I’m very new to this sub but I’ve been doing IF for a while. I like the results and I feel better so I’m looking to do a longer fast. Start at 48hr. However, I’ve always heard that “starvation diets” cause slowed metabolism. So I’m curious how fasting is different and if there are any long term effects fasting has on the metabolism. I’m genuinely trying to learn so any info or resources are helpful
Fasting is not a ‘starvation diet’. Please, do some research. Dr Jason Fung has all kinds of videos on YouTube that explains all of this. The Obesity Code, in my opinion, is required reading. If you understand why, it makes the doing much easier.
I think each body has different solutions. In my personal experience, I like the 23-1 fasting (one meal/day). If I do fasting longer I feel a little bit tired
So I think if you are a newbie, do fasting until you feel your slow metabolism then eat and fasting again.
Losing weight is a long journey. One small step, one giant leap. Don’t worry because you see many people can fasting long hours.
For information I suggest Dr. Fung Channel, he is a doctor, and the good creator of content about fasting I have ever seen.https://youtube.com/@drjasonfung
Fasting absolutely reduced my total daily energy requirement. Fung is full of it.
In fact, now my doctor is concerned about slow motility things have slowed so much.
That being said, longevity has shown a correlation with slow metabolism so that is good.
I find that my energy is lower during the 1st and 2nd day of a fast. It would be easy to reduce my activity due to fatigue which would lower my calorie requirements. So in a way I guess you could consider that slowing your metabolism but just pushing through and taking the dog on a long walk solves that problem.
Next, and this is VERY important is the realization that a smaller body requires less calories. This is why people complain they “plateau” on a diet. The closer they get to their goal weight the slower the weight loss. Many people do not realize how many less calories are needed to maintain a smaller frame. For me to stay at 110 pounds I only need a base calorie intake of 1200 calories. Light activity allows me 1400, a day of prolonged high activity allows me 1800 calories.
So if I start my weight loss plan consuming 1200 calories a day and I am 10 pounds overweight in the beginning I lose weight faster. As I lose weight and my changed, smaller body needs less calories, the weight comes off slower. Some people believe this is a slowing of the metabolism which it is not.