What a great post! Lots of detail included. Bonus marks for dog tax! Well done!! Do you plan to make this long term or will you adjust your schedule? Did you eat normally on your feed days? You are a grandmother!!! Fasting has made you younger looking.

Get one with l-Theanine and be mindful of the caffeine dosage. I recommend getting lower dose pills so you can spread them out through the day.

I used pills to quit a crazy coffee habit and then stepped down from the pills. It was a whole process. I did this during a prolonged fast as I knew I’d be off my regular routine.

I also recommend calculating how much caffeine you’re currently consuming.

Well I’m not sure if it’s scientific or not to be honest but I believe the idea that your digestive system is triggered by anything but water. So even tea and coffee is only during my eating window for me.

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Honestly none of it is good for you. I’m not saying it’s not tasty, but it’s garbage. And, it turns out some people do have an insulin response to anything flavored or with a sweet taste. I stick to black coffee, black tea and water during my fast and enjoy other types of beverages during my feeding window.

It seems like you’re doing pretty well. Of course earlier window and regular everyday is ideal but it takes time to get there. I would also avoid snacking on chips if I were you. You can eat some nuts if you’re really worried. They’re really calorie dense and healthy.

I’m a big stoner and also have been getting into long fasting and it’s just something you kinda have to get over. when you get the munchies just drink some more water or broth, find something to distract you, a lot of times I get real high and find different recipes online to try when I’m eating again lol

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If my experience is worth anything, it’s about changing your association with being high. I also started smoking for health reasons (over 10 years ago now) and had the same problem - eat all the things\~

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What I did at the time was instead of eating, I was playing engaging games (specifically fighters) which required a lot of focus and attention but the constant need to be engaged with the other player I was connected with kept me distracted. By the time I finished 5-10 games, I was good to go to bed. So try to find something you need to keep engaged with (or easily find yourself staying engaged with) and see if that can work for you

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It was really tough the first few days but eventually I replaced my eating with gaming instead. And after about \~2 weeks give or take, my body wasn’t sending hunger signals regularly which made it a LOT easier to manage. So there will be a struggle and be ready for that

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Added bonus - after all these years, I rarely even want food at all if I’m high. Makes fasting + cannabis completely fine. But it did take some upfront work to get here. Good luck. You got this!

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It’s hard at first but I found just waiting it out works. I smoke, I’m starving for 20 mins or so and then I’m fine to continue. I just try to distract myself or wait until almost bed time to smoke. Would also look into topical/transdermal to help with pain. Good luck

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I just finished my first 5 day water fast, and I was stoned the entire time.

I, like you, have always struggled in the past with munchies interfering with my ability to lose weight. Intermittent fasting sometimes lead to binge eating, because the moment I could eat something I’d enjoy it with weed and yeah, munchies make me eat too much.

After the first 24 hours and first bad sleep without food, the weed munchies had way less of an effect. I’m so a daily user though and have been for years, high tolerance, so maybe I notice the munchies less lately. But it IS possible to do at least 5 day water fast, while enjoying weed morning to night, if I could do it anyone can.

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honestly man everyone is different, you know your body and your self more than us. If smokin makes you want to stuff your face then you need to put it down. Even if you somehow lose weight youre going to gain it back one you get the munchies again and pig out. Losing weight is never going to be easy

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I had the same problem with hunger keeping me up or waking me up and completely interfering with my ability to sleep. Now I take a scant teaspoon of coconut oil, and sleep is not an issue anymore, even if I go to bed hungry.

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I am an occasional gummy consumer and get bad munchies. I basically have to just only use THC when my eating window opens and know that my consumption won’t be rational. It is the only way that works for me.

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I just switched to sativa. 10/10 recommend. I’ve lost 75 lbs since I made the switch almost 4 years ago. Sometimes I smoke sativa dominant hybrids too lol

Edited to add: I do intermittent fasting with the occasional 24. I only get munchies from indica and indica dominant strains.

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Find other things to do while high. Put on your favorite album uninterrupted and you can kill a few hours, you’ll forget you ever wanted food.

I look at it like this: i need to kill/fill time between when I get home from work and bed. I was eating far more out of boredom or habit than actual hunger. If I take a few bong hits when I get home and watch a movie or go for a hike until I’m ready for bed, I didn’t have a chance to snack.

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It’s turned me from a person that couldn’t even do OMAD into someone that has no problem fasting. Apparently, coconut oil is about half lauric acid which is something that really helps with sleep. I’d get up like you and need to eat something, and now that’s gone.

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I don’t think that weed will ever get you higher than a long water fast coupled with breathing meditations. Stanislaw Grof who was the pioneer of legally used LSD developed a technique to allow people a similar experience without the use of LSD called Holotropic Breathwork. I haven’t tried that myself but have read all the books on the subject. It is also used for all forms of addiction.

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> the cannabis makes anything other then a small intermittent fast throughout the day an impossibility (MUNCHIES!!)

Nope. It doesn’t. It’s just that you’ve associated weed with the munchies mentally and your body has been more than happy to accommodate that.

You have to realize that you don’t NEED to give in to the munchies. It takes some willpower and practice, but it’s the same thing as fasting - you’re teaching yourself you don’t need to give in to eating all the time. It’s a mental thing, nothing insurmountable unless you decide it’s not.

Weed definitely helps me get through fasting in various ways. Smoking while fasting is the only reason I’ve been able to fasts longer than 72 hours.

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I have been long water fasting for over 50 years and have never seen a need for the use of electrolytes with the exception of Vitamin C and a little table salt for its iodine content. This will probably get people wanting to argue with me. I usually tell them to check where people saying what to do while fasting are making their money selling those products. The problem with water fasts is that it is free and people just don’t want to accept that what they need might be free.

It’s not uncommon to have several bowel movements during extended fasts, even a few days after your last meal.

I googled Lucozade and the nutrition shows that it’s primarily sugar with minimal salt and no potassium or magnesium. Sugar interrupts autophagy, which is what you’re seeking for healing.

If you’re in the UK, LoSalt is an inexpensive source of sodium and potassium that’s available in grocery stores, and magnesium pills are also easily accessible and affordable. Magnesium will be helpful for reducing any straining when you have bowel movements.

Best of luck!

Muscle protein synthesis and repair from a training session occurs for up to 48 hours afterwards so no it won’t work the way you want it to with complete fasting, but there is the leangains methodology that uses a similar calorie cycling concept. The HGH release from fasting is an absolute meme too, what’s it going to help you build when you’re already catabolic, haven’t eaten in days to start it and you’re still not eating after it starts?

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I’m theory it’s sounds great, but I think you’d get inefficient results. I don’t think your body will simply promote muscle growth day 1 and then promote fat loss day 2. It would be much more efficient to just eat maintenance calories and gradually build muscle and lose fat.

I’m actually using 3 right now while I try to pick one. I think I like either zero or life fasting better thanb fasting tracker. The only benefit fasting tracker has for me is that there are multiple body measurements, the others only seen to have one. All three have good and bad though, that’s why I’m still using all of them after weeks, I just can’t decide.

No advice here really.

I stopped fasting when my baby started eating solids so we could eat together and set a good example. It’s just a sacrifice I chose to make for the greater good. Fasting is not necessary for weight loss and kids learn eating habits right from the start. Seeing mom or dad purposefully skip meals can easily lead to an eating disorder later on.

If you’re not losing weight, then you’re eating too much, compared to what you spend.

Since you have a history of ED, I would try and adjust really slowly. Start with the easy stuff: can you find anything in your food that you could easily get rid of, eat less of, or sub for something less caloric ?

What do you typically eat in a day ?

If you cook everything from scratch, you won’t need to add “added” sugar and you won’t encounter “added” sugar. Prepare your meats, vegetables, fruits, grains and whatever, without pre-prepared sauces or additives. Squeeze your own fruit juices. According to a bit of research I just did, apparently you can even make bread without sugar.

Completely avoiding added sugar sounds like a lot of work, but I’m sure one could get used to it after a while.

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Short answer? It’s difficult unless you’re only eating whole foods (ie nothing processed or prepared). My husband has started baking bread and let me tell you. This is the best tasting most delicious bread I have ever eaten. He doesn’t add any sugar. It’s a simple recipe of yeast, whole wheat flour, and salt. It tastes sooooooo much better than any store bought or bakery bread. And pasta sauce? Without the sugar it’s sooo good. Plain oats with whatever fresh fruit and flax seeds? Delightful, and so much more filling and tasty than boxed cereal.

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Shop at foreign markets like Lebanese/Syrian/Indian grocery stores. The bread there is top tier and it’s the purest ingredients.

Edit: In fact you should buy as much food as you can from those types of foreign shops because I’ve found even the meat tastes better and more natural.

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There’s certain brands that are better!

Bread- sourdough, Ezekiel, Dave’s killer bread Cookies- simple mills, immaculate Crackers- simple mills, flaxackers, Mary’s gone crackers

I recommend swapping for better options

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All about making your own food. I have been able to keep under 10G of added sugars per day.

Veggies, fruits, lentils/legumes, rice.

Instead of bread, I do lentil flatbread (or even crackers).

Cereal is not anything you need to eat.

Make my own enchilada sauce, use mustard for crackers/flatbreads.

Can use salsa on low sugar pasta

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Op, if you’re looking to avoid added sugars specifically for blood sugar reasons, please consider cutting out grains, root veggies, and fruits that aren’t berries. All of those will spike your sugar. Basically, eat a clean keto diet. Also, always easy fat and/or protein with any carbs you eat to help avoid spikes. For example, if I eat 1/4c blueberries alone, my sugar spikes. However, if I eat 1/4 c blueberries with my meal, it doesn’t spike. Also, if you’re on fb, check out the group “reversing type 2 diabetes support group” —source: type 2 diabetic who reversed my diabetes by diet alone, by following the way of eating advocated in that group. Btw, that group has a guide on what sugar substitutes are safe for blood sugar and which to avoid, as well. There is also a sister group that’s a recipe group.

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By going cold turkey. I’ve been sugar-free for 4 years (no added sugar and minimal foods with natural sugar) best decision of my life. I had to give up bread, pastry, and baked goods. At first, I got crazy cravings but after a few months I got over it, that’s when I realized my sweet tooth was just a sugar addiction, nowadays tomatoes taste sweet and if I eat something with crazy amount of sugar I might actually throw up - Actually I did, spent my Christmas with family and ate some candy/chocolate treats, I got insane jitters and followed by the worst crash in my life. Yea, glad I’m done with that.

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Read labels if you must shop the inner isles of the grocery stores. Avoid sugar free as well, sucralose is not good for you either. Otherwise eat Whole Foods and not prepared or processed foods.

As far as diets - I believe Keto and carnivore diets are popular these days.

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Well, I live in America. I just read the label, lol. And I eat veggies. According to MyFitnessPal, I don’t usually go over 30something grams of sugar per day on average

I’m not above sugar free versions of things. Barebells instead of candy bars, Coke Zero instead of regular coke, I make my own low sugar ice cream instead of buying it at the store

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Don’t just read the nutrition label. Read the ingredient list.

Added sugars and salt are added to make something taste better, often when less than ideal ingredients are used.

Add more whole, minimally processed foods and you’ll push out the stuff with added sugars.

• Plain Greek yogurt with berries, seeds, and a tablespoon of honey -There are some pasta sauce brands without added sugars (or other sweeteners), but you can also start with canned tomatoes and spice it yourself.
• fruit and veggies
• beans and legumes
• def get some fish in there

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By looking at labels. Sauces and dressings tend to be the offenders people don’t notice. Bread is another, generic store bread white is often the best choice because whole wheat tends to have lots of added sugar. On the good news front added sugar in food is now back down to the level it was in the 70’s, the focus on added sugar has made manufacturer’s remove it from food.

Also you should pay attention to total sugar too. Something can have lots of sugar in it but all of it is naturally occurring so it’s only in total not added. There is no difference between natural sugar and added sugar.

The actual diet you use doesn’t really matter. Diets which are plant forward, eg Mediterranean, tend to be easier as there are fewer opportunities to introduce problem foods but you can do it with any diet.

BTW be careful you don’t tar all carbs with the same brush. Nothing wrong with half your calories coming from carbs as long as they are predominantly complex.

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Theres something kinda stupid about this whole line of thinking. If you are watching sugar, don’t consume deserts, soda, etc.Taking painstaking measures to avoid loaves of breads that have 2 grams of added sugar or something isn’t worth worrying about for most people.

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Bread- fresh from the bakery usually sourdough, semolina or baguette but not daily. Once or twice a week we eat bread.

Pasta- my wife and I will buy high quality semolina based pasta or we will make our own and neither has added sugar.

Beverages- water! If we drink coffee it’s black with half teaspoon of sugar. I take my espresso no sugar.

Cereals- hot cereal or oatmeal. If I do any type of sweetener, it’s maple syrup that my neighbor makes, it’s 100% pure.

Sauce- I’m Italian, we make sauce from scratch, never do I add sugar! If I have to sweeten sauce for any reason, a carrot cut in two pieces does the trick.

My diet has always been Mediterranean specifically southern Italian. Tons of fish, greens, fresh fruit, veggies, olive oils, nuts, legumes, simple breads and pasta.

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I’ve heard it said that if you want to eat healthy to shop on the outer edge of the grocery store, and stay away from the middle. Outer edge is produce, meats and cheeses, and the middle is all of your prepared stuff (most of which is high in either added sugar, fat, salt, or all three).

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I don’t live in America, but it’s an important question about a more-or-less international problem.

As a rule, I avoid added sugar by avoiding processed foods, and choosing whole foods, or foods as close as possible to their natural state.

The note added to the edited OP mentions already reading nutrition labels and asks for specific foods. Reading nutrition labels is only necessary for processed foods. Whole foods include any food that hasn’t been modified, any vegetable (spinach, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, etc. etc.), legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas), nuts, etc.

In practice, this means shopping in a market (or a market-like shop), rather than a so-called “supermarket”.

I feel like day 3 is always the hardest. So you can definitely work up to it, but I found pushing through that third day I saw a marked difference. Also give yourself some support trying to extend. 1/2 cup bone broth if you feel like you’re needing something after the 2nd day etc won’t throw you off.

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You should work up to it and I recommend getting into deep ketosis first to make it bareable. I did that and barely felt like eating anyway. Makes it a lot easier. Deep ketosis will probably take 2 weeks to a month depending on you. I also do not recommend any strenuous activity during your fast.

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There are people who jump in cold turkey, and other people who work up to it - it’s up to you, and what works best for your motivation. The first time you push past 24 hours is really hard. You just have to be disciplined and push through it. Don’t forget electrolytes!

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I started out trying a 5 day fast and quit after 3, due to getting electrolyte input wrong, but those three days were pretty rough. I think it would feel much more natural to ramp up, trying one day, then two, and so on. Either way there seems to be an issue with adjusting out through and past the third day, but it should be easier.

Yes. Nutrition is the main gateway to body weight control. Exercise helps but it isn’t the major player (some people will throw numbers around like 80/20 split)

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So by all means, learn to control your food intake, have some excellent fasts, and enjoy your weight loss journey. Also don’t be scared to “fail” out of fasts and try new protocols. A week is a pretty big jump for someone who hasn’t built the skill yet

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I don’t workout at all and I’m losing weight w fasting and eating healthy. Sometimes I go for walks but I rarely get 10k steps a day. Maybe half that if I’m lucky. Working out isn’t necessary to lose weight but it does help.

Well it’s not true fasting, but I had coffee every single day with Splenda and heavy whipping cream or half and half before my eating started at 12PM and still lost 30 pounds. They say if your main motivation is weight loss, it’s fine, but does add overall to your calorie count of course. I say keep the coffee, and just be mindful of the food you eat afterwards. Having coffee helps me not feel starving to death all morning, and giving up something you enjoy is not fun at all.

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I think others answered your question. I had a serious coffee NEED before really committing to IF. Once I got used to putting off the first cup until I was ready to break my fast (10-10:30 for me) it really became more of a “drink for pleasure” rather than “MOMMY NEEDS HER COFFEE!!!” I also absolutely can drink without those chemical-laden, super sweet, delicious creamers. It was indeed breaking my fast, as is the oat capp for you.

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Turns out some people have an insulin response to anything flavored, sweet or salty. Oat milk for sure breaks a fast, but i’d lose the stevia too. I honestly think this was my problem last time I tried to lose weight. You will get used to black coffee! Try an americano! Edited to add you could have your preferred coffee in your eating window- I’ve done that many days and it really feels like a treat now!

I broke my 28 day water fast with bone broth. Felt fine and then went to have eggs (which I hated my entire life but the fasting reset my taste buds to LOVE them) then I had an avacado. The next day eggs, watermelon and by the end of the day I had chicken.

I struggled with the same thing for a LONG time (years) but just kept trying. Today I am on day 13 of 21. yay!

I had tried snake juice, salt throughout the day, etc. Nothing seemed to help. Now, I am thinking I still wasn’t getting enough electrolytes.

This fast, I have been diligent with the following: 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp NoSalt, and 400 mg magnesium every day. Even still I don’t have the physical energy most people claim to have.

On days 3, 4, and 5, I could barely get off the couch.

After day 5 my mental energy returned and I was at least able to be productive with work (I work from home).

Last night, for the first time this fast, I had the experience you described at around 2 AM. In addition, I couldn’t get warm. I got up and took a hot shower which warmed me up but then my heart was pounding out of my chest I felt like I was going to pass out. I drank some additional salt/NoSalt water and felt good enough to go back to sleep.

This morning I hit electrolytes again and I’m starting to get back to “normal.” 

I think part of the fasting process is learning about yourself and what your need to do to succeed. People spread their personal experience and information they’ve gathered from other sources like it’s gospel. It’s great to see what is working for other people but everyone is different. Try, learn, and grow.

Keep it up and good luck!

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you’ll get there! don’t put so much pressure on yourself. focus on healthy eating until your body doesn’t want to eat anymore then try the fast again. don’t force it! let your body tell you what to do!

7 day DF followed by 14 day WF is best. You’ll lose about 40 pounds.

But you’ll gain some back during the refeed.

Most people can’t just do a 21 day fast though. It’s a skill that is developed through practice.

If you can even make 5 days on a DF and lose 20 pounds, you’ll be more skilled than 99.99 percent of the population that can’t even go w/o food for 24 hours.

\> I might have lost inces ( not too noticeable), but no weight loss. I
understand that i might have gained muscle(?) hence the scale might not
move.

You’ve answered yourself here. The goal for most of us is fat loss (which you’ve likely had), not weight loss. Be patient and you’ll start losing weight again.

my favorite by FAR is fastic.free and has a lot of good info!if you do want a paid version in the future i would recommend holding out for a few days etc bc they will usually give you better deals than what they initially offer!

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my favorite by FAR is fastic.free and has a lot of good info!if you do want a paid version in the future i would recommend holding out for a few days etc bc they will usually give you better deals than what they initially offer!

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I’ve been using Fasting Tracker app and like it a lot. Free, simple and easy. Kinda cute and encouraging too.

The thing I love most though is not having to figure out my fasting end time (I generally don’t fast at the same time every day), just choose the length of fast and it figures it out. I’m sure most if not all fasting apps will do that.

All the best wishes for your new journey. Not easy, but pays off!

You are already fasting if you aren’t eating or drinking anything with calories until your one meal of the day. If what you are doing currently is not having any effect on your weight, you need to do longer fasts (I’d recommend 36 hours or longer if omad isn’t doing anything for you), change what you eat (for example, cut carbs or processed foods or whatever you decide is best for you), or change how much you eat. Increasing exercise might have a mild effect, but your diet is going to be the main driver of weight loss.

I’ve heard the same that you can use apple cider vinegar while fasting.

I started IF about maybe two weeks ago? I’m down by 6lbs. The first week I only lost two lbs. give yourself two weeks to start losing weight.

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>Can I drink water with apple cider vinegar in the morning,

Yesss!!! You can, it can actually help your digestion if you drink it 30 mins before you break your fast.

Or if you’re not planning on breaking your fast in the morning, you can still drink it.

I drink my ACV twice a day

1 tbsp morning and before I sleep

So don’t worry! It won’t break your fast

If you are keen on weighing regularly, I would advise you to weigh everyday and log it in Libra (if android) or Happy Scale (if ios). It will show the trend of your weights and you’ll see if there is actual movement. Those fluctuations are so normal, like you said and it’s easy to get lost in individual readings.

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I’d sort out that the deficit that you are eating during the week is still more than what you’re eating in excess on the weekend, or you’re correct and not losing anything. Like say you cut 2000 calories out Mon - Fri, but then eat an excess 2500 cal Sat/Sun, you’ll stay the same, or more likely gain.

This can work though if you eat at a bigger deficit during the week. I’m a couple years into maintance now, but did the same while losing…I have 12kcals for the week, I eat lower Sun-Thur so that I can have more Fri/Sat

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This is why I always consider “off” days to be a huge risk if one is focused on the scale. There have been occasions when nothing bad has happened to me but that’s not typically the case. I can never be sure if the extra weight will come off right away or take forever to peel away. In your case, now that the deed is done, all that’s left is to ask yourself if it’s worth it. If it doesn’t feel like it right now, really focus on how you feel and remind yourself of that feeling the next time.

You’ve just opened up a whole new rabbit hole for me to poke down. I didn’t know it could help solely just for skin complaints. What’s your experience been? And for your OP have you tried supplementing with real meal replacement drinks? Fortisip, ensure… They’re the pricy ones but complan is another that’s good for weight maintenance without the bulk.

I’d consider adding magnesium glycinate pills, if you’re not already supplementing with magnesium. They help keep you regular and also assist with sleep and feeling calm. You might also double check that you’re getting enough salt on your food, and try to incorporate black coffee and green or black tea (decaf or regular) along with lots of water in your fasting window.

I’m sorry you’re not seeing speedy losses, but constipation may be the main issue. Try to stay the course for another couple of weeks and you’re likely to see more weight loss and less discomfort.

I have had more luck with OMAD than keto, though I haven’t consistently paired the two.

Wishing you the best of luck!

I don’t get elevated glucose levels from IF/TRE (16:8-20:4), but as soon as I up my carb intake for more than one meal, my baseline increases (I’m slightly insulin resistant too).

What does get my glucose levels down is low carb (of course) and even more so EF. I do any length of 24-48 h several times a month and once or twice a month 72 h.

Basically an 8 day fast? I’d honestly stay away from olive oil right away since I don’t think you need it, you’re already working off of fat stores so sure it may technically break your fast, but you’ll likely just have a nice greasy BM afterwards.

I always prefer starting with something like vegetable or chicken broth or stock. Home made if possible but a quality stock will do you wonders. I’d also say maybe stay away from fermented foods the first day or two. Ideally, breaking your fast should take about 3 days before turning to normal food. I would stay away from a Korean cucumber salad since it “may” have things like soy or chili flake or some processed oils in it.

Not trying to shit on your plan by any means, I think maybe shifting everything down a day would be more beneficial and starting with something more basic would make your tummy feel a bit better.

Broth and maybe a few berries the first day is my recommendation.

For longer fasts (say 10 days+) I have found that ONLY doing broth the entire first day makes the rest of it easier.

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The olive oil sounds like a bad idea to me. I always break extended fasts with 1 cup of bone broth, wait an hour or two, then another cup of bone broth, more waiting, then try more substantive things in small quantities. Like 50g yogurt or 2 eggs, etc. I do like the fermented veg, I do kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, etc

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Thomas DeLauer has some videos on fast breaking. I posted links to a few here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/comments/11qa7v3/comment/jc3b03d/

Congrats on your fast! I’m still working on shorter ones.

im a fairly good cook but i stick to the basics. fish on the grill, frozen veg in the microwave, potatoes in the air fryer. no wild recipes. and if i do eat something not healthy, i just lower the portion.

for me at least it matters more that i stay consistent in my fast and less eating super healthy all the time always. but again that’s just me.

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Basic cooking is not so hard, I found it harder to be consistently cooking every day to avoid too much processed foods or eating out. youtube is a great resource. Even if you don’t use their recipes, I like America’s test kitchen since they usually explain things really well, so a good way to learn about cooking techniques.

For a total noob, I’d look into starting with sheetpan meals. It’s just seasoning some meat and vegetables, throwing them on a sheetpan and baking until they’re done. Minimal fuss and cleanup, mostly hands off, I like them a lot for weeknights.

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Or, maybe try one of those food delivery services like HelloFresh or Factor (has paleo, keto, low-cal options). I’ve never tried it.. but it seems like a good idea.

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I know a couple who subscribed to one of these services for a year and learned how to shop and cook through the process.

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I just recently started cooking for myself (ex-wife was a stay at home wife) and decided to get an air fryer. I mostly cook meat, and it’s been surprisingly easy. Just google “how to airfry —–“, and lots of easy to follow recipes pop right up.

I usually go by how I feel. Sometimes I’m good fasting my normal schedule and sometimes I get huge cravings and need to break it early. I just give myself a lot of grace during that week before. I also try not to weigh myself much during that time because I tend to hold more water weight and it can be mentally annoying.

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I’ve only had repercussions when I’ve been extended fasting leading up to my period. I do get PMS cravings, and find I’m happier if I integrate some of the cravings into an IF window. I’ve read that eating a couple of dates can be sufficient, but that’s not satisfying for me 😆

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I kept my 18:6 schedule and it has prooven to be better for me than reducing fasting window. That will only make it easier to give in for temptations, but then again everyone has a different way and maybe what works for me doesnt for others! Experiment and try, you will find the best formula for you!

It sounds like you could benefit from speaking with a mental health professional/ therapist. Sometimes weight and other issues are tied to long-standing lifestyle factors that you might not even be aware of. This can be past traumas, unresolved issues with family, body image, etc. etc. If you’re not able to get the emotions and depression in check, you’ll likely continue to have issues even if you WERE able to lose weight. I’m sorry you’re having such a tough time.

It also sounds like you’re jumping to some pretty extreme conclusions and black and white ways of viewing your situation. Saying that you “have to give up” and won’t “ever” get your health together if you can’t intermittent fast is not balanced OR true. You’re spiraling. Take a deep breath because you WILL be okay if you address your mental health first and foremost.

AND speaking from personal experience, stress and worry can make you VERY physically ill as well. The stress and worry can lead to sleeplessness, overeating, stomach pain, body aches, muscle tightening… ALL things that make this journey tough to start and stick with.

TLDR: Seek therapy. It will help.

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I can say that after fasting consistently for 30 or 60 days (I can’t honestly remember), that my hunger went away and I had way more energy. I would talk to someone. I take effexor and one reason is it doesn’t have a weight gain side effect. I think there are others. But def see someone.

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Boo, none of this is normal!!! Are you eating enough? Are you eating good food?? Have you spoken to your Dr about the depression? I would suggest getting a full work up, something is going on with you. What about the last meal is depressing you, that it’ll be awhile till you eat again?

I can only speak from personal experience, but I have more energy, feel better, sleep better, skin & hair look great. I did get some muscle aches, but that was probably 2 years after starting? and guessing its more an age thing, so started taking magnesium lately and they are gone. Everything you’re going through is so extreme, please get yourself checked out!

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Lots of black and white thinking in the last paragraph almost like giving yourself ultimatums. Therapy. Compassion. Kindness. Look for any books, therapists, support groups etc that are gentle loving and nurturing. Best of luck❤️

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OP, I’m sorry you are not in a good place. Please take care of yourself; if you believe IF is causing/exacerbating your mental health issues, I would discontinue it. Maybe your metabolism is unique, maybe you are just not doing what is right for YOUR physiology. You should seek out supportive professionals, a doctor/diet expert, and a mental health professional. Yes, it can be difficult to find the right people, I do not say this lightly. Still, your condition sounds serious enough to warrant this, not advice from random people on Reddit such as myself. Reddit is great for getting second opinions, information that professionals may not be aware of, and personal experiences. People can also be supportive any time you need it. A couple things that occur to me: We’re at the tail end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere; lots of people tend to be at ‘low ebb’ emotionally at this time. Constipation often leads to hemorrhoids, perhaps you are not getting enough fiber. If you are eating poorly (you say food doesn’t appeal), that’s going to trash your mental health. I personally have found the Keto diet really helps with the cravings. Perhaps consider trying it; I feel it goes well with IF. Again, get some professional help and get back on a more stable course before attempting to change things other than perhaps going back to whatever you were doing before IF, if you felt better then. You do have lots of time to try keto, various IF schedules, perhaps EF, gluten-free or dairy-free diet, on and on. But you need some support before switching things up.

I think “Instant Steel-cut Oats” are similar to “Instant Rice”, that is that these items are fully cooked, and then redried. When you cook instant Steel-cut oats in a minute or so, you are heating the water and hydrating the mix, not really cooking (chemical reactions not just heat).

I would assume the nutrition is similar for instant and normal steel-cut oats, assuming your packet does not have added sugar.

You started 4 weeks ago and you are down 12 pounds. weeks are very short time frames to look at. Exercise is not required to lose weight. It can help increase calorie burn but if all you want to do is drop fat you can do that by just putting yourself in a consistent deficit. But that doesn’t happen in quick or linear ways. So many times you will see an initial change only to level off or hold at periods. This is normal as your water weight can fluctuate fairly substantially day to day or week to week but the fat comes off slow.

So the example would be if you are in a 500 calorie deficit a day which if done perfectly you will see 1 pound of fat a week lost. That can easily be masked by water weight and other changes. People need to be very careful to understand that the number on a scale just is a number and doesn’t show composition. SO if you weigh yourself weekly you could easily have lost 1 pound of fat but be up 3 pounds in water weight, so you looked like you gained. It is much better to think of your weight as a range that it can fluctuate in. For me that is 10 pounds. Staying away from a scale early on or at least not weighting all the time is a good idea too. The goal is to make changes you can sustain for the long term in a consistent way. And long term think months or years instead of weeks or days. The goal isn’t to lose weight. That can be forced if you want in various ways. Your goal is to find the balance so you can continue to do this long term. What most people do is go from one unsustainable way of eating (where they are gaining) to one where they lose but they never find that balance point. For me this is what IF allowed me to find. Now doing this will take time but if you do it correctly it can be life changing.

I have a hard time drinking electrolytes, and have experimented pairing them with lemon juice, La croix, Spindrift and 5 calorie bouillon cubes. I assumed there would be little difference, but my weight goes up, even on a multi day fast, when I use the bouillon. I’d guess it’s water and salt retention 🤷🏻‍♀️

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It is literally impossible that you will have added back two pounds of fat that you genuinely lost without eating thousands upon thousands of calories in excess of your TDEE. No matter what else happens, remember that.

So, the explanation could be water retention. Maybe you were particularly dehydrated when taking a previous measurement. Maybe the scale shifted slightly on an uneven floor and it’s mildly affecting the reading.

But again, it’s not fat that you had lost and then somehow regained, because that’s impossible.

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Water retention most likely, the female body is different! We go in cycles of gaining water weight, hormone stuff, and other stuff! You are good! On long fast my body fat percentage goes up then it comes back down. Stay with it!

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there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound fat. typically during each day you fast, you use up 1,300 - 1,800 calories in your own fat. in other words, you average about 1/2 lb lost per entire day you skip eating.

there are 24 calories in one regular glass of bone broth (no fat on top). there are about the same calories in a scoop of collagen. imagine how many servings it will take to gain 1 lb fat.

you are storing water.

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When I water fast I exercise a lot and usually lose over 20 pounds in the first seven days. I have been fasting for over 50 years and am currently 72 years old. I try to fast during the course of a year my age so this year I have fasted at least 72 days. I am nearing 73 years. The older you get the more important it is to fast especially if you want your little red rooster crowing in the morning. Joy comes in the morning.

Get a second opinion from a qualified professional. I am not a qualified professional.

IMO any nutritionist that tells you to stop eating meat all together is pushing their own agenda. Sure, cut back on meat, but meat has a ton of nutrients. Just cut back and eat lean cuts.

I hope they at least gave info on the types of nutrients you will need to make sure to increase in your diet or take a supplement for if you stop eating meat. Iron comes to mind right away.

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Anecdotally - I got a dramatic decrease in “bad” cholesterol with one 36 hour fast a week, and no other changes to diet, no change in my weight (I am not overweight). The daily 16/8, 18/6, 20/4 thing I do now is more comfortable but cholesterol back up, weight a little lower.

Dietary cholesterol doesn’t necessarily raise your blood cholesterol, it’s more complicated than that. Sugar can raise your blood cholesterol, as can stress.

You can try the not eating meat. But eating more other sources of fat (olives, avocado, nuts, fatty fish) and adding a long fast each week might work better.

I don’t think JUST removing meat would work unless you replace it with good fats though. Like if you remove meat and replace it with pretzels you will make it worse.

Oh, and since you asked - most of the food I like isn’t meat - when you remove meat from a diet for most people that’s just taking out chickens, cows, and pigs and leaving literally every other food in the world. All the vegetables, greens, pasta, nuts, olives, fruits, beans, all the grains and also milk and dairy and eggs. We eat beans and rice and greens a lot, burritos, stir fries, rice bowls. Eggs and beans and potatoes. Avocado toast is so good with cream cheese and sprouts. You can have an enormously varied and wonderful diet without meat. I just don’t think it will fix your cholesterol.

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My mom went vegan for a year based on her Drs recommendation. It didn’t do anything for her cholesterol. There’s research out there that shows the connection between cholesterol and insulin raising foods. https://youtu.be/dRBYeViQG7Y

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Since starting IF in January, I have actually increased my meat consumption. I cook lean ground turkey, chicken, and salmon. No beef or pork. It helps me to eat fewer carbs and stay full longer.

I still make vegetarian meals though. Ways you can incorporate protein to your diet is with edamame, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, and chia seeds. You can also make smoothies with protein powder. I enjoy Orgain Organic protein powder, and it’s made from pea, brown rice, and chia seeds. I eat two meals a day and my first meal is usually a huge smoothie made with it, PB2 peanut butter powder, almond milk, banana, a couple of spoonful’s of low sugar vanilla Greek yogurt, and ice.

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My brother cut out all meat products (meat and dairy and eggs)in his late 20s due to a high cholesterol scare. He loves his Whole Foods plant based diet so much now, that 5 years later he’s still doing it, and his numbers are phenomenal. I’ve also started it now because my numbers are also bad.

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High colesterol (LDL and triglycerides) Is caused by excessive carbs… Meat and saturated fats has barely impact on it…Also high LDL is barely correlated with any disease, causation is not proven at all…Triglycerides on the other hand are bad and caused by too much carbs. Eat all the meat you want because being realistic those are the only real sources of nutrition we are able to use, vegetables and such don’t provide nutrition at all, fruits are in the middle.

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High colesterol (LDL and triglycerides) Is caused by excessive carbs… Meat and saturated fats has barely impact on it…Also high LDL is barely correlated with any disease, causation is not proven at all…Triglycerides on the other hand are bad and caused by too much carbs. Eat all the red meat you want because being realistic those are the only real sources of nutrition we are able to use as humans, vegetables and such don’t provide nutrition at all, fruits are in the middle.

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Never trust in “professionals” who make you cut out an entire block of food. There’s perfectly good clean meat cuts to eat. I don’t know how is in your country but in mine we need to go to a few because we’re the second country in the world with more eating disorders and you’ll have this people becoming nutricionists and tell you things like you don’t have to eat fruit because it has sugar.

Get a second opinion and meanwhile you can stick to fish and chicken breast with no skin if you’re not in the best level of cholesterol, until you meet with another professional

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Google vegetarian sources of protein.

If she meant no meat as in “no animal muscle” that still leaves:-egg, yogurt/milk/cheese, beans, legumes, lentils, etc.

You might also want to clarify if she also meant no fish when she said no meat…some people don’t always include fish in that category.

Honestly I’m a little surprised your nutritionist said something that restrictive given how you describe your knowledge on the matter without educating you what your diet needs to consist of.

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My doctor looked at my cholesterol numbers and said pretty much the same thing. It took some time to get serious about IF again because of holidays and winter blues, but I just got going with it a couple weeks ago. I’m hoping I can get retested over the summer and have better results.

My advice… although probably not the greatest… try IF for a few months with no diet change and see if things change. That’s my plan. If I need statins, so be it. I’m not giving up all meat though.

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I eat skinless chicken, cod, salmon, scallops, squid & shrimp. (And portabella “burgers”) These proteins help me with satiety. I read the book Wheat Belly years ago re: the effects of wheat on cholesterol and gave up wheat. :)

You have a great question as my doctor says that I don’t eat enough protein and I have never been concerned enough to figure it out, how much I need anyway, but as an American we don’t know grams or kilograms, maybe send this out in pounds and ounces and you might get a little more information. I will be learning right along with you!

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The standard ratios recommended online assume you’re within a healthy BMI. For example if you weighed 300 lbs and are very fat, you don’t need to be eating 300 plus grams of protein per day. Hitting around 200 grams a day is ideal if not more than ideal for 99% of the adult population.

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To lose weight, i limit carbs. Then I eat more fats. Including steaks and bacon.

Typical meal: Steaks and salad. More info:

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

I think a mostly plant based diet has a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. Whole foods plant based is void of artificial and processed foods which is probably where the bulk of the health benefits come from. It would also be very low in saturated fat, trans fat, and very high in fiber. All of these things combined would make someone very healthy but I think this can still be achieved with an omnivorous diet

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Lots of studies have been done (not sure why other commenters are claiming otherwise) and have found that plant-based and vegetarian diets generally:

• Reduce Cardiovascular Disease
• Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Mortality
• Reduce All‐Cause Mortality

Here are some studies I could find after a brief search, but there are many:

Dinu, Monica, et al. “Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies.” Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 57.17 (2017): 3640-3649.

Kim, H., Caulfield, L. E., & Rebholz, C. M. (2018). Healthy plant-based diets are associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in US adults. The Journal of nutrition, 148(4), 624-631.

Weston, Leah J., et al. “Plant-based diets and incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in African Americans: A cohort study.” PLoS Medicine 19.1 (2022): e1003863.

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What you’re going to find here is a bunch of people with inherent biases trying to convince you of the best way to do something based on those biases.

Can you eat an entirely plant based diet? Yes.

Can you do so in a healthy manner? Yes.

Is it easy to do? Not necessarily, lots of people going entirely plant based think it’s just as simple as not eating animal products and it’s not. You need to know what you are doing, know what dietary needs are important for you and your family and ensure you stay on top of those or you can create health risks just as you can with a western diet full of animal products. Hell, you should probably even schedule bloodwork with your PCP occasionally if they feel it’s necessary after consulting them with the details of your diet change.

We have a lot of evidence that the Mediterranean diet, the blue zone diet, eastern Asian diet as well as diets by those in some religious circles like the 7th day Adventists have some of the best outcomes when it comes to health and longevity and almost all of them involve some sort of animal protein being consumed in smaller amounts.

If you’re not obsessed with counting every micronutrient you’re cooking up, not maintaining a log of your diet and ensuring you’re supplementing appropriately, it simply makes more sense to follow one of the aforementioned diets and allow a little meat, eggs and the occasional dairy into your life.

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A quick google search will give you many many scientific studies on plant based diets. They list benefits as well as limitations.Don’t take short cuts. Just go to good sources for reliable info.

Two listed below

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/plant-based-diets-are-best-or-are-they-2019103118122

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0552-0

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Plant-based diets are a very, very new phenomenon and hence have little-to-none long-term scientific proof of any benefits. The Faunalytics study reported that 84% of people who start vegan diet do not stick to it, largely due to reduced brain function. Conversely, balanced omnivorous diets have tens of thousands of years of evolutionary success. I know which I’m sticking to.

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Honestly there are really good articles and studies out there. Give it a google, and try to stick to articles from government or educational institutions, or places like Mayo Clinic. Places that are well established and rely on their reputation for producing quality content are more reliable than a random website you’ve never heard of that’s probably just googling and regurgitating potentially wrong info.

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Hello. A common scientific approach to supporting a theory is to try your hardest to disprove it. If you fail then your theory is sound. So it would be good to try to provide studies and sources which aim to prove plant based diets are actually bad for you, and if those don’t hold water, then the opposite is solid.

For example:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/plant-based-diets-are-best-or-are-they-2019103118122

https://gimletmedia.com/amp/shows/science-vs/z3hl5v

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28040519/

Please be pragmatic on your approach instead of zealous to support your beliefs/lifestyle. One way or the other.

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None at allYou don’t get enough vitamin A, D, B12, K2, and many other minerals from plants

Idk why so many of you want to eat a “politically correct” diet, instead of just eating what’s best for humans

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I eat a large amount of veggies, moderate amount of chicken turkey sea food, red meat once in awhile and I cut out processed meat, Also forgot healthy oils. And I’ve done keto and carnivore for the last 20 years recently switched.

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Why do you need science to tell you what you already know? Use your intuition. Before science was bought out we were told over and over fruits and veggies are the very best things for you. That hasn’t change. Fruits and veggies don’t make money for the industry that is why the studies are changing. Don’t be fooled - support real food.

I used to do a 36 hour fast once a week on Sunday my rest day. It was pretty easy for me to just eat a little bit more the rest of the week and stay the same weight.

Fasting on long distance running days was too hard. I couldn’t recover.

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Biggest bang for the buck is IF 16/8 if you’re still trying to fuel muscle gain. Eat plenty (of the right stuff) with proteins, but if you’re wanting to lose fat through fasting, you’ll be ok without carbs before your workout at your current body fat content. It may take a little to get used to, but really your runs will be fine so long as they’re not more than 45 minutes or so.

Fuel your body with proteins and good carbs during your eating window and the workouts will still feel good and help you with gain muscle/lose fat progress.

Alternatively, if you’re really not trying to lose any fat, then just eat healthy food with plenty of whole protein to fuel muscle gain. Lift some stuff up and put it down. A little goes a long way if you’re strictly running right now.

I do 20:4 on Monday, Thursday and Friday, 16:8 on the weekends and don’t eat at all on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Not sure what I do once I hit my goal weight. Hoping to be able to go to 16:8 all days with a 40 hour fast mixed in a couple of times a month.

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variety.

most days i do 23h fasts and 18:6 so that i can have more calories in a given meal and to lean toward fat adaptation.

much less often, i do 2 - 5 day fasts just as a fat control measure. in the last couple years i fasted this way to take breaks from calorie counting, but dips in energy make me limit them to fall/winter. i might break that pattern and do them spring/summer but only if i can keep my energy up. i cant squander great summer weather by lulling in relatively low energy for 5 days, only to break it and spend 3-4 more days dragging my feet with postprandial fatigue.

much more rarely, 3.5 week and 4 week continuous water fasts, but only these two. im too lean to do these kinds of fasts ever again. i dont think i will attempt another even if i fattened up, as they are more novelty, bucket list types of fasts.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-avocado-oils-5083218

Personally, I wouldn’t buy it on amazon. I really like Chosen Foods, which I buy at Kroger or Sprouts.

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I personally use Chosen Foods (https://amzn.to/3n4P9Jr) because I can pick it up from Costco for a decent buy. However, if you are wanting a gallon of it, I would choose one that is cold pressed like this one: https://amzn.to/42pa5ea

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Here’s the solution: Changing from vegetable oil to avocado oil is practically 100% irrelevant in the grand scheme of overall health. Stop worrying about things you do not need to worry about.

Total energy intake.Physical activity. Overall diet.

Done.

I’m sorry - that’s super frustrating! It sounds like you’re doing everything right.

If you are female and in the second half of your cycle you may be retaining weight that will whoosh after your period.

I would stick with what you’re doing. If you’re feeling super stuck after another week or two you might consider a longer fast and then returning to 20:4 and 1400 cal/day.

You may find more specific advice in r/OMAD or r/intermittentfasting. Many on this sub focus on fasts over 24 hours in length.

Wishing you a whoosh!

I think starting off slow would be a good start! I began 18:6 and it’s been working well with me. I have two littles as well, and yes it is hard but you get used to it! I have lots of water, black coffee and tea.

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Whether you can have coffee depends on your goals. Weight loss? Have at it. Health benefits? Keep it black. Green tea is a good choice for fasting since it compounds some of the health benefits if you like the stuff

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As for fasting: start slow and see how your body reacts. Remember that fasting is just a skill you’re building and like most skills, jumping in too fast can cause injury/problems. Get used to the feeling of being hungry. With 2 young children especially - you want to make sure you understand and can control what’s going on with your body while fasting

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My suggestion is start by skipping a meal. When starting out, breakfast is a good one because you’ve already got a bunch of hours into a fast. You skipped over a couple of the early hunger signals your body will put your through and start into a decent fast. Go until lunch and see how that feels. Once you get used to it and do it a bunch, start going until supper. Then step up to a whole day. By that point, you should have a good sense of what a longer fast might feel like and whether you’ll be able to handle your parenting duties well/have the energy needed

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Honestly, once you train your body, 48 hours will be something you can jump in and out of no problem. So look forward to building up to that point. Good luck

Here is a summary on magnesium - you might want to read the toxicity section for your answer: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium#toxicity but it’s probably fine unless you start seeing the immediate symptom from over supplementation.

Good Morning! Took Spring Break off of IF and ate whenever. Resulted in eating more sugar, snacking more, drinking less water. Frankly I’m grateful it’s over and I’m putting the restrictions back on.

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Day 13 into my 20:4 fasting streak. Weight has been coming off successfully till Friday, stalled on Saturday and Sunday and crept up by half a pound. It’s a little de-motivational, but I am trusting the process. I know I am eating well under my TDEE and I’ve been working out daily. Gotta be just water weight, or maybe some muscle growth.

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24 hours in to a 30 hour fast, water and black coffee only. I will eat in a 2-3 hour window tonight, then get back to 23:1 for the week.

In the last 2 weeks, I’ve successfully added in 3x30 minute treadmill walks and a 50 minute Pilates class weekly and it has definitely helped move the scale! Weigh-in day is Wednesday, fingers crossed for another loss (no matter how small).

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Restarted 16:8 about 2 weeks ago. Down 4lbs and feeling motivated. Unfortunately, I also have an obnoxious cough, so I’m sure I’m technically breaking the fast with cough syrup and drops, but mentally, I’m still all in.

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I started 18/6, 750 cal deficit + 60 min of cardio per day three weeks ago. Hoping to be able to keep this up for at least 3, hopefully more like 6 months.

So far so good. Besides one day where I went on a date and broke my fast, I’ve been on top of things, feeling good!!

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Feeling a bit unmotivated today, not seeing progress with 2 weekly 24-36hour water fasts. Anyone got any words of encouragement. Progress has been rubbish https://imgur.com/a/xlr3Vlg

I got great results last time I did this a few years back, I went down around 40lbs, this time its not going the way I expected

Date Day Target Kg | Target Lbs | Actual Lost | Lost Total
Mon, 20-Feb-23 1 36Hr FAST 135.26 298.20 298.20
Tue, 21-Feb-23 2 135.13 297.90 297.80 0.40 -0.40
Wed, 22-Feb-23 3 36Hr FAST 134.99 297.60 296.00 1.80 -2.20
Thu, 23-Feb-23 4 134.85 297.30 291.80 4.20 -6.40
Fri, 24-Feb-23 5 134.72 297.00 295.80 -4.00 -2.40
Sat, 25-Feb-23 6 134.58 296.70 294.60 1.20 -3.60
Sun, 26-Feb-23 7 134.44 296.40 295.00 -0.40 -3.20
Mon, 27-Feb-23 8 36Hr FAST 134.31 296.10 296.00 -1.00 -2.20
Tue, 28-Feb-23 9 134.17 295.80 294.40 1.60 -3.80
Wed, 01-Mar-23 10 24Hr FAST 134.04 295.50 293.60 0.80 -4.60
Thu, 02-Mar-23 11 133.90 295.20 298.20 -4.60 0.00
Fri, 03-Mar-23 12 24Hr FAST 133.76 294.90 295.60 2.60 -2.60
Sat, 04-Mar-23 13 133.63 294.60 296.80 -1.20 -1.40
Sun, 05-Mar-23 14 133.49 294.30 296.80 0.00 -1.40
Mon, 06-Mar-23 15 36Hr FAST 133.36 294.00 296.80 0.00 -1.40
Tue, 07-Mar-23 16 133.22 293.70 292.40 4.40 -5.80
Wed, 08-Mar-23 17 24Hr FAST 133.08 293.40 293.40 -1.00 -4.80
Thu, 09-Mar-23 18 132.95 293.10 291.60 1.80 -6.60
Fri, 10-Mar-23 19 132.81 292.80 292.60 -1.00 -5.60
Sat, 11-Mar-23 20 132.68 292.50 295.20 -2.60 -3.00
Sun, 12-Mar-23 21 132.54 292.20 295.20 0.00 -3.00
Mon, 13-Mar-23 22 36Hr FAST 132.40 291.90 295.20 0.00 -3.00
Tue, 14-Mar-23 23 132.27 291.60 293.20 2.00 -5.00
Wed, 15-Mar-23 24 24Hr FAST 132.13 291.30 293.20 0.00 -5.00
Thu, 16-Mar-23 25 132.00 291.00 293.20 0.00 -5.00
Fri, 17-Mar-23 26 131.86 290.70 293.20 0.00 -5.00
Sat, 18-Mar-23 27 131.72 290.40 293.20 0.00 -5.00
Sun, 19-Mar-23 28 131.59 290.10 293.20 0.00 -5.00
Mon, 20-Mar-23 29 FAST 131.45 289.80 295.20 2.00 -3.00

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F 32 OMAD/20:4 SW: 181lb GW: 140lb 5’4

• End of week 1: 175.0lb
• End of week 2: 173.8lb
• Week 3 day 1: 172.8lb
• Week 3 day 2: 172.0lb

Another 0.8lb off today meaning 8.8lb in 15 days 🤯👏 and I don’t feel deprived at all.

My kid was up all night last night so actually struggled today so had a Pepsi max at about 11am. Broke my fast but obviously minimal calories. Counting it as a bit of a dirty fast today but still feel like I’m winning.

Going to try and load up on some protein as I want to attempt a 44-48 hour fast from today.

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F 32 OMAD/20:4 SW: 181lb GW: 140lb 5’4

• End of week 1: 175.0lb
• End of week 2: 173.8lb
• Week 3 day 1: 172.8lb
• Week 3 day 2: 172.0lb

Another 0.8lb off today meaning 8.8lb in 15 days 🤯👏 and I don’t feel deprived at all.

My kid was up all night last night so actually struggled today so had a Pepsi max at about 11am. Broke my fast but obviously minimal calories. Counting it as a bit of a dirty fast today but still feel like I’m winning.

Going to try and load up on some protein as I want to attempt a 44-48 hour fast from today.

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I made it through 17 hours without eating (yeah some of those hours were sleeping but still). Broke my fast with some tuna (2 pouches) and crackers (mayo and mustard added) and a chai tea (cold brewed).

Dinner will probably be a bunless bocca burger with pickles and jalapenos for kick! IF I’m hungry enough I’ll have a handful of fries to go with.
I’m trying to eliminate snacks from my daily life (if possible).

Lots of water and some coffee this morning!

My fasting window starts at 7pm tonight.

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• water/black coffee fast
• hour 9 of OMAD
• I dropped 3.5 lbs in that last 42 hour fast. Insane! Of course it isn’t sustainable but it just broke me off a 2 week slow-down.
• SW 222; CW 191.3; GW 165. Started on jan 5 this year.

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Just started a fast in the hopes of controlling my eczema, which is completely rampant and wrecking my life! Stopped eating at about 3pm today UK time and hoping to go until dinner time tomorrow. Keeping hydrated, feeling good and got plenty of couch time lined up. Good luck everyone!

You can drink herbal teas on your fast if you wish, just no added like sugars etc that would equate to calories, i dont know anything about that mio water enhancer, and after the fast you should have a plan of how to refeed, start rebuilding slowly with fats, then dairy then meats (avoid carbs at first cause they can make you feel sick and all sorts).

Also starting ur first ever fast with a week all at once might be difficult, so dont be discouraged if you end it earlier but no matter how long you fast for, its an accomplishment! Only 2 days? Successful 2 day fast! So good luck, make sure you take good electrolytes too theyre very important, mainly magnesium, sodium, chloride and maybe potassium but I managed to get by with just magnesium supplements, general vit and minerals supplements and a teaspoon of table salt. Wishing you the best! :)

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There’s no “only” especially with a 7 day one LOL I’d say listen to your body! If you feel like crap before the 7 days are up, there’s absolutely NO shame or “failure” by making it shorter. You can always do a new fast, so never ignore what your body is telling you. (also, nothing wrong with doing several “shorter” fasts, they can be more sustainable than attempting to do too long fasts)

No Mio, since even zero calorie sweeteners can cause an insulin spike and interrupt your fast; tea, green tea or black coffee are OK, but nothing with stuff added to them, like some tea places make blends with rock sugar and/or fruit pieces added to the teas. I’ve had no issues with herbal teas like sleepy teatime, or loose leaf tea.

Depending where you live, meal planning is a regulated act that only specific practitioners can provide. Ensure to look into this. (purpose: meal planning by someone uneducated can be very dangerous, lead to multiple nutrient deficiencies).

You can eat whatever you’d like within reason. Assuming your goal is weight loss, you should eat fewer calories than your TDEE. Some are good at estimating, and just eliminating a meal with IF is sufficient, others need to count calories and plan meals to avoid overeating during their eating window.

Complete beginner here but actually dry fasting can potentially harm your teeth according to what i’ve read… if you brush them. The acidity present in the body during extended fast can eat enamel. By not brushing them, you supposedly leave intact a protective layer of mucus/gunk/something.

That being said I would not be surprised if DF produced healing in the tissue of your gums.

Filinov warns that having your teeth in proper condition is part of the preparation for dry fast. If you need to see a dentist you should do so first.

I successfully lost over 30lbs on OMAD and I was drinking coffee with milk daily, sometimes twice a day.

While the soy milk in your coffee is technically breaking your fast, if you are primarily doing this for weight loss, I wouldn’t stress over those 50 calories.

I gained all the weight back, so I am jumping back on the wagon, and I putting oat milk in my coffee every morning. It’s the one pleasure I allow myself.

Option 2 for me, everyone is different, I have a hard time getting a banana or any food down first thing in the morning, but I do, if I don’t I get even more nauseous after my workout. After workout is a 50g protein shake, and I’m feeling good

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How about neither- do it fasted. The benefits are huge. You don’t need extra energy to work out. You just need a physiology that has relearned how to turn to its fat stores for energy. And yes, everyone, even skinny fit people has fat to burn.

Edit- I don’t mean that skinny, fit people need toburn off their fat. I mean that they have energy stores available which would allow them to reapthe benefits of fasting, even during a workout. I should have know better than to bring up an idea that’s not old fashioned on this sub.

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As others have said fasted is better for me personally. I throw up pretty easily if I have food in me, lol even 3hrs before a workout is pushing it. I say bring it with you in case you need it. I’ve definitely had days where I was getting my ass whipped, ran and grabbed a slice of some cold watermelon I had, and was back at it. BCAAs in water seem to work alright too, but I just prefer to eat after I work out.

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I think the research does show that training with having ate something prior is optimal, and I always prefer training with having at least ate something for that day unless it’s a cardio only workout

If weight loss is the goal then I think the banana is sufficient to train on then just push the rest of your daily calories further into the day also by this rather than having that large meal first thing in the morning

I’m 14 hours in so far on a 5 day soft dry fast Right now. Didn’t calculate my starting weight but I was at 242 lbs last I weighed myself. I’m male stand at 5’9 and am almost 28 years old. I used to do rolling 72’s every week and lost about 30 lbs in a month but that was pre covid and I had nothing but time to work out. I’m trying to become healthier again and rebuild my discipline. Here’s hoping this thread and the community can help hold me accountable

Depends. Are you a coffee or tea drinker? Headaches from caffeine withdrawal will be the first several days. Reports from posters show headaches can occur throughout a DF, often related to some healing process. Not sure I can give you a specific answer.

Oh my gosh. Yes!!! I’m in the same boat as you. With the weight gain I haven’t bought new clothes, beeeeeeen trying to lose weight. And finally I found something that works,so I can go back to wearing my old clothes again

I also haven’t weighed myself in over a week. So I can’t ascertain the exact numbers. But today I felt my hip bone, so I’m excited for more to come. But congratulations!! Let’s go and drop some more.

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of course we are ! That’s so cool, congratulations on this milestone! Every post people do here helps others.

I restarted because i fell off and i think ive felt worse for it. However I’m excited to start again and move forward.

I used to vary almost twice as much by percentage, during a week; you maybe vary more, if you catch things at the right time. You should try to find a consistent point to measure it each week; I shoot for the lowest point. But I don’t know any great way to define exactly what “your weight is”; it is only a definition, and it gets us as far as it gets us.

I had the same issue in the beginning - the urge to snack out of boredom and old habits, not hunger. What has been a game changer for me is picking up a new hobby. I taught myself how to crochet from YouTube videos. Now when I feel snacky I just pick up my hook and work on my project. It definitely keeps my hands and mind focused on my work and not food. It’s very satisfying and I’ll have all these great scarves, blankets, etc. to show for it!

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Write my IF goal down. Pin it to the fridge/food cabinet if I need to.

Have a big tumbler of water near me and when I get bored, I drink water instead.

I’ve stopped buying junk food when I do the grocery. I put healthier snack alternatives in the fridge so when I do feel like snacking, I still eat something good for me.I pick stuff that I still like (e.g. fruit, sweet corn, boiled eggs, etc.)

I keep busy. Hobbies are good. Stopped watching food videos when bored. I find active hobbies (moving, creating something) helped compared to passive hobbies (watching, consuming content). This helped me get away from the consumption mindset.

I use an app to track my clean fast. It motivates me to reach my target.

Track what I eat. It’s burdensome to input every calorie at first. But it helped to build discipline and understand my nutrition better in the first 6 months. And now that I’m maintaining, I know how much is reasonable to eat and I dont track anymore.

Set a goal, then set the environment for you to be successful.

Good luck, OP!

Its not for aesthetic reasons your doctor wants you to lose weight for the surgery. Its so you can heal faster and easier without extra poundage getting in the way of that. Its easier to move and therefor easier to heal.Any doctors number one priority would be that your recovery process is a success. If you doc actually said aloud that he wants you to lose because it just looks better than get a different doctor because that ones a quack. Doctors make people lose weight before all sorts of surgeries.. Even ones that dont effect a persons outside appearance.

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I wonder if you are consuming a carb heavy diet. If so, switching to a low carb one will make it easier. Fats and protein satiate you much longer. Once eating low carb feels easy, start by eating 2-3 times a day with no snacks between meals. When that feels easy, you can start skipping a meal and trying some intermittent fasting.

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I am sorry your surgeon is delaying for aesthetic reasons! That is awful.

If you are feeling sick from 4 hours of not eating, it could be related to what you are eating in between fasts. If you are eating a lot simple carbs and spiking your blood sugar, it will be harder to fast. The Glucose Goddess instagram is really helpful on tips for reducing spikes.

When I first got into fasting I had a lot of random health issues going on and it was hard for me. I started by delaying breakfast for 30 minutes and then sticking with that time until it was easy before adding on another 30 minutes. Once I was able to do 16:8 without an issue, it was easy to push to 20:4, and then eventually longer fasts.

Around the same time I started fasting, I also increased my salt intake to help with one of my health issues. Making sure I had enough salt on the days I was eating was helpful for fasting as well I think.

If you continue to feel sick after 4 hours without food, you might want to get another opinion and see if there are other possible causes.

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I’d look at incremental changes. Take a look at how many hours per day you spend eating - for many people eat for 15 hours per day. Even whittling that down to 10 hours is a big improvement.

How calorie dense are the foods you eat, on a scale from broccoli to cake? One of the ways your body decides it’s full is simply by how full your stomach physically feels. Big calorie difference between filling it with lettuce vs cheesecake, for an extreme example. But don’t be afraid of calories - your body needs them. Simply eating things that look recognizably agricultural- meat, veggies, nuts, etc. is a good rule of thumb. Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store.

Don’t drink calories - not even milk or OJ. It sneaks calories into your body without making you feel full.

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I had similar problems - the inability to go long periods of time without eating - and it came down to having a diet too high in carbs. I’m not a doctor, but how I got through it was I cut out almost all carbs from my diet leading into a 72 hour fast to fully break the carb addiction. From there, losing weight has actually been pretty easy, and I’m not someone who is, you know, significantly overweight or anything. I’m actually a bulky athletic person looking to get lean.

My hunger is more noticeable day 1-2 . Days 3-7 it becomes more of a constant acknowledgment that simply exists . It’s hard to explain in general terms but I’d liken it to desire to eat versus the feeling of needing to eat on days 1-2.

7 day fasts are as long as I’ve managed to date.

Fasting is like anything else in life , the more you do it the better you will get at it. I think you’ll find your next fast is less grueling.

Many of the people you see mention it’s easy are experienced tasters.

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That’s kinda been my experience too. I find the first 3 days somewhat easy, but days 4-6? Nightmare. It feels like I’m hungry out of my mind and completely dead on my feet, even with electrolytes and plenty of hydration. I really do start to feel better after the 7 day mark, though. Imo fasting is a lot more individualized than people make it out to be.

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My experience is similar.

I find the hunger the first two days is different from day 3 onwards- it’s a more immediate hunger the first few days and it’s hard to distract myself from it. After day 3, it’s a different hunger, but I’m definitely still hungry and often get very intense hunger pangs. The only thing that makes it slightly easier for me later in the fast is that I’m mentally so out of it I don’t fully process the hunger at all times or just get used to it’s presence lol.

I think people who say they’re not hungry after a few days or “it gets easier” are full of it or just wired differently. Same goes for feeling more focused and clear-headed, I never feel that- I’m just sad, depressed and hungry throughout.

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In my experience there’s a distinct difference between hunger pangs and mental cravings. The former persists for a few minutes (or more) a couple times a day and nothing will lessen it. Cravings however can be demonic little buggers that are more potent than any hunger pangs but distracting myself will cause them to instantly dissipate. There’s no telling when something will trigger them, though

Hunger pangs are just something I got better at acknowledging. Oh, my body is producing hunger sensations again. And I just let them do their thing. It’s usually only a small block of time before my body decides we won’t, in fact, be eating and then they go away

Mental cravings lessen for me by a lot if I go into fasts on a clean diet without a lot of carbs. Also exercise tends to kill these completely for me for a good 2-3 hours

Good luck and I hope that you’re able to build your own strategy to become comfortable in your fasts

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>it really feels like people just spread this misconception to convince others that fasting is easier than it truly is?

Finally someone that is spelling out what I was thinking the whole time

>I’m glad I pushed past 3 days, but days 4 and 5 have been brutal in comparison to the first 3, a complete opposite experience to what most claim.

I made the exact same experience, if you have insuline resistance (80% have) and reduced leptin sensitivity (usually comes along with it) it takes much much longer to dive through that dark valley before seeing the light of day, just remember you’re like a pioneer, doing something that most people around you have never even tried for a single day so keep going, hunger is your friend.

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At least in my experience, hunger pangs are strong day 1, strongest day 2, and then lessen starting on day 3. I still get them, and they certainly can be bad, but day 2 has always been the worst for me.

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That seems to be the case for most people. Fasters often make the assumption that if it worked for them it has to work for everyone. I am on day 12 of 21, being diligent with electrolytes (2 tsp salt, 1 tsp NoSalt, 400 mg magnesium), but I didn’t start feeling better until around day 5 or 6. I could barely get off the couch days 3, 4, and 5. I still have low physical energy, but at least I am able to be mentally productive.

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Hunger will always be there at that point. We get past hunger simply from will power and the fact we know we can eat at any time without dying. Doing a 5 to 7 day fast should be something done once in a while. Doing 23 to 24 hour fasts more often is way easier. Extended fasts help lose weight but you also lose your damn mind.

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Are you exercising enough to justify taking electrolytes? I personally look to anywhere from day 7 to day 9 for the hunger to completely go away and this is verified by the world’s leading expert on fasting. Large quantities of Vitamin C also can assist greatly. The worse that can happen with large quantities of Vit C is that you past bowel tolerance and piss and shit a lot. Great for temp weight loss. By large dose I am talking plus 12 grams per day.

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It definitely does go away at some point but for me it took a few different fasts and I have been doing IF for a while now so it got easier over time. Truly though I always want to get something to eat when I fast not due to hunger but I always miss having something tasty

Eating less calories will lead to weight loss. I used a TDEE calculator and tracked my food (MyFitnessPal app) based on my goal. Reducing TDEE by 500 calories daily.

I noticed the quality of the meal I have last before I start fasting made the most difference in reducing cravings. I cleaned up my food (aka stop eating cake or ice creom for dinner). I still enjoy dessert daily in reasonable portions for lunch.

I chose walking as my exercise and I do it fasted in the morning. And then another walk in the afternoon after my last meal. Even one walk per day helped.

Drink lots of water during your fasting period. Look to cutting down on foods that make you crave. And try to get some more movement in your day. Good luck!

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Fasting is pretty simple - you simply don’t eat until it is time to eat. Simple doesn’t mean “not hard” though. Habits tend to be hard to break and our eating habits are generally no exception. There will be psychological barriers to overcome and probably some physical discomfort too.

If you are choosing IF, there’s not much advice to give for starting except “don’t eat”. Set your fast time and don’t eat or otherwise consume any calories at all until it’s done. There is no other way to start.

Will you want to eat during the fast time? Probably. Will you feel hungry during the fast time? Probably. What do you do if these things happen? Don’t eat and don’t drink any calories.

Drink some water. March on the spot or take a walk or text a friend to chat about something, or drink a black coffee or no calorie tea without sugar, or do something else that isn’t eating (or drinking) calories. Anything else at all that doesn’t involve consuming calories will do.

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Take a deep breath - we got you!

Fasting IS hard from scratch. For this reason, there are multiple things to consider that could make it a lot easier. If I were you, I would set aside the first 2-3 weeks for preparing like that, before I start fasting.

1. addressing potential vitamin deficiencies (pills and certain foods, I even go as far as tanning for my lack of vitamin D)
2. improving liver/insulin health (cutting completely baked, fried and otherwise processed foods high in plant oils)
3. fasting between meals / time restricted eating (TRE)
4. reducing carbs to a smaller %, compared to fats and protein

Mind you, these too require some effort in the first few days. After that, you might feel a gradual improved energy and mental clarity, and at that stage fasting for longer becomes 10x easier.

Unless you’re diabetic or have issues with your insulin levels, I think your break fast meal is fine.

Not everyone has to go low carb to lose weight. I eat all the carbs I want and I’ve still lost over 45 lbs.

Relax, you’re doing great. Just keep going. Good luck.

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Shredded wheat should be fine. The fiber can help you feel full longer…. Definitely a better choice than something like honeycomb or more basic carb cereals. Try adding a small amount of some protein as well, if possible imo.

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The first month after re-starting IF, I dropped 16 pounds, breaking my fast with chicken. Followed up a few hours later with fruit. Misc. veggies/protein to round out the day.

I thought I was golden. Re-added carbs (same caloric daily intake) and haven’t lost a pound in two weeks.

Bodies are crazy different.

What do your drinks look like? Before IF, I’d frequently only “eat” once a day but my day was filled with high-calorie coffee drinks, sweetened tea or kombuchas, etc. I drank a lot of calories and was spiking my insulin all the time.

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If you like sweet drinks, buy zero calories one at start. But usually water or a good tea is better after a while. Definitely make sure you drink enough water, it helps regulate your cravings and you don’t mistake cravings for food with being dehydrated.

Definitely set up some plan to make regular eating times, it helps set a pattern and make it easier to manage and forget about it after a while, it becomes a habit. Don’t beat yourself if you fail once or twice, just be consistent and try again with more resolve.

In my case reading calories helped me stop eating a lot, at start used some standard note and pen, but now switched to apps that can record products by bar codes. Don’t worry that you eat too much at start, being aware of your diet and what you like, dislike and how much of that you eat helps a lot to set up some plans in motion. Just make sure to record everything.

FYI I’m also a guy who likes to eat a lot. Right now at 120kg, down from 123. Used omad to get down from 115 to 104, but had health problems, stress eating on exams, many different reasons and abandoned it for a while… Getting back to IF helped me a lot to get back a good mindset. Just don’t see setbacks as failures, just come back stronger with new resolve each time the success will be inevitable. Good luck.

Honey is not a great oral antibacterial. That would be like taking amoxicillin mixed in water with 90% sugar syrup.

It’s not inherently.bad, context and amount matter. If you like the taste of honey, go ahead and use it, just pay attention to the total added sugars in your diet.

And no, the fact that it’s organic doesn’t make a difference.

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Every consumable has an upper limit beyond which it is hazardous to our health. And honey is sugar, as you know. The antibacterial nature means that it doesn’t spoil, and it has been used to help wounds and burns heal.

I’ve lost 55 lbs since August (though I took an extended break during December holidays).

I did 16:8 for a few weeks, 18:6 for a few weeks but have done OMAD for most of it. I lengthen the window for social gatherings on the weekends. I like OMAD the most because it fits my life style better. I haven’t done much intentional exercise but walk around a lot at work (I hit 10k steps before work is done). Cooking every meal made a big difference, I can have a big super satisfying meal without overdoing it on calories.

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22.2 lbs—started Jan. 25th. Stopped drinking, no added sugar (except for the occasional cheat), very low carb, no dairy (again except for the occasional cheat). I mainly do 16:8 but am working on 18:6 during the week as it’s getting easier when I’m busy.

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It’s not a weight loss program. And it’s not about speed. When I see questions like this I’m not sure people understand IF but on the other hand the media has done a good hype to make it sound you lose weight like a🫰

There is no compounding effect. It starts from the outside and work its ways inward. When the fast is broken that starts over again. So there’s some levels that’s only reached by continuing the fast. More serious diseases require a longer more aggressive fast. And if you have an excess amount of fat you don’t reach those levels until the excess fat is consumed

Survive? A long ass time. Thrive with no health complications? Probably still a long ass time but as soon as you start pursuing anything like running long distances, sport, training hard, or other stressors you’re probably not going to perform at a very high level on rice and carrots.

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if you take b vitamin complex tablets and eat a substantial quantity of calorioes you can survive off this way of eating, but i definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

the truth is, so long as you are getting all your micronutrients at 100%, you can practically survive any diet regardless of what you are eating.

hence why ommitting meat from the diet but sourcing b12 from supplements is a viable strategy

or you could go full carnivore but take vit c tablets

whatever extreme diet you do, supplementing is key, especially b vitamins because they are responsible for metabolism and the nervous system - you can get chronic nerve pain and chronic depression if you dont get enough b vitamins in your diet from a variety of foods

no need to worry about protein really since, if you are going to eat that way, it’s obviously going to be a low protein diet and low protein diets have been shown to improve longevity in rat studies which is interesting.

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The was a brilliant doctor named Walter Kempner and he developed the first cure for diabetes, it was called “The Rice Diet.” It was helpful for all kinds of chronic diseases, including kidney disease caused by high blood pressure and for obesity. People lost hundreds of pounds on this diet. It consisted of only white rice and fruit, white sugar, and vitamins. There was no fat, because fat would aggravate the diabetes. It was strictly calorie controlled. The sugar was added to supplement the calories, because if you ate enough rice to meet caloric needs, the protein would be too high, and it would harm the kidneys of these very sick diabetics and high blood pressure patients. You can read about it, it was very famous and the cure was offered until about year 2000, if I recall correctly.

Another diet that was very heavy in rice, was the zen macrobiotic diet out of Japan. Supposedly, some practitioners (mostly monks) at almost nothing but rice, for a very long time, years, but it turned out not to be very good for them (the rice-only version of the macrobiotic diet). Most who ate the rice-heavy diet supplemented it with at least sesame seeds and salt (gomasio). The sesame adds calcium. Usually, the whole grain makes up the majority of the diet, and there is also assorted vegetables, a small amount of beans (traditionally soy or aduki). Miso soup is also available, and a small amount of wheat.

I have a good friend who has been on a version of macrobiotic diet for 50 years, since he was 20, and he is very healthy. He was prescribed it by a naturopathic doctor for his then-severe acne. He eats whole grains, vegetables, steamed or stir-fried, some little bits of beans but mostly tofu, wheat germ, sesame, tamari, and olive oil. I believe he also eats some herbs and spices and vitamins. An occasional apple, oats or toast for breakfast, and about once a week, a single egg, that’s his only animal product. Most days he has no caffeine, but sometimes some black coffee. And he like to drink alcohol occasionally when he goes out.

But he has been eating these exact same simple meals for 50 years, and he works hard, travels, surfs even in his old age, and does yoga.

For me it’s more a question of HOW do you want to die. Or to put it another way, it’s about health span as much as lifespan. I want to remain active, full of energy, relatively free from pain, and die of heart failure in my sleep rather than being cared for as an invalid only to have my loved ones watch me die a horrible, prolonged death from cancer or diabetes.

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Doing 3 day fasts (72 hours) spread throughout the year is almost as effective as doing one long fast of multiples of 3 (12 or even 21 day fasts, for instance). So, don’t feel discouraged. I think 3 day fasts are highly effective too! Were you aiming for a more long-term fast?

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Steven Pressfield, the writer, talks about something called Resistance - the way your mind will do whatever it takes to get you NOT to do the hard thing that you really want to do.

I don’t think about dying, but even if I did, my thinking would be: looking spectacular naked would allow me even more hedonistic fun than eating would. So it makes sense not to eat so I can be more attractive later.

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Congrats on accomplishing multiple 3 day fasts! Most people will never know how that feels.

If you eat less food per average day, but extend your lifespan, you may be able to eat more total food! That depends on some variables.

There are also multiple pleasures to enjoy at once. If you moderate the pleasure of food, you can add the pleasure of looking good, the pride of accomplishing a goal, and the feeling of dashing up a couple flights of stairs with ease.

In any case, three days is a good length if you’re not binging on food days. If that’s your limit, it’s still something to be proud of. Consider what you’re doing on non-fast days that could contribute to success.

I did that exact weight drop in my late 20s (102kg to 78kg) and did not get loose skin. Similar to you, the first third went in weeks. The 2nd third took \~4 months.

And the final third refused to budge for a while doing just low calorie keto, so I must have spent at least another year if not two on figuring that part out. (This was when I discovered IF)

So if I were you, I would not worry at all about things moving too fast, as there is a natural tendency for weight loss to slow down extremely much along the way.

Have you done an extended fast in the past? Some people can jump into a week-long fast, but many of us have better luck developing our “fasting muscle” by starting with a 24 or 48 hour fast and adding a day or two to the next fast.

Do read up on the electrolyte recommendations listed above. I find I need them for any fast beyond 24 hours.

Best of luck!

Way to go! I get paranoid about breaking chairs because of my weight. It feels good to be losing weight and being able to relax a little about something as ordinary as sitting comfortably in a chair. So happy for you!

Have you read any of Jason Fung’s books? Either The Obesity Code or The Diabetes Code discusses weight loss surgery, and why it usually fails. He also has information on line.

I was 260 lbs when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (Metabolic Syndrome). Even though CW says T2 is incurable and progressive, I found out that people who had weight loss surgery, often reversed their T2. So I battled my weight down to 210 lbs, went on anti-depressants and gained most back, and lost weight again on LC down to about 220. Like you, I got so busy at work, I didn’t have time to eat, and was so stressed that I had no appetite when I came home. So I started not eating; it wasn’t fasting, because I didn’t know what I was doing. But I learned more, got better at fasting 36-44 hours. I finally did a couple 60 hour fasts, and I’m really thinking that is where it is at, because I wasn’t hungry after the second day. I do keto when I do eat, because that REALLY seems to keep the cravings down.

I’m now at about 190, and I’m going to start fasting again soon, but I’ve had 2 laser surgeries on my eyes and have hernia surgery tomorrow morning.

Look into some longer fasts, with your doctor’s support. You may find it’s easier to go, say, 72 hours at once than a couple of shorter fasts. And consider the keto if you find you have a lot of carb cravings; I went off keto for Thanksgiving and felt as if I could eat a supermarket full of food! You can find lots of support here, some of the fasting subs, and the keto subs.

Good luck! Next stop, 399!

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It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job! Congratulations on all of your excellent progress with 16:8, calorie capping and elliptical activity. Stay strong; you’re making a fantastic investment in your health and happiness.

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Great! Remember to periodically readjust to your shrinking total daily expenditure as your weight reduces. Expect plateaus and think of them as a milestone of achievement to be proud of reaching rather than something to feel discouraged about.

Keep in mind, you can’t blow it by not following IF occasionally or by eating above your target calories from time to time - there’s no race so don’t sweat occasionally taking a small detour so long as you’re heading in the right direction most days.

Enjoy your successes in the here and now. It’s great to have goals moving forward, but don’t for get to enjoy today, now too. Be kind and generous to yourself with self praise and psychological self-reward.

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You found a good place to get some support for your journey. So many nice and supportive people here with all kinds of good advice. It’s sounds like you’re ready to hit the trail hard. One step at a time and you’ll reach your destination!! Sending you lots of positive energy.

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I really hope you can achieve your goals. You deserve to have some peace in your life!! As part of my weight loss journey, I have also been working with a therapist to unpack my relationship with food and my body. I think it’s been incredibly helpful, and would highly recommend to anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off long term.

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You’re doing great. Please don’t be discouraged if there are days that it feels like a struggle or days the scale doesn’t reflect your hard work. It’s about progress, not perfection. Making the decision to start something new takes courage. Being consistent takes dedication. And reaching out for encouragement shows determination. I’m happy for you!

I first saw this claim in YouTube videos by Dr. Jason Fung. A normal search for “loose skin jason fung” gives a bunch of hits (video and text) that are informative on the topic. I generally find him very reliable.

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I believe I saw a short reference to loose skin and fasting in one of Jason Fung’s books. I hope we’ll get some other posters with more knowledge of this subject. I have concerns about loose skin, too.

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IF conserves muscle better than CICO due to hormone response to fasting, so at least in theory, less volume reduction and sag, compared to CICO.

I would brace for some loose skin though. I heard people see loose skin shrink quite a bit over a 1-2 year span though. And you could also train to put on some muscle to further enhance the beach look.

That’s probably going to be a good question for your doctor (assuming you have a doctor who is knowledgeable and encouraging with regards to fasting). Probably depends on multiple factors including weight, body fat, age, and fasting experience. Hope you find the answer you need.

How low are we taking?

The lower range for endurance athletes translates to 21% of your calories coming from highly available protein sources. The maintenance minimum is about 13%. 21% doesn’t even require supplements for anyone who eats animal products, it’s pretty hard to only eat that much most of the time :)

It’s also not simply protein but a large number of minerals and vitamins involved in synthesis too. Lots of people focus on the protein aspect when it’s other nutritional aspects that constrain synthesis for them.

> Does that mean my workouts have been pointless?

No. Even if you were below the ideal range and the rest of your diet was perfect it would just mean reduced muscle growth, you would still add tone and improve the function of your muscles (and the rest of your body).

> Will I be able to gain muscle at a quicker rate now that I am going to adjust my protein, or is that essentially just most time?

That’s not really an answerable question. Maybe, it could also have no impact at all.

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If you’re cutting & consistently in a caloric deficit you won’t be gaining muscle, unless you started the cut as a total noob in the gym. Recomposing is possible, but usually only if you’re really fat &/ or are brand new to the gym or coming off a very long training hiatus (12+ months).

High protein diets on a cut will help you retain whatever lean mass you have as well as satiate your appetite, but you won’t be gaining for the most part. How large of a deficit are you in? A lot of people will sell you lies but .8 grams per pound of body weight is a good number for hypertrophy training/ cutting, etc.

I have ADD, was on a heavy dose of Vyvanse / Elvanse for many years. Like you I decided to experiment going natural, trying to make various lifestyle changes e.g., eat healthier and exercise. Then I learnt about fasting. I would say that doing intermittent fasting, 20–4, eating in the evening has been beneficial to me, as I seem to be more motivated and able to concentrate throughout the day. I would also add that cold showers on the coldest setting for 4 mins every day in the morning are also making a huge difference. I couldn’t have ever imagined doing them as the cold water was, and often still is, the last thing I want to feel but I never regret it and always feel more motivated, focused and better in mood. Look up ‘cold therapy’ or ‘cold showers’ on YouTube if you’re interested to find out more.

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I’m an unmedicated ADHDer and I wish I have your problem. I’d continue with OMAD if I were you, and keto if you can tolerate it (I’ve read that keto is good for us ADHDers). This way you can be safely on medication, lose weight, save money, don’t have dishes to wash, and have the time to pursue other things instead of worrying about food, food prep, and clean up! Freedom is bliss!

For extended fasts – two weeks or longer – I find the average to be about a pound a day. I think you put five back on with water and bowel retention once you refeed. I lost 39 over 40 days and I’m currently refeeding, so I’ll let you know how much comes back on.

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That is easy to estimate.1 kg of fat equals to 7700 kcals. You need 2000 to stay neutral if you don’t exercise. Ergo 7 days of fasting will ‘earn’ you a negative of 14000 which roughly equals 2 kgs per week.

However.

You will be loosing a lot of water to a point. 1 molecule of fat requires 3 molecules of water to be broken down. That means for every kilo of fat you will lose 3 Liters of water. That only includes the water needed to burn fat (by fat I mean lipolysis, breaking down triglycerides. Burning the palmitic acid requires 16 molecules of water per one fatty acid molecule).

Then there is the increasing metabolic rate that will burn calories faster. You will peak at day 8-12. If you work out or just tak 2x1 hour walk a day your daily negative will be -3000 kcal.

Sleeping gets you additional -722 kcal at your weight. Meaning if you walk atleast 10.000 steps a day at a working BPM 100-135 you will start losing 0.5 -0.7 kg fat per day.

Ofcourse this is a rough estimation that surprisingly worked for me perfectly. In 24 days I lost 16 kgs of fat mass (24 kgs in total. Some of which returned back during refeeding). In my case the loss stayed consistent for 8 years until the pandemic where I gained 15 kgs back (I was not in a great mental place, go.figure)

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You can expect to lose as much as you do if you actually do it. Prolonged water fasting is some seriously tough shit especially if you’re new to it overall. There are so many variables to consider and none of us can/should try to figure this out for you.

Also idk how it hasn’t been mentioned here already, but 6’1” and 150lbs…. In no way is that an appropriate or healthy weight for that height.

The simple fact that you give yourself a break from digestion will allow yourself to heal. Your body will start to eat up all of the excess sugar, which causes inflammation.

After your fast, you will need to be aware of the foods that got you there and avoid them.

The shape and size of the crystal of salt will determine the taste. What I like to keep around is “finishing salt”, these are large flat or pyramid shaped crystals of salt that are used to “finish” dishes like steak, bread, etc…

On day’s I’m fasting I’ll usually start the day with a pinch of finishing salt. I think the brand I like is “Falksalt”. You can also get it smoked.

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Something like 36 hours into my latest fast. Started at 204 or thereabouts, weighed in at 201.4 this morning. Obviously mostly water, but I’m closing in on sub 200 after starting at 209 a few weeks ago <3

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I take half of my sodium in the morning and stir it into hot water. It’s actually kind of tasty this way. Like a kind of broth. It has to be hot though, or the taste gets weird, less “soupy” and more gross “warm salt water” for me. I sip it parallel to my black coffee so that the taste doesn’t linger in my mouth too long. I repeat this during my lunch break at work. Works fine for me.

Don’t deprive yourself of food when you are pregnant. The fetus is not going to notice you are dieting and reduce its demands on your body. It is going to take all it needs to grow, and it will be coming out of your bones and organs.

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It sounds easy, but I’m currently at 9 weeks pregnant. Your body will want food often. My stomach needs food in it or I vomit. If I don’t eat enough I get close to passing out.

Don’t risk your health imo.

Edit- punctuation. 😁

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Talk to your Dr not Reddit, growing a human is a big responsibility.

You may have morning sickness and need to eat some dry crackers so you are not vomiting, so you would need to break a fast for that.

Getting good nutrition for a fetus is more important than IF, talk to your Dr.

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I unintentionally did IF when pregnant, I had hyperemisis and had about an hour at 0400 which was the only time I could eat without vomiting. My baby was 5lb when born full term. She’s 2 now and still very petite for her age. I would try as hard as possible to ensure that you have adequate nutrition during your pregnancy, I wish I could have.

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While healthy eating and lifestyle practices are recommended during pregnancy, many pregnant women experience severe nausea and vomiting if they have an empty stomach. I tell my patients to keep saltines at their nightstand and eat it in the middle of the night to not let their stomach go empty! A 16h (or whatever) fast will definitely exacerbate this. IF while trying for pregnancy is a great idea but after you get pregnant I would focus more on wholesome foods with good protein/complex carbs/fiber as well as hydration. Also aiming for about 150 mins of moderate exercise a week is evidence based to have healthier pregnancies! Your OB doc will monitor your weight gain and give pointers along the way, but pregnancy usually is not the time to try to lose any weight.

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You absolutely should consult a doctor, as opposed to some randos on reddit. If you are determined to try fasting, then find a nutritionist to speak with and don’t compromise on the health of you child.

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Do not intentionally fast beyond a 12-13 hour circadian fast, and give in to cravings.

Now, I was nauseated every single day of my pregnancy, and my kid (now grown) and I joke that he started me on IF, because I couldn’t eat more than two meals without barfing.

It’s one thing to make your diet healthy. It’s another to sacrifice your bones to a fetus.

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I did OMAD during week & 16:8 & extended fasts before pregnancy. You should not do fasting during pregnancy because any weight you lose releases the toxins in fat & gets into ur bloodstream which could go to baby. (same applies to breastfeeding) I’ve read doing too much fasting during pregnancy can lead to preterm birth or low birth weight. I did do fasting while TTC but stopped when I got a positive test. If ur just starting now, I’d probs just hold off until after breastfeeding. I’ve gained 65lbs during pregnancy cuz I was at such a low weight for me before getting pregnant & now they constantly bring up how I’ve gained too much weight. If I had just not fasted before I would have only gained the recommended amount. But I love fasting & can’t wait to go back after breastfeeding.

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When you’re pregnant, things are not black and white. Weeks 6-11, I had to eat every two waking hours to stop the nausea. I ate low carb too, so protein-packed meals and snacks were my saving grace. After that, I just listened to my body and ate when it felt like I needed to put something in my belly.

No need to stress or even think about it now. Things usually never go as planned when there’s a tiny thing the size of a bean dictating your life 😆

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Thanks, all, for the responses. I commented on a response with a bit of the following info but figured I would post it here too. I have been pregnant. I have a two year old. I’m not interested in “dieting” while pregnant or “losing weight” while pregnant or anything else like that. I’m also not ignorant about how pregnancy can affect your body or how it differs for each person. I’m aware than anything I choose to do regarding food is something I should talk to my doctor about, if/when I get pregnant. But I also know that eating while pregnant is something that also differs for each person, depending on morning sickness, etc. and I was curious to know anyone’s personal experience maintaining or even starting IF while pregnant. Not looking for medical advice here, and I would never prioritize fasting over the health of my unborn child. But I’ve been happy with my one week of IF and am of course thinking about maintaining it going forward and the fact that I’d like to have another child is a part of that thinking. That’s all. Appreciate those of you who have contributed personal experiences, that’s what I was looking for here.

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Lol lots of comments missing the point. As long as you’re ok to IF normally (without pregnancy) you’ll be fine if you don’t stop the very second you become pregnant. Obviously, consult your doctor about continuing IF if you become pregnant.

My doctor told me that the first trimester doesn’t require more calories than baseline. I asked her if I needed to eat more because I usually only eat lunch and dinner, and she was like, nah, just eat healthy meals. You only need an extra ~100-200 cal/day by 2nd trimester.

I was OMADing right up until I got pregnant. Once I realized I was pregnant, I added a second meal and kept it light until I felt hungrier. I added a third meal in 2nd trimester because I got hungrier. Talk to your doctor ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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I did 16:8 while pregnant. Of course after talking to my OB and endocrinologist. Make sure you are taking your vitamins (folic acid even BEFORE being pregnant) and NEVER stay hungry. If you feel like eating (not anxiety eating), by all means break your fast. My baby is perfect and super chunky lol

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You aren’t just risking your health, you’re risking malnutrition and underdevelopment in the fetus as well. If you are trying to get pregnant, you should go and listen to what a doctor has to say about your diet and do that instead of random internet strangers.

First of all: this post sounds like it’s about medicine, not nutrition.

But secondly, when you say:

>Comprehensive cancer centers like Johns Hopkins, Mayo, and Holden are combining high doses of intravenous vitamin C with other standard treatments to improve outcomes.

…well, here’s what one of those sources, Mayo actually says:

>There’s still no evidence that vitamin C alone can cure cancer, but researchers are studying whether it might boost the effectiveness of other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, or reduce treatment side effects.>>There are still no large, controlled clinical trials that have shown a substantial effect of vitamin C on cancer, but some preliminary studies do suggest there may be a benefit to combining standard treatments with high-dose IV vitamin C. Until clinical trials are completed, it’s premature to determine what role vitamin C may play in the treatment of cancer.

Have you considered the possibility that the reason why they are speaking cautiously is because they are meaningfully unsure, as a matter of the facts, whether vitamin C does, in fact, statistically improve outcomes?

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Acute studies show positive improvements in biomarkers associated with cancer reduction however long term clinical trials do not show a difference in outcome. The discordance of these results is likely due to methodological issues when one compares a study based on one research method to another. RCTs skew towards positive results, however case-control and other observational studies show no difference.

Barriers such as financing, ethics, and logistics prevent us from performing long term RCTs to form more accurate conclusions.

I wrote a big paper for my MS nutrition program on this issue and cardiovascular disease.

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Oh yeah? Tell that to my mom who let a (very successful NYC) nutritionist talk her into having a high concentration of Vitamin C IV hooked up to her weekly, instead of chemo, on the promise that it would eradicate the cancer.

Oh wait, you can’t. She died.

Seeing things like this pisses me off to no end. If my mom went ahead with the chemo right off the bat, she very well could’ve been alive today. By the time she started chemo, it was too late.

Dinner for a few reasons.

1. Skipping breakfast and just having a black coffee is easy.
2. Lunch time I can keep busy and drink water, more productivity is a plus here.
3. I like to have a meal with my wife and kids at the end of each day.

Works for me/my family and that’s the key.

I also get hungrier in evenings, my biggest chance at failing is in the evening after work so dinner negates that.

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I’m way less likely to eat anything through the day if I don’t start. Then it’s easier to eat right and look back at the day, happy enough with it to go forward to bedtime snackless making it truly omad. Energy is burnt while I’m in ketosis though the day which begins overnight following a brief hungry period, if I’m awake for it. Occasionally I switch it up though. Like on a weekend, Saturday morning I’ll have a bacon and egg breakfast with some green stuff mixed in. No toast. Then I’ll fast until Sunday dinner time. Shaking things ups helps bust through hard to pass weight loss goals. It also helps with a more resilient body, capable of adapting.

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I eat around 2pm. I’m at SAHM and that’s when all the kids are down for nap, so I have time to prep my food, sit down, read my Bible while I eat, etc. It makes for a nice relaxing time and I get to really enjoy my food. By the time I’m done, the kids are getting up and off we go again.

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Definitely dinner.

The second i try to switch to morning eating, I become hungry and obsess about food all day.

It’s a lot better to drink a coffee in the morning, then be distracted with work all day and not think about food, and then eat when work ends.

I never EVER experience hunger in the morning because i eat dinner, and by the time i reach the morning the sugar spike has been and gone and blood sugar level is down.

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I eat at breakfast for a purely aesthetic reason: it means i’ll be at a lower weight in the morning when I weigh myself than if I had eaten at dinner.

I don’t recommend it though. Breakfast is absolutely the least important meal of the day.

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I was doing dinner because I didn’t need to worry about food during the day and could just work. But I found that it was hard to get enough calories in before 8pm, and then I went to bed with a full stomach. When I switched to 12-4, I started losing weight again. Trade-offs, I guess! When I get to maintenance stage I’ll probably switch back to an evening window.

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I eat from 6pm - 10pm. One of the main reasons I fast is brain function and fasting only for some odd reason makes me a lot more productive then once I break my fast I get a lot lazier. So with this system I do all my work throughout the day till 6 then once I break fast it’s chill time

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Dinner because it’s important for me to eat dinner with my family. It’s also easier to skip meals during the day because it’s easier due to being busy. I’m more hungry in the evening vs during the day. I don’t wake up hungry

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Dinner.

1. I prefer dinner food over breakfast food
2. Afternoon/early evening is the best time for me to work out, and I can break my fast when I get home
3. I prefer ending my day with a nice meal versus starting it
4. I am usually too busy during the day for lunch
5. I enjoy eating dinner as a family

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Dinner.

1. After going—going—going all day, I can have my dinner in a relaxed way, and relax after. Eating makes me want to rest afterwards.

2. For me, it’s easier to wait to eat, than it is to eat and then not eat the rest of the day. If I had my meal at breakfast, it would feel like a distant memory by evening. I’d want to eat again.

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I usually eat a late lunch at around 3pm. No real reason behind it though, it was just a convenient time and has become my norm. I have found that if I eat much later than that I have issues sleeping

Chondroitin is a derivative of Chondrin. Chondrin is a bluish-white gelatin-like substance, being a protein-carbohydrate complex and can be obtained by boiling cartilage in water. The cartilage is a connective tissue that contains cells embedded in a matrix of chondrin. Chondrin is made up of two proteins chondroalbunoid and chondromucoid.

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There is no direct way to increase the body’s production of chondroitin through specific foods or herbs. Chondroitin is a natural compound found in cartilage and other connective tissues, and it plays an important role in maintaining joint health. However, you can support your body’s ability to produce chondroitin and maintain healthy joints by consuming a balanced diet rich in nutrients and avoiding foods that may contribute to inflammation.

You can take some of them on empty stomach but not others. B complex makes me pukey but B12 and B1 on their own do not. I would just take a multi from new chapter, they are okay on empty stomach. I also take Hi Lyte, potassium citrate and magnesium glycinate pills in empty stomach without issues. Do not take magnesium citrate on empty stomach, it will give you the runs.

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Generally even on a fast you can still take a very small number of calories worth of food without it disrupting your fasting metabolism. For these medications and vitamins it really doesn’t take much to meet the “with food” instructions. A single saltine cracker for instance is considered enough, and only contains 12 calories, but something like a couple peanuts (5cal per peanut) or almonds can work as well, or a small spoon of peanut butter. Just eat the small amount and immediately follow it with medication then water.

Think about it this way, what our bodies do in fasting is what our ancestors evolved to do in famine or just when food was scarce. From a survival standpoint it wouldn’t be beneficial to turn off this preservation mode prematurely over finding a few nuts, berries, or whatever else they might have foraged. So that tiny amount of food a day isn’t going to stop you.

Some vitamins and medications the requirement is because it can upset your stomach others are because they have to be absorbed through certain digestive processes that won’t kick in without some food. Without food you won’t receive the benefit of those medications.

Motivation. What a bitchy thing it is that we all need including fasting.

I find motivation for fasting when I realize how ugly, fat bum I am looking at myself in the mirror, how tight my short sleeved shirts are, how I lose self esteem and confidence by being an obese mfer.

Or how sick I am of being fat and not slim for once in life. I am sick of being stressed about food, looking good, looking not fat in public, having a horrible relationship with food and use food beyond what it’s for.

Or how these attractive people would reject me, because I’m fat.

All in all, getting sick of my current status and myself is a good way to kickstart fasting. Hope this makes sense.

I had gut issues for 20 years. Like terrible gut issues. I did a million tests with GI doctors - all the way up to eating radioactive eggs to see how food passed through my gut. Had my poop tested too many times to count. Nada. Mostly, I think, the different doctors over the years thought I was making it up and gave me the bullshit diagnosis of IBS (you have something wrong, but we don’t know what and we have no real advice on how to fix it).

Last fall I had blood allergy testing done. I know it can give off a lot of false positives. That being said, I cut out all dozen items and I healed!!!! Not 100%, but a vast difference in my life. Vast. Like, from eating over a dozen gasX a day to combat the pain, to none at all.

The sheer number of allergies pointed to a leaky gut. Once I cut out those foods (eggs, coffee, tomatoes, wheat, yeast, chocolate, peanuts, milk, corn, and more …) my body has healed up and I can eat things I couldn’t before.

I added back in coffee. But I get a little itchy with wheat and peanuts. I’m going to keep trying to add back in different things over time, to see what I might have healed from.

All I’m saying is, you’re blaming IF, but other things could be at play.

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Are you well hydrated well before eating? Simple thing but it helps so many common ailments from bloating, digestion, constipation, energy … best starting point, from there you can look at electrolytes and digestive enzymes

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Other things to consider are gluten and dairy intake.

IF, strict keto, whole foods, a daily probiotic has helped heal my gut. I do combo of OMAD, 20/4, and some longer fasting.

I’ve read and heard on those recommended podcasts that the longer you go between eating windows, the better for allowing your gut time to heal itself.

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What is your diet like, specifically? How much carbohydrate are you consuming? I used to struggle with bloating, I cut my carb intake way down and it disappeared. I like taking a shot of apple cider vinegar before a big meal and it seems to help, also.500ml ACV with the mother,250ml water,1tbsp turmeric,1tsp cayenne,1tsp ground ginger,1tsp ground black pepper.

Mix well.

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You should take probiotics because fasting kills off beneficial bacteria in the gut. There’s nothing to eat so yes a lot of it dies off. Easy to fix tho.

Also break your fast with digestive enzymes it will help your bloating. In addition to these, I take bile supplements to prevent gallbladder stones.

Also you do not need tons and tons of protein try to add some veggies, salad, quinoa, and avocado into the mix. Too much protein is actually hard on your organs. See documentary Forks over Knives.

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It’s not the IF causing the bloat, it’s the protein heavy food. Not sure what your protein heavy foods are… but I got bloated/constipated eating way too much protein back in January. Protein is good, but too much might not be good. YMMV.

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Too much protein is not good for you, especially red meat. Remember, being on IF doesn’t necessarily mean you are eating a more healthier diet. You should try and consume more veggies and fruit and just a bit of meat. For me, I take my protein via vegan protein shakes as I found that dairy based products bloated me and gave me a lot of gas.

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Quite the opposite, it is showing the damage and inflamation you have, you are probably just becoming aware of the issues thanks to IF.

In the wild ancient humans fastest all the time, don’t add probiotics or fiber, that is the worse to do… Try hydrating better and cutting out inflamatory stuff like grains and such.

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My absolute favorite - and extremely inexpensive - gut health booster is to make my own kefir. I bought a starter kit for about $14 6 years ago off Amazon and it’s just the cost of a gallon of whole milk whenever you want to make a batch. I also eat keto, so I’m also very heavy on fat/protein. My gut has never been happier. You’ll get far, far more strains and concentration of probiotics in kefir than anything store bought. And it’s goddamned delicious.

Also, since the bacteria feeds off of the lactose in the milk during fermentation, a lot of lactose intolerant people have no problems drinking it. Also what makes it keto friendly as well!

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I can only share my personal road of IF.

I had similar issues. I took out my breakfast meal where I ate yoghurt with Muesli/Brann. And in the afternoon I mainly ate bread. No more breakfast. I turned to lunch with lots of green and eggs. And in the evening I cancelled pasta/potatoes/rice.

My stool got terrible. Less protein and far less fibres. And most of all, fatty foods increased by a lot. Deadly combo for stool.

So, my solve. Uneven days I eat chia seed/milk/fruit and even days 2 slices of dark whole grain bread. I know its not keto friendly, but I find my stool more important then the faster weight loss.

Seriously. Chia seed did wonders to me. Make sure you soak it liquid overnight. Its superhigh in fibers.

And most importantly. Stay hydrated. Rule number one.

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I get gut shutdowns with extended water fasting and it takes up to a week or two for my gut to start moving again. I eat live sauerkraut and bone broth as fat fasting now to avoid that. If you are eating every day you might be able to just adjust what you eat and get your fiber and probiotics in better during feed times

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Something that was a game changer for me was becoming more conscious about chewing food more. I eat most meals alone, but when I do with others, am genuinely surprised by how fast they (and most people in general) eat. I’ve found ACV to be quite helpful.

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I spoke with my endocrinologist about IF and slowing down my metabolism and she said that If will not slow jt down. Maybe other things but Not IF. It is indeed a myth thinking that we need to eat every few hours to keep it goin. At the end of the day, to lose weight is calories in and calories out. If IF helps you eat less than great. If doesn’t make a difference and you end up devouring everything you see during the eating window then IF may not do anything for us. I might say, try to break your fast in a more soothing way and then eat. IF is not for everybody.

In humans, glucosamine-6-phosphate is synthesized from fructose 6-phosphate and glutamine by glutamine—fructose-6-phosphate transaminase as the first step of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway. The end-product of this pathway is uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), which is then used for making glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, and glycolipids.

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Glucosamine is naturally produced by the body but as the body ages its ability to do so reduces. It is a common supplement but is not suitable for Diabetics (it’s a type of amino sugar) and people on certain medication. Dietary sources are bone marrow , shellfish/edible crustaceans and fungi. Hope this helps

Depends on your goals. Do you want to maintain your current form/weight etc? Then stick with that 2800 calories, just within a smaller window of time.

You can absolutely overeat and eat a crap diet when keeping an intermittent fasting window.

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For me it has lowered my blood preassure and heart rate loads (noticible within the first 3 weeks).

I focussed more on eating protein within those 8 hours (usually 2 big meals). I would recommend 2 big meals to get to your calories.

If it is just for the health changes and not about weight, then eat as much as your body requires to maintain weight.

Yeah, it would break your fast. In an ideal world, we would be able to work out and after our work out, we would be able to break our fast by having a protein shake. It’s not ideal, but at least you are ensuring your body is getting enough protein during the day.

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Are you male or female? For males doesn’t really matter when you consume protein.

Females a bit, but the window is still wide.

In doubt take amino acids without protein if your body fat is really low. If you have body fat left, do not stress. Search for r/leangains

Oh goodness lots of judgement up above. I fast, at the direction of my doctor. I’ve read the obesity code, and maybe you should too (just for science behind what the body does in a fasting state) even if you’re not doing weight loss. Creamer in your coffee if it helps you stick to a fast is soooo not a big freaking deal. Screw the little judgy purists. I’ve been doing 23:1 OMAD for 6 weeks now and have lost 14 pounds and every single day I have coffee with creamer- often twice a day. I’d say I’m doing fine….I also work out often. So do what WORKS for you. What feels RIGHT for you. There are lots of ways to do IF and just because Jim-Bob does it one way doesn’t mean you have to too. ❤️

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During fasting I’m not worried about calories but sugars that might trigger hunger. Therefore I use heavy cream, so more calories but no sugars.

(Also, btw, I sleep better when I go to bed hungry. I’m not saying here that you or anyone else should, but also that it may not be inevitable to get poor sleep when hungry. I consider better sleep to be one of my main benefits of fasting, but I’m not a good sleeper, so that might not be saying much.)

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I switched to cold brew coffee (which is so(!) much smoother) and a tiny bit of cream (like 1/2 tsp with 20oz of coffee (I use a big yeti)). I drink 2 of these in the morning and figure that I’m still under the 40-50 cal because I can use so little with the cold brew (and I’m not getting any carbs).

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Depends on your reason for fasting, if it’s for weight loss, it’s fine as long as it fits in your deficit. I drank coffee with unsweetened almond milk the whole time and it didn’t impede weight loss at all

For night time hunger, make sure you’re getting enough fat/protein with your last meal to keep your satiated

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I think a question like this is posted daily. No, you’re not fasting if you consume calories.

The real question is: Do you care?

You have a mental addiction to coffee with milk. Either kick it and fast properly, or dirty fast and be happy with whatever results you get— if they’re the results you want, awesome. If they’re not, take a shot of espresso or do green tea or caffeine pills. Or drink less and less coffee daily till you’re not addicted to caffeine.

Good luck

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If you are going to bed hungry , it’s not a good thing. What is the key to IF is WATER, if you’re hungry 2 hours after eating , you are probably just thirsty.

Give it a go , aim to drink 2 litres of water a day minimum, that curbs the hunger completely. What I try to do is if I am hungry , I slam a glass of water into me because I know I have eaten adequately.

In regards to the milk , there is some speculation that 40 cals is the most you can have fasting so it’s not a bad thing. At the end of the day I do Intermittent Fasting because it helps calories in vs calories out. That’s the key to weight loss, but for me I love the less bloating , then restricted time etc. Do it and you will never look back !

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I am the same as you (NOT giving up my coffee). I simply switched to Almond milk (unsweetened vanilla Silk, 30cals a cup and i don’t use the whole cup). I find that it does not mess with IF. I even may have a couple of cups during my fasting period, not just that one in the morning.

A couple of days ago I hit my goal of 15lb loss, it took 10.5 weeks and I had coffee (with silk or if i didn’t have it then nonfat milk) all the while.

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My half-n-half says 35 calories in two tablespoons. I drink 2-3 cups of coffee during fast. Maybe I’m retarding my progress, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. IF still works. If I decide I need 6 pack abs, I’ll worry about it.

If you’re going to bed hungry and it’s disturbing your sleep, you may be attempting too much of a caloric deficit by not eating enough. Starvation will retard your progress, in addition to having unpleasant side effects.

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I do believe in the clean fast so no cream in my coffee. But, I’m like you… that really kills me. So rather than risk my fast, I switched to green tea in the mornings. I don’t even miss the coffee! When I really want a cup, I have it. However, I want it within my eating window. Just what works for me. Your body is unique and won’t necessarily react the way mine does.

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Hey OP. Im realizing that lots of people that think cream in your coffee is going to hurt you probably still subscribe to the CICO model, which is not an accurate model for human energy expenditure. Probably going to get downvoted to hell for saying it but it’s true. It’s not that it doesn’t matter because it does. But if one thinks CICO is king, then one doesn’t really understand fasting.

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I switch to tea because I can drink tea with nothing else. I just drink my coffee later when I break my fast. I wanted the benefits of fasting not just weightloss. Although I do like the weightloss too.

Plenty of people fast with cream in their coffee but it’s technically not fasting because you are consuming calories.

It’s easier to fast without having had calories sounds crazy but even a small amount of cream can make some people more hungry.

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I did one meal a day fasting for a few months, only thing was a bit of half & half cream in my coffee in the mornings. No sugar. Nothing else all day until dinner. I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal, lost tons of weight. But my body hates me and I started getting unrelated SIBO symptoms so I’m backing off fasting/OMAD to try and fix my gut health issues. I think I have slow digestion and fasting does me no real favors. I miss the simplicity of it though. I wouldn’t sweat the milk in the coffee.

You might consider cross-posting to r/chocolate - there are some pros on that sub.

I would expect caffeine to pose an issue for those prone to cardiac arrhythmia at high levels of consumption, and possible metal contamination from eating excessive quantities over time (depending on choc source).

If you have not already seen it, there was a Consumer Reports article on cadmium and lead in some brands: https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/. There is an opposing view by one of the chocolate writers on r/chocolate that seems convincing.

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You’re more likely to run into issues I think from the other xanthines, theobromine and theophylline. Theobromine in particular is much more strongly a cardiac stimulant than anything else - contrast with caffeine’s CNS stimulation and theophylline’s action as a bronchodilator. The theobromine strain on your heart would likely be the first problem you run into if you’re megadosing cocoa

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Caffeine may not affect people who drink lot of coffee since childhood like me. I used to get good sleep if I drink coffee after dinner— believe it or not! But had to stop it because of constant nagging and objection by my wife. I am not sure about B 12 but as it is like non veg dish for vegetarians it need control in consumption.

Well worth a watch, it explains the what and the why. 96 hours likely isn’t long enough to run into refeeding issues but you can never be too careful. https://youtu.be/h3L_118IIgE

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I had refeeding issues after a 36 hour fast, so I’d say follow the protocols. Start with a cup of broth, at that time take enzymes, probiotics and yes still electrolytes, take vitamin B1, maybe eat an egg and then wait an hour. Absolutely no carbs or sugars.

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It is really important. I once broke 70+ hr. fast with greasy, not too healthy processed food items that annoyed the hell out of me the next few days.

I had problems with focusing, staying clean and alert and be in a stable mood, and generally being alright.

Get something that’s healthy, pretty neutral, not offensive to the stomach.

You can. Might look into r/leangains.

But working out in fasted state isn’t easy. I tried when I started. I was benching about 170. 8/8/6 reps prior workout. First fasted workout - 7/4/1. I was seeing stars when I stood up and had to sit down.

But over time gluconeogenesis kicks in. Your body gets more adept at converting body fat to sugar for intense exercise.

I suggest new fasters and those prioritizing strength training to do your workouts soon after eating your meal. You’ll have good energy and strength for your workouts.

Fasting is not optimal for muscle building. But you’ll get results. And actually see the results when you look in the mirror. 😉

Yes, it will. If you insist on drinking your shake, can you move you fasting window? You might also be hungry just because your body is cold after swimming. Warm up with some tea, or better yet a hot tub.

How was the mental aspect for you? I did 40 days once, and I felt that I was able connect thoughts together where I might not of before. It was truly profound. I ended up moving across the country after mine 😂.

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Did you do anything specific to get your body and mind ready for such an extended fast? The longest I’ve ever successfully fasted for was a 7 days. The first 2 days were rough and the rest was fairly easy. I thought I could keep going but decided to end it there since I had to travel across country. I’d love to hear what you put in your body during your fast. (Salts, vitamins, etc)

And most of all congrats!!

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OMGG I need help I want to go about a week or two ! I’m trying to join the army also but my body fat percentage is too high !! I also want to do because I heard fasting heals the body ! Can you message me ? I have so many questions

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Holy shit! This is well done!

I started out fasting at 208 or so too, and I’m just a bit younger than you. My goal weight is probably a bit higher - 180lbs or so - than yours. What’s your height, by the way?

Forty days is probably too much for me, but I’m doing a lot of 24 hour fasts, and regular 48 hour fasts too when I’m not depressed etc. Hoping in the next couple weeks to get under 200lbs!

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Dang, great job. What did you consume during the 40 days to help? I’m curious of the advice. I drink black coffee, carbonated waters, and zero calorie water flavors. I’m new to this and have only done 1-2 days. TIA

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Hey there OP!

Congrats! That’s definitely a huge success. I’ve been thinking about starting a 40 day fast for a while. Just wanted to ask some questions from someone with experience.

So… I’m currently 244 lbs. My exercise routine is basically about 90-105 minutes of cardio every other day. I’ve lost about 39 ish pounds in the span of 1.5 months.

Will I be able to keep up that exercise routine while fasting? Most of the time I take a pre workout drink about 20-35 minutes before entering the gym, and that gives me energy for the whole workout.

So I guess my question is mainly about the energy levels and weight loss. With work + classes, I’m just really worried that I won’t have enough energy and mental clarity to do everything.

Also how much weight do you guys think I’ll be able to lose? Most days, I can lose about 2-2.5 lbs every 2-3 days

Thank you, in advance, for any answer.

Edit: My target weight is about 178-180 lbs

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Wow! Great job!

I’m planning on doing a 40 day water fast starting tomorrow I was wondering did you take any supplements such as multivitamin/magnesium/potassium or took pink Himalayan salt or sea salt for the light headedness or dizziness?

Curious how you’re counting fasted hours?

It takes 12 hours after eating to become fasted (enter fasted state / ketosis). With 16/8 you are getting about 4 hours a day. Doing for 28 days is 112 hours fasted.

Omad would be about 308. 11 hours a day. (1 hour eating then 12 hours not eating until you enter fasted state).

I find thinking in terms of fasted state very helpful. For example - people look at 16/8 and 18/6 and say it’s very similar. But 16/8 is 4 hours of fasted state a day. 18/6 is 6 hours. 50% more! And fasted state gets deeper every hour you’re in it.

Very happy for your results! It’s awesome! Keep it going!! Just noodling over the hours. 🤔

Ketosis takes like a full day of fasting to reach, becoming ketone adapted takes weeks of ketosis, to stay in ketosis you need to eat less than 20g of carbs. You don’t need to be fat to be insulin resistant, get your fasting insulin and A1C tested, if your fasting insulin is high you are insulin resistant and on the way to pre-diabetes and you will need to change your diet if you are already lean and probably up exercise.

“Ideally, your blood insulin levels should be less than ~6 microunits per milliliter of blood (µU/mL). While ~8–9 µU/mL is the average for men and women, it’s not good to be “average” in this case; a person with 8 µU/mL has double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as a person with 5 µU/mL.”

Bikman, Benjamin. Why We Get Sick (p. 176). BenBella Books. Kindle Edition.

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The general pattern is for people to have insulin resistance long before (~years) it shows up in blood glucose levels, and the numbers you are reporting seem like the normal path to insulin resistance. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on in your case, but there’s no particular reason to assume what you’re reporting is due to something unusual (eg, fasting). The problem in all of this is that glucose is the easy thing to measure, not the best thing to measure, and high glucose is a late sign of problems, not an early sign.

>skipping meals makes your body retain fat

If you’re fasting, you’re actually losing fat sooo u good

>water which causes bloating

This, I have no idea about this one

I’m afraid that I will retain water in my face and body if I don’t do workouts everyday or sweat. I hope someone will educate us with this.

>this been your experience?

skipping the meals/fasting etc. actually made me feel better!

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Depends what I eat, not the fasting/amount. If I have fried stuff, oil heavy foods, or a lot of carbs (I’ve never done low carb, I just meant like a lot more than normal), I get bloated. I find upping my water and going for a walk help

Also the couple days before my period I get crazy bloated, then it’s gone the morning it starts

This comment section is so interesting to me as I have never questioned the superiority of honey. In my country, honey is seen as a healing, anti inflammatory, antioxidant ingredient. Very important to use especially if one gets sick.

In short, I have noticed that there are differences in how my body reacts to sugar and honey. If incorporate sugar in my diet, I will develop a pizza face and soon after will have issues with constipation. If I eat honey, I have clearer skin and much better digestion.

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Honey is definitely MUCH better than cane sugar in any way. Many studies show that honey reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, inflammation and other diseases, while sugar does quite the opposite. Honey is also used to treat fever and wounds.

These people that tell you sugar is the same as honey, have no idea what they are talking about. Honey should be consumed in limited amounts though. Sugars from honey, fruit juice, maple syrup, agave syrup, cane sugar and other added sugars should be limited to 25-30 grams a day. (This doesn’t apply for whole fruits)

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Honey has antioxidants. It’s also helpful to consume local honey for people with certain allergies to pollen etc. it’s also a natural sweetener, more natural than sugar. It’s been sometimes even linked to better heart health.

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Raw Honey contains at least 14 vitamins and minerals, over 5 important antioxidants, and over 3 beneficial enzymes for your body.

Sugar is known for its association with weight gain and obesity; however, a 15-year study was conducted, and it was discovered the people who consumed more added sugar in their diet were 38% more at risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

It’s definitely not true that organic farming has nothing added, it’s just different stuff added. Organic farmers just use different pesticides, which they call “organic” pesticides. Neither these nor traditional pesticides cause hepatitis

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Hep A is transmitted through fecal-oral transmission (I.e. improperly cleaned water) or through seafood which feasted on dirty water. Do with that what you will

Edit: Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-a

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Nothing is added that caused this and regardless of organic or not, people still have to do this work and many times it’s still large corporate enterprises that are recalled that use low wage exploited labor and doesn’t meet all health conditions

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Keep in mind that the hoops farmers have to jump through in order to call their crop “organic” are not that strict. In some cases, less than 20% of overall crop can be organic for the entire yield to be legally labeled as such.

I’ve used the Life app in the past and don’t remember any annoying nags. But that may have changed.

I just use iodized salt, “NoSalt”, and magnesium tablets for electrolytes. The pre-mixed are expensive and unnecessary.

I’m an OMADer (going on 5 years) but do occasional EFs. For me 3 days is hard! ROFL. 4 days is longer than I have ever attempted! Guess it’s all relative. But I’ve OMADed virtually every day (except being sick which is very rare with this lifestyle).

Best of luck with your fast!

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I use the Life app, it asks for an email sign in and I think there’s a “plus version” you can pay for if you want, but the basic version is free. I find it motivating. Best of luck on your fast, welcome back to fasting in general! I’m doing an extended one as well, through the end of March (maybe extending further if everything goes well).

Don’t think about water and food, don’t research them online, don’t go to shops, don’t open fridge, don’t touch them. Whenever there’s a thought about water/food, become aware of it and move attention to what you’re doing. Fantasizing about water/food is not allowed. Accept lower efficiency, bad mood.

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Have not experienced it with the 3 days fasts I have done. Do you usually have a lot of refined carbs in your diet? It may make it harder, I suppose. Also could be candida. This may not be a mental game for now (eventually it turns into one though, you will get into a flow state of you allow your cravings to pass for sure).

Usually one tolerates dry fasts much better than a water fast.

How long after eating did you take your blood sugar? Regardless if it had sugar in it…. That would be a normal blood sugar.

If you have over 125 after fasting for 12 hours THAT’S Type 2 diabetes. The literal diagnostic criteria is two… Just two fasting blood glucose higher than 125. Any two.

No, not at all. Electrolytes are called that because when they dissolve in water the slit into ions. For instance, sodium chloride splits into one positively charged sodium ion and one negatively charged chlorine ion. This makes the water more conductive, hence “Electrolytes.”

When you heat water, there is nothing for the ions to turn into or react with. They cannot evaporate because they are so strongly charged they are surrounded by liquid water due to the polarity of water molecules. When water is removed, the sodium and chlorine will re-combine and make salt again. But as long as they have enough liquid water they will stay dissolved. In fact, heat makes them stay in water even better.

The only compounds that will be damaged when heating water would be stuff like proteins, some vitamins, amino acids, and other covalent compounds. Electrolytes will be just fine.

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As a side question. Since the supplements are so overpriced for so small percentage of electrolytes, is there any other options for making your own electrolyte pills? I remember reading in the sub not to as it could burn your stomach, but literally the though of choking down flavoured salt water makes me want to puke.

About 10-11 hours after your last insulin response your body switches over to burning fatty-acids instead of glucose.

The longer you go without insulin the longer the mitochondria in your body will burn fatty-acids instead of glucose.

The end.

Edit: that means even the little sugar in your coffee and some day artifical sweeteners too. No tricks, no hacks.

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The research shows we really need about 16 hours. Most important it seems to have a couple hours between eating and bed and also before we eat after we wake.

Also like the other response said, clean fasting means, clean “water only” some have black coffee or plain tea

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If you only eat once per day, you will get the results you are looking for. I use to do 16:8 and lost 5 lbs in 3 years. On OMAD, I lose about 10lbs per month. I’m less hungry on OMAD after adjusting to the new schedule.

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16:8 is the bare minimum you need to do in order to see weight loss results, imo. 12:12 is basically society’s standard eating window, so you’ll likely not make any progress or make very slow progress. Imo, 18:6 is the sweet spot for weight loss. I’ve lost about 1/2 the 90+ pounds I’ve shed thus far with that method. And if you can stretch it to 20 hours, it’s even better. 12:12 is really only okay once in a great while.

Yes, sugar in coffee will break your fast. It triggers an insulin response.