Getting confused now...IF to lose fat.

5'2" and 8st 2lbs is a good weight for your height. So I don't understand why you think you are fat? If you diet at that weight you will start losing muscle strength and there is nothing you can do about it. (You don't have the fat to burn)
I'd recommend a bit of exercise if you feel you need to tone - but don't cut calories. Concentrate on healthy balanced eating.

25% body fat is a decent place to be for a woman. But you literally can't be at 25% BF and only 39% Lean Body Mass, because LBM is everything that's not fat. You might be 39% muscle. I'm not sure without looking it up, but that might be on the high side of normal range for women. I know the normal range for men is like 38% to 52% muscle vs total mass.

I'd fire your trainer because much of what they are telling you isn't accurate. There is no such thing as the "fat burning zone". This has been debunked for a very long time. Additionally, IF will not cause any more or less muscle loss than any other eating pattern. It's not how often you eat that determines muscle loss, it's the total caloric deficit you are in, the macronutrient composition of your diet (protein, carbs, fat,), and how you train. As pointed out above, you are unlikely to both gain muscle and lose fat efficiently. It is much easier to choose one goal and focus on it for a time then switch goals as appropriate.

Everyone's advice here is pretty on. However, I have a different opinion about wanting to lose at 25% BF. Just because other people might be happy to be that size, doesn't mean you should throw away your goal for theirs. You do have fat and room to lose if you want, but are perfectly healthy where you are now, and that's the difference.

Alternating cardio and weights is fine. A lot of people do this.
You may eventually have to choose a preference- don't worry about that for a while though.

Exercising fasted is fine too. Just watch your energy and performance levels and adjust if needed.

Cheers, h.

suzie3432 wrote: »

Thank you all so much that's definitely made me feel much clearer about what I'm doing. If I could ask something else, if I do weights one day and cardiovascular the next, does the cardio day count as a rest day if I'm not lifting weights? Also does it make much difference if I train in the morning and don't have food until around 12 noon? The IF suits me eating 12-8. Thank you.

Nutrient timing is far less important than your total calorie and macronutrient consumption for the day. The fasted training is absolutely fine. Training early and not eating for several hours is not optimal. "Not optimal" does not mean it won't work, you shouldn't do it, it will ruin your workout, or it will ruin your results. It simply means not optimal. It's best to eat some protein and carbs within an hour or two of a weightlifting session. How much of a difference does it make? It's hard to quantify. Far less of a difference than meeting your goals for the day. If the fasting helps you adhere to your diet, then it's fine to wait to eat. I spent many years not eating directly after a workout or eating very little afterwards and met my goals just fine. I am better with dietary adherence these days and now eat a meal after training or within an hour or two and my results are anecdotally slightly better. Again, adherence trumps everything else so if waiting to eat helps you, do it! If you can manage to still hit your goals and have a meal after you train, all the better.