For all the people here, I am currently 19 years old. I started IF when I was 17, around 180 pounds or so.
I gave up all sugar at the start and dropped weight amazingly, going down to 166 in a month (mostly water weight) . In the next 4 months with IF ranging from 16:8 to 18:6 I came to 148 pounds. I felt amazing, I was doing cardio to increase my stamina and also doing strength training at home. My sugar intake was very less to none, and I could eat as much home made food as I wanted and I felt my body could burn it efficiently. I was the epitome of health, all my sluggishness and weak immunity went away, it genuinely felt amazing. Even not doing cardio, I was walking everyday and taking sun and I felt amazing. Everything was going well in college and my life and I felt like I finally found something that was working for me, like a life time companion to help me reach my full potential.
Came the pandemic. Shut down everything. Staying at home for the next 5 months, then online classes for the next year and onwards. I fell severely depressed due to some eye opening things that happened. Used to have panic attacks every day during early quarantine. I had my reasons and very strong ones. I left intermittent fasting. I was still eating as much as I did and things were okay, I wasn’t picking up weight whatsoever. The problem started when I touched sugar again. I couldn’t stop. I can’t stop even today. Food became my comfort that makes all my troubles go away.
1.5 years of depression made me realise a lot of things. I really ruined my mind and my body. I lost a lot of my lean muscle and put on a lot of weight. Once I got out of depression with the help of friends and family and could feel mentally better, I gave my all for my papers that I had and decided I would work on my body again after them. 6 days after my last paper, I was tested positive for COVID 19. I was grateful to not be hospitalized but still had severe symptoms and it really took the life out of me. I could barely move for 3 months without muscle pain. Today I feel better of course as it’s been nearly 8 months since my infection. My plans were ruined and my summer went away just recovering as well as eating. It’s like since then, I’ve gotten out of depression but at the same time I’m now dealing with the consequences of that depression. It really disheartens me to look back and see myself at such a peak and my current state of the lowest of my life.
When I got COVID, I was back to being 180 pounds and my weight was not going beyond that. After COVID, my set point has increased to 210 pounds and I am currently still at that weight. Even recently these past 6 months have been full of trauma for me and I feel really alone. My motivation is my parents who are still here for me. I barely have time for myself or anything as I’m in University right now, and my schedule really tears me apart.
I really need help and advice as to how to start IF again. Dr. Berg was like an angel for me in the past and in my heart I know his advice helped me tremendously but I just can’t watch his or Fungs videos. It just hurts. I can’t stop eating. Chocolates, sugary foods in an unhealthy amount. I know it’s bad for me on so many levels from blood sugar levels, to gut bacteria health.
I know what therapy is and it’s what got me out of my depression. I know becoming healthier is the way to losing weight which is what is causing my current state of mind. I truly believe that this is the solution to what is holding me back from improving my life, especially as I have big dreams but feel like I’m rotting away. I’ve never been physically so active in my life but even this is too much. Going back to University in person does motivate me but it’s more of a walk of shame.
Thank you for reading if you got to here.
I just wanted to say that your weight doesn’t define who you are. As you said I think the most important thing for you is to make sure your mental health is okay, your body will follow afterwards. If therapy helps, I would definitely go that route, after all you’ve been through. No one in their right mind would expect you to just power through this, it’s okay to forgive yourself that you got to this weight.
It might be shit advice, but when I started my weight loss journey, I told myself it’s okay I’m at this weight, because I will work on it. It might take months, it might take years, might even take decades, but it’s okay. Sugar is addicting, a sad truth in life. A therapist can help you reshape your relationship with food, but I think you have some trauma to work through first and as you gain more self-confidence, it will be easier to say no to sugar.
If you need someone to talk to, feel free to message me!
I’m sorry it has been such hard couple of years. Sugar by itself can be hard enough to manage. It is even harder to replace sugar with something else that gives you comfort. Everything together must seem very daunting right now.
The main reason I started IF was to help me with longhaul symptoms from covid a year ago. The weight-loss then became a much needed secondary motivation. I had lost weight prior to the pandemic, but not through IF. The weight came all back though, and I was more and more reaching for sweets. I’m sure I wouldn’t have stopped at 206 and obese, hadn’t it been for IF. One of the first audio books about IF that I listened to was Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens. It gave me the motivation I needed.
Especially in hard times, it can be good to only make a small change at a time. But various aspects of our lives have an impact on each other. While you’re still coping with trauma, you might feel worse because the aspect of your health and weight concerns you.
I hope you have the right support to get in a better place. And maybe, when you’re ready, you can make one change at a time. For me that was skipping breakfast. I didn’t count calories, I didn’t exercise more, I didn’t change my meals. But skipping breakfast, resulting in a 16 hour fast, broke me out of my sugar cravings. And that made a difference.
Good luck to you 🖤
This is one of those situations where you just need to take responsibility and do it. You had a really rough run and that is terrible. However, if you want to recover you need to find your warrior spirit and fight. You have to fight for your health. You have to fight for your mental well being. Your time is now and you get to decide: is the last two years going to ruin your life or are they going to help you to grow to be your best person yet. Only you get to decide. I wish you the best, dont give up!