[am1m]

Originally Posted by mn2363

Eat clean, do some form of whole body workout (regular moderate stuff is way better than inconsistent high intensity 'good looks' stuff), get basic regular check-ups (nothing fancy, simple stuff is very good predictor for an experienced doc), mind your rest/sleep routine & finally mind your mind (mental & emotional stuff).

Refreshing! Thank you!

Have been following most of that advice. Except for the sleep part, seldom get more than 6 hours a night, but am working on that.

Funny thing about sleep, I always assumed that I'd sleep better after exercising and a warm bath because of fatigue. Since the only time I get for physical exercise is in the evenings post-work, I find that I'm actually more keyed-up and unable to sleep on the evenings that I exercise. Trying to shift to early mornings, and get to bed earlier. Also find that fruit intake, funnily enough contributes to sleep! Not sure if it's factual or just coincidence.

Thanks for the post!

[mn2363]

Originally Posted by am1m

Funny thing about sleep, I always assumed that I'd sleep better after exercising and a warm bath because of fatigue. Since the only time I get for physical exercise is in the evenings post-work, I find that I'm actually more keyed-up and unable to sleep on the evenings that I exercise. Trying to shift to early mornings, and get to bed earlier. Also find that fruit intake, funnily enough contributes to sleep! Not sure if it's factual or just coincidence.

We're going off-topic here, sleep is regulated by a myriad of interlinked physiological & environmental factors, and that's unique for each person.

Suffice to say - go with what works best for you.

What's relevant to this thread is that a proper sleep (length & routine) is crucial for cellular level metabolism, repair, toxins scavenging etc., and all these processes are kicked to a higher gear during the weight-loss process.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by shipnil

I keep myself updated with discussion on this thread and learn all new things. ---

Will the intermittent fasting help here to increase metabolism/ reduce this fat?

Originally Posted by graaja

Absolutely. With a healthy mix of cardio and weight training, I am sure IF will help you reducing that last traces of belly fat.

After a couple of failed attempts earlier on IF, I am able to do IF since last 3 weeks. Might have missed a day or two on one of the weekends, but able to stick to 16/8. Since long back I had stopped breakfast but used to take a coffee with sugar, milk and couple of biscuits, so technically I was not on IF. So for IF I made this one black coffee, no sugar and no biscuits.

I don't feel very different than when I was not on IF. Also, there is hardly any change in the weight in 3 weeks. But then weight reduction is not exactly the goal now, rather the small amount of fat around belly is.

The only positive I see at the moment is, snacking has gone down drastically due to the restriction on eating window. Earlier, sometimes I used to eat ultra small chunks of snacks, every few minutes, all the way till I sleep.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by shipnil

I don't feel very different than when I was not on IF. Also, there is hardly any change in the weight in 3 weeks. But then weight reduction is not exactly the goal now, rather the small amount of fat around belly is.

Give it at least 3 months to see if there is any change. In my experience, the last layer of fat is the most stubborn to go and may require lot of effort. I still am fighting with that last layer.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by graaja

Give it at least 3 months to see if there is any change. In my experience, the last layer of fat is the most stubborn to go and may require lot of effort. I still am fighting with that last layer.

This is so true! My final drop from 76 -> 72 kilos took the longest. The last layer is indeed the most stubborn.

[100BHP]

Originally Posted by patron

Completely agree! I am a living example. I have lost close to 25 kilos without any exercise, not even walking. Now my exercise routine starts to get me into shape.

Hi, can you share your diets & journey ?
Thanks

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

It's been 8th week of IF for me.

So I couldn't do IF for almost last two weeks due to traveling and some late night work/fun.

I am happy to report that there is almost no change in my weight! It has slightly gone up but that is just from 74 to 75.

Back to IF from today and already feeling better.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by GTO

This is so true! My final drop from 76 -> 72 kilos took the longest. The last layer is indeed the most stubborn.

Does it mean there is no more fat around lower part of belly? Ready to build six pack ? or already there?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Ready to build six pack ? or already there?

Hahaha! I wish, man.

While my waist dropped from 39 -> 31 inches, it is still the only area of my body where there is some fat / flab. Long, long way to a completely flat stomach.

[tifosikrishna]

Since there's many mention of IF, thought of sharing my experience with it.

1. Following 16/8 IF continuously for last 108 days
2. Personal best during the period 41.5 hrs followed by 26hr
3. Weight before start ~72.5 kg, current weight 67.5kgs
4. Hunger Pangs during the IF period - zero
5. Physical activity - not much during the first 30 days, from mid Feb restarted cycling with moderate intensity and gradually increased and now doing hard rides
6. Typical rides are 50km to 70km distance and average speed 33kmph to 37kmph (ride with a group).
7. Fasted workout is usually done between 13 to 16hr of fasting (i.e. towards end of fasting period)
8. Surprisingly, while riding, it is usually the legs that give up, haven't felt any dearth of energy. High end (sprinting) is found lacking, could be due to lack of practice.
9. Diet - being a vegetarian, during non-ride days it is usally navadhanya kanji for breakfast (or) hummus with khakra (or) Dosai with peanut chutney; snack in between usually roasted peanuts and lunch (usual south indian meal rice + vegetable) and another coffee after the meal.
10. On the days that I ride, my breakfast is replaced with whey protein/yoghurt/banana shake.
    

No particular reason why I started, but going by my brief experience, looks like I can continue forever. Some of my friends have been advising about the need to increase my protein intake in order not to lose muscle mass, so now looking at choices to augment my protein intake.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

Since there's many mention of IF, thought of sharing my experience with it.

Following 16/8 IF continuously for last 108 days
Typical rides are 50km to 70km distance and average speed 33kmph to 37kmph (ride with a group).
Surprisingly, while riding, it is usually the legs that give up, haven't felt any dearth of energy. High end (sprinting) is found lacking, could be due to lack of practice.

That is a great experience you have shared. And you should be having a very high FTP to manage 37kph average in fasted state

The reason you feel energetic during workout is because your body is using fat as fuel which is more natural than using glucose. And the reason why you are falling short on sprint is that sprints push your body into anaerobic zone where you need instant energy that can come only from glucose. You still should be able to do a few rounds of sprints as your body has some glucose stored as glycogen. But once you run out of this stored glycogen, high intensity efforts will not be sustainable in fasted state.

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

No particular reason why I started, but going by my brief experience, looks like I can continue forever. Some of my friends have been advising about the need to increase my protein intake in order not to lose muscle mass, so now looking at choices to augment my protein intake.

For muscle loss prevention, just protein intake will not be enough. Add strength training to your schedule. Add 2 to 3 days of strength training in a week and you will see fantastic results.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

Since there's many mention of IF, thought of sharing my experience with it.

1. Following 16/8 IF continuously for last 108 days
2. Personal best during the period 41.5 hrs followed by 26hr
3. Weight before start ~72.5 kg, current weight 67.5kgs
4. Hunger Pangs during the IF period - zero
5. Physical activity - not much during the first 30 days, from mid Feb restarted cycling with moderate intensity and gradually increased and now doing hard rides
6. Typical rides are 50km to 70km distance and average speed 33kmph to 37kmph (ride with a group).

Great to hear man! and I envy you especially the cycling part. I have stuck to IF for a month, do cycling for 3 days a week. But unable to take out more than 1 hr for cycling and the best I could do is 28 kmph on a roadie. 33 to 37 for 70 km is just great. There could be some difference between Pune and Chennai terrain but not to the tune to put a penalty of 5 to 10 kms in avg speed. Keep it up

[tifosikrishna]

Originally Posted by graaja

That is a great experience you have shared. And you should be having a very high FTP to manage 37kph average in fasted state

Have never done a FTP test though have used power meter for quite sometime. My guess is it should be around 220w. Speed is mainly due to riding in pace line.

Originally Posted by graaja

The reason you feel energetic during workout is because your body is using fat as fuel which is more natural than using glucose. And the reason why you are falling short on sprint is that sprints push your body into anaerobic zone where you need instant energy that can come only from glucose. You still should be able to do a few rounds of sprints as your body has some glucose stored as glycogen. But once you run out of this stored glycogen, high intensity efforts will not be sustainable in fasted state.

Yes, have read that top end suffers without glycogen, have just started some interval training, shall observe for few weeks and get back on how it goes.

Originally Posted by graaja

For muscle loss prevention, just protein intake will not be enough. Add strength training to your schedule. Add 2 to 3 days of strength training in a week and you will see fantastic results.

yes, read that too, for lower body, cycling should be enough, have never done any upper body strength training and not a gym person, may be push-ups/planks type of work out will do?

Originally Posted by shipnil

Great to hear man! and I envy you especially the cycling part. I have stuck to IF for a month, do cycling for 3 days a week. But unable to take out more than 1 hr for cycling and the best I could do is 28 kmph on a roadie. 33 to 37 for 70 km is just great. There could be some difference between Pune and Chennai terrain but not to the tune to put a penalty of 5 to 10 kms in avg speed. Keep it up

Cycling was a revelation, first few rides rode in Z2, even if it meant getting dropped from the group and riding alone. Slowly as i became confident (that suddenly i'll be famished mid way into the ride), kept increasing the intensity and much to much surprise, as stated in the original post, was able to push and ride hard and still feel good.

W.r.t average, remember Chennai is as flat as it can be, our total elevation over 70km ride will be ~75m and I ride with a group, so you cannot compare yours with my ride :-)

[rki2007]

Dear Friends,

I have been following this thread for sometime now.

I need few critical advice from the fellow members who can help me with all the questions that I have:

To give a brief background about myself, I'm 33 years old, weighing about 100 kgs now with waist line 38". I started Paleo during March 2018 and lost about 10 kgs in 3 months. The waist line reduced to 40" from 44". I couldn't continue the diet religiously from Aug 2018 due to few important family issues but however, I ensured not to dump myself with food like before, so I didn't gain any additional weight from Aug '18 to Mar '19. It was hovering stable at around 103.5 (originally 114 kgs and reduced to 103.5 kgs during aug 2018). All this while my only exercise was cardio which was primarily treadmill and elliptical for around 45 mins everyday. There were few days where I haven't done this also.

I decided to join a gym to seek expert advice and also employed a personal trainer, all this in April 2019. The results have been decent till now. I'm at 100 kgs now.

I propose to continue the paleo diet strictly with 3 eggs incl yolks for breakfast, vegetables/salad with chicken 150 grams for lunch and chicken 250 grams for dinner.

Currently I work out at gym based on professional advice. Everyday work out is cardio, weight training and strength training for 1.5 hours, 6 days a week.

Now I have few important questions as below:

1. Should I focus on fat loss first or muscle building?. I have still good amount of fats stored in the lower body like bulky thighs and glutes. Upper body is better than lower but still I have a pretty big belly and side fats to reduce. I know that particular body part fat reduction is a myth and I'm not referring to that.

2. Am i eating correctly? I don't have any food cravings etc, I can survive with this diet.. Or should I alter something here. My Trainer has advised with oats/cornflaxes/rava idly for breakfast, chicken and 1 roti for lunch and 1 roti with 3 egg whites for dinner. Somehow I'm not very confident on this diet. Please advice.

3. Can I have chicken on a daily basis or should include Mutton and fish each one time a week.

4. For weight loss which is more beneficial? weight training or strength training like squats, jumping jack, high knees, burpees, push ups and such varieties with cardio.

5. I do 4 sets (15*4) of weight training for different set of muscles. Is there a need to do more? My trainer states that there is no use in doing more! I start with low weight, subsequently increase weight.

6. Im used to this Paleo lifestyle now, but one thing lot of people say is that too much protein is bad for kidneys. I don't know how to go about it.

7. I have practiced IF as well. Can I skip my breakfast (after strenuous exercise as stated above) and directly eat lunch to achieve 16:9 window?

I know I have put across a lot of questions. I would be grateful if someone can guide me on this.

Thanks in advance,,

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Dear Friends,

I have been following this thread for sometime now.

I need few critical advice from the fellow members who can help me with all the questions that I have:

First of all congratulation on starting a healthy lifestyle.


As someone who started on somewhat similar state; waist 37, weight 96kg (around 2015), I am now 77kg at 31 waist. So first of all, kudos for starting out.

You have many questions and while I am no expert (I strongly suggest you go for a professional), I'll try to answer your questions.


First of all, you are lucky you don't have food cravings; that said, eat a balanced diet and calorie deficit diet. Simply, (calories in)<(calories out)



1. Fat loss or muscle building? Well continue with your exercise regime, and you will lose fat before you start building muscles. Consult a professional here
2. The diet seems abysmal. You are basically eating carbs for breakfast and nothing else. After a heavy exercise, especially which involves weight training, eat protein. I drink a banana smoothie for breakfast after my workout (contains bananas, coffee, coco powder, flax seeds, chia seeds, almonds, protein powder, milk, peanut butter) daily. Your diet lacks veggies. Eat lots and lots of vegetables (avoid frying them). Make a salad of Spinach+Apples+walnuts+cabbage+lemon juice+chaat masala/salt to consume vegetables, or eat beans and other green veggies. For dinner, again eat dal+veggies+fish. Avoid carbs at night if you can, but do not eliminate them altogether. Important thing is a balanced diet. If you feel hungry make a vegetable soup with whole vegetables.

3. You can eat chicken on a daily basis. Avoid red meat. Include as much fish as you can. In fact the more fish the better. Eat different types of fish.
4. Cardio is good for weight loss as it burns a lot of calories. But you shouldn't exceed cardio thrice a week and supplement cardio workout with weight and strength training to strengthen your joints/ muscles. Try HIIT and see if you like it.
5. Seems like a decent strategy. Keep varying your routine.
6. No idea about Paleo lifestyle
7. Fasting is OK but definitely not after exercising. Post workout your body needs energy and protein to rebuild.



I am, by no stretch of any imagination, a professional. I am someone who has just exercised and worked out and seen a positive change, so for me the basic mantra was:
-Burn more calories than you consume
-Avoid artificial sugar like plague (this was the most difficult for me since I have a sweet tooth)
-Eat a balanced diet (which includes more veggies and protein and some carbs too)


Please do see a professional and keep working out. All the best. Do share your journey