Note: This is a reprint of an answer I posted in the comments section of my article on Bodybuilding.com.
Question: I am having trouble at 1800 calories per day. I've commented a couple times and now I would like to ask a couple questions...maybe you can help me. 1) LISS vs HIIT - I workout while I'm fasting, so a 25 min. jog should be good? Everyone is all over HIIT and I just don't see why it's so great. Overall, which one do you think worked better for you (regardless if you were fasting or eating)? 2) Did you ever try MCT Oil? I've read that in the morning having some MCT oil in your coffee can reduce hunger pains during your fasting period? 3) Basically, I just need ALL your tips on hunger pains. I get so hungry and then I eat. I can get 2200-2300 calories and feel satisfied but 1800, which is just a 400-500 calorie drop, is SO hard for me. Any tips you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I've said this a couple times, but congratulations on the transformation. Don't be afraid of the attention you get!! You can help A LOT of people like me.
Answer: Hey! It's great to hear from you again! Thank you for your kindness and for your positive influence here on BodyBuilding.com. I really appreciate it.
1) LISS vs HIIT - I don't know which one is better, so I did both. I really like the idea of HIIT, and I like that you can squeeze an intense workout into a short period of time. But it also makes sense that a longer period at a slower pace, like LISS, might be more likely to burn fat. I sure don't know which one burns fat better! I will say that if you are doing the Intermittent Fasting (as described on leangains.com), then I would do the LISS cardio in the 12th to 16th hour of the fast period, since that is what is recommended on leangains.com. Once I discovered Intermittent Fasting, that is mostly what I did for cardio. I ate from 8AM to 4PM, so I did a 50 minute LISS cardio session around 5:30AM. It seemed to work well. I also did a 5 minute High Frequency HIIT (6 second all-out effort / 9 second moderate effort) cardio session late at night before bed, just to burn a few extra calories, suppress my hunger, and give my heart a quick workout. All my cardio was done on a stationary bike, since that is what I had in my basement. 2) I've never heard of MCT oil. I am all for natural ways to reduce hunger. It sounds like the kind of thing I would try (after doing some online research). 3) The hunger pangs are pretty much the hardest part of transforming. Cardio sucks as well, but the hunger can be relentless and is what causes most people to fail in their efforts to transform. Water was my first line of defense against hunger pangs. I drank water constantly throughout the day, up to about two gallons daily. Since I was eating from 8AM to 4PM, the afternoons and evenings were really tough. Doing a quick cardio session is a good way to reduce hunger. It doesn't take much, just 5 or 10 minutes will help quell hunger pangs for an hour or two. Coffee and tea are good ways to keep your mouth busy and your mind off food. During the last month of my transformation, I bought a 30 day trial membership to Snap Fitness ($8.95), so I could go do extra workouts at night. My regular gym is near my work, so I wanted a place to go close to home at night. I would just do abs and calves mostly, but it kept me occupied and the exercise helped reduce my hunger as well. Getting to bed early is very helpful also. Those late night hunger pangs can be brutal, so if you can fall asleep before they come, you don't have to deal with them.
I hope this was helpful. If you are looking to get lean, I highly recommend you go right to the source and cut out the middle man. Check out leangains.com. That is where I learned about Intermittent Fasting. The information is very detailed and they explain it way better than I ever could. Thanks again, Man. Have a great day!
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