My 2 Weeks In Strength Training + HIIT (Pics)

Hi, guys! As I posted 2 weeks ago on trying out a different approach to dieting. What I did was start Intermittent Fasting (kinda failed) and raised my caloric intake to the real amount that I should be eating to avoid the starvation zone.
I started by doing the 5:2 IF diet which was too much since I do vigorous physical activities and burn off the 600 calories in one go. So I'm deciding to do 100 calories IF in the future instead.
The next thing I did was start strength training. What that basically does is "force" your muscles to push through it's limits and USE your fat store and energy to compete with your activities. I did 5 X 5 training where I used the heaviest weights I can manage and do 5 repetitions of 5 sets and tried to do an exercise for every section of my body (Chest, triceps, biceps, lats, hamstrings, quads, back, abdominal, and obliques). I also added a HIIT workout circuit I made myself for warm up.
The next thing I did for caloric intakes are finding out the REAL amount of calories I should consume and make a 500-600 deficit. The BMR is NOT the amount of calories you should eat! I checked my BMR first on bmr-calculator.net (1648) and multiplied it by 1.55 for my activity level (2554), then subtracted it 600 (1994), and then rounded it to 1900 to make adjustments. To lose fat, one must go on a 3500 calorie weekly deficit to lose approx 1 pound of body fat. If went as low as 1500,my body would go to starvation mode and bring me tona "Psychological Plateau" in weight loss. The amount of calories I burn in the gym easily adds up to 500+, so that also counts as a deficit, therefore, eating at 1900 calories daily is perfect for me plus I have room to eat that dish mom made!
Some tips on getting rid of bloating. When you're eating and logging, make sure your sodium level doesn't peak over 2300 mg. Salt is what preserves the water in our bodies. Eating salty foods can cause some depressing water retention. If you care about the taste of the food that much, replace salt with spices. They work! Lastly, on this topic, drink a minimum of 1.5 - 3 litres of water a day! Drinking lots of water will kill the water retention and detox your body!

Before 2 weeks





After 2 weeks






I'll make another 2 week transformation post, so...
Believe in yourself! You can make it happen!