Hey IF’ers, I am looking for a little bit of guidance. I started fasting in the New Year following 16:8 and am half way through my second week.
In the 10 days that I have been fasting I have lost 3.65 kg which seems like a lot to me. I have cut out soda, and drastically cut down on sugar as well going to the gym 4-5 times per week.
Here is a breakdown of my progress:
Starting Weight: 97.45 kg After 1 week: 95.6 kg After 1.5 weeks 93.8 kg
My goal was to be 90kg for my wedding in March, but at this rate I will be there by the end of the first month!
Am I losing weight too quickly? Or is it normal to lose very fast at the start and then for it to slow down?
Also, I have been doing strength training and focusing on getting a lot of protein in my diet so I am really hoping that not too much of this is muscle.
Would love some reassurance from the veterans that I shouldn’t worry…
Long term sustainable weight loss is around 1kg/week, perhaps a bit less. That’s equivalent to a caloric deficit of 1000-1200kcal/day. I don’t think you can go much lower for a long period of time.
In the first couple of weeks you will experience faster weight loss due to dropping water from depletion of glycogen deposits.
Makes sense? For you March wedding estimate 1kg/week at most.
As others said it’s probably water weight. I lost alot of weight in my first month and then steadily lost 1 or 2 pound a week after. My body probably went into shock at the beginning. Nothing to worry about if you are feeling fine and energetic.
What you are losing is basically water. For the long run you should concentrate your deficit on your fat intake. There is a simple rule: Protein is a target, carbo is a limit and fat is your deficit. The reason is simple: You do not want to weaken your body and metabolism by losing lean mass and muscle.