Hey y’all, I’m 18 M standing at around 5’10 and this morning I weighed 182.1. I consider myself to be a pretty healthy individual (been involved in a sport all four years of highschool), but I’ve had a gut that’s plagued me all this time, and I’m looking to change that. My biggest problem is snacking, especially with easy to reach granola and protein bars. This year, I’ve had multiple surgeries that have prevented me from being able to compete in sports or do anything physical (except walking) since early December; moreover, I still have another month that I am unable to workout. I don’t really have a goal weight to end at now, but if you forced me to cough up an answer I’d probably say around 160. Here are a couple of questions that I have:
Looking at the TDEE calculator, right now I’m not sure what to put for activity level. Outside of school, I’m on my feet a lot during the day, whether it be at work, walking my dogs, walking around the house, etc. I’m definitely hitting at least 10k steps a day during my normal school, work, walk dogs routine. This entire week I will not be at work due to doctor’s orders, but I am able to return back next week. What activity level would this be in the TDEE calculator?
I’m a little conflicted starting IF right now. My goal is to be able to get a (personally) physically pleasing, shredded physique by summertime, and be able to maintain it. I’ve already talked to my Strength and Conditioning coach about this goal and he said he’d set a workout plan up for me when I am able to work out again in a month. All this being said, I’m hesitant to start IF right now since my activity level will drastically change in a month; on the other hand, I kind of want to get into the flow of a good diet/IF before then, but I’m afraid my body will freak out with this drastic change come March.
Thank you for reading this and helping me out. Let’s get it!!
You can always start off small like stop eating at 7pm and then have breakfast at like 8am. That’s 13 hours. That’ll stop any late night snacking.
Will your body freak out. Probably. I had some stomach issues when i started. But it lasted about 3 days and then stopped. Just drink lots of water.
My advice is to take it slow. Listen to your body.
Use your TDEE as a starting point. You could choose sedentary or lightly active, or choose something between those two. Monitor how your weight changes week by week, not daily, and make adjustments as needed to lose at a 1-2 pound per week. You would hit your weight goal roughly may-July depending on actual rate of weight loss, and if you add in weightlifting next month.
You can do IF anytime regardless of activity level. Depending on how long you plan to fast, you might want to make changes depending on when you workout. I pretty much fast until noon everyday as I lift weights in the evening. Not a huge shock to the system but can be rough just starting out if you usually eat early in the day.