Has anyone used a 24 hour fast as a reset on their hunger tolerance for normal dieting restrictions

naomimartadoc

So with all the talk of intermittent fasting, I am wondering if anyone of the 280 lb (that is 45-50 BMI category and female and middle aged and on a Wegovy type med), has been able to successfully fast? And if so for how long and did your doctor consider it safe? And if yes, did it help with an increased tolerance to symptoms of hunger afterwards if you choose to most days just eat 3 regular meals that keep one at a 1 lb a week weight loss goal for calories? I seem to do well until night and blow it.
Thanks - lots of questions I know.

MacLowCarbing

I've been taking a different approach to fasting, I'm still on my last diabetes med and it's not safe yet to completely fast because my blood sugar may plummet.

I have been doing a Dr. Boz 72 hr sardine fast a couple times per month for the last couple of months. This way I can eat, and my blood sugar stays low but stable. Sardines are super-satiating, and-- let's face it, even if you like them a lot, a little goes a long way lol. They're also super-healthy, so you're not missing out on any essential nutrients for 3 days but you're eliminating all the crap so your body can reset.

I do find it decreases my appetite for a while, reduces inflammation (I take fewer Tylenol & Ibuprofen in the days following the start of a sardine fast, I have arthritis and auto-immune issues), it makes my blood sugar lower and more stable (no spikes), and gets my body deeper into ketosis. It also gives my weight loss a push, which is nice, but I'm in it for the other benefits.

I've been looking for someone else who tried this to compare results, but as you probably guessed, it's not that popular lol. No surprise.

I also do IF in the form of Time Restricted Eating on my regular days when I'm not fasting. I have a 6-8 hour window where I'll eat one or two meals and don't eat the rest of the day. But I do high fat/high protein/extremely low carb, so I don't get hunger pangs or food cravings much anymore as long as I eat at least one good meal. If I were eating grains or more carbs or not enough fat, I'd probably go back to having more hunger pangs and food cravings.

I expect to be weaned off my meds entirely by the end of the year so I might try a real fast instead of the sardine fast. I'm actually curious at this point how long I can go before the cravings and hunger start bothering me.

neanderthin

naomimartadoc wrote: »

So with all the talk of intermittent fasting, I am wondering if anyone of the 280 lb (that is 45-50 BMI category and female and middle aged and on a Wegovy type med), has been able to successfully fast? And if so for how long and did your doctor consider it safe? And if yes, did it help with an increased tolerance to symptoms of hunger afterwards if you choose to most days just eat 3 regular meals that keep one at a 1 lb a week weight loss goal for calories? I seem to do well until night and blow it.
Thanks - lots of questions I know.

The whole point of GLP-1's like Wegovy is that on a hormonal level and with a reduction in gastric emptying it creates a situation where your less hungry and these generally are also prescribed in conjunction with a calorie restricted diet and some kind of exercise. Even if a person was successful with eating 2 as opposed to 3 meals a day like a time restricted eating regime it will be almost impossible to suss out if it was because of the wegovy or reducing your feeding window.

Your basically asking a question that's impossible to answer imo and considering your not on any GLP-1 medication and can't seem to reduce your calories enough with TRF (night feeding) indicates to me that it's probably more about what your eating and your satiating level in your diet and at night you can't seem to resist the urge to eat, and generally night eating tends to be excessive for a lot of people. This is generally hormonally driven and/or excessive calorie restriction and unless their is some kind of dietary intervention to find foods that on their own accord generally satiate people better, like protein, complex carbohydrates with a decent amount of fiber, with a conscience effort to reduce refined grains and the processed foods these are found in and consume more whole food, then that hormonal battle will probably be a tough one to regulate regardless of whether your doing intermittent fasting or not, and when a person does find foods that are more satiating and restricts the plethora of processed foods in their diet many find that is enough for steady weight loss and no need for GLP-1 medication. imo.

tomcustombuilder

Go for the long haul. Sensible eating that you can stick with for life. No fasting necessary.

AnnPT77

Yes, IF helps some people manage appetite spikes.

But also:

Night cravings can also be about fatigue. As the day goes on, as we get further from the previous night's rest, fatigue accumulates. The body seeks energy. Food is energy. Voila, appetite spikes come evening.

If your sleep is sub-ideal (quantity or quality), take any steps you can to improve that. If you can reduce stress in your life, or use stress management techniques, do that. If you can begin a mild exercise plan (or increase existing mild exercise), that can help - though increased stamina doesn't start immediately, usually. (The "mild" part is important unless you're already reasonably fit.)

How far are you trying to cut calories now? Trying to lose too fast will for sure spike cravings. You have quite a lot available to lose, so you can probably lose semi-fast for a while, but if you're struggling with appetite spikes it may be more practical to start with a small calorie cut, and gradually increase the cut as you are able to accommodate that. Unless under close medical supervision for complications or deficiencies, it's IMO a good idea to limit weight loss to at most 0.5-1% of current weight per week.

I'm with Neanderthin in one respect, too: Most people will find so-called "whole foods" more filling, and less appetite-spiking than more refined and highly processed foods.

I'm not dissing IF, and can't answer your main explicit question about it. But I related to your basic scenario. I was class 1 obese at age 59, and lost around 1/3 of my body weight in about a year (after about 30 previous years of overweight/obesity), and am still at a healthy weight at 67.

IME, finding your own personalized best tactics is key. That might be IF for you, or it might be something else. Try things you think might work for you (as long as they're not unhealthy!). If something doesn't help, try something else. If you keep plugging away at it, I predict you can find an approach that will work for you, and that the results will be worth the effort/persistence.