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Weight loss has come to a SCREECHING halt

M34 6'1 SW 240lbs CW 222lbs GW 190lbs I am not new to OMAD, but fell off the wagon from Nov-Jan, i restarted OMAD on Feb 1st weighed in at 240lbs. I have a really strong will power, and am extremely meticulous. Last year when doing OMAD, i dropped 50lbs, and was consistently losing weight week by week. Even before last year i would go through 3-4 month sprints of OMAD and would always lose weight every week. For the first time ever, this week i got stuck and i don't understand why but i have a hypothesis i will share further down. I weigh myself daily, i know some people don't like this, but it motivates me. I have been stuck between 222.5 and 222 since last Thursday 2/23. I am meticulous as i said and have a very boring but consistent routine which goes as follows: Tuesday through Sunday: i fast from 8pm to 7:30pm the next day. I have a 30 min eating window. I Fast from Sunday night at 8pm until Tuesday at 7:30 pm, to incorporate one longer fast in the week. **For OMAD Meals i alternate between 2:** * Meal #1: Omlet: 2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites and 1oz of goat cheese. * Macros: Calories: 300 P: 29g F: 26g C: 1G * Meal #2: Avocado (100G) and Tuna with Olive oil (170g): * Macros: Calories: 400 P: 34g F: 29g C: 8.5G **What i drink throughout the day:** * 2 espresso's in the morning before 8am * non flavored sparkling water * spring water * CALM magnesium at night before bed (puts me to sleep and acts like a laxative to clean me out come morning) **Activity:** * i get at least 5 miles a day, some days more some days less, some days it's just walking some days its half walk half jog but every single day 5 miles i try and stay in motion a minimum of 60 minutes per day This routine has worked for me multiple times throughout my life, every single time i would lose an average of 2lbs - 5lbs per week. I am very strict, i don't miss my activity and i don't eat anything outside of those two meals or drink anything outside of those drinks. There is one difference, one single difference this time around (starting 2/1/23), the difference is that this time i decided to incorporate electrolytes and sodium into what i drink daily. I have done EF and when i do and i take electrolytes i feel better mentally so i decided let me also incorporate it with this phase of OMAD. So daily i also have 1 [LMNT](https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink?variant=16358367199266) electrolyte packet + 4 of these [Reset New Extended Day](https://www.amazon.com/Extended-Electrolytes-Himalayan-B-Complex-Vitamins/dp/B08ZYWC5Q8#:~:text=RESET%2B%20capsules%20were%20specifically%20formulated,to%20keep%20your%20cells%20oxygenated)Clean Fasting Energy 6 High Grade Electrolytes. From 2/1/23 to 2/23/23 i lost 18lbs, i know a lot of that was water weight, but then since then no changes whatsoever, i have been stuck. My hypothesis: can it be that i am taking in too much sodium? Starting today i am stopping the LMNT and Rest, but it just seems odd to me that for the first 23 days it didnt make a difference (when water weight was shedding) and now it does? Anyone have any other thoughts?

Answer

Two things that are severely hindering progress:

You are severely undereating. As others already pointed, 400 calories a day is not only not enough calories, it’s not enough macros(proteins, fats, etc) and nutrients to sustain you. An organ is gonna give sooner or later. What could be hindering your diet is nutrient deprivation

You haven’t noticed a change in weight since 7 days ago? 7 days is too early to call a plateau, or a screeching halt as you put it.

A bad diet can only get you so far, and it sounds like once you stop, your weight loss is short lived and non sustainable

Instead of trying to lose weight as fast as possible, aim for realistic eating habits you can sustain long term.

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300-400 calories…a day?? Your body got used to being malnourished because yes you are malnourished with that many calories and lack of nutrients. Respectfully, you might have an eating disorder if you think eating so little is actually good for you.

Anything under 1000 calories is very low for the average adult. The point of OMAD is to eat a larger than normal meal in the 1200-1500 calories range for adults who require approx. 2000 calories a day. At most you want to be in a \~40% caloric deficit because anything more is considered way too extreme and difficult to sustain

Posts like this are why people on the outside think fasting/OMAD is so dangerous and irresponsible, because what you’re doing is exactly dangerous and irresponsible. Yes you will see progress in the beginning but you severely damage your metabolism and enter this weird stage where you eat next to nothing and still nothing happens

Hypothesis: go back to eating normal (at least in the 1500 range) before you do some long-term damage to your body. Yes you’ll gain some weight back but you need to reset the baseline metabolism and that could take some time

Answer

This is interesting. Over a one-week period, you’re only consuming 1800-2400 calories, which is less than most people eat in a day.

On top of that, you are exercising 5 miles a day.

And that hasn’t resulted in any weight loss in the past week.

It’s possible that your fat cells are holding onto water weight temporarily, before those cells are recycled. When you use fat, the fat cells don’t immediately disintegrate.

I agree that you need to eat more, but your metabolism may now be so efficient that you can only eat 800 calories without gaining weight.

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Nothing wrong with extended fasting. But have you tried calorie cycling? When I hit a hump I did a week off omad and then jumped back on it and it helped push me along. Helps the metabolism to not get complacent

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You have to remember your body will go through a period of Shrinking, and body weight will not drop, but inches may reduce, so tape measure yourself. Next week, stop running 5 miles, and do a 15-30 minute HIIT workout during your fasted period. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) shocks the body into producing High Growth Hormone (HGH), which will preserve muscle and tell the body to burn fat. You can find HIIT workouts on YouTube, but keep them under 30 mins. Are you using Keto test strips to test your Ketone levels? Seems like you should be spilling high levels of ketones with what your eating.

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Your body gets used to a certain routine and will adjust for it.

Some of my biggest drops were because my routine changed, i had to go back to the field and do alot of manual labor. In addition to my omad routine.

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Guys this is also extremely helpful, i want to clarify a few things.

  1. i have been on keto for 2-3 years, when i need to lose i go into a keto diet caloric deficit and when i need to maintain i eat at maintenance.
  2. i was much larger last year 300lbs and i lost the first 40lbs not doing omad just keto and then the other 50lb doing keto with OMAD
  3. I take multiviamins and supplements right now because i know i am eating at a very high caloric deficit

Ok with that out of the way, you guys are all brining up points that i have been debating myself about which is… should i just extended fast 7 days at a clip and then eat at above maintenance for 3 or 4 and then repeat? i thought about that and it just so hard for me to do consistently

usually that one meal at 300-400 cals is enough to get me through another 23 hours, in my mind, if i am only having so little calories, sure i may not lose as much as i would if i didnt eat a thing at all, but staying stagnant for 10 days.. thats odd to me.

That is all i was trying to get this groups POV on. What can cause me to stay stagnant for 10 days as such a deficit. I suspect its too much sodium electrolytes