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Prolonged fast for breaking plateau?

I have yet to incorporate a prolonged fast and have been predominantly OMAD with some 20:4 and 18:6 days mixed in. I work out 5 and sometimes 6 days a week and am feeling great. I seem to hit a plateau and am trying to punch through it. I've seen a lot in the community throwing in prolonged fasts as a means to overcome a plateau, and am curious as to peoples' thoughts on them. Do they really help break through a plateau or is it more temporary, what are some of the other benefits of a prolonged fast, and how often should they safely be incorporated? Thanks in advance for any input! SW: 230 CW: 193 GW: 175/180

Answer

I think you can try a few changes, just a few examples that worked for me:

  1. Calorie cycling - increased my daily intake of protein for a week or so

  2. Fast Cycling - Went from 20:4 to 23:1 for about 10 days and it helped

  3. Long Fasts - I have tried this a couple of times only and for me, it didn’t really work. But I know of friends who beat the plateau this way.

I hit a plateau after losing 12KGs in 6 weeks. I took a break from IF for 3 - 4 days but ate at maintenance and after that (now) the scale seems to be moving down again.

Answer

I did 1 36 hour a week and that immediately helped and that’s been going strong for a month now. I actually take a whole day off and eat more after that 36 hour too. I’m back to loosing a lb a week again.