M-43- W215Lbs X 5.7h
I’ve had success with IF in the past. It wasn’t easy but with steady and consistent effort, I got results over time.
In Sep 2021, through IF, I had reached a weight I was happy at - 84 KGs/184 lbs.
By Feb of 2022 I moved homes and had a bad few months dietarily and reached - 88 kg/ 194lbs. (I would LOVE to get back even there)
I got back on IF (1200 cals - and various durations - 16:8, 18:6, OMAD) and working out 6x a week.
By June 2022 I was losing and regaining the same couple of lbs and stayed at 88 kg/ 194lbs
In June, I consulted an RMR ‘expert’ who suggested I ramp up strength training and increase cals to 2600+
That did not work and by August 2022 I was up to 93 kg/205lbs.
Today I am 98kg/216lbs. (couple of vacations since then).
The only thing that has changed that I can think of since 2022 is that since I’ve moved, I’m more social because I’m closer to friends, so I have 2-3 drinks every other week.
The one thing that does move the needle for me is a 36hr fast. It drops me down 3+lbs and I gain back maybe 2-2.5 over the next few days.
it seems my body is incredibly resistant to lose any weight and loses incredibly slowly, but any slight deviation or indulgence dumps in up to a new baseline a couple of lbs higher.
I consulted a Doctor who specializes in weight management. He said what I am going through sounds like Metabolic Adaptation. He suggested I stay at 1200 cals, work out 5-6x a week and start Ozempic.
I am concerned about Ozempic because while it may work for me, by all accounts stopping it gets all the weight back so I’m not sure it makes sense. I wonder if the regain happens only to those that don’t workout and diet. If I was diligent about that (which I have been for years), could I start with it and stop later and hopefully my diet and activity will stave off most of the regain?
Looking for thoughts and suggestions please and happy to answer questions.
I had a somewhat similar situation. I lost a good amount of weight by calorie restriction and got to a point where I would start to gain if I ate over 900 calories and also found it almost impossible to lose weight once I put it on. I ended up gaining all the weight back plus more over the years.
Now, I no longer count calories or restrict how much I eat and have lost a good chunk of weight again. I recommend doing longer fasts and keto diet. I don’t follow a rigid fasting schedule, so I do longer fasts (2-5 days) when I feel like it and it fits with my schedule and shorter daily fasts in between (at minimum 16 hour but usually Omad). The long fasts are where I drop weight, and the shorter fasts just maintain. When I do eat, I eat as much as I want but stay keto. I don’t always do keto, but right now I find it easier to fast while in ketosis. I don’t have any evidence to back this up, but I feel like what I’m doing allows me to burn fat while also getting my metabolism to handle eating a normal amount of food again. I also time my fasts so that I’m eating around my workouts. I’m very happy with my results so far, and also think that I look better now than when I was at a lower weight from calorie restriction, because I had less muscle.