Day 4 - questions about exercise

Hello! 

I hope everyone is doing well! I have a little background and a few questions!

I'm currently on day 4 - decided to follow the "figure plan," rather than the bikini plan. To tell the truth, the fasting was very hard for me! I was a bit hungry and felt extremely fatigued on day 2... by the end of day 3, I caved and ate dinner (I'm also hypoglycemic, so although my blood sugar wasn't crashing due to the almased itself, I think my body just needed a bit more fuel!). However... after these three days, I have lost 2 lbs (started off at 126, so I thought maybe my weight loss would be slower?) and - I can't really believe it- but 2" off of my stomach and 1.5" off of my hips.... crazy! I'm hoping to get down to 121, as I'm almost 5'2", and every extra little bit shows when you are this short. 

My questions.... are mainly around exercise. I didn't have the energy to exercise during the fast, but I'm a bit anxious about the possibility of slowing down my metabolism by such low calorie intake and would like to continue to put on muscle. 

- Is it feasible/recommended to exercise strenuously during the reduction phase? I like to do Bikram yoga and use kettlebells... but due to being hypoglycemic, I have to eat directly afterwards or I become faint, etc... I can plan it so my shake or meal falls at this time though. 

- If I am burning 200-300 calories extra, should I also modify my caloric intake? I know some diet/nutrition apps suggest "eating back" calories burned... is this a correct philosophy? Could I just add in another shake if I am ravenous? 

- or - on days I exercise, should I eat two meals and use one shake? Would I continue losing weight? 

- Finally... sorry so many questions, but I leave for a trip in 2 weeks... is it feasible to lose 3-5 pounds in this amount of time? I'm afraid my body is going to cling to its last bit of muffin top in order to save for some sort of hypothetical famine! 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this!! 

Hi Piwijpoukasi, 

With the strenuous exercises you are engaged in, you can add either half a shake to a full shake of Almased before or after your work outs. If you feel as if you are burning a lot of calories per session, i.e. 300-500 calories, you can eat two meals a day and use Almased as one meal replacement. Check your change of inches on a weekly basis, that will help you see if having one shake a day or two shakes a day would give you better results. Of course, quick results will be with two meal replacements daily; however, if you are feeling hungry in between or at any point ravenous it would be important to replenish some calories. Having more Almased is suggested since it will help protect muscles and give you more energy. A healthy weight loss for 2 weeks is between 1 - 4 pounds. 

I hope that answers your questions. Please let me know if you have more. 

- Jamie

Jamie - 

Sounds great - thank you so much for your swift response!!