I’m just now discovering this too. I run. I keto. But just recently discovering IF now down to about OMAD. When I cheat and have a very keto small 2nd meal I put on weight. Still adjusting my eating habits hard to go from eating all day to training yourself it’s ok to not eat 23 hours. But when I do that I finally lose weight. Crazy the body!!
I exercise an insane amount, eat very healthy and also seem to only lose weight from fasting. I have lost weight without fasting but it’s like 1 to 2 pounds a month if that.
72 hour fasts and I typically lose 3 pounds.
I am this situation. CICO worked for me to lose weight, but I was constantly hungry. I’m doing IF during weekdays and water fasts over the weekends, now. It’s been a bit tough adjusting and still figuring out how to actually be productive during these times, but I’ve been managing to lose weight.
What made a huge difference to me is, before getting into a diet / exercise routine, my first step is eliminating as many sources of stress as possible. Cortisol is capable of ruining your best efforts and you will not drop. So, my advice is: get out of stressful situations to have cortisol levels drop, then start your diet/fast/exercise.
I was in the same boat as you. Nothing helped me lose weight until I started fasting… I’ve been consistently going down since I started on August 27th. I’ve lost about 18 lbs. I’ve been doing rolling 48s. People who post here have lost considerably more than me… that’s how much my body clings to fat. So even with this little amount, it’s a raging success in my book.
The author of the biggest loser study wrote another paper explaining their metabolisms weren’t damaged it was just offset by how much they were still exercising. The people with the “worst” metabolism had maintained to most weight lost
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/oby.23308
Regardless, if fasting works for you then good but the mechanism by which it works is by keeping you in a calorie deficit