Hello! I'm well into week two of IF doing 16:8. I already feel pretty good. I'm also going into a transformation challenge with Orange Theory. I was worried about energy levels with the increased activity, but it generally hasn't been a problem. I'm doing three classes a week and doing a Lift45 class. I've read around and saw that I shouldn't be too concerned about not dropping pounds initially. I have-I've lost 6 pounds, but two of that was dropped before I started IF. My goal is to not drop weight quickly. I have a history of being able to do that, relatively effectively-I just struggle with sustaining that lifestyle. I'm more interested in what is sustainable for me. I've been tracking waist, hip, arms, neck, and bust measurements as well. I'm just wondering if there is a healthy guideline for losing inches. Unfortunately, I've dropped most of my inches in my bust-4 inches, 3 in my waist, 2 in my hips, none in my neck, and 1.3 in my arms.
I know that water retention plays a part as well. I used to hate, hate, hate drinking water. I honestly never, ever used to drink water. I've improved over the last year-I was drinking about 32 oz of water a day over the last 6 months. In the past two weeks, I have hit my water goal 12 out of 14 days. I'm drinking 108 ounces of water a day, per my doctor's guidance.
Answer
Of course it’s up to you, but I highly suggest looking into calories in- calories out. I’ve tried fasting with three time slots and didn’t have success. I did lose weight with fasting, but it was much harder to maintain.
I would go online so you can calculate your Total Daily Energy Expendenture (TDEE). This way you can see what caloric intake totals are needed daily to lose weight. Once you reach a weight or size you are happy with you will also know how many calories are necessary to maintain your weight. I found this way to produce the most successful results and I’ve been close to a year on a CICO diet.
Hope it helps!