will help the fat loss (a lot more than the couch 2 5k!) but NOT with a pair of 3lb dumbells. You need to do compound movements (more easily achievable with a barbell) that are a challenging weight for your ability. 3lbs is probably less than your handbag - a newborn baby generally weighs 6-8lbs, you regularly lift more than that just going to the supermarket, so it's not going to challenge you and you won't see any changes.
If you aren't a member of a gym with a barbell/don't want to join then bodyweight exercises like pushups and pullups and burpees are good. Check out http://www.rosstraining.com/ and http://gubernatrix.co.uk/ for bodyweight training ideas.
If you are interested in lifting heavier (the benefits of this for females have been widely discussed!) then have a read of the Barbelles Society in my sig, or the thread "Girls - think lifting makes you bulky?" also linked in my sig. There are lifting routines detailed there. You've already displayed an interest in reading around to find out what works, so I am confident that you'll read those threads and make a decision that is right for you.

[HFerguson]

can't really add more to what Becca says ^ nail on head.

I can say though that I do or have done IF, and enjoyed it immensely. Not sure how successful it is, because when I was really strict with it, I was only eating maintenance calories; my lifts all went up, but slower than they should've done, and my bodyfat maybe dropped 1 or 2%. Maybe I was dehydrated after fasting, but I definitely felt like I looked leaner after a long fast. Could be total placebo effect though, subjective. As far as I'm aware, I believe there are some scientific journal articles relating to intermittent fasting's benefits and advantages, I'll see if I can't dig some up.

One thing I can tell you for sure though is that IF is fantastic for satiety and not feeling hungry - fasting for 20 hours without any issue, then being able to gorge on large meals is also very beneficial psychologically because you actually satiate your hunger, rather than eating little nibbles and never feeling quite full. Means you're less likely to cheat. Plus, eating over maintenance calories in an 8 hour window is ****ing difficult - you have to basically sit down and eat continuously, and even then you feel absurdly full and bloated.

[chokeme]

(Original post by Becca)
Firstly, I'd be happier if you were consuming more calories. 1000-1200 is on the low side, Make them good calories like lean protein and leafy green veg rather than the refined carbs you described and you shouldn't have any problems with overeating. What exactly are you eating in your feeding window? Can you give a sample day.

I've never tried IF, but I've read a bit about it and it seems to work for people who already have similar eating patterns. I like to spread my meals out a bit more since I start a busy job early in the morning so I need the energy, but if it matches your lifestyle then I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

HIIT - Couch 2 5k isn't HIIT, sorry! It's low intensity. If it was HIIT, you'd be getting your heart rate very high for a short amount of time (20-30s) then resting for a short amount of time. You could think about incorporating more intense exercise into your regime like some 100m sprints or sprints on a stationary bike/rower. Also look into other forms of exercise like swimming, outdoor cycling, joining some type of sports team etc. Anything that gets your heart rate up that will help you burn calories.

Resistance training - this will help the fat loss (a lot more than the couch 2 5k!) but NOT with a pair of 3lb dumbells. You need to do compound movements (more easily achievable with a barbell) that are a challenging weight for your ability. 3lbs is probably less than your handbag - a newborn baby generally weighs 6-8lbs, you regularly lift more than that just going to the supermarket, so it's not going to challenge you and you won't see any changes.
If you aren't a member of a gym with a barbell/don't want to join then bodyweight exercises like pushups and pullups and burpees are good. Check out http://www.rosstraining.com/ and http://gubernatrix.co.uk/ for bodyweight training ideas.
If you are interested in lifting heavier (the benefits of this for females have been widely discussed!) then have a read of the Barbelles Society in my sig, or the thread "Girls - think lifting makes you bulky?" also linked in my sig. There are lifting routines detailed there. You've already displayed an interest in reading around to find out what works, so I am confident that you'll read those threads and make a decision that is right for you.

Yeah, I agree, but my RMR is approx. 1400 so I aim for 1000 but it's not unusual for me to exceed this.
I aim for two/three meals a day - fiber, protein, protein or fiber, protein. The fiber meal is almost always oats and protein is of course fish or chicken or something of the sort; it varies everyday or every other day. I prefer splitting the food groups because it's a lot more simple. I also prefer not planning intricate meal plans because I come from a family of big, spontaneous eaters (who have metabolisms that work faster than Speedy Gonzales runs and sadly I was not been blessed with this) so it's almost impossible to constantly eat clean and according to a plan.
Days like today are quite common: I planned for my first meal to be wholegrain pitta bread and hummus but as soon as I walked into my kitchen my mum wanted me to finish leftover Indian (rice/curry), so that was my first fibrous meal ruined. I've just finished my second (and last) meal which was the pitta bread and hummus. I had a loooot of hummus.

Yeah, no doubt that it suits mine - I have a pretty flexible lifestyle (college only takes up four hours of my day) so most of the time I have nothing to do and this stops me from thinking of food all the time and it definitely stops me from snacking! Strangely, I find I have a lot more energy and am able to concentrate better with IF, but each to their own I guess.

My way of doing C25K isn't really the traditional low intensity way because I do vary the speed when I run, and most of the time it is high intensity.

Thanks, I'll check them out. (=
My goal is actually to be skinnyfat, and I'm only 10-15lb away from this, so resistance training isn't absolutely necessary for me. It's just that a friend of mine was giving a pair of 3lb dumbbells away and I figured I may as well take them because I was looking into buying a pair a while ago. They're just sitting at the top of my wardrobe now.

(Original post by HFerguson)
can't really add more to what Becca says ^ nail on head.

I can say though that I do or have done IF, and enjoyed it immensely. Not sure how successful it is, because when I was really strict with it, I was only eating maintenance calories; my lifts all went up, but slower than they should've done, and my bodyfat maybe dropped 1 or 2%. Maybe I was dehydrated after fasting, but I definitely felt like I looked leaner after a long fast. Could be total placebo effect though, subjective. As far as I'm aware, I believe there are some scientific journal articles relating to intermittent fasting's benefits and advantages, I'll see if I can't dig some up.

One thing I can tell you for sure though is that IF is fantastic for satiety and not feeling hungry - fasting for 20 hours without any issue, then being able to gorge on large meals is also very beneficial psychologically because you actually satiate your hunger, rather than eating little nibbles and never feeling quite full. Means you're less likely to cheat. Plus, eating over maintenance calories in an 8 hour window is ****ing difficult - you have to basically sit down and eat continuously, and even then you feel absurdly full and bloated.

How long did it take for you to achieve the results? And what are your maintenance
calories?
I've come across many articles and a few studies which support IF. My favourite article is this because he's so adamant that it's a horrible approach when it comes to gains but he's blind to the fact that it could benefit those that want to cut without gaining!

Haha, very true. I find it almost impossible to consume over 1000 calories in the 8 hour window, God knows what I'd do if I was going for more!

[ch0c0h01ic]

(Original post by chokeme)
I recently came across intermittent fasting which many, if not, all people who have done it reported it to be more effective than calorie counting/restricting. I've been doing it for a few days and I'm a lot happier with this method because it suits my dietary habits better than the "eat 4/5 small meals a day" bs.

...

Part 1: IF
My previous diet consisted of a low amount of calories which I divided over four meals. First two meals of the day were oats and last two meals were protein. As I got comfortable with this, I became more and more relaxed and started consuming another 500-700 calories in refined carbs and sugars. I ended up gaining a dress size, specifically 2” on my hips and waist. (My measurements went from X-30-36 to X-32-38)

With IF, my window is 8 hours (4pm-11pm/12am) so I'm fasting for the rest of the time. In the 16 hour fast, I drink 1-2l of water and I occasionally have black coffee. I'm also consuming 1000-1200 calories during the 8 hours, most of which is fiber and protein.

1. Am I doing anything wrong here?
I often read that a lot of people don't count calories whilst doing IF, but I feel more comfortable counting.
2. Have you guys tried it?
I'd love to hear your responses/results!

Every successful fat loss diet gets you to eat less whether you are consciously aware of it or not. Intermittent fasting is no different, rather than getting you to eat smaller meals throughout the day it asks you to eat fewer meals overall.

Is IF significantly better than a conventional calorie controlled diet? Probably not no. If you compared a sensible 1500 calorie controlled diet to a 1500 calorie IF diet the results would be much the same. If it suits your lifestyle best great, otherwise stick with a sensible calorie controlled diet.

I would also second Becca in saying that you shouldn't be eating less than 1500 calories per day. The RDA for your average woman is 2000 calories however bear in mind that your "average" woman is fairly inactive. If your RMR is as low as 1400 calories your problem isn't that you eat too much but that you are VERY inactive.

Part 2: HIIT
When I say "HIIT", I actually mean week 1 of C25K.
I managed to get to week 3 of C25K in March/April but on one of the workouts I stupidly went overboard and extended the 20min workout into 90min and had a calf/hamstring pain since. I recently recovered, but I've had to go back to week 1 because I've become so unfit!

I do the workout every other day, and definitely don't plan on doing it for more than 20min (25-30 at most if I'm that far from home.)

3. Should I stick to C25K and run/jog at a mild pace or do you think I should get my body used to week one of C25K (1min run, 1.5min walk) so I can do HIIT via that workout?

Start off gradually. Hammering your body with 90 minutes of intervals when you're a complete beginner is a recipe for injury or burnout. C25K was developed by far more knowledgeable and experienced people than yourself, the more you B@stardise it the less likely it is to "work".

C25K is not HIIT and as a beginner you also should not be doing HIIT either.

AS AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM walk for 30-60 minutes at a brisk pace twice a day. It's free, it's easy, it will help you recover between running workouts and it will help increase calorie expenditure.

...Also, someone recently gave me a pair of 3lb dumbbells which I don’t know what to do with!

...

Part 3: Resistance training
I have never used dumbbells before. Well, not properly anyway. I don't know where to start and nothing I read makes sense. I've spent the last few years reading about diet, cardio and pilates/yoga. Never did I think I would even pick up dumbbells so I neglected reading about resistance training!

4. Where do I begin?
The only resistance training I've done in the past are push ups and squats.
I don't want to become supermodel-lean so if the strength training can sort of consolidate the fat loss, then that would be more than I could ask for.

3lb dumbbells will do little (if anything) for you - if they are all you have don't even waste your time using them.

Focus on pushups, pullups, lunges, squats, burpees, jump squats, jumping lunges, skipping, etc. If standard pushups are too easy use a harder variation like raising your legs or plyometric pushups (the same goes for other exercises).

At the most basic level you could alternate upper and lower body exercises in a circuit like fashion (eg; chinups, lunges, pushups, jumping squats) 2-3x a week. If you're out of shape do fewer rounds (ie; start off with 3-4, work up to 6-8) and increase the rest period between exercises (ie; start off with 60-90 seconds, work up to 0-30 seconds). Aim for 30-60 seconds of "work" or 8-12 reps per set, if you're getting more switch to a harder variation (and vice versa).

I'm currently in the process of developing the three parts of this new lifestyle and I need help from anyone who can give it!

Bear in mind that the more you change at once the less likely you are to maintain it. You would be better off focusing on eating better over the course of a couple of weeks and THEN focusing on exercising more (while maintaining a better diet).

I aim for two/three meals a day - fiber, protein, protein or fiber, protein. The fiber meal is almost always oats and protein is of course fish or chicken or something of the sort; it varies everyday or every other day. I prefer splitting the food groups because it's a lot more simple. I also prefer not planning intricate meal plans because I come from a family of big, spontaneous eaters (who have metabolisms that work faster than Speedy Gonzales runs and sadly I was not been blessed with this) so it's almost impossible to constantly eat clean and according to a plan.
Days like today are quite common: I planned for my first meal to be wholegrain pitta bread and hummus but as soon as I walked into my kitchen my mum wanted me to finish leftover Indian (rice/curry), so that was my first fibrous meal ruined. I've just finished my second (and last) meal which was the pitta bread and hummus. I had a loooot of hummus.

I'm sorry but your diet is much to be desired. Oats on their own are not really a "meal", likewise hummus is not a particularly good meal either (especially with regards to weight loss) because it is highly calorific. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from boiling/steaming/microwaving some microwaves at the same time as you prepare your fish or chicken - much more balanced, much healthier and much better for weight loss.

[Lantana]

(Original post by chokeme)
A bit of background: I've spent the last six years wanting to lose fat, and the last 16 months doing something about it. In the last 16 months I have gone down from a size 16 to a 10/12 (UK sizes) through a calorie deficit and HIIT. I’m 5’3.Well done

I recently came across intermittent fasting which many, if not, all people who have done it reported it to be more effective than calorie counting/restricting. I've been doing it for a few days and I'm a lot happier with this method because it suits my dietary habits better than the "eat 4/5 small meals a day" bs. That's why I like it too.

Part 1: IF
My previous diet consisted of a low amountHow low is low? of calories which I divided over four meals. First two meals of the day were oats and last two meals were protein. As I got comfortable with this, I became more and more relaxed and started consuming another 500-700 calories in refined carbs and sugars. I ended up gaining a dress size, specifically 2” on my hips and waist. (My measurements went from X-30-36 to X-32-38)

With IF, my window is 8 hours (4pm-11pm/12am) so I'm fasting for the rest of the time. In the 16 hour fast, I drink 1-2l of water and I occasionally have black coffee. I'm also consuming 1000-1200 calories during the 8 hours, most of which is fiber and protein.The minimum you should be eating is 1200.

1. Am I doing anything wrong here?
I often read that a lot of people don't count calories whilst doing IF, but I feel more comfortable counting.I like to have an idea of how much I'm consuming, just so that I know I'm not overeating to compensate. But I used to log everything I ate when I was actually calorie counting
2. Have you guys tried it?
I'd love to hear your responses/results! I've a whole thread on my results!

Part 2: HIIT


3. Should I stick to C25K and run/jog at a mild pace or do you think I should get my body used to week one of C25K (1min run, 1.5min walk) so I can do HIIT via that workout? IMO, I would stick with how the programme is prescribed. You can mix it up once you've got a decent level of fitness

PS. Any additional info would also be much appreciated!

Start with one change at a time. It's much more likely that you'll stick with it. It doesn't mean you can't plan into doing other things, but you just are able to integrate the changes better and are more resillient when you want to add more to the mix.

[Tango189]

(Original post by ch0c0h01ic)
There is absolutely nothing stopping you from boiling/steaming/microwaving some microwaves at the same time as you prepare your fish or chicken - much more balanced, much healthier and much better for weight loss.

Maybe there is Welcome back.

As for IF, it takes a while to settle into and only indicates that meal frequency is not important at all. For resistance training, look up a routine for a beginner if you want some structure.

[HFerguson]

(Original post by chokeme)

How long did it take for you to achieve the results? And what are your maintenance
calories?
I've come across many articles and a few studies which support IF. My favourite article is this because he's so adamant that it's a horrible approach when it comes to gains but he's blind to the fact that it could benefit those that want to cut without gaining!

Haha, very true. I find it almost impossible to consume over 1000 calories in the 8 hour window, God knows what I'd do if I was going for more!

I didn't achieve great results with it, but I was eating at maintenance calories, so I didn't really expect my weight to go anywhere. My maintenance calories is probably around 2700 on lifting days. I just felt that after a 20 hour fast, that I would look leaner, probably placebo effect or dehydration, but after a couple of days of long fasts, I definitely felt like I looked better.

I've consumed 3000kcal in 3 hours before on IF. The whole point of it is that your stomach stretches out to be able to accomodate monster meals. The stomach stretch also releases large amounts of cholecystokinin or CCK, which is a hormone involved in regulating hunger and satiety.