I attempted my first fast with NEGATIVE results.. HELP!

silhouettes

I am more than a little bit fusterated today and I was hoping some of you could help me to understand what happened.

First off before I say what happened let me tell you guys a little bit about myself. I have lost about half the weight I wanted to loose (63 lbs), but I am still way obsese at 218 lbs, where I should be under 155 lbs.

I have always had trouble eating snacks during the day even though I have read and read eating 5 small meals a day is better… I had trouble eating breakfast to until I started trying to loose weight. I used to only eat 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner, but since joining here I have been eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know not everyone approves of eating only 3 meals that are big, but it works for me and so far I have lost all that weight doing just that, so I doubt this has anything to do with the way I am eating.. at least not yet.

I also noticed that if I drink anything with alcohol in it even if it is just 1-2 drinks my weight shoots up 2-3 lbs and stays there for a maximum of 6 days before going back down.. most of the time it’s less but sometimes it takes up to 6 days.

I have been refraining from drinking but 6 days ago today a friend came over and I had just a few drinks with them, knowing my weight would go up and it did, it went from 217.5 to 219.8, On the 21st of this month my weight went back down to 218.6 and stayed on that number for a few days until today.

Yesterday, I decided to do a fast, since today would be the 6th day after drinking and it’s never taken longer than that even when I drunk more of the same thing. I wanted to get all the bad things out of my system, anything that wasn’t exactly healthy for me that I might have ate this past week.

I ate breakfast and a huge lunch which got me up to 1365 calories (I had toast for breakfast and spaghetti with 2 pieces of bread for lunch.. I figured spaghetti would keep me going for the day) and at 1:30 pm yesterday I stopped eating. Around 8 pm I got on the treadmill and went for 90 minutes (I usually only go 70) and burned 1040 calories, leaving my total for the day at 325 net. I figured that would be a good number for a fast day. The ONLY thing I had after 1:30 pm was water, about 4 cups while using the treadmill.

By 11 pm I was exhausted, tired and hungry, but not wanting to break my fast, I decided to go to bed early. It had been about 3 hours since I drunk the water.

I usually weigh every day, I know again that not everyone agrees with this but it’s worked for me so far to see how my body responds to things. At 10:30 this morning, I used the bathroom and not having done anything this morning or ate or drank even water yet I weighed (As usual). (It was 21 hours since I started “fasting”) I weighed in at 218.9 which was .3 MORE pounds than when I started my fast! I haven’t weighed that much since I drunk the alcohol.

I am not completely stumped on how I could have GAINED weight while attempting a fast? I still have 3 hours to go and I plan on going for the long run, it’s only 3 hours, but I don’t understand what happened, I can kind of see not loosing anything, just getting rid of the bad stuff.. but to gain weight? I don’t understand!

Anyone that has experiences with fasting able to shed some light on this for me? I would appreciate it.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that my "fasting" was only to cleanse my body of bad things so I could get back down to 217.. .not to actually loose a bunch of weight.. I just wanted a cleansing... loosing weight would have been a plus, but not expected.. HOWEVER gaining weight is what has me upset.. Gaining weight w/o eating anything!

servilia

If you want to keep full longer I would opt for something with protein instead of spaghetti with bread. That's a lot of carbs and no protein. I'm not surprised the scale didn't move.. carbs always make me retain extra water.. and what kind of sauce did you use for your spaghetti? All the commercial sauces are packed with sodium.

turboandrea

Go on a cleanse, not a fast. Starvation doesn't do anything good for your body. You gained weight because your body is probably asking what the F is going on and shut down into starvation mode. Plus, you shouldn't do a ton of exercise when you're fasting/cleansing.

If you want a safe alternative to flush your system, try the Shakeology cleanse. It's three days but not starvation. I've done it twice and it's worked great for me. If you want more info, feel free to message me. It'll give you a healthy start.

Edit: Water is a great way to flush your system. Keep up the water intake!

aschroyer

EEK! Fasts arent very good for you. Also, If you are looking to lose weight, go with less carbs. At least eat protein bars or drinks that will give you some of the vitamins and nutrition, and it is never good to limit your water intake. Your body needs fuel to run, especially with that workout!

jamie1888

Toast for breakfast and spaghetti & bread for lunch.... all carbs! That's a lot of carbs even for someone that is extremely active. Your body isn't using all those carbs for energy and storing it as fat.

NoAdditives

First, fasting and cleansing just isn't necessary. If you're concerned about toxins in your body don't eat or drink things you consider to be toxic. And if you do consume those foods/drinks occasionally, just drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and lean meats. Putting good things in your body and drinking water will clean you out.

Second, you should never fast. Starving yourself, even for a day, isn't good. It won't put you into starvation mode (that takes time) but it does throw things off a bit.

Third, if you want to stay full carbs are not going to help. You need protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied. I can't look at your food diary so I don't know what you normally eat but my general suggestions are to avoid processed foods, eat only fresh "whole" foods, and to definitely track your sodium. Avoid refined sugar, drink plenty of water.

jamie1888

If 3 meals per day is what works for you, by all means, stay with that! But, keep in mind, your metabolism is already pretty slow due to the fact that you only eat 3 meals per day. So, when you go on a fast, your body says "WTF? Where's my fuel?" ... and then will store what it can because it doesn't know if/when more food is coming.

mresta

Sounds like your body is going into starvation mode and trying to retain as much water as possible.

And skip the white spaghetti and bread, they'll just give you an energy spike rather than a gradual release of energy. Instead opt for lots of steam veg, some grilled lean meat or a healthy chunky soup with a small portion of brown rice on the side. Avoid salt, sugar and alcohol and drink as much water as possible. I'm on 6 meals a day now and find it's helped loads, lost a third of my body weight doing that.

GottaMove2012

When you fast your metabolism actually slows down. That is never a good idea for weight loss. To cleanse your body you can eat a variety of fruits and veggies AND you have to still get some good protein (Greek Yogurt is great for this) and skim milk will do you good too! You have done awesome so far so keep it up, but no more fasting!!

GottaMove2012

Also, stay off the alcohol...that is one of the worst things that you can have when trying to lose weight!!:happy:

backinthenines

Your body is probably confused beyond comprehension and tries to hang onto everything it's got!:noway:

silhouettes

I thank you for your replay's so far and I just wanted to respond to a few things.

I understand spaghetti is alot of carbs and what your saying does make sense in a way, but what DOESN'T make sense is I have eaten it plently of times with toast (I eat toast and jelly.. I don't have the time or money to buy or fix anything else in the morning and I HATE skim milk. so cereal is out of heh quesiton) since I started dieting.. eating toast, lucnh, and it for dinner with less than 90 minutes.. more like 60-70 of exericse and NEVER gained weight the next morning.. mind you I probably never lost even an ounce, but I never gained like today.

I used plan marinara sauce and as for the water comment, I only said I drunk 4 cups AFTER 130 to show what I did drink.. I drunk some before that.. I wasn't depriving myself of water, I only mentioned what I that was relavent.

Now I understand your meaning about all the carbs and why the scale won't budge for that.. but how does it explain gaining weight when I have never gained eaiting this same meal (and more) with less exercise on other days?

mresta

The body responds by using its own reserves to provide energy, and these reserves are not just the body`s extra fat, this includes water and muscle tissue. Initially, glycogen stores are broken down for energy. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate in our body. There is little glycogen available so this energy source is depleted during the first hours of starvation. When glycogen is used, water is released which is noticed as a drop in weight on the scale. These labile stores are quickly replenished when you eat which you'll notice in the weight gain.

So you may have eaten carbs and didn't exercise as much, but the lack of nutrients is probably what caused the weight loss and now your body is trying to claw back what it can by slowing your metabolism.

mresta

Also, have you considered it could be an increase of muscle instead? Muscle is heavier than fat and if you're gaining muscle with the exercise, it could be just that. Otherwise, ignore the damn scales and just measure your waist instead.

jamie1888

And this may not be a true "gain". Weigh again in 2 - 3 days and it's likely that some/all of that will come off. Water retention from a bad day or bad meal usually takes a couple of days to get out of the system. If I eat a big sodium filled cheat meal (like a burger and fries), I will weigh a couple more lbs than usual for a few days. But, then it's back to normal.

jb_sweet_99

There is actually a TON of research that Intermittant Fasting is Very good for you, and for weight loss as well....also, It takes 3 days of low cals before your body goes into starvation mode.
You were probably retaining water from not drinking enough water and exercising, I have done ESE (Eat Stop Eat) for a while, search the forum to read about it. You will probably notice the weight go down in a couple days. I weigh more when I fast too and notice the drop later on...There's no way it's actual fat that you've gained, you haven't eaten the calories for that.
Good luck! :bigsmile:

Koriannvictoria

I like to do the 3 day cleanse...
day 1: fruit and fruit juice only (real juice not sugary crap) NO BANANAS!
day 2: veggies and veggie juice only NO POTATOES!
day 3: fruit and veggies and their juices STILL NO BANANAS OR POTATOS
Drink lots of water the whole time..... if you feel hungry drink water.....
second day is hard for me but it is a good way to flush system.

Please remember that for weight loss, exercise is only 10% of the equation.
Work out hard but remember this: your body will change with each change you make....
so eat clean
exercise hard
live happy!

MercuryBlue

Didn't have time to read all responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating anything. Just a few personal opinions.

1) Studies have recently shown that it doesn't matter when in a day you consume calories, or how many meals you eat in a day. What matters is the TOTAL calories consumed- so whether you're choosing to eat one giant meal a day, three meals a day, or six 'mini meals', that's up to you. My advice, though, would be to make sure that you're eating good calories (not pasta made from refined flour, for example). Also, the problem with 'fasting' is that it makes it very difficult to go back to eating in a normal, healthy manner. If you've gone more than 24 hours without eating, you're starving. So when you DO eat, it's going to be hard to just take in the reasonable amount of calories your body needs without going overboard.

I think we all have days once in a while where we 'fast'. For me, it's when I'm sick. Sometimes, I'll admit, I have days when I get really busy with work or a project, and 'forget to eat'. It's not that big a deal if it doesn't happen often.... but it's not something I ever intentionally do.

2) Alcohol is the enemy. No, seriously. A glass of red wine here and there is actually good for you- but you'd be amazed at how many calories can be hiding in one mixed drink. LOTS. If you're serious about weight-loss, best to cut alcohol out entirely. If you can't do that, make smart and informed choices about WHAT you're drinking- and count and log the calories.

Also, something to keep in mind, is that alcohol acts as a diuretic. It dehydrates you (hangover symptoms = dehydration). And because water retention is such a funny thing, the less you drink the more you retain. And the more fluids you drink, the less you retain. So in the end, booze is definitely gonna hit you when it comes to the scales.

I'm sure that you're not going to gain 2-3 pounds of fat just from one night of drinking (so some of it's got to be water weight). But I wouldn't write off ALL the weight as being water, depending on how much you've had to drink (and what you're drinking).

3) I don't like fasting. And I REALLY do not like cleansing. I've said this many times before- but I'll repeat myself here. "Cleansing" (in whatever way, shape or form your cleanse may take) can help a person lose weight- but very little of that weight will be fat. First of all, cleanses usually involve drinking a lot of fluids, and limiting (or eliminating) salt. What happens when you drink lots of water is that it helps your body let go of water weight. It 'flushes' out much of the water you might be retaining, which can then show up on the scale. Combine a lot of fluid-drinking with a low sodium intake, and you're probably gonna see some water loss. That's all it is, though- water. I get the EXACT same results (while eating a healthy amount of calories) by drinking lots of water during the day and keeping track of my sodium.

The second 'part' of a cleanse will often involve 'purging the body of toxins'. That is, frankly, making you poop. Some people will try to tell you that you're holding years worth of built-up poisons in your colon and that the only way to 'rid yourself' of these toxins is to flush them away through your waste. You might be encouraged to have an enema or take a laxative to ‘get your bowels moving’. The end result is the same: you’re taking waste that was sitting in your digestive track and you’re expelling it from your body. So, yes… this is going to cause a drop in the number you see on the scale- but it’s not fat that you’re losing. It’s poop. Again, I get the EXACT same results by including foods in my diet that are high in fibre, and drinking lots of water. This regulates me to the point where I may ‘expel waste’ two or three times a day…. And keeps me from getting an uncomfortable, bloating ‘build up’ in my abdomen.
The third part of a cleanse usually involves fasting. Some ‘cleanses’ require that you don’t eat, period (while others are less severe). The results? A dip in the scale, caused because your stomach is empty. You’re not seeing the weight of the food would otherwise be in there. Will you lose fat? A little bit. After all, you’re running on a caloric deficit. But you won’t see a dramatic fat loss unless you do an extended cleanse- which just isn’t good for you.

Overall, the problem that I have with cleanses is that a)they don’t really do anything that can’t be safely matched through simple, healthy adjustments in your diet and b)they cause people to, often incorrectly, believe they perform a valuable function because ‘they’re seeing losses on the scale’. Except the scale isn’t telling the full story: That the weight lost is a combination of food, waste and water. Any excess calorie deficit created is usually negated almost as soon as the person doing the cleanse/fast eats again (because they’re so hungry they wind up binging). The weight comes back almost right away, as soon as your stomach and bowels become full again.

4) Often, I hear from other people that weight loss ‘will get easier’. Oh, it’s hard at first, but then… it gets easier. You adjust to eating better, you adjust to working out. Soon, it requires little or no thinking.

Personally, I disagree. It gets easier in some ways, yes- but it also gets harder. You’re already lost a LOT of weight- which is amazing- but the first 63 pounds that you lost is VERY different from the last 63 pounds. The closer you get to your goal, the harder you have to work (mentally and physically) to stay on track. There’s a lot less room for error as you get smaller and smaller. I’m 12 pounds from my goal, and I know that if I slip up even one iota, it can have a huge effect on that week’s weight loss.



In the end, I don’t have a lot of opinions about why your weight has increased (I’m gonna say partially water, partially other factors)…. But I wanted to give my take on the situation in general.

Best of luck!

singfree

Just an observation: The diet you are describing contains very little of what your body needs daily. Crappy white spaghetti, sauce from a jar, loaded with sodium, jelly (which is all sugar), alcohol...

Where is the whole grain, fresh veg, lean protein? It's your diet that is the problem. Forget about these bogus fasts and cleanses that flat out don't work.

Read a good book on nutrition and exercise and stick to it. You will be successful!

Good luck on your journey!

silhouettes

Thank you for your reply again.. I just wanted to make a few comments replaying to some of the posts.

I barely ever drink and I haven't once in my life gotten drunk.. I've actually had my first drink in October of last year for my birthday even though I am almost 25 years old! You guys must remember the first time you drunk and how good it made you feel! I know that's no excuse, but I admit to being curious and trying things a few times since then.

I would say since then I have only drunk maybe once or twice a month and each time I logged the calories, I made the recipes myself to make 100 percent sure the calories were correct.

I do realize that drinking screws up your weight and each time I picked up the drinks I took responsibility and that into account. Each time I made sure I had plenty of water and was under 1200 net calories.

I do want to make the point that I never had more than 3 drinks in any one sitting and I have never in my life gotten drunk and I plan on not drinking much again unless out at like a concert or in a social setting so I can continue my weight loss journey.

The drinking last week has nothing to do with my fast really, I just wanted to add that I did it in case the weight came back to bite me a week later somehow? 6 days later it should have been out of my system considering I only drank like 2-4 ounces and orange juice which I drink alone sometimes.

And I understand what you mean about after the fast! I got my first meal today after 24 hours and I was still hungry a little! Must be from my body trying to catch up in calories, but I am very stubborn and I will wait a few hours before a snack (if needed) and then dinner and make sure all the calories are under my 1215 goal. I am drinking plenty of water today...

I don't think it helps that apparently a tooth has decided to grow in today... apparently a wisdom tooth has emerged and I"m almost 25! Blah!

Grokette

If you want to keep full longer I would opt for something with protein instead of spaghetti with bread. That's a lot of carbs and no protein. I'm not surprised the scale didn't move.. carbs always make me retain extra water.. and what kind of sauce did you use for your spaghetti? All the commercial sauces are packed with sodium.

I was going to say something similar................

Grains = pack on the pounds carbs
Pasta sauce from can / jar - Sodium and SUGAR!!

silhouettes

Just an observation: The diet you are describing contains very little of what your body needs daily. Crappy white spaghetti, sauce from a jar, loaded with sodium, jelly (which is all sugar), alcohol...

Where is the whole grain, fresh veg, lean protein? It's your diet that is the problem. Forget about these bogus fasts and cleanses that flat out don't work.

Read a good book on nutrition and exercise and stick to it. You will be successful!

Good luck on your journey!

The alcohol was from 6 days ago before the fast, was just mentioning it.

I have eaten exactly the same meal and more and dind't gain weight. But I understand it wasn't the healthiest.. I thought spaghetti would keep me full for the day as it's the only food I ever ate that did so, so that is why I picked it.

I already explained the toast as I can't stand skim milk and don't have time to fix a proper breakfast... have I mentioned I am a very picky eater and some food just makes me gag? I am still working on a more healthy breakfast. but for now, this is it.

And I did already loose half the weight so I have to be doing something right!

servilia

No one is saying that you haven't done a great job losing those 62lbs - good for you!!
Keep in mind the less you have to lose the harder it is. The first 60 lbs certainly come off a lot easier than the last 60.. and those last 10 are killer hard! Nothing is wrong with a piece of toast in the morning, I don't think anyone has a problem with that.. but it's followed by pasta and bread together for lunch? I certainly wouldn't expect to lose anything by loading up on refined carbs like that. A better choice would be a little bit of pasta, with a couple of ounces of lean protein like chicken breast. I don't know how much time you have to cook or what your cooking skills are but this isn't hard to put together. Brush a chicken breast with olive oil, sprinkle with some herbs and pepper (I like to add paprika), tuck it in some foil paper and stick it into a 350 degree over for 30 minutes. You can cook this ahead.
It's also easy to add some protein to your breakfast. You don't have to spend 30 minutes preparing breakfast. You can add half a cup of low fat cottage cheese with that toast in the morning to make it more balanced. If you wanna make it even better for more nutrition, you can change that to half a piece of toast and instead of that second half of toast have a tangerine, an apple or a couple of strawberries. It only takes an extra minute and your new and more balanced breakfast is ready.

wolfchild59

You've mentioned multiple times that you're eating 1200/1215 or fewer calories. Is that your net after eating back exercise calories or what you're eating total?

If it's what you're eating total, you are definitely too low on calories each day after a 60 minute workout. And even if that's your net, I'd suggest upping your intake. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it will help. I've recently done that and am starting to lose again after over a month of no weight loss at all an a small gain. Once I started eating more, the gain dropped back off and, like I said, I'm back to losing.

And I also have to echo what others have said about what you're eating. I'm also a really picky eater and this last year has been a struggle to find foods that fit well into my plan as well as learning new ways to prepare things so that I do like them. I've actually ended up expanding my tastes and foods that I really like simply by finding new ways to eat them.

With stuff like skim milk, so you don't like it, neither do I, try different products on the market and find something that works for you. There's soy milk and almond milk and they both come in different flavors of sweetened and unsweetened versions. I tried about five different "milk" options before settling on Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla. I also find that it only takes about 1/4 of a cup for an actual portion of cereal (and there's milk left in the bottom of the bowl) so as long as you like the cereal, that will likely be all you taste. Or get creative, I like to mix a half a cup of cereal in with half a cup of low fat cottage cheese and it's super filling and really tasty.

Just don't give up. Don't rely on a single day of fasting when most ESE/IF programs are about doing it on a schedule for weeks at a time (or longer) and try mixing thing up, both calorically and food wise.

Alioth

Hey! You've been doing great over the past several months. I know this is frustrating, but keep up the good work! Here are my two-cents on this topic though:
1) I fast sometimes for religious reasons and have never lost weight fasting. Sometimes I gain instead. Other times, I maintain. In my case, no physical good seems to come from fasting in my experience. Headache? Yes. Caffeine/sugar withdrawal tremors? Yes. Irritability, the runs, lethargy, etc. Fasting seems to upset the metabolic balance more than reset it.
2) I think you're on the right track with switching up your exercise/food routine. If you are changing up your diet/exercise routine though, don't you think it might take as long as a couple weeks to see results from it?
3) If your wisdom teeth are coming in, your body isn't its normal self. It's dealing with some changes. That could be a factor.
4) I pretty much agree with what others have said about eating more protein and veggies, and less carbs for a while (at least a week) to see if that helps.

Good luck!

silhouettes

No one is saying that you haven't done a great job losing those 62lbs - good for you!!
Keep in mind the less you have to lose the harder it is. The first 60 lbs certainly come off a lot easier than the last 60.. and those last 10 are killer hard! Nothing is wrong with a piece of toast in the morning, I don't think anyone has a problem with that.. but it's followed by pasta and bread together for lunch? I certainly wouldn't expect to lose anything by loading up on refined carbs like that. A better choice would be a little bit of pasta, with a couple of ounces of lean protein like chicken breast. I don't know how much time you have to cook or what your cooking skills are but this isn't hard to put together. Brush a chicken breast with olive oil, sprinkle with some herbs and pepper (I like to add paprika), tuck it in some foil paper and stick it into a 350 degree over for 30 minutes. You can cook this ahead.
It's also easy to add some protein to your breakfast. You don't have to spend 30 minutes preparing breakfast. You can add half a cup of low fat cottage cheese with that toast in the morning to make it more balanced. If you wanna make it even better for more nutrition, you can change that to half a piece of toast and instead of that second half of toast have a tangerine, an apple or a couple of strawberries. It only takes an extra minute and your new and more balanced breakfast is ready.

Actually thank you for this response! I have been thinking about getting fruit to eat with the toast instead of eating just toast in the morning.. the only downside is fruit is hard to find in a small town in the winter and it's expensive! But I do love the idea.. I have a foundness of grapes and strawberries so I will try to save a little extra money when it comes for grocery shopping.

As for my cooking skills they suck honestly lol.. my husband does all the cooking.. which is harsh considering he isn't trying to loose weight and with our tight budget it's hard to find things that are to healthy.. We can only afford at max $50 a week for two of us... and yes that is with food as a priority.. the economy sucks

If you guys have more idea's for cheap healthy food (that I can stand.. like I said I'm not a big milk fan and I hate yogurt) I am all ears!

Oh and eggs don't work for me.. don't ask it's a long story but plain eggs don't go to well in our household lol.

silhouettes

You've mentioned multiple times that you're eating 1200/1215 or fewer calories. Is that your net after eating back exercise calories or what you're eating total?

If it's what you're eating total, you are definitely too low on calories each day after a 60 minute workout. And even if that's your net, I'd suggest upping your intake. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it will help. I've recently done that and am starting to lose again after over a month of no weight loss at all an a small gain. Once I started eating more, the gain dropped back off and, like I said, I'm back to losing.

And I also have to echo what others have said about what you're eating. I'm also a really picky eater and this last year has been a struggle to find foods that fit well into my plan as well as learning new ways to prepare things so that I do like them. I've actually ended up expanding my tastes and foods that I really like simply by finding new ways to eat them.

With stuff like skim milk, so you don't like it, neither do I, try different products on the market and find something that works for you. There's soy milk and almond milk and they both come in different flavors of sweetened and unsweetened versions. I tried about five different "milk" options before settling on Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla. I also find that it only takes about 1/4 of a cup for an actual portion of cereal (and there's milk left in the bottom of the bowl) so as long as you like the cereal, that will likely be all you taste. Or get creative, I like to mix a half a cup of cereal in with half a cup of low fat cottage cheese and it's super filling and really tasty.

Just don't give up. Don't rely on a single day of fasting when most ESE/IF programs are about doing it on a schedule for weeks at a time (or longer) and try mixing thing up, both calorically and food wise.

I appreciate this relay to.. I have to admit I almost gave up on cereal but your right.. I might give the other milks another try.. you can always get the offbrand name, just a bit to see if you like it before buying the whole thing... I will check this out next time I go.. I do miss eating cereal over toast every morning.. the bread starts to get hard to swallow after awhiel if you know what I mean.. I have been looking for other options and maybe this will help.. I was eating a bowl and leaving most of the milk of 2 percent but the calorie intake number was way high for just breakfast.

As for the calories, it says I should have 1215 a day... with exercise I try to eat back 75 percent and leave 25 percent in case I screwed up somewhere... like I'll eat 1215 then 750/1000 exercise calories.. that probably leaves me slightly under 1215, but sometimes I can't judge the exact calories of things and don't want to screw it up.

silhouettes

Hey! You've been doing great over the past several months. I know this is frustrating, but keep up the good work! Here are my two-cents on this topic though:
1) I fast sometimes for religious reasons and have never lost weight fasting. Sometimes I gain instead. Other times, I maintain. In my case, no physical good seems to come from fasting in my experience. Headache? Yes. Caffeine/sugar withdrawal tremors? Yes. Irritability, the runs, lethargy, etc. Fasting seems to upset the metabolic balance more than reset it.
2) I think you're on the right track with switching up your exercise/food routine. If you are changing up your diet/exercise routine though, don't you think it might take as long as a couple weeks to see results from it?
3) If your wisdom teeth are coming in, your body isn't its normal self. It's dealing with some changes. That could be a factor.
4) I pretty much agree with what others have said about eating more protein and veggies, and less carbs for a while (at least a week) to see if that helps.

Good luck!

I'm still not 100 percent sure on the wisdom tooth, it hurts like crazy, but haven't been to the dentist... My husband checked and didn't see anything.. but he told me his hurt like how I described once and it was just a bump from hitting it with a chip or something.. It just started hurting today before I even typed this.. so not positive yet.

And I thought it might take some time to see results yes! I just wasn't prepared to GAIN weight from it! I might be getting overexcited and go back down tomorrow, man I hope I do! I'm sure you guys understand the fusteration of doing what you think is right and gaining weight for it!

milaxx

Go on a cleanse, not a fast. Starvation doesn't do anything good for your body. You gained weight because your body is probably asking what the F is going on and shut down into starvation mode. Plus, you shouldn't do a ton of exercise when you're fasting/cleansing.

.......

Edit: Water is a great way to flush your system. Keep up the water intake!

I have to agree with the others. You won't lose fasting because your body will hold onto the food.

~Snacks don't have to be big. I eat almonds. A serving is 10-12. I buy a bag and separate them into the snack ziplock bags. It's a nice burst of protein to get you thru the day,

~Try adding a capful of natural apple cider vinegar with the mother to your water. I find it helps flush my system.

milaxx

You mention you don't have time for breakfast in the mornings. Have you tried making meals for the week? I usually do mine on Monday's since trash day is Tuesday. That means cooking and freezing food into single servings. I too am a picky eater. Due to allergies I am can't have soy, gluten, dairy or seafood. I'm also a vegetarian. if I don't plan, I don't eat properly. A healthier substitute for your toast might be whole grain blueberry waffles. if you don't have a waffle maker, you can buy the store bought kind.

However, you have been doing good so far this may just be a minor set back. keep up the good work.

mresta

Didn't have time to read all responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating anything. Just a few personal opinions.

1) Studies have recently shown that it doesn't matter when in a day you consume calories, or how many meals you eat in a day. What matters is the TOTAL calories consumed- so whether you're choosing to eat one giant meal a day, three meals a day, or six 'mini meals', that's up to you. My advice, though, would be to make sure that you're eating good calories (not pasta made from refined flour, for example). Also, the problem with 'fasting' is that it makes it very difficult to go back to eating in a normal, healthy manner. If you've gone more than 24 hours without eating, you're starving. So when you DO eat, it's going to be hard to just take in the reasonable amount of calories your body needs without going overboard.

I think we all have days once in a while where we 'fast'. For me, it's when I'm sick. Sometimes, I'll admit, I have days when I get really busy with work or a project, and 'forget to eat'. It's not that big a deal if it doesn't happen often.... but it's not something I ever intentionally do.

2) Alcohol is the enemy. No, seriously. A glass of red wine here and there is actually good for you- but you'd be amazed at how many calories can be hiding in one mixed drink. LOTS. If you're serious about weight-loss, best to cut alcohol out entirely. If you can't do that, make smart and informed choices about WHAT you're drinking- and count and log the calories.

Also, something to keep in mind, is that alcohol acts as a diuretic. It dehydrates you (hangover symptoms = dehydration). And because water retention is such a funny thing, the less you drink the more you retain. And the more fluids you drink, the less you retain. So in the end, booze is definitely gonna hit you when it comes to the scales.

I'm sure that you're not going to gain 2-3 pounds of fat just from one night of drinking (so some of it's got to be water weight). But I wouldn't write off ALL the weight as being water, depending on how much you've had to drink (and what you're drinking).

3) I don't like fasting. And I REALLY do not like cleansing. I've said this many times before- but I'll repeat myself here. "Cleansing" (in whatever way, shape or form your cleanse may take) can help a person lose weight- but very little of that weight will be fat. First of all, cleanses usually involve drinking a lot of fluids, and limiting (or eliminating) salt. What happens when you drink lots of water is that it helps your body let go of water weight. It 'flushes' out much of the water you might be retaining, which can then show up on the scale. Combine a lot of fluid-drinking with a low sodium intake, and you're probably gonna see some water loss. That's all it is, though- water. I get the EXACT same results (while eating a healthy amount of calories) by drinking lots of water during the day and keeping track of my sodium.

The second 'part' of a cleanse will often involve 'purging the body of toxins'. That is, frankly, making you poop. Some people will try to tell you that you're holding years worth of built-up poisons in your colon and that the only way to 'rid yourself' of these toxins is to flush them away through your waste. You might be encouraged to have an enema or take a laxative to ‘get your bowels moving’. The end result is the same: you’re taking waste that was sitting in your digestive track and you’re expelling it from your body. So, yes… this is going to cause a drop in the number you see on the scale- but it’s not fat that you’re losing. It’s poop. Again, I get the EXACT same results by including foods in my diet that are high in fibre, and drinking lots of water. This regulates me to the point where I may ‘expel waste’ two or three times a day…. And keeps me from getting an uncomfortable, bloating ‘build up’ in my abdomen.
The third part of a cleanse usually involves fasting. Some ‘cleanses’ require that you don’t eat, period (while others are less severe). The results? A dip in the scale, caused because your stomach is empty. You’re not seeing the weight of the food would otherwise be in there. Will you lose fat? A little bit. After all, you’re running on a caloric deficit. But you won’t see a dramatic fat loss unless you do an extended cleanse- which just isn’t good for you.

Overall, the problem that I have with cleanses is that a)they don’t really do anything that can’t be safely matched through simple, healthy adjustments in your diet and b)they cause people to, often incorrectly, believe they perform a valuable function because ‘they’re seeing losses on the scale’. Except the scale isn’t telling the full story: That the weight lost is a combination of food, waste and water. Any excess calorie deficit created is usually negated almost as soon as the person doing the cleanse/fast eats again (because they’re so hungry they wind up binging). The weight comes back almost right away, as soon as your stomach and bowels become full again.

4) Often, I hear from other people that weight loss ‘will get easier’. Oh, it’s hard at first, but then… it gets easier. You adjust to eating better, you adjust to working out. Soon, it requires little or no thinking.

Personally, I disagree. It gets easier in some ways, yes- but it also gets harder. You’re already lost a LOT of weight- which is amazing- but the first 63 pounds that you lost is VERY different from the last 63 pounds. The closer you get to your goal, the harder you have to work (mentally and physically) to stay on track. There’s a lot less room for error as you get smaller and smaller. I’m 12 pounds from my goal, and I know that if I slip up even one iota, it can have a huge effect on that week’s weight loss.



In the end, I don’t have a lot of opinions about why your weight has increased (I’m gonna say partially water, partially other factors)…. But I wanted to give my take on the situation in general.

Best of luck!

Hear, hear!