Anyone here lost a significant amount of weight last year, or even in the past. Then gained it all back?
I’m in this boat and feel like such a loser. I lost 35 pounds in 3.5 months and it was such hard work and my dumbass gained it all back and then 4-5 pounds on top. I’ve been putting off starting again, and really could use some motivation 😭
This is not only common - it is the norm, when people try to lose weight.
You actually SHOULD put it off, and only try again when you feel you have some idea what went wrong, and what you will do differently this time to avoid it.
You will get there.
I did IF from October 2021 to December 2021 and lot about 10 kgs. 2022 was a rollercoaster year for me so I put on much more than that. Doing IF again now. Weight gain and loss is a part of life. Don’t take it too seriously. Enjoy yourself and stay somewhat healthy.
Yes, and Yes I track my weight on a Fitbit scale. Around January 2018 I was around 275lbs height 6’2”, dropped weight slowly getting down to 230lbs around April 2019. Even though I wasn’t anywhere near my goal weight I got tired of my routines, and slowly stopped my routines. I stopped weighing regularly. I would weigh every few months. I started gaining weight back slowly. Fast forward to around July of 2022 I ran into someone I worked with back in 2005 (way before my weight loss in 2018) he made a comment of “Man you have gotten big” I got to thinking back then I was around 220 lbs. All this made me feel like a huge looser.
I decided to dig the scale back out after not weighing since end of 2019 and I now weighed 290lbs in July 2022. Talk about a kick to the gut! Slowly gaining weight, until the ounces turned to pounds that turned in to 10 pounds here and there. His comment hurt, but it also made me realize that I had slowly made bad choices.
I started doing research and found Intermittent Fasting around November 2022. I started doing 16:8 Fasting , and Row on a rowing machine (8-11 Kilometers) daily .
Now end of January 2023 I am down 20 pounds. I still have a long way to go to get to my goal weight. My weight gain was from getting lazy, once I started feeling a little better abandoning my routines. Now I am more regimented and use ab app to track when and how long my fasts are. It helps keep me honest. I don’t see myself going off intermittent fasting anytime soon. What I did before was basically a diet that I got tired of, and did not make a lifestyle change. It feels like no intermittent fasting is more of a lifestyle change in a diet.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just try to make a lifestyle changes and not diet. Try to use your weekend as motivation for the lifestyle change. It all starts deep down in your mind.
Best of luck to you. Remember you’re not the only one who has gone through this ( a lot of people have been where you are). Even though my journey has just started and I am only down 20 pounds. I am extremely proud of the lifestyle changes I’ve made and plan to stick to.
Don’t view intermittent fasting as a weight loss plan view it as a lifestyle change with a side effect of weight loss. If you view it only as a weight loss plan you won’t stick with it. Good luck with your personal development, stay strong,!!!!
Went from 242lbs to 189lbs in preparation for my daughter’s arrival into this world in Feb ‘19. Treated it like job done and stopped doing IF completely, weighed in at 249.5lbs on 1st Jan ‘23 when I started IF again. Today I’m 236.5lbs.
i lost 40kgs in 2019 then slowly gained 20kgs back. now im starting again. the reason im starting again is this; i might lose another 40kgs, i might not, whatever, i know i feel good when i fast and it has so many other benefits. but more importantly, if i didnt start the last time i would still have gained 20kgs. every time i try, i succeed, even if its temporary; it still gives me a better quality of life. its better to fail a thousand times, then it is to give up.
No because I’ve never stopped doing IF (3 years now) You can pretty much expect to put the weight back on when you stop any diet. When you get to your goal you can adjust the hours but don’t ever completely stop.
I’ve yo-yoed a couple times. The last time I threw out ALLLLL my clothes that were too big. So when I lapsed and started eating junk whenever and started gaining my hard stop became when my clothes were too tight. When I had to go buy a shirt and pair of pants that were bigger I said nope and jumped back on. That is the only thing that keeps me accountable. I would need another new, larger wardrobe if I do not watch what and when I eat.
Took decades for me to figure out how I can maintain an ideal (to close to ideal) weight for the rest of my life…and so far so good
I used IF and prolonged fasts to help get down to my ideal weight 2 years ago…I am a 6’ 6” male, athletic build….I dropped from my heaviest of about 255 down to 189…
Since then I have followed my plan…I set a range of 190 to 200 that I wanted to stay in for life….I stopped weighing myself daily and stopped counting calories…but I kept my IF window….just wider 18-6 usually many times i still end up doing a 20-4….
So now I weigh in every 1 to 2 weeks and if I am outside my range (200÷) I immediately throw in a 120 hour fast to snap back to my ideal range…so I never let it go too far…
This only happened once so far over the holidays this year…I weighed myself after a little over 2 weeks and was at 205…I immediately did a 120 hour fast…which got me below 200…but to be safe and because it felt good,.I ate for 3 days, then decided to do another 120, which I am in right now, so I get down to the low 190s…I feel and look best in the low.190s…
So having a set range you are happy with is key to me, but first you have to work down to your ideal weight…then you can set your range and your plan to ensure you never gain too much back…the key is when you go past the range you immediately do a prolonged fast…no questions, no being down on yourself, no bad thoughts, no giving up….just immediately start the fast, as if you have no choice
When you gain weight your body creates new fat cells, when you lose weight your body only empties them, not destroys them.
It will be forever easier to refill those empty fat cells b/c you’re body does not have to create new ones.
Yeah I feel like once I lose weight I get intense hunger cravings for days that last more then a week which is like my body trying to regain the fat stores again, its important to try to resist those cravings even though those are the strongest cravings u ever feel, but it is possible to get through, u just need to distract yourself, get busy, its not easy, very difficult but we can all do it! Weight loss and maintenance unfortunately is quite a battle.
Well, like, what eating habits did you change?
I mean, when you were fasting, did you keep eating the same kind of foods that got you overweight, but just in a smaller eating window?
When you were done fasting, did you go back to eating the same way that got you big?
It would be like lifting weights 4 hours a day, getting ripped. Then sitting on a couch for 5 months … and being sad you got flabby.
I mean, IF is great for losing weight and healing. But you have to come out the other end with new healthier habits than when you started.
Absolutely. I am very good at losing weight. I can buckle down for 6 months no problem. Cut out booze, cut out snacks, prep all my meals, regular workouts, etc. That’s something that I don’t struggle with at all. What I struggle with in maintenance. I just haven’t been able to figure out a way to do that well yet. So in the past decade I’ve been as high as 280 (three different times) and as low as 210 but spent most of my time between 240 and 260. I’m approaching my 40s now and I’m trying to get back down to the 220s again but I know I’m going to have to learn new habits and break old ones if I’m going to succeed in staying there once I get down.
Any time I’ve gained weight back is because of one thing - soda. Don’t even let yourself start drinking it regularly again. I have one every now and again, but every time I stop buying the “just in case” 12-pack, I do considerably better again and lose more weight even after being stuck on a hump. Not sure if this is the case for you, but it works for everything 😊
Is this why people get weight loss surgeries? My surgeon said the human body loses weight but wants to get back to its original form and you still have those “hunger hormones” and a stomach size to fit it all back (over eating).
I’m down 30lbs over the last 4 months and for the past month and a half have stuck to a 20/4 2MOD schedule. I have to lose another 20 lbs to reach my goal. I want to keep an IF lifestyle. To you experienced fasters out there, is there a schedule that is best for maintenance? I was hoping to transition to a 16/8 once I hit my goal. Thoughts on this?