How well did fasting work for you?

[kippymcquick]

Did you notice any big changes quickly ? What is you're regime and are you watching carbs?

Would you mind sharing how much you lost over these 4 days of no food? And did you put it back on once you started eating again? I think you have way more willpower than me!

The monks fast (36 hours) works well. I did 2 in 5 days last month and lost half a kilo.
Will do the same next week. I had various things on and have postpones it but it works. Just plain healthy choices and portion control not enough to make me lose weight.
Like you @kippymcquick I found keto hard to keep up indefinitely. This year I've been low carbs, nature's carbs, beans and veg allowed. It's so much easiest, but weight loss slower.

I’ve lost 60lb since feb 2022. I swap between OMAD & eating between 12-6pm.

I like OMAD for rapid results, I don’t do it often though, but when I do, i always have plenty of salt on my food for electrolytes. I don’t skimp on food for my one meal either, I have a big plate and a pudding, If I don’t have lots of salt on my one meal I get headachey and feel a bit woozy the next day, the salt stops this, you can also have a pinch of salt in the day with water.

For reference for how quick I lose weight on OMAD, I lost 26lb in 7 weeks. If you go on Reddit (I don’t have an account, you can just browse) they have a forum for OMAD. Lots of posts on there.

On 12-6pm I lose about 1/2 a pound a week. Comes off slow, but still comes off.

I had 6 stone to lose last year, 3/4 of the way there now. Thank fuck!! It’s been a long arse slog. 🤣🤣

As with anything, some people won't have negative effects but for others they will.

As well as potentially affecting female hormones it also increases cortisol, that's ok for some people but not for others, elevated cortisol can be what causes the weight gain etc. to begin with so it's a risk.

I think it’s a very individual thing and if it works long term for you then great. If you’re very active then it’s not good. Exercising fasted increases cortisol in women. Men can get away with it.

It may depend on whether you’re peri menopause or not but most of the research on fasting is done on men so it’s not for me.

But then I do exercise loads so fuelling that is important.

I agree with this.

I would be interested to hear how you get on. I did it after I read an article by a journalist on the LES I think. He described it exactly how I experienced it. Day two was the worst for me, particularly the evening, but day three was awesome. No hunger at all. The euphoria was very real, but day four was a bit of a long bore.

It was five days. From 7pm on the Sunday (last meal) until about 6pm on the Friday.

I didn’t do it to lose weight. It was to clear out and reset what I felt was a sluggish system. I didn’t cheat - absolutely 100% did not eat a thing for 5 days. It’s a bizarre almost super power feeling.

What time of day do you have your OMAD?

4pm-5pm. I just have an hours window to eat all the food I have planned.

I'm loving all the responses here. I would love to lose 14lb in 5 weeks.... I wonder if it's do-able?!?! I'm gonna try 😃

Fasting is great. I have done 18:6 for around a year but recently found Dr Mindy Pelz's advice on fasting for women. She outlines how to eat throughout the menstrual cycle to keep hormones in balance. Fasting during the 2 weeks before your period is discouraged as your body needs carbs to build progesterone. She advised going for 24 hr or longer fasts during 10 day period at the start of your cycle. Lots of info on her insta.

I now don't feel like I'm fighting against my body and did my first 26 hour fast last month. Felt incredible. Lots of the research I've seen talks about fasting as a reset for your body rather than a weight loss tool. So I do it as much for that, although I still have quite a bit to lose!

Fasting does work. But you have to be in the right frame of mind. If you feel premenstrual/tired/ill it won't work. I did it successfully for around 8 months, then fell off the bandwagon, i just couldn't face it anymore. Now I log all my calories into my fittness pal app. It works and I'm happy, because I get 3 meals a day!

Thanks that is useful to know. I find it easy to delay rating but once I start eating I find it hard to stop so fancy trying OMAD.

I've tried but I really can't manage black coffee!

@Chatillon I will update you on this thread. I am doing some reading around the subject and 48 hours before I start I will just eat veg to ease into fasting.

I have lost 18lbs since 12th April doing OMAD for periods (I can only manage it in the first week or two post period) and also doing low carb. I find that by 3pm
I cba with anything, but can't eat my main meal at this time as I have dinner with my family. If I could have any main meal at 2.30/3pm I think I'd have more success with it.

How funny, I didn't know this before I read through the thread but it's something I've realised as I've been going along.

@Chatillon 62 hours in to my water fast. Feel fine, haven’t really decided how long to go, just taking it day by day. I have slept a lot and read my kindle a lot. I need to do some jobs around the house and garden now so it will be interesting to see if I have the energy.

A question please, did you have black coffee or tea? I am tempted to try black coffee but not sure. TIA.

@Phlegmatic Just by chance I logged in today (family stuff ongoing last few days).

I am impressed where you are at. This is the point where you should feel euphoric. Are you? Interested to hear.

I did not have anything other than water. Black coffee - yep I thought about that at this time (ie the Wed night) as a kind of reward and it is not going to damage your fast if you do. Coffee if anything can clean the gut. However, I didn't rise to the temptation on the Wednesday evening and went to bed early to push through.

Just to warn you, tomorrow will be a long slug. But it will go by. Keep in touch.

You have tempted me now though. I am going to prep to do this again later this month. It is not about weight loss. It is about resetting. When you do that, weight loss and other things may follow as your mind will see things differently. Hold that information.

Remember never overdo the water though. Too much is harmful.

Thanks @Chatillon , not worried about over doing the water, I am one of those rare people who drink zero water so I am drinking 1.5 litres now. Don’t go crazy water drinking people, I am in my 50s and have always drank zero water, juices etc. One of the main reasons I am doing this reset is I drink a lot of wine every night. Day 4 no wine and no cravings. I am delighted.

I will avoid the black coffee for now, am about to go to bed with kindle. No euphoria, but feel fine, low energy I guess. 48 hours was so easy I felt better than usual, loved that part. Definitely will do a regular 48 hour fast. Not decided about the longer fasts. See how I feel tomorrow. I plan to stop the fast with simple steamed veg and switch to Fast 800 after a day of this. Cheers.

I've been doing 18/6 on and off for 4 years now and have managed to lose 7 stone.

Update on my extended fast for anyone interested and @Chatillon . I broke my fast at 11 am this morning, so managed 84 hours with just water. Didn’t make it to 5 days but I am fine with that, first time doing more than 24 hours. I am driving for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon and wanted to be sure my tummy was ok and I was strong enough.

First 48 hours were enjoyable, some relief in breaking the digesting cycle. Felt great. Day 3 was harder but very doable. Day 4 I felt a bit weak, energy levels not great, started to plan on finishing the fast Friday morning. I didn’t really experience the highs people describe, maybe I didn’t do it for long enough or it could just be my personality. My overwhelming feeling was of calm and I loved loved that.

Ate a bowl of steamed broccoli mid morning and just about to have 100gr pilchards.

What I am hoping to have achieved with this is mainly a reset. Day 6 no alcohol (was a daily wine with dinner drinker), no bread. I usually eat very healthily in that I cook from scratch and eat a lot of veg. But I also eat a lot of bread with salted butter, crisps and far too much wine. None of that is in the house now so the plan is to just eat the good stuff and clean up my act.

I will do this again (maybe in a month) but I suspect the 2-3 day fast is my sweet spot.

Forgot to say, I think I’ve given up coffee too as I have broken that habit and didn’t fancy it today. Apologies, this was long.