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

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!

Mads1997

You don't need to fast to clense your body ..........................we have organs that do that for us!!!

silhouettes

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.

No we don't have a waffle maker, but there were some decent blueberry wafflles that were frozen from walmart, I used to get them but wasn't sure how well they were for me.. I may try them again.. and add some fresh fruit.

I'm going to the store today or tomorrow and I'm going to have a looksy and see if there is anything cheap that is also healthier than toast and quick.. it's so hard to plan.. to get something cheap, quick and healthy!

lodro

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.

in my experience, rather the opposite: if you fast regularly or intermittently, it might even be difficult to get to the full amount of calories when you break a fast. this is because your stomach shrinks when you don't fill it continually.

of course i'm not talking here about a situation when you're fasting because you're ill: in that case, other processes have been at work, like having a fever, which is hard work, physically speaking.

cleansing indeed is not something a fast will accomplish, but it will strengthen your cells' repair mechanisms. being constantly fed shifts the balance to cell reproduction.