So I started IF about 11 days ago now. I’ve previously tried keto. I lost a lot of weight on keto, but I feel like it was too restrictive to be a long-term weight control solution. I’m mainly doing ONAD during the week, and then doing 18/6 IF on the weekends.
Are there any newbie pitfalls I need to watch out for? How much of a cut should I aim for? My TDEE is right around 3,500 kcals. I’m a 6’3”, 496 lbs (190.5 cm, 225.1 kg), 44 year old male. I’m a teacher so I am on my feet for about 3 hours a day and then sitting down for small group time the other 3 hours. I do very little intentional exercise, although I am starting to walk 1-2 miles per day now that the weather is cooler.
I wear a Fitbit and, most work days, it tells me I burn 5000+ calories. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but I have to believe it’s way more than I actually burn.
Thanks in advance for the answers.
I don’t have much of an answer, just wanted to let you know I’m with you. I started at the beginning of December doing 20:4 - which half the time has resulted in OMAD. So, go us!
I would expect your 16:8 weekend fast to be a potential pitfall. Seems like it could be easy to overeat given 8 hours and being stuck at home. You can help fight this by not buying junk food. Literally keep it out of your house so you aren’t justifying snack after snack because you’re inside your 8 hour window. One bad weekend can unwind a great week of progress.
Good luck!!
The main “newbie pitfall” I see is people anxiously watching the scale every day and getting demoralized when they “only” lose 1-2 pounds a week. You may lose faster because your starting weight is higher. But I’d still say — expect daily weight fluctuations; they don’t mean anything. Only the long-term trend is meaningful. And 1-2 pounds a week is a good rate of loss.
If daily weighing stresses you out and saps your motivation, don’t do it. Just focus on sticking to your IF schedule, and the results will come.
Also — you don’t by any means have to go low-carb. I don’t. But I have found that I feel a lot better when I go easier on starches during my OMAD. Like, a vegetable and tofu stir-fry with a small scoop of rice, rather than a big bowl of fried rice. Too much starch leaves me feeling hungry the next day.
You should seriously consider getting yourself a CAC scan — Coronary Artery Calcium. I can almost guarantee you that your score on that test and the direct implications of what it means for you will (hopefully) really motivate you to take a second, really hard look at a keto/carnivore lifestyle.
Do yourself a favor and watch this clip about what the CAC is from an incredible doctor, Dr Rob Cywes: