Fasting one day per week?
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Fasting actually helped me cure myself of food addictions. I used to snack constantly, without thought or restraint. Fasting gave me structure. Going without for 24 hr stretches cleared me of dependency. It's hard in the beginning but it gets easier. I water fast mostly from 7pm Fri to 7pm Sat- drink endless glasses of water and herbal tea, stay home (close to the bathroom) with a good book and the essentials for a pamper session (music, nail polish, masque, bubble bath, hot oil...) . I've come to enjoy my fast/ solitude days. During the week my schedule is 16:8ish the kitchen in my mind automatically closes at 7pm and only reopens around noon. I still have "breakfast" I just eat my oatmeal at midday and squeeze lunch and supper into 7-8 hour eating window]. Whatever works for you, It's calories in vs calories out- how you choose to structure them is your business2
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amusedmonkey wrote: »rebeccaculp87 wrote: »
So I'm thinking...I do 1500 a day. Let's say that's giving me a 3500 deficit. If I fast for a day I add another 1500 to that.
if you are already at a 3500 deficit and I wouldn't think it would be good to reduce it anymore. At a 1500 calories a day thats 10500 calories a week and you are already down 3500 if you reduce it by 1500 more you will only be consuming 5500 calories a week or 785 calories a day. At your current deficit you are only getting average of 1000 calories a day and that is with no exercise. Any less would not be healthy or sustainable. Females should have minimum 1200 calories a day and men 1500. Weight loss takes time be patient and if you want to cut anymore calories consult your doctor first.
This^
Gotta love math!
She made a slight mistake in her calculations, but I don't think the above math is correct either. If eating 1500 calories gives her a 3500 deficit per week (that's 2000 sedentary maintenance), so if she fasts 1 day she would be adding 2000 calories to 3000 (6*500), or a total of 5000 calories. For a simpler calculation it's easier to just multiply 1500 by 6 and divide by 7. That's 700 something daily deficit, or slightly less than 1300 average. That's not unreasonable.
OP states that she eats 1500 Cal for a 500 deficit.
This implies 2000 maintenance => 14000 a week maintenance.
And 500x7 = 3500 a week deficit = 25% deficit = maximum you should be aiming for and you should probably be obese to be trying that as 20% is probably a safer level for non obese individuals.
Increase deficit by another1500.
Weekly deficit 3500+1500 = 5000 = 714.xx a day = 35.7x% deficit given a TDEE of 14000 a week = more than you should be aiming for unless morbidly obese and under doctor supervision.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »rebeccaculp87 wrote: »
So I'm thinking...I do 1500 a day. Let's say that's giving me a 3500 deficit. If I fast for a day I add another 1500 to that.
if you are already at a 3500 deficit and I wouldn't think it would be good to reduce it anymore. At a 1500 calories a day thats 10500 calories a week and you are already down 3500 if you reduce it by 1500 more you will only be consuming 5500 calories a week or 785 calories a day. At your current deficit you are only getting average of 1000 calories a day and that is with no exercise. Any less would not be healthy or sustainable. Females should have minimum 1200 calories a day and men 1500. Weight loss takes time be patient and if you want to cut anymore calories consult your doctor first.
This^
Gotta love math!
She made a slight mistake in her calculations, but I don't think the above math is correct either. If eating 1500 calories gives her a 3500 deficit per week (that's 2000 sedentary maintenance), so if she fasts 1 day she would be adding 2000 calories to 3000 (6*500), or a total of 5000 calories. For a simpler calculation it's easier to just multiply 1500 by 6 and divide by 7. That's 700 something daily deficit, or slightly less than 1300 average. That's not unreasonable.
OP states that she eats 1500 Cal for a 500 deficit.
This implies 2000 maintenance => 14000 a week maintenance.
And 500x7 = 3500 a week deficit = 25% deficit = maximum you should be aiming for and you should probably be obese to be trying that as 20% is probably a safer level for non obese individuals.
Increase deficit by another1500.
Weekly deficit 3500+1500 = 5000 = 714.xx a day = 35.7x% deficit given a TDEE of 14000 a week = more than you should be aiming for unless morbidly obese and under doctor supervision.
If her sedentary maintenance is around 2000 then she likely is obese assuming average height and can handle a larger deficit up to a maximum 1% of bodyweight. It's not encouraged, though (and I explicitly said in a previous post it was not necessary). I just wanted to show that she is not looking to go to starvation sub 1000 extremes like it may appear to be.0 -
Yeah, I'm another who thinks try it and see. I don't mind fasting but prefer to save it for rare occasions (hmm, so maybe I do mind it, but I don't find it impossible or anything). The idea of a smaller amount of calories on some days, like a 5:2 protocol appeals to me more, but I don't think a single day fast is going to hurt you. I would have a hard time exercising on that day, and I don't know if fasting on a recovery day really helps the recovery, that would be my concern (but I am focused on a training plan and you may not be).0
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It is a numbers game- but going too low is as bad as too high. Possibly worse even. Eat too few calories and there are risks- headaches, blood sugar issues, dizziness, slowed metabolism, loss of muscle, hair loss, organ damage, nutrient deficiencies...
So just be careful and don't go into too low a deficit. You want something you can sustain, that is healthy, and prioritizes fat loss. It's no good to lose an extra 5 pounds if you're miserable doing it and those 5 pounds were muscle rather than fat.0 -
Thanks all! Just playing with the idea really.
Everyone always says weight loss is just a numbers game...it's maths. How you consume your ideal calorie amount isn't really relevant as long as it's sustainable, right?
Who knows if I'll actually do this. I may find it too harsh. But it's an interesting thought and it's made me realise that actually my 1500 calories isn't necersarily a goal, but a limit, and if I don't need all 1500 one day that's OK.
X
Yes the 1500 is your limit. If your body has had enough food you can stop eating for the day. I hope you do not have any eating disorders? I only mention since this came up in some discussions recently. I have had days below my mfp calories, likely because I had lots of protein, fiber, and fats, and my body is still adjusting to all these nutrients and learning he cues for hunger, satiety, fullness, overeating.
have you started your weight loss journey yet? You may find that 1500 calories is just right for you (especially if you eat foods you like that give you nutrients and satiated feeling )..could be an interesting experiment to see what will work for you long term/sustainably....good luck!0 -
wrote: »Thanks all! Just playing with the idea really.
Everyone always says weight loss is just a numbers game...it's maths. How you consume your ideal calorie amount isn't really relevant as long as it's sustainable, right?
Who knows if I'll actually do this. I may find it too harsh. But it's an interesting thought and it's made me realise that actually my 1500 calories isn't necersarily a goal, but a limit, and if I don't need all 1500 one day that's OK.
X
Yes the 1500 is your limit. If your body has had enough food you can stop eating for the day. I hope you do not have any eating disorders? I only mention since this came up in some discussions recently. I have had days below my mfp calories, likely because I had lots of protein, fiber, and fats, and my body is still adjusting to all these nutrients and learning he cues for hunger, satiety, fullness, overeating.
have you started your weight loss journey yet? You may find that 1500 calories is just right for you (especially if you eat foods you like that give you nutrients and satiated feeling )..could be an interesting experiment to see what will work for you long term/sustainably....good luck!
Hi. I don't have any eating disorders. Yes I am 21lbs into my weight loss journey and I've been going for 5 weeks. I lose around 1 - 2 lb a week. Usually 1. I've lost 21lb because I dropped a whole load of lbs when I started....I think that's common.
1500 is fine I just figured if I fasted for one day I'd have a bigger deficit = bigger weight loss, faster. Mfp recommends I eat 1200 a day and so I thought a fast day might just make up the difference.
Anyway, thank you for all the interesting view points! X0 -
There seems to be some confusion over what I'm asking...I'm simply suggesting I eat 1500 on 6 days and nothing on one day.
So I guess if you average that out over the week It would be the equivalent of 1285 a day. Lots of people eat this amount daily so I don't think it's that bad...especially as mfp suggests I eat 1200 a day anyway. It's just an alternative way to spread those calories through the week
Whether or not I could survive a while day on black coffee and water is a whole other question!!!!0 -
There seems to be some confusion over what I'm asking...I'm simply suggesting I eat 1500 on 6 days and nothing on one day.
So I guess if you average that out over the week It would be the equivalent of 1285 a day. Lots of people eat this amount daily so I don't think it's that bad...especially as mfp suggests I eat 1200 a day anyway. It's just an alternative way to spread those calories through the week
Whether or not I could survive a while day on black coffee and water is a whole other question!!!!
Quote " If I fast for a day I add another 1500 to that.
Could this be a good way to increase my deficit and lose weight quicker"...
The part of the quote above is what got everyone confused.. The words you used in which you would be adding another 1500 calories to your deficit already, and thus wanting to increase the deficit and lose quicker..
1200*7 = 8400 and 1500*6 = 9000.. there is 600 more calories you will eat so this is not faster, quicker.. So yes if you are one that can fast for 24 hours or if you will not break fast with any calories for one solid day (which really extends this to a 36 hour fast), will you can eat more this way for the week, its not less.0 -
I can't see the point of just randomly not eating one day a week.
Why not have 1285 per day ( on average) if that is your correct amount?0 -
The first few days don't get magically excluded from your calculations because "everyone" drops loads in the beginning. You're already losing plenty fast enough, at a rate of over 4lbs a week for the past 5 weeks.
This is wonderfully fast progress and a testament to the effort you're putting in.
Now that you've discovered that you CAN drop the weight... it is time to discover a lot of other things too!
I started detailing them; but, really, they are not the same for everyone.
What they boil down to is this: if you were magically at your goal weight today, how would you go about maintaining?
Until you have a really good idea as to how you will go about maintaining... I would worry less about getting there faster and worry more about building the habits and acquiring the tools you will need when you get there.0 -
I don't think it would be a problem at all. I do Alternate Day Fasting and eat 2000-2400 on my up days and zero -500 on my low days with zero issues!0
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paperpudding wrote: »I can't see the point of just randomly not eating one day a week.
Why not have 1285 per day ( on average) if that is your correct amount?
Because she thinks it might be easier for her to eat 1500 and skip eating one day.
It might be, it might not be, she doesn't know unless she tries it. If the overall deficit for the week is reasonable, and she doesn't react badly to fasting, it wouldn't hurt to try.0 -
rebeccaculp87 wrote: »
So I'm thinking...I do 1500 a day. Let's say that's giving me a 3500 deficit. If I fast for a day I add another 1500 to that.
if you are already at a 3500 deficit and I wouldn't think it would be good to reduce it anymore. At a 1500 calories a day thats 10500 calories a week and you are already down 3500 if you reduce it by 1500 more you will only be consuming 5500 calories a week or 785 calories a day. At your current deficit you are only getting average of 1000 calories a day and that is with no exercise. Any less would not be healthy or sustainable. Females should have minimum 1200 calories a day and men 1500. Weight loss takes time be patient and if you want to cut anymore calories consult your doctor first.
Your math is off.
At 1500 per day, she's at 10500 per week, like you said. If she fully fasts for one day, that just removes that one day's 1500, leaving 6 days at 1500 - or 9000 Calories per week. That's an average of 1285.7 per day over 7 days.
OP, depending on how much you have to lose, this may be doable. While I won't fully endorse it, it might be worth a try.
eta: Doh! I see OP has already addressed this. That's what I get for not reading - just skimming - the entire thread.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »I can't see the point of just randomly not eating one day a week.
Why not have 1285 per day ( on average) if that is your correct amount?
Because she thinks it might be easier for her to eat 1500 and skip eating one day.
It might be, it might not be, she doesn't know unless she tries it. If the overall deficit for the week is reasonable, and she doesn't react badly to fasting, it wouldn't hurt to try.
Well, sure.
But OP doesnt seem to have any actual reason or desire to do this other than she will supposedly lose weight faster.
Which doesnt seem a good plan to me - so cant see the point of just randomly doing such a thing.
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courtneyfabulous wrote: »I still can't imagine not eating for an entire day- and I come from a history of anorexia.
Intermittent Fasting is not recommended for people with a history of Eating Disorders. The length of the fast depends on the type of fast and individual preference.
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paperpudding wrote: »I can't see the point of just randomly not eating one day a week.
Why not have 1285 per day ( on average) if that is your correct amount?
--It's not random. Typically, people spend a lot of time planning their fast days and what they will eat.
--There may be health benefits to giving your digestive system a brief rest.
--Many people find it easier simply not to eat than to have to make choices all day with the risk of slipping and picking the wrong foods.0
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