8/8/21 to 10/8/21
5’9 ft
SW: 209
CW: 170
GW: 150
I’ve been pretty strict on fasting for the past two months. Started with 48:1 then switched to 71:1 after a few weeks. I have never once had a cheat day where I would eat outside of my routine. I’ve made good progress and have dropped 40 pounds so far. However for the past 2 weeks or so, I’ve been stuck at 170 pounds even though I’m doing 71:1 while having 1500-1800 calorie meal refeeds.
I think my body has been adapting to the 71:1 lifestyle so my weight loss has stalled for the time being. I think I might have to start eating regularly again for the next few days so I can break this plateau.
I have been to that situation where i would weight x at the first day.
Third day i would be at x-5, refeed and go back to x.
After third day again i am at x-5, refeed ang go back to x again and the cycles goes on.
The only thing that worked for me was to fast longer which is kinda brutal.
I havent gone through this loop many times to be really sure that i was stalled since it´s very demotivating to keep starving yourself and stall.
Your metabolism has scaled with your decrease in mass and your body has adapted to better utilizing the fuel you are eating to maintain mass. Likely, you are still technically using up your body’s stored calories but it is also going to hold water.
First of all, I would be curious as to what you are refeeding on. The one flaw with 2 - 3 day consecutive fasts is that it teaches the body to utilize energy differently. Because you are feeding on a level of calories not far off from your average energy expenditure (given your height and weight probably ~2,100 kCal) and are doing so on a regular basis, your body has decided that it no longer needs to panic and expects food to return in a few short days. Thus, especially if you are refeeding on carbs, it will not only adapt to expending less energy but may even rely on a certain amount of glycogen you are storing. This can vary for a variety of reasons.
It looks like you have a few options. You can either fast longer and longer, which is difficult, you can reduce the calories of your refeeds, you can adjust the macro ratio of your refeeds, and you can do what you are thinking which is to take breaks to make your body adapted to a regular surplus again before going back into long fasts. You refer to it as a “cheat day”, but if you are going to do that then it shouldn’t even be a “cheat”. Just stop fasting for a week or two, eat healthy whole foods that aren’t going to blow up your body fat during that time, and then go back to fasting. That way it’s a cycle with a purpose and not a cheat.
However, fasting longer is the surest way to lose more weight. It’s just the least fun way of doing so. Eventually the body has to contend with the laws of thermodynamics.
I agree with switching the routine, can’t fast forever ; it already did what it could for you ; i mean 39 pounds is a lot !
Thomas delauer just did a video on the body adapting to fasting and stalling.
Cole has shared many processes for the last 15pounds , an example ;
do maintenance calories for 10 days and do 1 cheat day ( epic one ) you will of course “gain weight” , but your next prolonged fast will be so much more effective.
Ive plateud as well after consecutive 48’s, i started focusing on working out and maintenance, my problem was that my cheat day went from once a week to quadruple a week … if inwould do it again inwould try to eat maintenance , and have a cheat here and there, but be mindful of the maintenance being an actual maintenance cals.
Go eat big once a week at least, your thyroids will thank you !
I hear this all the time. I am not saying it does not work, but I have never ever once jump started my weight loss by bingeing on all the things that got me fat in the first place. If it works for you then I envy you. What does work is not eating for long periods of time. Works every time 100%. Plateau proof.