[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by 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.

I usually run 5 days a week - minimum about 40-45 minutes.

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.

I started experimenting with IF about 2 months back, and things have not exactly gone to plan. I have lost weight, just under 2.5kg in 2 months. I had hoped to be well under 80kg in 2 months' time.

Some of it could be due to less physical activity than I had planned. Due to the weather, I haven't been able to run regularly. So 5 days a week has gone down to 4 at best, sometimes even just 1.

One thing I had decided is that while it's ok to be hungry at the end of the fasting period, I will not be in a situation where I feel hungry a 2-3 hours before the fasting period ends. Even so, maybe I can take another look at the portion sizes and see if they are appropriate.

Losing 2-3kg in two months is something I have achieved in the past with the same template as now (reduced calorie intake + cut snacks + running), but without IF. So, I am also wondering if I should ditch IF and just stick to what has worked in the past.

Although I do still have some amount of belly fat, I wasn't really what people would refer to as "fat guy" when I started IF. So I would also like to think that what I got rid of is really stubborn fat

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

So, I am also wondering if I should ditch IF and just stick to what has worked in the past.

2 kg of muscle+fat lost is not the same as 2 kg fat lost.
Moreover, IF helps in restricting calories without much of planning and effort.

You need to assess whether your IF was a proper fast during fasting period. A coffee or tea with milk or even a chewing gum with sugar will break the fast and trigger insulin.

And another point of concern is the amount of calories you inject during feeding window. It is possible to be in a calorific excess even while doing OMAD. Try tracking calories and limit intake so that you maintain a 500-1000 calorie deficit.

The weight you lose by IF will be more % of fat.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

You need to assess whether your IF was a proper fast during fasting period. A coffee or tea with milk or even a chewing gum with sugar will break the fast and trigger insulin.

I don't have anything during the fasting hours other than a large cup of black coffee (without sugar) around breakfast time. Except a couple, all of my running has been in the fasting period, even a couple of 2hr runs where I didn't take anything other than water.

During weekdays, I finish my runs by 7am, so I have at least 5 hours to go before the next meal. During weekends, I time the runs so that I will get to the end of the fasting period by the time I finish the run.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

And another point of concern is the amount of calories you inject during feeding window. It is possible to be in a calorific excess even while doing OMAD. Try tracking calories and limit intake so that you maintain a 500-1000 calorie deficit.

Yes, I plan to track calories for the next couple of weeks. I didn't really create a plan for calorie intake deficit, I had planned to create a calorie deficit through exercise - my running watch/app estimates about 6-700 calories spend during my 4 weekday runs and 1200+ on the weekend run. So, the lack of running has hurt. I did try to compensate by lowering the intake on days when I could not run, but I didn't count the calories.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I am healthier than I have ever been in my life; physical well being has translated into mental calmness too. The only regret being that I should have started this transformational journey a couple of years earlier.

I started tracking my weight and activities on 23/03/2019.

Today is the 250th day of successfully completing my daily target of ten thousand steps.



These are, almost always, brisk walk-medium paced jog steps and not just normal, routine walk steps. These days, the target is reached by 7.00 AM; the rest of the day, evening walks and table tennis are all added bonuses. Today, for instance, my step count is 25k plus (the Mi band isn't 100% accurate but you get the point here).



Slowly but surely, I am finding my groove.

In some other good news, my better half and her friend have earnestly taken up morning walks and jogs. My wife is also on IF and we are seeing gradual weight loss.

More interestingly, after I started jogging, many walkers - men, women and children - too are following suit (my nine year old kid being one of them). Most are just focussed on the number of laps in the stadium while a few are working real hard and are getting fitter and leaner.

I am glad I could wake up the slumbering fitness freakiness in at least a few people. Having said that, I am also now compelled to maintain my weight and reputation in the field: one more reason to rise up early and shine .

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

one more reason to rise up early and shine .

That's amazing! Keep inspiring everyone

[HydroFuel]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

There is no ideal diet plan that fits all.

And please don't get a plan from someone else. An ideal plan is very personal plan IMO. Review your own usual diet and write it down. Look at the major contributors of sugar - sweets and carbs. Try to reduce them.

This is very good advice. Also please read book " Do not lose your mind, Lose Your Weight " by Rujuta Divekar, a celebrity dietician. (She is dietician of Karina Kapoor who enjoys parathas also). She promotes traditional food habits i.e. what our grand parents used to eat. The problem is changes in lifestyle and way of cooking.
Please stay away from Crash Dieting. Some kind of workout is essential (otherwise also it is essential and indispensable).

[graaja]

Originally Posted by graaja

I have been doing strict Keto (less than 40g carbs) the past 4 weeks with 2 to 3 days of strength training and 2 days of Yoga. Weight reduced from 80kg to 74kg. Remained in Keto even during Diwali. Planning to reach a target weight of 70kg.

Completed 9 weeks of Keto. And the weight today.


As there is still a generous layer of fat in the mid-section, I have decided to reduce the goal from 70 to 68kg. However, I am not very much concerned about weight anymore. I am just monitoring the waist. The waist was about 34.5" before starting strict keto, and today it stands at 32", and there is still scope to cut an inch and a half. I am also continuing with my strength training to build lean muscles. So, it is quite possible that I may gain weight as the waist size reduces further.

I also continue to do 16:8 IF with occasional 24 hour fasting. In the first few weeks of keto, it used to be difficult to workout. But now, I am able to do my workouts without feeling tired.

Recently, bought a ketone meter from the US. Got this mainly to experiment on the ketone levels in the body and how it responds to various events like fasting, cheat meals etc.

A couple of weeks back, when I checked the ketones about 14 hours into fasting window, it was 0.6. From 0.5 to 1.0 is the beginning of nutritional ketosis.

Last Sunday, I had my first cheat meal in 8 weeks. Was attending a marriage function of a very close friend and had to drop my keto plan. Had every carb under the world - rice, rotis, sweets, ice cream and meetha paan. As expected, the very next day, ketones dropped to 0.4. And on Friday, it was still at 0.4.

Today, did a 24 hour fasting. Measured the ketones and blood glucose and back in Ketosis. Ketones at 1.4 (1.0 to 3.0 is the optimum level for weight loss) and blood glucose at 75mg/dl.





Moral of this experiment: It takes 6 to 7 days (for me) to get back into ketosis after a cheat meal.

PS:
I don't plan to be in Ketosis for life. Ketosis is a good tool to aid weight loss when you have hit a plateau with milder methods like moderate carb, IF etc. Once I reach my goal, will hold to keto for a couple more months, and then will switch to moderate carbs with 100 to 150g carbs a day.

Got a couple of 32" trousers today. Fitting into a 32" trouser after almost 22 years

[vikash49]

Last evening, met a friend after a gap of 2months and was pleasantly surprised!

He's 41yo, 5'6" and used to be in the upper eighties and has now lost 8+ kilos in 45days.

He's been going to the gym daily with 15mins of stretching followed by another 15mins of cardio and then an hour of weight training.

He's also following a diet given by his trainer. But, when I had a look at his diet chart, it got me concerned.



Isn't this too few calories? Almost zero carbs?

Can this harm him in the long run?

[Sheel]

The best question I am asked is, how did you become fit.

I too ask a question - How do you think one becomes unfit?

And believe me, 90% of them blankly stare at you. It isn't rocket science to know why you gained weight, doing the opposite shall help you to reduce it.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Sheel

The best question I am asked is, how did you become fit.

I too ask a question - How do you think one becomes unfit?

And believe me, 90% of them blankly stare at you. It isn't rocket science to know why you gained weight, doing the opposite shall help you to reduce it.

Absolutely!

How did I become unfit?

By consuming excess calories, most of which were simple carbs and sweets, on a consistent basis for years together. Mind you, I have always been physically active, putting in 6 hours of strength training every week. But I still became unfit because my diet was bad.

And as you rightly said, what's the opposite of it :

Consistently being in a calorie deficit, eating clean and still training hard at the gym.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vikash49

He's also following a diet given by his trainer. But, when I had a look at his diet chart, it got me concerned.

Isn't this too few calories? Almost zero carbs?

Can this harm him in the long run?

This is the typical diet most of the professional trainers are taught to prescribe, many small meals throughout the day, low in fat, high in protein, low in carbs. And it is not zero carbs. There is enough carb in food like honey, oats, apple, pomegrenate and milk tea.

This will work in the short term. But there are a few problems in the long term. When one stops their gym activities and goes back to normal eating, the lost weight will come back with a vengeance and some more. Even if they continue their present workout load, when one gets older and develops insulin resistance, this will not work. They will stay hungry throughout the day with craving for food. This would lead to excess eating which in turn will lead to weight gain. So, in short, this is not good in the long term to maintain a healthy weight.

EDIT: Adding a video from Dr.Berg about having multiple meals throughout the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCztEs0Hj4w

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Consistently being in a calorie deficit, eating clean and still training hard at the gym.

Very well said. Add fasting to this mix, you got the formula for longevity

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I too ask a question - How do you think one becomes unfit?

Knowledge is very important. Until I read this thread, I had absolutely no clue of why I got heavy. 50% of my weight gain was all down to sugar. Used to have 2 - 3 strong cups of tea a day (each loaded with 3 - 4 spoons of sugar). Had absolutely no clue as I was brainwashed by the sugar industry and actually started avoiding healthy fats like cheese!

Revenge is awesome . I now have sugar once a month, if at all. And am always happy to see the bad press around the sugar industry. It's the new cigarette of our times!

[rdst_1]

I am 5'7" and weighed 115kgs last I checked a few weeks ago. A decade ago I was 85 and even then I thought I was fat. So 115 is definitely in the morbidly obese territory.

I have lived a very sedentary lifestyle after the first 2 years of college, which usually includes nearly 15hrs of lying in my bed. Since most of my work was done on a laptop at home, it was easy not getting out of bed. Also there was a time in my life where I used to have a whole Pizza as breakfast for days on end. Of course, it had to be Cheese Burst as well.

I have lost weight and gained weight at least 5-6 times. Sometimes it was by gymming, one time it was by swimming, another time by following keto and just going for walks. Everytime the weight came back and more.

For sometime now, I had been having only 2 meals a day. It had nothing to do with IF or anything else. These meals were usually spaced 12hrs apart and they used to be huge meals. 2 weeks ago, I again decided that I have to lose weight but I don't want to do anything quickly. I want to settle into a routine that works for me, even if that means it takes me years to lose weight. 2 weeks ago, I started IF in 16:8. It wasn't too difficult because I was already used to 12:12. So waiting for 4 hrs more wasn't difficult because I wasn't doing any exercises or anything strenuous. At this stage my whole goal was to train my body to eat in that manner, nothing more. 4 days in, I added cycling on my indoor trainer to the list. I used to cycle just befor I had my meal, so as to exercise as late into the fasting stage, as possible.


It's been a little more than 2 weeks now. I have progressed to 20:4 now. It includes one big meal at around 4-5 in the evening and a small meal, usually homemade soup at 8-9 at night. I am also able to cycle for half an hour and maintain a speed of 15-16kmph. I find cycling on the trainer much harder than on roads as the resistance seems higher and there is no coasting. I have to pedal the entire half an hour because the wheel stops as soon as you stop pedalling. The best part about this change, is the feeling of lightness I have all day. I have now started stretching and doing some yoga in the morning as well. Also, setting up a small home gym with a power rack for strength training. The thing that really amazes me is that my portion sizes have dropped as well. I don't feel the need to fill myself up to the brim when having the meal.

I still haven't started eating clean, but I don't want to rush into losing weight this time by making drastic changes. Currently, just maintaining calorie deficit by doing 20:4 IF seems to be working perfectly as against all the other times when I used to feel like it was a chore or something I didn't want to do. Cycling, swimming, weight training etc never felt like a chore. It was the not eating what I liked to eat part, that has been impossible for me to achieve. My meals are all home cooked for now and like I have said, portion size has dropped so I am liking this structure for now.

[Red Liner]

Wow. Overweight and living in Bir is like an oxymoron! I would find it impossible to gain any kind of weight in a place like that! Why would you need indoor stuff in the himalayas? Cant you just hike around?

Good luck on your journey!

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Wow. Overweight and living in Bir is like an oxymoron! I would find it impossible to gain any kind of weight in a place like that! Why would you need indoor stuff in the himalayas? Cant you just hike around?

Good luck on your journey!

I moved over here only a couple of years ago and that time has been spent in building my house and other stuff. I have never liked walking /running and have always preferred cycling or swimming. I did lose around 10kg last year doing keto and going for walks for 10-12kms a day. However, recently there have been some complications in my heel which don't allow me to walk for long periods.
Also, you would be surprised if I tell you there are amny overweight people in Himachal. Nobody walks over here anymore. Everyone either have their own vehicle or hail a cab/auto. The thing that used to keep people fit in hilly areas was the need to walk everyday whether to the markets or their jobs or to the nearest bus stand. That need is no more at least in most areas apart from remote villages. So I see many people who are now obese around here as well.