Hey guys, new member on this sub, and was wondering if what I’ve been doing lately will lead to long term weight loss.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been fasting the entire day, with the exception of 1/3 cup of coffee with whole milk (yes it’s not ideal, the next time I shop I’ll opt for a healthier option or substituting coffee as a whole with pills) with 5 packs of Splenda, for the meal I eat once a day it ranges between 1200-1400 calories, and includes protein and a lot of carbs (most food in America consists of carbs so can’t do much here)
I’m currently 5’8 Male, weighing about 173 pounds, before the two weeks I was 181. I’m aiming to drop to about 140-150 pounds in the next 9-12 months to my pre-Covid days, is this doable? Should I change anything? I’m big on convenience, if it’s not sustainable I’ll easily slack off, that’s why I never bothered with changing my diet, but rather change the amount I’m consuming. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Your body on average uses 2500 calories a day just for bodily functions. If you consume less than 2500 calories a day you will lose weight.
Next part is up to you… consume 2000 calories in cheese burgers or 2000 calories in proper foods.
Bonus fact… there is about 3500 calories in a pound of fat.
I may be off on these numbers…. this is my understanding
That’s a lot of Splenda. They’re labeled 0 cals/0 carbs because the law lets them, but each packet contains .9 carbs, so you’re really drinking \~4.5 carbs plus the carbs and calories in the milk. Not ideal.
I’ve seen Dr. Fung say if you’re fasting for weight loss, you can get away with 1 cup of coffee with a splash of cream (heavy cream is better than half and half, and literally just 1T, not 1/3 cup), but everyone seems to agree that sweeteners are not ideal during a fast.
Their is 3500 calories in one pound. If you eat below this like 1500-2000 calories per day ( one meal a day) and exercise at least 30 minutes to an hour a day. You can lose significant amount of wait. I’m currently on a 23:1 omad diet ratio. Which means I go 23 hours without eating ( that includes sleeping) and only eat dinner between 4pm-5pm. Which is the only meal I will eat. You can lose a lot of weight. I weighted 165.8 just 6 days ago. Now I’m at 157.2 on the scale. It takes patience and overcoming your hunger.
Advice: Cut out carbs and sugars if you can. You don’t need to cut them out completely. Just as long as it’s moderationNatural sugar like fruit is fine as long as your keeping in mind on moderation. Be sure to remember calories in, calories out. However many calories you consume will depend on your weight, height, gender. Be sure to portion your one meal a day. You don’t want to eat a buffet, even if your only eating one meal a day. Be sure to keep in mind the calories your consuming. Don’t get tempted into overeating. Be sure to drink water throughout the day. When you start to feel hungry. Drink water. Sometimes that just means your dehydrated and need to drink water. Black coffee is fine too. But be wary on coffees that have milk or creamer or even sugary coffee.
It looks like youre losing weight, so I just have some ideas to consider. Not absolutely necessary at all! The goal of fasting is to lower insulin. Insulin is what tells your body to store fat, so if it’s too high, you literally cant even burn fat, and the second you eat, your calories will be converted to fat. Your body will lower it’s bmr instead to compensate, making you feel terrible, and you wont lose weight.
Something I noticed was your splenda usage. Theres a study that type II diabetics who used artificial sweeteners had higher insulin resistance than those who didnt. This implies that artificial sweeteners can raise insulin, which will cap your ability to lose weight. Also, theyre not really great for your health? Imo, its better to have normal sugar than an artificial sweetener.
Also, it’s not really a “fast” if you have milk in the coffee. It can still help with weight loss, but maybe consider consuming 0 cal during your fast (and no “zero calorie” sweeteners bcuz they really arent good for you). I really struggle with this too tbh, but if im gonna fast, i want it to be as effective as possible. Consider switching to green tea for your morning caffeine or learn to drink black coffee plain (apparently a pinch of salt can help the bitterness).
Lastly: try to add more fiber to your meals if youre not already! This will keep your meal from spiking your blood sugar (and therefore making your body produce more insulin). Beans have toonnns of fiber. I microwave frozen veggies with my american meals, so even if theyve got a lot of processed carbs, its something easy and quick i can eat that helps me feel fuller and better, while adding fiber. Ive added sauces to them (like sweet n sour sauce, or soy sauce) to make it taste better but at this point, I can eat it plain.
Also, natural fats (like guac or butter) slow your blood sugar spikes, which lowers insulin, which increases your fat loss potential. So when you eat your american meals, go for more sauces and fats, and add fiber when you can:)
I’m confused about why you have to have carbs “because you are in America?”. I guess it dovetails with you being big on convenience and you may be only eat premade food?
I doubt you’ll meet your overall goals with that application of this method, but it might give you enough of a start that when it comes time to reevaluate some of those decisions, you become more willing to do so.