I'm stuck not sure where to go from here.

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treehugnmama
treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
So here goes. pcos and IR prediabetic in may. put on metformin and low carb. lost 65 pounds no longer prediabetic. fast forward between January 1 to now weight fluctuates between 227 to 233. today 235...highest I've been. I'm 5 7 inches exercise and eat 1450 calories don't eat exercise calories back. yesterday I did a 21 hour fast but ended up eating Chinese food for dinner (I know not good) today's fast will be a better break fast meal it was my first time. Can I fast 21 hours everyday and only eat dinner? does it matter how many calories I eat at dinner?

I don't know where to go from here. I'm feeling like weigjt stopped moving sizes were going down quickly but now either stopped or so slow I don't notice. i dont mind it taking a long time but feeling like im headed in tje wrong dirrction I read dr. fungs work but unsure what to do as I take a bunch of herbal supplements and met 3 times a day.(it helps with the hormonal pcos piece) I really want to succeed and will do what I need to but don't know what that is. thanks for reading...I'm open to advice :wink:

Replies

  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
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    Hmm. How could it not matter how many calories you eat at dinner (or any other time)?

    Not sure this is your real question...??
  • treehugnmama
    treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
    edited April 2017
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    with fasting I wasn't sure if you should still be trying to hit a min amount of calories (withing macros of course) yesterday was first attempt and I ate a days worth of calories at dinner. yesterday was a bad example as I have never fasted and went wild.

    should I aim for min amount of calories at dinner or eat to hunger? can I do the 21_ 24 hour fast daily with one meal a day? Or is it better to do that a couple days and eat regular lchf 3 meals a day the other 5 is that the idea? do I skip metformin on the meals I'm fasting?

    watched and read lots yesterday but it was more about why you should do it and why you will always fail with reducing calories and less about the how to do it...maybe I'm over thinking it?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    Your weight is up today because you had a high number of carbs yesterday which will boost water retention.

    For fasting, if you plan to eat one meal a day (OMAD) all the time, then yes, you want to hit your minimum daily macros in that one meal.

    If you are going to fast only 1 or 2 days a week (like a 6/1 or 5/2 schedule) then you calculate your minimum daily macros into a weekly amount and divide it by the number of days you are going to eat so that you hit your minimum amounts for the whole week.

    Ex.
    1450/day = 10,150/week
    say you are "fasting" 2 days a week and eating 500 calories per fasting day - that leaves you with 9,150 calories for the other 5 days or 1,830/day
  • treehugnmama
    treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
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    thanks tc beliver. yes my weigjt is up due to tje carbs today but it has been stalled now for 3 months so I thought maybe if would help. thanks for tje clarification with tje fasting...appreciate it.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    I've been the same weight +- 5 lbs since last October...I was down to 141 in December, then up to 147 in March, currently hovering around 145...however, with all the scale ups I lost inches, and with my most recent scale drop I've actually added inches, but my belly is flatter in photos even with the added inches. If the scale isn't moving then pick some other metrics to track, because the scale doesn't always tell you exactly what is happening to your body...take measurements, take photos, keep an eye on the whole picture, not just the scale. Jeans that were snug on me at 141 now need a belt at 145, the scale is not the final word in health.
  • treehugnmama
    treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
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    that is fantastic beliver!! I take photos and use clothes as measurement too. no change tje last little bit. I'm determined to push through it though. scale is only one measurement for me and not even tje most inportant. when clothing stopped getting too big and scale stopped that's when I started to get nervous. it's been almost a year. I need to eat low carb for my health so will continue regardless just thought I'd try to incorporate if with it thanks for sharing with me!!
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    check out the Fasting Talk #11 I think it was.
    Megan discusses the one meal everyday type of IF.
    It's not her favorite but she really is adamant about having days off it where you really eat a lot and ramp up metabolism then go back into it with low calorie IF again.

    I just started doing that really strict this week and have had some scale movement which never happens for me anymore.
    I have an eating window though. Not just one meal. And focus on protein and get anywhere from 700-1200 calories depending on hunger.
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
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    I'm trying to lose weight.
    My Macros are set at 1500, but if I fast, I take it down to 600.
    I usually manage to stay around or under this. I fast 2 days a week.
    The non-fast days I rarely hit 1500.

    I only started taking serious note and keeping records yesterday.
    However, based on my chosen lifestyle regime of the past 4 - 6 weeks, I'm pretty sure yesterday's record is a fair profile of my eating habits so far.

    I found this information yesterday evening, and thought I'd share.
    "Macronutrients are what make up the caloric content of a food," says McMahon. Sometimes referred to as "macros," the three categories of macronutrients are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. The caloric combination of the macros is where that mysterious total number of calories comes from. Here's the breakdown:


    1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
    1 gram of fat = 9 calories
    1 gram of protein = 4 calories

    From here.

    In my case, I'm not interested in counting calories as much as I am in eating the right proportion of Macros.

    I have to say, the advice that follows in the article, is, in my opinion, decidedly flawed, and I gave the link to verify the proportions above, not because the advice is commendable. At least, it's not, for me.....

  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
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    So here goes. pcos and IR prediabetic in may. put on metformin and low carb. lost 65 pounds no longer prediabetic. fast forward between January 1 to now weight fluctuates between 227 to 233. today 235...highest I've been. I'm 5 7 inches exercise and eat 1450 calories don't eat exercise calories back. yesterday I did a 21 hour fast but ended up eating Chinese food for dinner (I know not good) today's fast will be a better break fast meal it was my first time. Can I fast 21 hours everyday and only eat dinner? does it matter how many calories I eat at dinner?

    I don't know where to go from here. I'm feeling like weigjt stopped moving sizes were going down quickly but now either stopped or so slow I don't notice. i dont mind it taking a long time but feeling like im headed in tje wrong dirrction I read dr. fungs work but unsure what to do as I take a bunch of herbal supplements and met 3 times a day.(it helps with the hormonal pcos piece) I really want to succeed and will do what I need to but don't know what that is. thanks for reading...I'm open to advice :wink:

    I was looking for an interview I heard recently but couldn't find it. It was about keto and PCOS. From what I remember, if you have PCOS, you have IR. Also, the bigger part was that those with PCOS will have success on keto, but it will almost always be slower than others.

    This causes many with PCOS to give up because they see others losing 10 lbs or more a month, but on a good month, they are only losing 3-4. However, there is really no WOE that is successful for PCOS that does not involve cutting carbs. Keto may not be the right fit, but LC is.

    As far as eating, I never think eating when you are not hungry is good. I periodically fast for a day (dinner one day to dinner the next), but still only eat a fairly normal dinner because it still satisfies me. It might be a little bigger, but not a full day's worth of food. I do make sure I get adequate protein in that meal, but carbs are not necessary, and even now that I am at a maintenance weight, I have tens of thousands of calories in fat on my body, so I won't starve.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,370 Member
    edited April 2017
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    1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
    1 gram of fat = 9 calories
    1 gram of protein = 4 calories

    From here.

    In my case, I'm not interested in counting calories as much as I am in eating the right proportion of Macros.

    I have to say, the advice that follows in the article, is, in my opinion, decidedly flawed, and I gave the link to verify the proportions above, not because the advice is commendable. At least, it's not, for me.....

    Not to add anything to the discussion, just a general observation - the article that you quoted is from Pop Sugar and they are pretty mainstream on diet info - i.e. stuff your face with carbs (grain/veggies/etc), don't eat red meat, always choose low-fat when available, saturated fat is 'de debil', etc. You won't find much support for our WOE there...

    The numbers for the calories per gram are correct in that article and about the only thing that I agree with.
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
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    Yes, I did go on to say that as far as I was concerned, I disregarded the advice that followed... I merely gave a link to support the fact I hadn't plucked the figures out of the air! In brief, I don't 'pop sugar'! :D
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Perhaps consider doing a fat fast. I hit 2-3 major stalls during the weight-loss phase of my journey over the course of 22.5 months and each time I used a fat fast to break through the stall. They worked for me. They might work for you too.
  • treehugnmama
    treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
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    thanks ladipoet. I will look up a fat fast.

    I fasted 21 hours yesterday and had a high calorie but low carb meal. The fast helped with the sugar cravings I've been experiencing tje last few weeks.