Hard Fast vs. IF

MinnJenn
MinnJenn Posts: 9 Member
Hello, I've been doing keto now for about a month and have hit the dreaded plateau. I have done a lot of research that says fasting is a great way to push past it and start losing weight again. I'm wondering if any of you have advice on whether a hard fast (no food for 2-3 days) or intermittent fast is more beneficial. For folks with experience doing a hard fast, what is the best way to break the fast? Thanks for any tips!

Replies

  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    Tr IF first. Start slow, ramp up if necessary. What is your deficit?
  • SuperCarLori
    SuperCarLori Posts: 1,248 Member
    I can't seem to copy and paste using my phone, but there's a link at the top of the group in Open Threads titled "Why weight loss slows down".

    That's an approximation of the thread title, but it should put your mind to rest. If you've only been doing keto one month, it's not considered a plateau.

    Hope this helps. :)
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    How much bodyfat do you think you have?
  • mini450
    mini450 Posts: 4 Member
    edited February 2017
    Have you tried sprinting? I have broken a plateau by bring back sprinting into my exercise regime. It only takes 4 minutes (after warming up) - 30 seconds sprinting, 30 seconds walking.

    Intermittent fasting has worked too. The key is to start slowly and really listen to your body and eat when you are actually hungry.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    @MinnJenn. Patience and keeping your "nose to the grindstone" is very important in weight loss. I had about the same to lose and it took me about a year. YMMV especially since you're younger and may have more energy/exercise interest, than I. YMMV also simply because we're all different.

    Congrats on already losing 11pounds (if your ticker is accurate). That's awesome for your 1st month. Give your body a chance to "catch up" to the change.
  • MinnJenn
    MinnJenn Posts: 9 Member
    Foamroller wrote: »
    Tr IF first. Start slow, ramp up if necessary. What is your deficit?

    My deficit is 25%. There is a lot of conflicting information, a podcast I listened to yesterday said to expect the plateau in week 3-4 and plan on fasting but it sounds like that may be extreme. Thanks for all of your responses, sometimes I need to be reminded to be patient:)
  • MinnJenn
    MinnJenn Posts: 9 Member
    How much bodyfat do you think you have?

    I'm not sure how much body fat I have, I just guessed 38%.
  • StarshipFighter23
    StarshipFighter23 Posts: 73 Member
    I'm using IF and hard fasting days to try and break through a plateau at the moment. I've been using 16:8 fasting as a general WOE since I began, as I never ate breakfast anyway, but I've incorporated a couple of sub-600 calorie days this week to try and kickstart things. It's frustrating because I'm heavily in keto (purple ketosticks even when fully hydrated, but I have got a lot of fat mass...) but the scales aren't shifting. Then again, I still haven't quite got out of the mindset of the scales being an important factor - the numbers seem important when you're only in the first few weeks!
  • MinnJenn
    MinnJenn Posts: 9 Member
    I'm using IF and hard fasting days to try and break through a plateau at the moment. I've been using 16:8 fasting as a general WOE since I began, as I never ate breakfast anyway, but I've incorporated a couple of sub-600 calorie days this week to try and kickstart things. It's frustrating because I'm heavily in keto (purple ketosticks even when fully hydrated, but I have got a lot of fat mass...) but the scales aren't shifting. Then again, I still haven't quite got out of the mindset of the scales being an important factor - the numbers seem important when you're only in the first few weeks!

    Hang in there! I'm finding that I won't lose for a couple of weeks and then I'll have a big loss.