I just hope the pain doesn't force me to stop, hopefully it will last a few days and get easier

Thanks Misty, will do!

Question for everyone.... At what point did you notice improvement in digestion? I'm a week in now and I'm going to the toilet just as much each day. I'm also taking digestive enzymes and Bromaline. My main goal of Omad was to heal my gut and digestion which would hopefully stop me going to the toilet so much!

Peace and Love

Aarron

Welcome Matt!

Welcome Brittany! great having you here.

Hi I'm Kathleen
I'm currently 372 (down from 537)
I have lost 165 pounds with a lot more to go. I have been on a plateau for months and months.
I am a certified life coach and am leading a weight loss group with another facilitator, and the pressure to keep losing is pressing in. Pressure is from myself, my co-workers have been very gracious.
I'm new to fasting, so I'm still a bit wobbly about this, there is a lot of diverse information, so I'm not real clear how I should go about this.
I am currently doing OMAD.
Thanks for your support.

Hi everyone.

First I want to thank Joe for his insights and generosity on YouTube. All the questions that have kept me from being "all in" with IF for the past 5 months or so are answered in his videos.

I have about 15 pounds I'd like to lose. It may not seem like much, but I am petite and 15 pounds is a lot for me. I look forward to getting back 80% of my wardrobe, which has been on "standby" for a couple of years.

I had a huge health improvement in 2006 when I pretty much ditched sugar and grains and went on Paleo. I know that is not for everyone; I'm just saying it made a huge health difference for me and I am "cured" of more than one serious health condition.

But Paleo is not always a weight loss tool. Nor is exercise, of which I get plenty. I've been fighting off and on with an unwanted 15 pounds for quite some time now. It goes down, it comes up, and every extreme program seems to make the next one harder. (More about that below.)

The story of my recent weight gain... A few years ago, our family moved to a new neighborhood, where we learned that one of the neighbors is very aggressive and crazy. After this person's (off leash) pit bull attacked my (leashed) dog while we were walking, I began a series of very unwanted legal interactions with this neighbor. We live toward the end of a dead-end street and I'd have to pass the crazy neighbor to walk or drive anywhere. To make a very long story short, I started to feel like a prisoner in my own home. Even driving out became very frightening. I've calmed down quite a lot as time has passed but I don't think I will ever feel safe going on foot past that house. My dog recovered, but will not go past anywhere near that stretch of road without being literally dragged. I really like to walk and jog, and now I must get in my car and travel a ways to do so. But more than that I think the experience changed my view of the world and humanity. I comforted myself with food. It's a reason, not an excuse, but there it is.

Last spring I ran across some info about IF. Ever since then I've been experimenting with various IF plans. I haven't eaten breakfast before 10 AM for years, so I was already part way there. But I have not been consistent with IF in terms of schedule, window duration, etc. And since I first tried it in May, I have experienced some weeks of weight loss but my overall weight has gone UP.

So I am starting fresh as of yesterday with OMAD. Here is what I'm not doing anymore:

• changing my eating window length and start time to fit in with my daily schedule.
• wondering whether I am harming myself because "women can't fast".
• worrying about having a beverage with stevia because the insulin response to sweetness on the tongue "might make the fast fail" (as if failing the fast by eating early is any better).
• wondering whether I have enough willpower for the years to come instead of seeing that I only need the really hard willpower to get through a break in period
• telling myself I can never eat [X] anymore (a splurge day once I'm past two weeks? really? omg thank you)
• feeling like there will always be a step further I need to take...
  

This last point is the biggest hurdle for me. Every previous effort to take control has been like an invitation to get on a treadmill, where once you can go at one speed, then you will need to go faster and faster --just to maintain your results. First it is "don't snack", then eat keto, then "fast 5", then I read that longer fasts are necessary.. longer, longer, longer... And before I know it I'm in landslide of failure. I guess I've been held back from commitment by too much advice and information.

My preferred window is 4-7 PM. I like that for social reasons. I'm not doing "one plate, one and done" (yet?) because for now I want to make sure I get enough calories in (I have an very physical job/life). It may be something I transition to next week.

Yesterday (10/3/17) was my "new start" day for OMAD - I had a small, healthy snack at 4 and dinner with family at six. Surprisingly satisfied by 6:30. I'm down a pound this morning; most likely that's water weight but I'll take it! lol

Why OMAD for me? I am convinced that

• this is an eating method our bodies recognize and like
• "portion control" with 3 or more smaller meals is really hard and I suck at it
• physical fitness is extremely important for a long, happy life but is a terrible way to lose or keep off weight, especially as we age (I am in my 50s)
• I'm going to save time and money!

It's not like I had never heard of OMAD before. I just hadn't seen it presented with such practical reality (Joe's experience) and with the philosophical aspects (Joe's insights). Thank you for all you do, Joe!