To do a water fast for a fortnight

[Nicknamechoosingishard]

I know, it’s drastic and everyone talks about all the weight going back on but I’m desperate and I think I have a plan which I want to put to the vipers.....

I have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight several times over the years. I have a medical history which means exercise is difficult but not impossible. A mental health history which most recently seen me in the pits of depression and void of any motivation even to shower or wash a cup.

I’ve tried keto, slimming world and just portion control in the last year but I always fall off the wagon. It’s mainly due to mental health. Food is my crutch but it’ll kill me if I don’t figure it out. I’m on a waiting list for therapy and should see one within six weeks according to my doctor who also thinks my overeating is an emotional problem. At this stage I don’t know what’s true but I need help so I’m going to go.

I could go on for hours but there’s no point. I just wanted to give a bit of a picture behind my current plan.

I’m thinking all the fad diets where people put weight back on are because they fall off the wagon without a maintenance plan. What if I did a water fast and went straight to slimming world then? I’ve lost weight with slimming world so I know it works.

Getting weight off quickly is very important to me right now both because I have to go back to work soon and for my mental and physical health.

AIBU to water fast and go straight to SW?

Flame away but if you must could you please explain why you did? If I shouldn’t do it I’d like to know the rationale. It helps me to make logical decisions when I’m usually impulsive and make hasty decisions.

Thanks.

I am quite desperate but more because I don’t trust myself to stick to any plan. I never do. I can walk but I’m too ashamed to be in public on a regular day nevermind huffing and puffing with a face like beetroot.

I have a threadmill at home for that reason but I never use it. My back aches just standing at the ironing board for a few minutes but I thought the back pain was because I had weak muscles and if I could just walk through the pain I’d strengthen the muscles and be able too walk better and over time it would get easier. It didn’t. I cried every time. I’m not sure if it was from the pain or self-loathing.

All the dieting was to try to get down in weight so I could walk without feeling like I had a hot poker jabbed in my spine. I thought if I get weight off from dieting I’d walk easier but I always fail.

I’d be so good at giving advice to a friend in this situation but I can’t take my own advice. The stupidity of it is making my hate myself more every day.

I’d seen the water diet on you tube and latched into it as a quick fix to get things started but I know you’re all right. It’s not healthy. I wouldn’t be sick without the calories because I’m fat enough to survive a long time in ketosis! It’s still a bad idea. I won’t do it.

The doctor suggested Pilates. She said I can do it from you tube so I don’t have to join a public class. It might help my back.

You know actually writing all this has made me realise I’m a mess mentally. I’m so ashamed.

I need to go back to work because I’m not getting sick pay and the more broke we get because of me the more I eat to block it out and bury it. I shouldn’t have started the thread.

Iabvu. I know I am.

Look up Jason Fung's books for info about fasting, there is science that backs it up. There are loads of types of fasting but even the complete fast you describe needs stuff like bone broth to keep your electrolytes up.

Another place for info is the diabetes.co.uk forums, I know you're not diabetic but lots of experts there.

I think a water fast sounds like madness, far better to do the 8 week blood sugar diet. Google The Newcastle Diet, even there they had people eat veg to maintain bowel health.

Apparently humans can survive without food for much longer than that, which surprises me (although there must also have been people who died or became seriously ill after 2 weeks). Personally I think it's very unwise, as presumably it puts your heart, kidneys, liver etc under a great deal of strain. If you do go ahead, you absolutely can't drive while you are doing it (for obvious reasons). If you have young kids, you can't be left alone with them.

I know exactly where you're coming from OP but i would advise against it. Two reasons and they're interlinked.

1. Fasting is fine but it has to be done right. Slowly in slowly out.

1. If you don't do it right (and it sounds like you wont) you're bound to fail and then you've got yet another failure in your head. You don't want that.

I too could go on forever here - but to keep it short my advise would be to do a low calorie fluid only diet. Feels like fasting - you get that light never full feeling. But not starving. The weight will come off. I'm doing it right now actually. Use meal replacement drinks and fruit smoothies. Don't let yourself get hungry and don't give it all up if you 'fall off the wagon' and have a nice take away each weekend :)

I also think the key to this is your mental health. As someone who has suffered with disordered eating (full blown eating disorders in teens/ early 20s) you need a plan which both looks at your food behaviour and ways of managing your emotions to stop you using food to self medicate.

Please don't beat yourself up OP. Your weight has absolutely nothing to do with your worth as a person.

Don't even think of it, unless you want to become v ill.

I've been watching "My 600lb Life" and I'm in awe of the people who put themselves through the intrusion of the camera to get help from a specialist doctor in Texas.

He, (Dr Nowzaradan) advocates 1200 calories per day, high protein, low carbs, no snacking at all. This is to get weighloss surgery.

I don't know what a water fast is but I think it would be very difficult and I'd worry about headaches. Do you think dropping your calories down in a healthy way would possibly work for you? If so, there's also Michael Moseley's '800 calories, blood sugar diet'.

Ignore posters telling you that you're ridiculous, they have nothing supportive to add, just bile.

I xposted with you OP.

''I shouldn’t have started the thread.''

You absolutely should have. Don't go away :)

You'll last a day at most and then be starving hungry and eat a load of shit!

I don't mean to be harsh but you know im right, sadly.

I am obese and desperate to find something that works because i know its affecting my health.

I did my fitness pal once - it worked. Im contemplating doing it again. I think the key is not to be hungry. If someone has any tips im all ears

It's really not a good idea and you will feel horrible, dizzy, tired, unable to concentrate. In short, you will be ill. I'm certainly not going to flame you for thinking about it because I can see how difficult it is for you, but it is not a good thing to do to your body. As someone who had an eating disorder in my teens and in my twenties got so depressed that I didn't eat for nine days, it really does harm you.

I agree with @Myworstnightmare123, the 5:2 or 4:3 can work really well. I have friends who've done it and still do to a lesser extent and it's worked wonders for them, not just in weight loss, but also just in the way they feel about themselves.

Fasting isn’t necessarily dangerous BUT you don’t just dive in with a two week fast, start with something like 16:8 or fast five and look at it as long term.

Time for you to go to bed, underneath, of you're so tired

No it's a very bad idea! You can't survive on water alone for 2 weeks. At some point you will either faint or go on a mega binge and end up hating yourself even more!

Have a look at Team RH fitness or maybe Rebelfit. Jumping from one fad diet to another and never sticking to anything is a really common issue sadly and you need to break the cycle.

Tips:

• Don't let yourself get too hungry. (Or stressed if poss) Keep something you allow yourself to eat with you all the time to facilitate this.

• Stay hydrated. Don't confuse thirst with hunger.

• Don't get hung up on actual weight. Use your clothes as a guide to how you're doing.

• Clean your teeth or have a glass of water if you get the nibbles. It seems to help.

• Keep a very basic food diary. You can see your efforts in all their glory after a day or two. And then a week. Then two ... ect.

It’s a no from me- dangerous and silly. If you want to loose weight then good luck to you but please do it in a safe and responsible manner.

You can survive without food for 3 days but nit water. Dry fasting-no food or water is now a 'thing'. I would not try these.
light meals 5 or 6 times as day and 8 glasses of water, exercise fruit etc no eating after 6pm just take it wasy and dont do anything extreme without medical advice.

I think maybe 12 hr fast with water to detox could be beneficial a few times a week but 2 wks......youn will damage ur organs

Thank you all very much. I needed more than my panicked mind to see reason.

How long or at what intensity level would walking actually start to burn calories? If I could start the Pilates to help my back maybe I can push through with the walking?

I love the beach but the walk is slow and more a ‘thinking exercise’ than a cardio workout so beach walks aren’t going to do much for me.

I can’t count calories for the life of me and the thought alone makes me want to eat. Maybe a few weeks of SW sp would kick start things for me.

I’ll let this thread die as the AIBU has been answered. Thank you all for putting me straight.

Definitely have a look at the 5:2, there is a whole thread dedicated to it in the weightloss section. You could do 4:3 if you feel like you can. There's also the Fast800 you could look at. Don't think there is a lot on here about that yet, but you could definitely buy the book. I don't think you (or anyone) could do 2 long weeks on just water, it's very dangerous and as PP have said, you'll probably end up ravenous and just cave in and eat a load of crap!!

GingerKitty has touched on what I would be worried about. Your Potassium levels could drop real low and you could get heart fribrillations etc.

I get totally how you feel. I am feeling similar. I am watching with interest but am beginning to formulate a plan. I am greedy.

Fasting isn't recommended for anyone with depression or anxiety. It mimics some of the symptoms, messes with hormones and is likely to make you feel terrible. Don't do it. I second the 8 week blood sugar diet. Can you commit to 8 weeks? You'll lose around 10% of your body weight in that time but do it safely and with good nutritious food.

Another tip: Think long term - AND short term.

Accept that this is going to take a while. Accept that you're looking at spending this summer shifting the weight. Maybe Autumn as well. Just accept it and lets get it on.

But at the same time work one meal time at a time. Be happy you've done a morning as you planned. Be happy then if you do the afternoon too. Be ecstatic if you do the whole day and pat yourself on the back! :)

I think you need to take a step back and not focus on quick fixes... And I sooo know why it's more appealing but it just gets you into a cycle of doing something for now which isn't any good in the long term.

Could you do one thing tomorrow that you could stick to forevermore? Give up chocolate? Switch your breakfast to something healthier/more filling? Stop eating snacks in the evening? Switch to only drinking water? No idea what would make a difference for you but I think you need to start with the stuff that can become routine.

I gave up sugar, caffeine and alcohol nearly 2 years ago and I now cheat but still consume much, much less than I used to. And what keeps me on the straight and narrow is my mental health - I changed my diet to help with stress/anxiety and it has helped so if I fall off the wagon within a few days I can recognise that I'm starting to get into a bit of a stress-tailspin and that gets me back on the wagon!

I've recently started calorie counting as well but just changing my diet (without restricting how much I could eat) still meant I lost about 2 stone.