I think this is a bit of a ramble more than anything and I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
I’m barely a week in of fasting (16/8) and counting calories (1,400). I’ve tried counting calories in the past and have also fasted but neither really felt sustainable and wouldn’t last. Now that I’ve combined the two I’ve actually managed to stay within my calorie intake and stuck to my hours consistently for at least a week. I’ve been on a health kick these last few months, I’ve been working with a fitness coach and have been trying to incorporate good exercise routines into my life, have stopped drinking soda, and started taking vitamins. My goal ultimately is to lose at least 56 pounds due to a back injury I’d been going to therapy for. I’d also like to adopt a lifestyle where it would be sustainable for me in the long run.
Tonight has been a bit difficult, because although I’m proud of the progress I’ve made this past week, I’ve been thinking about how this would work long term. Right now, I feel like I need to stick to the calorie counting simply to get on track towards weight loss. However once I’ve hit my goal weight, would I be able to ease off counting calories in a healthy way that wouldn’t cause me to suddenly pack on the pounds while continuing to fast? I’m a fan of American style breakfasts. I’ve found that cutting out breakfast and having a lunch and dinner to avoid out the late night hunger pangs and cravings allowed me to complete my fasts each day. I’m missing the greasy breakfasts.
I guess my thoughts are just scattered and I’m wondering how this will this work long term for me as someone that enjoys the dang Hot Cheetos and other considerably unhealthy foods. I want to make this a lifestyle and not just a quick fix for weight loss. I want to reap the benefits of this in every way possible. I’m curious how people have managed to make this work.
27F 5’1” SW: 186 GW: 130
You have started which is progress in itself. I counted calories for the first month but then read The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung and watched some of his YouTube videos. I didn’t count calories in my second month of IF and am now into my 3rd month and making steady sustainable progress for the first time in my 48 years.
I highly recommend the read if you haven’t already and also recommended a fasting app to track progress or an app like Fitbit or My Fitness Pal.
Could you have a greasy breakfast as a lunch or dinner instead as ‘Breakfast’ simply means the meal to Break (your) fast.
You’re currently eating a calorie deficit- I’m not a professional, so I’ll just lay down how I understand what I’ve been told and hopefully someone with better knowledge will chime in.
You probably already know this, but just in case. You have your bmr- this is your basal metabolic rate, this is how many calories your body needs per day just to function (be alive). It’s generally around 1800 for a sedentary lifestyle (I could be wrong, but bmr calculators online will give you a rough estimate of your own).
Without fasting- just based on the “calories in, calories out” theory, I believe it takes something like a calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories per day to lose one kilo a week. So you’re depriving your body of its bmr in order for your body to be forced to utilise other sources of energy (e.g stored fat).
Once you lose the weight you intend to lose- you should be able to return to your bmr, which for most people is a lot more than 1400 calories, as you’re no longer needing to use stored fat for energy. My recommendation…again, not a professional- is just be conscious you’re not overeating once back to maintenance calories. It’s hard to just consume 1400 calories everyday, but it’s not that hard to maintaining consuming 2000 calories or more per day. The thing is, most people gain weight from consuming more than their bmr per day. If you want to consume more than you’re bmr once you’ve lost the weight- then exercise, the surplus that you burn with exercise is the extra calories you can consume.
So…once you reach your gw, have the the big American breakfast, just have a reasonably portioned lunch and dinner afterwards- make sure it fits into your bmr calories for the day- and if it doesn’t, exercise to allow yourself to do that.
And just keep in mind, the further you go into your journey, the less you’ll crave the salty, high fat, sugary foods. I’m not saying you won’t crave them- but you’ll likely want them less as opposed to everyday. And the more you eat them…the more you’ll crave them, so just balance out the cheeky stuff with protein, fruits and vegetables, so your body is still getting good nutrition. As cliche as it is- moderation is key when you’re in maintenance