Really need some advice. I started IF in the new year to coincide with our “Transformation Challenge” at my OrangeTheory gym. I’ve been going consistently 3x/week and eating clean and no alcohol except one day in that entire month.
I’m also working full time and in nursing school at nights and on the weekends so maybe it’s stress (?), but I’m still getting enough sleep every night, walking my dog around the city to get fresh air during the day, have a standing desk, etc. I don’t drink empty calories (no coffee or juices, just water). I will be honest and say I’m not tracking calories, but I have in the past and stuck with the same meals I did when I was tracking (breakfast smoothie with protein & fruit, pasta with “meat” and veggies - I’m vegan - carrots/pita chips and hummus, veggies and rice and tofu for dinner).
ETA: my rice and pasta is only lentil or chickpea-based. Protein shake in the morning is Vega One (20g + vitamins/minerals/fiber).
Any advice?!?! What am I doing wrong?
Body fat/weight tracking: https://i.imgur.com/AzAD3PF.jpg
Any weight lifting? Building muscle gives you a toned look and definition.
Also, more muscle on the body and strength training(lifting weight) will burn more calories long after the activity is performed.
Cardio burns calories mostly while the activity is performed and stops not long after.
I used to practice bodybuilding and lifting weights won’t turn you into Ronnie Coleman or Arnold Schwarzenegger in a session because that takes high calorie high protein intake of food.
Hope this helps and that you find your way.
You’re eating nothing but carbs and sugary ones at that.
I don’t know how to address the vegan part, but lentils, beans, whole grains, spinach, and higher protein vegetables should be your mains and combined to give a complete protein.
If your goal is fat loss, I’d say there are 2 steps -
Both of these work well individually, but if I were to pick just one thing, I’d pick (1), because that’s what targets your metabolism. As long as your body gets sugar from external sources, it will not go anywhere close to your fat reserves for fuel for regular tasks. If you eliminate it, your body has no choice but to burn first the stored glycogen (which generally takes 16 hours), and then stored fats. This is where (2) comes in - when you fast longer than 16 hours after having eliminated sugar and processed carbs, every extra hour is mostly fat loss
Changes are slow and it took 2-3 months for me to really show a difference. Be careful with feasting, that is sometimes a big temptation once the eating window opens. Track your macros to make sure you aren’t out of balance with carbs.
