HELP! Fasting & weight loss

BlessedLah
BlessedLah Posts: 18
in Motivation and Support
I am a devoted Christia.. as part of my christian values I have to fast regularly. My biggest concern is that I have heard people say that fasting slows your metabolism which results in NOT losing weight. I really know that fasting is essential for my faith and have to do it. My fasting is comprised of not eating anything including not drinking water from 12 midnight until 4pm, and this will continue until the fast period ends. The fast period can be as long as a month. So I am currently on a 1340kcal allowance a day, and I know with fasting I will always fall below the calorie goal. How can I do the fasting only eating btwn 4pm and 12 midnight and still lose weight? I am planning on including a 30mins or more cardio at least 4/5 times a week.

What can I eat in those few hours each day that can help me lose weight still?????

Replies

  • RTDice
    RTDice Posts: 193 Member
    Hi.

    I've fasted for sometime one day each week - no food but water is fine and if I'm visiting the housebound I may have a black tea or coffee so as not to offend them by turning down their hospitality.

    I haven't noticed any problems in the past with my metabolism.

    At present I am trying the 5:2 diet and once I've gotten into the rhythm of it one of the fasting days will be as before rather than taking in 600cals on fast days, but doing it twice a week. To ensure that I don't binge on the feed days (I am an emotional eater), I am tracking everything and limiting my intake to 2100cals which for me is TDEE - 20%.

    Fasting in the short term does not slow your metabolism it in fact speeds it up (so says Dr Michael Mosley) because in our hunting days if we were in need of food, we needed to expend energy quickly to catch some! So a short term fast shouldn't do you any problems at all. A long fast may.

    Given that you are fasting 16 hours, you may want to go and ask people in the 16:8 intermittent fasting groups, as that is what they do - but I don't know if that is every day, most days or what.

    Every blessing to you.
  • TD_BC
    TD_BC Posts: 15 Member
    I'd also recommend having a look at the Intermittent Fasting group pages. Lots of info in there on how to reach your caloric intake whilst on a 16/8 period like you're doing.
  • pawheeler1
    pawheeler1 Posts: 80 Member
    bump
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I eat 2000 calories between 1pm and 10pm every day. I don't do it because I want to fast, it is just how my body likes to eat. As you can see by my ticker, it has not negatively affected my weight loss. Some people swear by the IF lifestyle.

Categories