[graaja]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Although I am not really sure if I've hit plateau, but my weight has been hovering around 75.1 - 75.3 kg in the last 3-4 days. Since I've started weight training from last week, not sure if it's because of that. Or maybe actual plateau. Any advice on that?

Once you introduce weight training, I would not use just weight as a measurement of progress. Weight training will result in increase in lean mass which will result in increase in weight while fat loss will result in decrease.

So, more than relying on weight as a measure of progress, look for other factors like definition in muscles, reduction in measurements in waist, size of skin fold etc.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by graaja

So, more than relying on weight as a measure of progress, look for other factors like definition in muscles, reduction in measurements in waist, size of skin fold etc.

Agreed. But I guess, we should start looking into this once we come close to the optimum weight (now what is that is a question no doubt!) for our height and then look at the aspect you mention?

Because today most folks are way-off their optimum weight as defined broadly based on BMI and that's what they want to fix in the first place.

Is that a fair assertion to make?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ampere

Agreed. But I guess, we should start looking into this once we come close to the optimum weight (now what is that is a question no doubt!) for our height and then look at the aspect you mention?

Because today most folks are way-off their optimum weight as defined broadly based on BMI and that's what they want to fix in the first place.

Is that a fair assertion to make?

Absolutely. That is a fair point. For people who are way over the normal weight range, weight is still a key metric to track. At the same time they need not be worried if the weight remains stagnant for a few days when they have also started other activities like weight training that may balance fat loss on the weighing scale. Eventually, the fat loss will start dominating the scale again.

If for some reason, the stagnation continues for a couple of weeks, then something else may have to be done like reducing the carbs further, or extending fasting period etc.

[StarrySky]

I have just started experimenting with IF from the last Friday. I try to have dinner by 8pm. Sometimes it does get late and I may have my dinner past 9 or even 9:30. In any case, I make sure that the next meal is taken only after 16h minimum. So, lunch could be at noon or a closer to 2pm if dinner was late.

I usually run 5 days a week - minimum about 40-45 minutes. I run in the morning starting around 6:30am, so I have a good 5-6 hours of fasting after exercise. I am used to running before breakfast or about 8-10 hours after the last meal, even up to about 90-100 minutes or so. Last weekend, I tried running 80 minutes and after I finished I still had about 2.5h to go before the next meal. I felt fine with that - although I did have a pretty heavy lunch and slept like a log for 3h after that

I have cut down snacks (all sorts of good stuff we brought from home when we returned from vacation), but I have not adopted LCHF.

I am now at 83kg and I plan to reduce 7-8kg. The ideal weight (as per BMI) for my height is under 70kg. But, I can't remember a time even when I was really thin, when I weighed under 70kg. So I'll be happy to get to 75kg.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Wake up call for a sedentary IT guy! Requesting advice on lifestyle change

Physical stats:
Height - 5.7"
Weight - ~80 kg
Waist - ~38"

Update: 1 month

Marking completion of 1 month of IF & LCHF. Weight is down from 80.15 kg to 73.70 kg. Waist is down from 38" to 34".

Huge thanks to this thread and all the members for there valuable advice. Special thanks to Ganesh sir for his quick responses and encouragement!

Feeling extremely fit and naturally energetic with this lifestyle. I am not exercising much, but I feel restless now a days if I don't exercise, so everyday I am getting that internal urge to exercise. That's a huge change for someone like me who never likes to exercise!

Fortunately, I never suffered from uncontrollable hunger pangs during fasting period (8pm to next day 12pm).

The biggest change has been with my sweet tooth. I love (loved?) sweets! Mithai, ice-cream, chocolates, cakes, pastries, kheer, soft drinks, cookies! My tea/coffee used to have 2 teaspoons of sugar. Now after reading all the literature on the evils of sugar and hearing Gary Taubes, Tim Noakes, Aseem Malhotra, Jason Fung and Andreas Eenfeldt, I am now horrified and positively repelled by sugar and refined carbs. And its not just psychological. Few days back, I ate a oats/multigrains cookie, which my former self would've dismissed as barely sweet. To my surprise, I couldn't stand that sweetness and it felt too sweet to me!

The only challenge I have faced till now is when visiting family and relatives. My mother is health conscious and unlike most mothers, she always pushes me to lose weight and never force feeds me when I visit home. But even she had a hard time wrapping her head around the IF LCHF concept. Even though she was happy with my weight loss, she's concerned about the methods and long term health effects. I plan to have blood tests done in the next 2-3 days and will show it to her on my next visit. My in-laws on the other hand were positively horrified with my not eating rice/roti. These are however close family that I can handle.

Bigger threats are relatives and acquaintances who always serve sweet tea/coffee, soft drinks, fruit juice, sweets and junk food like samosa/vada when I visit. And their meals would include pushing the guests to eat more rice/roti to showcase their host-man-ship.
Thankfully I haven't visited such relatives in the last one month, but I have decided to lie to them that I am prediabetic and under strict orders from my doctor if they push me to eat those sugar, carbs and junk!

Well, now its time for significant wardrobe change as most of my pants are sliding down the waist. I recovered 4 T-shirts and 3 jeans that were almost new but couldn't wear due to increasing girth. So happy to fit back into them!

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Now my wife is not exactly a paragon of fitness, being in the same IT job with sedentary lifestyle. But she's not exactly convinced with what I told her about IF and LCHF. So now my goal is to lose weight for myself plus to convince her as well and lead by example.

This mission also got accomplished! My wife is now a believer and now trying to lose weight and get fit as well. She has slowly started following me with the diet and exercise, although I have told her that what worked well for me may not work for her. Its not a one-size-fits-all type thing. But atleast I was able to push her out of her inertia of rest and lethargy.

Still lot of work to be done. My goal is a weight of 65 kg and 32" waist. Sharing today's weight and the before-after photograph.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Still lot of work to be done. My goal is a weight of 65 kg and 32" waist. Sharing today's weight and the before-after photograph.

Great going! Keep it up.

I would say do the Lipid profile test a couple of months later to really get a better picture of how IF is working out for you. One month is too early for tests I feel.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Still lot of work to be done. My goal is a weight of 65 kg and 32" waist. Sharing today's weight and the before-after photograph.

Congrats!

But please note it wont be a linear ride down to 65. You would plateau out at about 72/71 as per my guess. Beyond that every KG you will need to REALLY work upon!
Also dont over work for 65. First make sure you lifestyle with the current changes is stabilized. You will see some things will work and some wont. Some cheat days may get added and hence weight would do a slight upswing too. But once you have settled to your current lifestyle, then plan to add next level of changes. Some work outs, diets or other changes.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Great going! Keep it up.

Thanks!

I would say do the Lipid profile test a couple of months later to really get a better picture of how IF is working out for you. One month is too early for tests I feel.

Ok. That makes sense. I am planning to have blood glucose (fasting & PP), Lipid profile and tests for fatty liver to have a thorough check up. I usually do tests at Dr. Lal Pathlabs. This is the package I am planning to get done.

https://www.lalpathlabs.com/patholog...-basic-package

Originally Posted by ampere

Congrats!

But please note it wont be a linear ride down to 65. You would plateau out at about 72/71 as per my guess. Beyond that every KG you will need to REALLY work upon!
Also dont over work for 65. First make sure you lifestyle with the current changes is stabilized. You will see some things will work and some wont. Some cheat days may get added and hence weight would do a sligh upswing too. But once you have settled to your current lifestyle, then plan to add next level of changes. Some work outs, diets or other changes.

Thanks! Yes, 65 would be pushing it too much. As per BMI, my ideal weight should be ~67 kg, although BMI doesn't take into account muscle mass or body fat content. I plan to incorporate some weight training going forward, mostly compound exercises or body weight exercises that would increase the muscle mass. Accounting for cheat days as well, I would be happy to maintain something in the range of 68-70kg and 32" waist in the long term.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Update: 1 month

Marking completion of 1 month of IF & LCHF. Weight is down from 80.15 kg to 73.70 kg. Waist is down from 38" to 34".

Those are amazing numbers for a month's time. Apart from no sugar, what did your typical diet constitute?

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by Miyata

Those are amazing numbers for a month's time. Apart from no sugar, what did your typical diet constitute?

No sugar, rice, maida. No junk/processed/fast food like samosa, vada, chowmein, rolls, pakodas, burgers, pizzas etc.

In the beginning of the month, I substituted rice with roti, so started with 1 roti for lunch and 1 for dinner. Now its like 1-2 rotis a week.

Lots of vegetables, paneer, eggs, fish and chicken. For lunch its usually paneer or chicken with some vegetables. Most of the times I cook chicken and vegetables together like a one-pot-meal which saves me the time and hassle. Dinner is mostly eggs or fish and vegetables. Sometimes I have green peas, chickpeas or kidney beans to break the routine, although these are not strictly low carb food. Lunch and dinner are cooked in ghee or butter. For evening snacks I eat a mix of nuts, seeds and berries. Black coffee/warm lemon water in the morning.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Thanks to you sir, for pushing me in the right direction and being a constant source of guidance on this thread!

Although I am not really sure if I've hit plateau, but my weight has been hovering around 75.1 - 75.3 kg in the last 3-4 days. Since I've started weight training from last week, not sure if it's because of that. Or maybe actual plateau. Any advice on that?

You could get some water weight when you just start weight training. This is because the stress induced in the body and muscles by weight training leads to water retention (needed as body needs these fluids to deal with the inflamation caused by the wear to muscles.)

This is the reason why despite losing some fat you tend to keep the same weight. As the weight training intensifies and you begin building more muscles you may actually see a gain in weight as muscle is actually heavier than Fat. Therefore if you are also weight training then it would be a good idea to start measuring the Fat % as well to get a good idea of your progress.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Update: 1 month
Marking completion of 1 month of IF & LCHF. Weight is down from 80.15 kg to 73.70 kg. Waist is down from 38" to 34".

Fantastic progress Hats off to you for changing to a healthy lifestyle.

Like ampere mentioned, once you shed the initial kilos, as you reach your target weight, the progress will be much slower, and you may hit some plateaus. Whenever you hit plateaus, add some variation like a few days of 20:4 fasting, or going back to normal eating window for a few days and resuming with IF etc. When you vary your routine, the body will not be able to settle into a plateau. Also, once you start weight training, do not keep weight as the only goal. Sometimes your weight may increase due to fat being replaced by lean muscles. If your body measurements (hip, waist etc) are progressing in the right direction, don't worry about weight.

Also, never let your guard down when it comes to diet. Even if you are adding cheat meals, monitor them strictly and do not let the frequency to go up. You will have to be very careful with your routine for at least a year by when this lifestyle will become a habit. Once this becomes a habit, then the chances of falling back becomes very low.

Please continue with this fitness journey and inspire others (like you inspired your wife)!

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Hi All,

Been following this thread for the past two weeks and it has been super motivating to focus on my fitness journey. Thank You guys very much!

Height - 172 cm
Age - Turning 25 this Nov

Was around 110 kg on 1 Jan, 2019. Started cycling the same day, and reached around 93.5 kg in May end. This was without much focus on diet. Just avoiding processed foods was enough.

........


Now I have started IF from 12th Sep. 5 pm to 9 am. Starting weight 98.5 kg

..........

Target weight is 68 Kg. Hoping to see that number on the scales soon!

Trooper

One Month Update


12th Sep 2019 - 98.5 Kg
12th Oct 2019 - 92.3 Kg

IF time - 6pm - 10am

Diet

Peanut butter with oats, Dry fruits, Fruits, Salads, Moog dal & Millet Khichdi

Was consuming rice with dal, but have stopped rice in the past one week. Have completely eliminated wheat, but I ate sandwiches 3-4 days in all in the past one month. Next to Zero processed sugar consumed

Usually start by eating any sabzi made in the morning around 10.30 am

Then dal-millet khichdi for lunch and tea in the evening around 5.30 pm.

Dry fruits & fruits are consumed in between these periods.

Exercise

Not much. Just walking up to thrice a week. Not much of cycling. Will start in the next week. Dedicated this month more towards adapting to IF.

The next month should see a whole lot of cardio.


Another 24 Kg to go !

[graaja]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

One Month Update


12th Sep 2019 - 98.5 Kg
12th Oct 2019 - 92.3 Kg

IF time - 6pm - 10am

Good progress. Keep going

Once you get used to 16:8 IF say for another 4 weeks, you can also consider adding some variations like a couple of days of 20:4 in a week. That will keep any plateaus in check and result in steady progress.

All the best in reaching your goals

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by graaja

Good progress. Keep going

Once you get used to 16:8 IF say for another 4 weeks, you can also consider adding some variations like a couple of days of 20:4 in a week. That will keep any plateaus in check and result in steady progress.

All the best in reaching your goals

Thank You very much

Have already done a couple of 18:6 hours. Hoping to do the 20:4 soon too.

The real challenge would be to go the extra 6-8 hrs post cycling/walking.