Hi everyone! 26F, started IF exactly a month ago, with the primary goal of doing 16:8, but really on most days fasting anywhere from 17-20h, with one 26 hour fast thrown in as well. I am of course not expecting miracles at this point, but last week I weighed in at a 142 kg as the lowest. Since then the weight has been creeping up again, to the point where I am almost back where I started, at 147.7. SW was 148.8, yet I have not skipped a single day of fasting and also watched what I ate, because I only have a max window of 8 hours to eat, I would not want to fill my body with crap in that time.
I am not doing calorie counting yet, but aim to start slowly (need to completely reeducate myself on the topic).
I am not very physically active, but I have gone on 20-30 minute walks every single day since I started IF, which is already a huge change compared to how little I moved before.
I have taken weekly progress pics and have seen results, but I look in the mirror now and see the same fat girl I saw right back when I started. I just need to know if this is normal or if I am doing something terribly wrong… My mind keeps telling me I need to go on these 7 day fasts that so many of you talk about but I also think that would be excessive for me (good for you who do it!). I have been reading this sub every single day and seeing amazing results and I am absolutely not trying to give up, because IF has been life changing in many ways already, but I got very disheartened by the scale today and I just need to know what is going so wrong.
Sorry for the long post.
I recommend a food journal and calorie counting to see what and how much you are really eating. Weigh the food, don’t just measure it. It’s easier than we think to overeat and underestimate how many calories we are taking in.
I say congrats…If you think about your health beyond weight, you’ve made BIG strides. Going on a walk every day is huge for your cardiovascular health and your mental health. Making healthy choices about what you eat has almost definitely led to better nutrition, I bet your cholesterol and glucose levels have improved.
Keep it up!
One month of IF is amazing, but wasn’t enough for me personally to really see results. It’s only when I started counting calories and trying to walk for an hour a day (most days of the week, not every day) that I started seeing some results (and that took another 1.5 months).
Also, I never weigh myself, I just go off of how my clothes fit. I weighed myself once (after doing IF for a month) and my weight went up (!!) and it was so discouraging that i never weighed myself again. I am 2.5 months in now and finally seeing results. Don’t let the scale discourage you and distract you from doing what you need.
I would definitely recommend calorie counting. Also we look at ourselves everyday and it’s hard to see change. Pictures normally help in regards to seeing changes in weight. What helped me the most was weighing myself every morning after using the bathroom. Even if I couldn’t initially see a visual change, I noticed the number on the scale getting lower almost by the day. After a few weeks I noticed a big difference when a picture of me was taken. 3 months later I had to go shopping for new clothes. Good luck on your journey and keep pushing 😀
Try not to get discouraged, it sounds like you’re doing everything right! At the end of the day what matters most is your health, and you are definitely headed in the right direction. I would say, give it another 2 weeks and reassess if you still don’t see progress. You got this ❤️
caloric deficit is the most important thing when losing weight.i’ve lost weight while eating ~1500kcal while fasting and without. the difference is that it’s EXTREMELY easier to do it while fasting. no cravings, no hunger. without fasting it was hell most of the time. i had dreams about pancakes
Have you read the book ‘fast. feast.repeat’ by Gin Stephens? I would highly recommend it for you.
I am not doing calorie counting either, because I absolutely hate it. Stephens also says it isn’t a god idea as it keeps you constantly in a ‘diet’ mindset, rather than a real lifestyle change. Truthfully, you won’t need to when you train yourself to fast. Avoid sugar and junk food as much as possible, and stick to your fasting window and you will definitely see progress.
She lays out a great program to begin fasting, which is especially good for those of us who start out very overweight. I really recommend it as it will help you ease into it and change things gradually.
How are you sleeping? I have made the mistake in the past of being TOO active when fasting, and that caused my body to freak out a little. One of the first things I noticed was that I wasn’t sleeping well anymore. Fasting is stress, exercise is stress. As others have said, food intake is probably the main thing. In my opinion, it is very good to take some rest days. I just took a week to sleep and re-hydrate, no exercise at all, and it has helped tremendously with how I feel in my clothes, as well as with my resolve.
I hope you are able to figure it out, I’m rooting for your success!
YOU ARE NOT A LOST CAUSE! You have just found a few ways that this doesn’t work as well as it could. I am not an expert but have lost about 30 pounds in the past 3 months by having 1 meal every 2 days (with lots of flexibility for when life happens), trying to keep it low carb but not counting calories. I have gone from obese to healthy weight range. BUT, the scale can stall or go backwards for a variety of reasons and I have experienced what you describe during these 3 months as well. Taking medications like NSAIDs can cause water retention on the order of multiple pounds or kgs for days, and some other meds can cause weight gain by stimulating insulin (which makes you gain weight even when eating low calorie). Poor quality and/or insufficient sleep or other big life stress causes cortisol release which also causes weight gain. Monthly cycles cause fluctuations in water retention and hormones that impact weight. Give it time. Consider eating 2 high fat carnivore meals each day, 6 hours apart (or just 1 meal, since you are already doing that well!), without limiting your intake except for feeling full. Look up the BBBE challenge… it sounds clickbait-y but is actually sound science for weight loss IF you follow it properly. It really sounds like you are doing things very well already, just keep going and give yourself time to overcome the insulin resistance that is making weight loss slower than you think it should go. Low carb helps immensely with maximizing the fasting, as does a daily walk like you’re doing. The Fasting Method podcast might provide some tips and motivation to persevere. You can do this. If you are already doing such good OMAD fasting, you can do anything. Keep prioritizing your health, trying new things, and being patient with the process. You are a valuable, unrepeatable human being at any weight… losing the weight will improve your health but accepting yourself as you are in the here and now is a skill that will vastly improve your quality of life in the long term. Go forth and conquer :)
If you did a low calorie diet in the past, it could take time for IF to start working.
If you are insulin resistant, it could take time and may require additional steps for IF to start working.
Have you listened podcast The Fasting Method starting from episode 1? It is such a GOLDMINE for tips about scenarios like this.