Hi. I’m a 5’11” 20M who weighs 305 Pounds. In the last couple years I’ve been 220, 290, 240, 280, 240 again, and now 300+. I have a terrible family history of heart problems.
I want to preface this with I’ve accidentally done IF and OMAD just based on my very toxic home situation and my very apparent binge eating disorder. I know I’m not at all the normal person trying to lose weight based on both my habits and preexisting conditions… but I really REALLY need to.
But in terms of eating… for me I can never get really full unless I eat a LOT. That’s why I usually don’t snack much and stay hungry a little longer to completely binge. But in the past, my parents refused to let me do that, so I just ended up eating a lot. I’m off on my own now so I can feasibly do that now.
I was wondering if you guys know what kind of profession to reach out to for specific diet advice based on my history, body, genetics, and conditions. Is it still a dietitian?
Additionally, I was wondering, based on my current position, would 16:18, OMAD, or something else be best for me? I understand eventually it’s unrealistic to not work out and starve yourself to lose weight but for now I’d rather do extreme diets than work out.
Thank you for your help
So, IF is not a treatment for binge eating disorder. It can actually trigger binges in those with the disorder, because of the inherent fast/feast nature of IF. Having a longer fasting period and just binge-eating during your eating period is highly unlikely to make you healthier long-term. The point of IF is to eat normally during your eating periods, not to starve yourself and then binge.
In terms of weight loss, it is possible to overeat during even a short eating window, and thus still gain weight with IF. If you are seriously binge-eating then it could definitely happen.
I think you need to start treatment for the binge-eating disorder before you can safely consider IF as a tool for weight loss.
I suggest finding a doctor with experience treating binge-eating disorder. I would start with a doctor rather than a dietitian, because diet is only part of the picture here. Mental health is another big part of the picture. If you’re in the US, the National Eating Disorders Association has a search tool to find some providers, and a lot of other resources as well.
You should contact a therapist who specializes in disordered eating and ask your PCP for a nutritionist or dietician referral.
Based on what you said about the binging and your history, IF alone is not likely to help. You need to have a healthy diet. You could do OMAD but if you consume excessive amounts of unhealthy foods during that one meal, you will not lose weight or improve your health.
IF may be a good tool to help you control your binging (like if you usually binge at night, set your eating window to end at 6pm) but you have to stick to your window.
The best plan is the one you can stick to. Start with 16:8 and see how it goes.
Go keto or carnivore. You won’t be hungry all the time when you’re eating dense, nutrient rich foods.
Therapy might help too but they’ll probably try to shove the high carb USDA food pyramid down your throat. Don’t listen to them in regards to that.
It’ll take willpower to break your food addictions and form new habits –> approximately a month. Approximately two months for your body to become fully adapted to using fat as an energy source.
You can do it
Here’s some resources for you:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com