Desperate lifestyle double-check!

[AMLucy]

Hi,

Complete fitness noob here....

Would just like someone to double check if my 'lifestyle' routine will probably shift some kgs and my belly blubber. I would like to start a more health-conscious lifestyle- any tips would be great.

Stats:

24y/o female

Was moderately active (ie walked to work some days...)

Weight: 61.2 kg

Height: 5 ft 7 inches

Fat distribution: mainly around tummy-area (34.5 inches) and thighs, very skinny arms and legs

Goal: a lighter weight, reduction in fat especially around tummy

(I have more time to dedicate to this as I am switching between jobs)

I have started the keto diet (started maybe 1 week ago strictly) and I am finding it quite easy to stick to so far. I am not too sure regarding exact calories but I am 100% I am sure I am not over doing it as I am sticking to a website (and not snacking!). I have found I have lost roughly 1.2kgs- taking me to 61.2kg- which I am guessing is water weight(?).

The past week I have adapted the following exercise regime: 

- x3 a week (roughly) 20 minute HIIT: jump rope/star jumps/ shuffle 30s with 30s rest OR x3 (roughly) 20 minute HIIT: treadmill 30s jog (heart rate increases very fast) 60s-90s rest

- other days in between: I have read weight/resistance training is good to also shred fat.. I am not too sure what to do so all I have been doing are some 'complex' exercises I found on websites such as mountain climbers, glute bridges, high planks- I hopefully would like to tone muscles at some point but I have blubber on my belly so I am not sure if I should be even doing this??

(ps I am a weakling and cannot do squats or push-ups)

Please can someone advise me which HIIT to do and what to do on my other days? And if I am going along the right track exercise and diet-wise, do you think I will see results if I stick to it?

I'd be happy to share more info.

Thank you SO much, I am an absolute beginner in this, any advice will be appreciated!

[Dominique]

Welcome to the community, @AMLucy!

First off, I see no cause for desperation in your post: the normal weight range for your height is anything from 54 to 72 kg. Even at your previous slightly higher weight of 62.4 kg, you were in the lower half of the normal range.

A few hard facts about body fat: 1) fat distribution is largely determined by genetics, 2) you cannot "spot-reduce" body fat (or re-shift it from one area to another), 3) there are no magical ways of eating and/or exercising that will specifically target body fat.

If you want to lower body fat, you need to lower your weight and for that, you must be in a caloric deficit. It doesn’t really matter what style of eating you decide to adopt, because in the end, they all work in the same way:

"Toning up" (or having "definition") is a matter of having enough muscle mass, but not too much fat. In order to gain muscle, you need to engage in some sort of sensible resistance training (weight lifting). What exact exercises you do don’t really matter. You will get the most bang for your buck by focusing on compound exercises that work large muscle groups, as opposed to isolation exercises that focus on a single muscle group. Don’t be afraid to lift heavy (for your size), and no, this will not cause you to become "bulky". Don’t be a defaitist with exercises like squats and pushups: just because you can’t perform them now doesn’t mean you can’t progress toward being able to do them.

Cardio training is great for fat loss and overall health and fitness. Both the high-intensity and the low-intensity forms have their own merits.

[AMLucy]

Thank you so much for the clear introduction Dominique!

So to sum up: be in calorific deficit in order to lose weight to lose fat, HIIT is great, compound exercises on the other days are great too (also weight lifting).

I want to make sure I have picked the right HIIT to do, should I perform the one which takes my heart rate close to peak value sooner and which I can maintain for longer periods of time? I find I can do this easier on the treadmill (increase speed/inclination), it takes a lot more effort to increase heart rate to that during my other HIIT routine.

Thank you!

[Dominique]

First of all, you don’t have to do HIIT in order to reduce body fat, it’s perfectly possible to do it with LISS (low-intensity steady state) cardio, or even with no cardio at all.

HIIT has several advantages over LISS: it lets you burn more calories in the same amount of time (which can be useful if you only have limited time to train); it will lead to faster improvements in cardio fitness (because it pushes you a lot harder); some people also cite EPOC (aka the "afterburn" effect) as one of its benefits (though I’m not personally convinced it has any major impact in practice); meatheads also argue it’s not catabolic, unlike the conventional forms of cardio they usually dread. 

OTOH, HIIT also has drawbacks. You can only sustain it for a limited amount of time, which means there are only so many calories you can burn during a typical session. Unlike low-intensity cardio, it requires longer recovery, which means you can’t do it everyday.

What actual exercise you use for HIIT (running, rowing, biking etc.) doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s intense enough to meet the criteria of HIIT. Note that Fitbits aren’t necessarily ideal for tracking HIIT, because they are more geared toward 24/7 tracking (compared to sport watches that use a chest strap and are usually better at detecting fast changes in your HR).

Again, there’s nothing magical about HIIT with regards to fat loss, so you don’t need to be afraid you’d be missing something by not doing the "right" sort.

[bikerhiker]

HIIT exercises are only useful if you are in a caloric surplus; building your cardio base and your lean muscle mass "AFTER" you lost enough of your body fat through a safe caloric deficit plan.  In order to lose weight, you have to be in a caloric deficit.  But when you are in a caloric deficit, body growth and proper immune system functions are not possible.  That you need to be in a caloric surplus, so you need to see where you lie in terms of your body fat %.

You also want to be extra careful since you are a young person @24 years of age.  A young person should be more concerned more about body growth, both in lean muscle mass and bone density and you can't do that when you are in a caloric deficit.  While it is true that you need to lose body fat by being in a caloric deficit, you will also lose lean muscle mass and bone density.  You can not control this.  There is always a cause to the increase in body fat around the waist line and sometimes, it is genetics and sometimes it is a hidden underlying medical health issue that is causing it.  Or sometimes, it is a relationship and or living conditions you are in present in that is causing the elevated stress level.  This elevated stress level when left unaddressed will cause an excessive build-up of body fat around the belly area and is very hard to remove.  Well, it's not hard when you are willing to address the underlying stressors and antecedents in your life (things that trigger your stressors).  Resolving these issues can revolve around changing jobs, changing relationships etc..  Watch what you eat too.  When you are stress free and in harmony with yourself, your blood sugar level will be normalized and you won't be tempted to eat a lot of sugary substances.  You don't really need to eat any fad diet like Keto, Paleo and stuff.  When you remove the stressors in your life, you will naturally be driven towards the foods that many of these fad diets are promoting, but it will be towards your own preference.  You can even mix and match as long as you get enough nutrients, minerals and vitamins and calories for your daily TDEE.  Meaning you naturally eat those healthy foods.  You don't need to force these food upon yourself!

When you address the stressors is when you can begin to address the weight loss by being in a natural caloric deficit mode.  Your body naturally want to lose those excess body fat because it doesn't need to carry them anymore of those excess baggage.  Once you lose enough weight is when you can consider HIIT exercises to tone up your body.  My suggestion is to find a set of HIIT and resistance exercises that relate to your personal life and what you really like to do and would do consistently perhaps with friends, loved ones and family, because it is a lifetime commitment.  Just because you get to a low enough body fat%, you can quit and do nothing.  Nope.  It is a lifetime commitment!  So look at what you are doing now; can you foresee doing them till you get to a ripe old age?!?  If you can't, then chose something that aligns to your needs.  For example, I love swimming and bike riding and walking.  I use swimming as my entire body resistance training and I can swim slow for LCS or fast as a HIIT exercise.  But I love it especially swimming in an open water environment.  I feel free and at peace.  In terms of weight training, I do weights based on my nursing job of transferring clients from bed to wheelchair and I do weights based on the exact movements to maintain core strength and all vector movements including squats.  I can see doing that as long as I work and I don't feel bored because I have a purpose for these exercises.  

What I'm trying to say is that, leave HIIT for later.  Losing weight is NOT an instant miracle that you can achieve in a short period of time.  It is a long term commitment and if you plan to keep the lower weight and the nice tight lean abs, it takes months and sometime years for an individual.