Fasting

2

Replies

  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    When the scale stales how can you tell if it’s just a plateau, or doing something wrong? A week or two with a good routine?
    In the past I got impatient then disappointed; that leaded to fake hunger and to the all too common emotional eating . Then guilty and disappointed and the circle goes on.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    GabiV125 wrote: »
    When the scale stales how can you tell if it’s just a plateau, or doing something wrong? A week or two with a good routine?
    In the past I got impatient then disappointed; that leaded to fake hunger and to the all too common emotional eating . Then guilty and disappointed and the circle goes on.

    Ugh, stalls like this are the worst. Generally, wait 4-6 weeks before you call it a plateau.

    A recent personal experience: I was losing about .75 lbs a week steadily, then I gained two lbs around the start of my period and also started running again, it was super frustrating to see those extra 2 lbs for 2 whole weeks even though I was sticking to my goals and behaving myself. Sometimes you just have to wait it out. It payed off, I saw a nice almost 3 lb drop over the past couple days :). If your plan was working well, lets say you were consistently dropping 1 lb a week, it is unlikely this will suddenly stop (if you are still following your plan). It is more likely you would see a slow decrease in the speed of weight loss heading into the plateau. Sudden stops are typically due to water retention, which can occur for many reasons. Women generally see it regularly with their cycle, changing you macro splits may cause it, or changes in your exercise routine, or the grumpy scale spirits just have it out for you this week >:) .

    Its really important to not let single weigh ins get to you, if you plan was working keep the faith and keep at it, things will fall back into place.
  • mullanphylane
    mullanphylane Posts: 172 Member
    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    ivch8vqvwhvv.jpg

    Quoting in case anyone missed it.😲

    And because I love the truth, accuracy, and precision of it!

    NOT NOT NOT knocking any tool anyone uses to obtain their weight loss goals (unless the method is unhealthy or dangerous). I happen to be using more than one of those tools. I think it is important that people remember there is not magic wand in the tool bag. No matter which tool(s) are chosen one must do the work with it to receive any benefits.
  • cosafe1
    cosafe1 Posts: 27 Member
    I have done keto for about two years but gave that up because I began "cheating" and didn't feel I was losing much weight. Then I began IF for about a year and began to feel better but being a senior who doesn't get much exercise I began learning more about fasting longer than the 16:8 I had felt comfortable with.

    I believe I need to fast longer than 16:8 and want to move to either 5:2 or doing 17:7 to get more fasting time.

    Seniors benefit more from fasting a bit longer - according to someone I'm following on youtube. I know I need to get more exercise but it's a sticking point for me: I never have exercised much except for walking which does not challenge me very much because I have gotten so used to walking in the past. The track near me that I began walking on is closed due to renovations so I'm looking for more places to walk.

    My exercise choices at home that I have set up are: bicycle (I bought a bike), rebounder, 5 lb. weights and a Gazelle slider. I like the Gazelle but don't spend more than 10 minutes at a time on it and I have to move my butt and get outdoors walking, riding my bike, whatever I can do to get this old bod in shape! HA HA.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    Cosafe, you sound very active to me and kudos to you for wanting to do more! True that walking may seem not challenging, but it can be with some uphill portions, or varied speeds, weights and such.
    I always walked a lot and as I age I don’t look at it as exercise but as my way to unwind and to spend time outside. I also catch up with some phone calls or take a distraction with me ( my dog, my husband or a neighbor - in that order).
    At the very least is keeping me away from the fridge 😁
    Just started to do IF and although I don’t see results on the scale, I feel great and even slept better half this week. I’m happy to hear about other people experiences with it, and your is very encouraging.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    cosafe1 wrote: »
    I have done keto for about two years but gave that up because I began "cheating" and didn't feel I was losing much weight. Then I began IF for about a year and began to feel better but being a senior who doesn't get much exercise I began learning more about fasting longer than the 16:8 I had felt comfortable with.

    I believe I need to fast longer than 16:8 and want to move to either 5:2 or doing 17:7 to get more fasting time.

    Seniors benefit more from fasting a bit longer - according to someone I'm following on youtube. I know I need to get more exercise but it's a sticking point for me: I never have exercised much except for walking which does not challenge me very much because I have gotten so used to walking in the past. The track near me that I began walking on is closed due to renovations so I'm looking for more places to walk.

    My exercise choices at home that I have set up are: bicycle (I bought a bike), rebounder, 5 lb. weights and a Gazelle slider. I like the Gazelle but don't spend more than 10 minutes at a time on it and I have to move my butt and get outdoors walking, riding my bike, whatever I can do to get this old bod in shape! HA HA.

    I did 16:8 for about 6 months and switched to 17:7, which I've now been doing for ~ 8 months. I find 17:7 considerably easier to maintain. 18:6 works best of all for me but doesn't naturally fit with my daily schedule. You just have to find your sweet spot. I highly doubt this has anything to do with being a senior or that it impacts health at all. It's just a matter of finding what you can live with, so that you stay on plan.

    My observation after a year of doing IF is that you do get very accustomed to not being hungry outside the eating window (which is of course IF's great contribution to dieting!), but conversely, managing your cravings and interest in food during feeding time is pretty delicate. For me, a gap of 7 hours between my two major meals is as much as I can handle without the in-between snack turning into a meal of its own. Thus, hitting my calorie target for the day is made a lot easier by tightening up the window. You just have to fine-tune and tweak until it all clicks.
  • snake_man_32
    snake_man_32 Posts: 31 Member
    Has anyone tried 16:8 fasting vs 24-hours one day a week?
  • preshalin
    preshalin Posts: 52 Member
    snake_man_32 wrote: »
    Has anyone tried 16:8 fasting vs 24-hours one day a week?

    Hi,

    I'm currently doing this right now. I do 16:8 everyday and then 24 hours from Sunday to Monday. I find it works really well for me. It was tough to do the first 2 times then I was fine. The trick is making sure you keep busy, well for me that was it becuase I eat when I get bored. Lol. The reason I do the 24 hour fast is becuase I read up on it and it seems there are a lot of benefits to doing it.
  • neversaynever_43
    neversaynever_43 Posts: 59 Member
    Are you a person who generally likes big meals? I am. My sister in law eats like a bird throughout the day. I’ve done it and lost and it didn’t stick. Made me misrerable. And once I start eating I have to keep eating. If I don’t eat in the AM I can go for 19-22 hours fasted. Eat a little snack and then a nice big meal and shut it down. I don’t count calories anymore. Weight comes off slow but in the right direction. Takes a few weeks to get used to.

    Either this works for you or it doesn’t. I would never recommend my SIL do it. She would be miserable.

    Good luck. And try to enjoy the fasted state. If you get into it, eventually you will.
  • Leah_62803
    Leah_62803 Posts: 292 Member
    I’ve been doing mostly OMAD since June 12 and I’ve lost 18 lbs.
    I’m only doing it for weight loss so the benefit for me is that it restricts my calories while still allowing me to have a big, filling meal. It’s been working pretty good for me.
  • cosafe1
    cosafe1 Posts: 27 Member
    I'm trying to start on 5:2 since after doing 16:8 fasting I feel I can more to a little more challenging fasting routine. I tried a 32 hour fast with under 500 calories during that fast and also a 24 hour fast: these during the past three weeks. Fasting really helps and I've been watching Thomas DeLauer on YouTube talk about fasting and how to break a longer fast properly.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    lgfrie wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    cosafe1 wrote: »
    I'm trying to start on 5:2 since after doing 16:8 fasting I feel I can more to a little more challenging fasting routine. I tried a 32 hour fast with under 500 calories during that fast and also a 24 hour fast: these during the past three weeks. Fasting really helps and I've been watching Thomas DeLauer on YouTube talk about fasting and how to break a longer fast properly.

    While Thomas Delauer has some good content, there is a bunch of click bait. There is no specific way to break a fast outside of consuming calories.

    I honestly didn't even know that was a thing. When my fast ends at noon each day, I just ... eat. When my eating window ends at 7 pm I just ... stop eating LOL

    Well they got to come up with something for content. My personal favorites are his discussion on protein. He always advises against whey/casein since some people have digestive issues and instead promotes pea protein. Do you know what he sells? That's right pea protein, lol.

    I did check out his videos on Youtube based on this thread. Actually he seems like an interesting, knowledgeable and sincere person! I quite enjoyed the 3-4 videos I watched. But I remain of the belief that needing guidance on how to break a fast is silly. Like all intermittent fasting videos, books, podcasts, and the like, his videos on IF suffer from the basic problem that IF is something that needs no instruction. All you have to do is not eat LOL
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    cosafe1 wrote: »
    I'm trying to start on 5:2 since after doing 16:8 fasting I feel I can more to a little more challenging fasting routine. I tried a 32 hour fast with under 500 calories during that fast and also a 24 hour fast: these during the past three weeks. Fasting really helps and I've been watching Thomas DeLauer on YouTube talk about fasting and how to break a longer fast properly.

    While Thomas Delauer has some good content, there is a bunch of click bait. There is no specific way to break a fast outside of consuming calories.

    I have never heard of Thomas Delauer so I'm not defending him or his videos. However, are you saying there's no such thing as refeeding syndrome? That there's no danger to consuming certain foods or certain amounts of foods after a fast? I was under the impression it was pretty much a medical fact that there can be complication ranging from the very minor and up to death when restarting eating after a fast.

    Or are you only talking about refeeding after a short fast of 12-36 hours?
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    akkelley81 wrote: »
    Hello everyone! I wanted to start this thread to discuss with anyone else that's doing a fasting plan. My Doctor recommended the book The Obesity Code to me, and it just makes so much sense to me why I've can't seem to find a way to lose weight and stick to it. How is it working for anyone else? What are you struggling with? Right now I can't imagine taking the creamer out of my coffee in the morning, but I'm working on the rest :)

    Dunno what method The Obesity Code suggests but I have used IF for the last year to lose 7 stone (94 pounds) so around 2 pounds a week.

    I started with 5:2 but found that too tough after the first 3 or 4 months so now do 4:3 where I fast (600 cals) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Other days my current limit is 1800 cals although once a month or so I have a treat day where I allow more calories on one of those days.

    I am currently also walking about 30 miles a week but that has been a gradual process since March when the lockdown started.

    Works for me as I find restricting every day provokes a binge response and being able to eat a big dinner on 4 days out of 7 helps me control the urge. Not that I go hungry on the fasting days, eating lots of veg and I generally have a bowl of porridge.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    I’d go on limb and say that most people here who want to lose weight are not in the situation of fasting for more than 36 hours straight and/or frequently . The ones that do, I hope use the doctors re-feeding directions.
    My personal issue is staying within the calorie allotment and not feel like in order to do that I have to lock myself away from life.
    The 16/8 fits my eating times and helped many people to lose weight, and once I find out what I do wrong, it will work for me too. For now it makes me feel good and sleep better. Not bad results after 2 weeks
  • Walkywalkerson
    Walkywalkerson Posts: 456 Member
    I've been doing 16/8 for 4 weeks and have lst 9lbs so far.
    I'm happy to have a clear cut off point to stop eating - otherwise I'm making my carpet threadbare walking back and forward to the fridge all evening 🙄
    I'm also calorie counting and either walking or cycling every day.
    I feel positive about it and find it easier to cut calories this way.
    I'm having a lot of early nights lol
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    whoami67 wrote: »
    I've enjoyed Jason Fung's books. They make a lot of sense and are well researched/sourced. If I had type 2 diabetes, I'd definitely be using his methods to control or cure it.

    That said, I've been fasting on and off for the past few months for weight loss. I've also been fasting for religious purposes for years. I find I like it and it is effective. I am less hungry at any given time during a fast than I am on a regular day of eating. I tend to like to eat until I'm satisfied and on most days that takes me to about 2000-2500 calories. My maintenance if I exercise for an hour or so a day is around 1700 (1300ish if I am not well enough to exercise) so that leaves me hungry and unsatisfied all the time, like I'm constantly holding my breath. It isn't sustainable. And part of the reason it isn't sustainable is that my maintenance calories are so low in part because I've destroyed my metabolism by spending half of my life losing weight on well balanced healthy calorie counting diets and the other half regaining that weight and more. With each successive attempt, my metabolism gets a little lower. I guess I'm an all or nothing person. I feel so much happier and satiated being able to eat what I consider a normal amount of food on my non-fast days, and I'm not hungry on my fast days. Easy peasy.

    I have no way of knowing if this is sustainable or will work long-term. I haven't tried it that long, but for now, I like it. And I seem happiest with a 2-3 day fast each week. Or sometimes a MWF fast. And after my very first fast day, I haven't had any urge to overeat on my non-fast days.

    And of course, someone (or several someones) have to post those silly charts and comments about calories in/calories out. I liked the analogies in The Obesity Code. Why did the plane crash? There was not enough lift to overcome gravity. Why is the room so hot? Heat energy coming in is greater than heat energy leaving. True statements, but totally useless in correcting the problem just like the calories in/calories out thing. Yes, every sentient human on planet earth knows they're fat from too many calories. The problem that almost nobody can solve is how to stop having too many calories in a way that is mentally, socially, physically and emotionally sustainable for the rest of one's life. For some, it's intermittent fasting. For some, it's being hungry all the time. For some, it's longer fasts. For some, it's vegan. For some, it's low carb. For some, it's high carb. For some, it's drinking a lot of black coffee and smoking cigarettes.

    I dont' think you will find a person who would argue with you with the bold statement. The reason I do keto when I want to cut weight is for the hunger suppression capabilities. I often end up just eating 2x a day (sometimes with a snack in there too if I am short on protein).

    The only caution I would ever make is limiting extend fast if you want to maintain your muscle mass (which maintains your metabolism and gets you lean). There are multiple studies that show a slight advantage to more frequent meals when it comes to muscle protein synthesis.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    I think the chart is quite helpful when people are getting on to you must do keto, fasting, clean eating, whatever
    to lose weight.

    No you don't and it is helpful to know that.

    The accomplishments come only when we DECIDE to change something, anything, verified (or not) by others, charts, books, grandmas , etc, and not when we are told we must make the change .
    But the 10AM decision may seem different at 10PM and I , for one , I’m grateful for the chats. Somebody else struggles too, and somebody is succeeding.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    GabiV125 wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    I think the chart is quite helpful when people are getting on to you must do keto, fasting, clean eating, whatever
    to lose weight.

    No you don't and it is helpful to know that.

    The accomplishments come only when we DECIDE to change something, anything, verified (or not) by others, charts, books, grandmas , etc, and not when we are told we must make the change .
    But the 10AM decision may seem different at 10PM and I , for one , I’m grateful for the chats. Somebody else struggles too, and somebody is succeeding.

    I have no idea what point you are making or how all that relates to my post that you quoted or to the chart in question which just sets out a simple fact - ie any diet works by creating a calorie deficit.

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