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'm glad you've decided not to do this OP

Any water fast of more than 3 days MUST have medical supervision,
or you could make yourself seriously ill.

Please wait the 6 weeks until your therapy
Let the professionals help with your problems until you have the tools to take over yourself.

Apart from how incredibly bad from you this would be, how on earth do you think you could? You cant manage to eat a normal amount of food on a day to day basis, so how could you avoid eating when you are starving yourself? You'd need the will power of a donkey, and you clearly don't have any around food.

It's a bit like saying to save money I'm not going to put oil and petrol in my car. Not only will you not get very far without coming to a shuddering halt but you will also bugger up your engine for ever more.

Still, your body, your choice.

To do a fucking what?

I think most people who do longer fasts have been fasting for shorter periods over an extended time. Have you even done a 24hr fast?

2 weeks sound nonsensical and a guaranteed road to failure is unrealistic goals. Can I ask how much you have to lose?

How much is your back pain due to your weight and how much due to medical conditions OP? IYKWIM?

If exercise hurts mostly because of your weight then perhaps aim to loose a bit of weight before you begin upping your activity levels? If it's back strengthening you need to do then do that gently first too as you begin your new diet.

If you want to lose weight fast then definitely look into the blood sugar diet by Mosley as others have said - there is no need to do a water fast unless it is for certain illnesses and even then you would need medical supervision. People have died from unsupervised prolonged water fasting - apparently because drinking too much water can flush out too much salt from the body causing cardiac arrest although it is rare.

I've tried fasting, but not that harshly. I suffered from awful lack of sleep due to hunger pangs. It didn't work and I caved by the end of the second day.

I hadn’t thought of the possible organ damage. I have health anxiety so that alone has put me right off it.

I think I’m ‘fear eating’ too if that’s a thing. I’m terrified of every body sensation I have and always think I’m dying. I then eat because it’s the only thing that makes me not sad and anxious and then the plate is empty and I’m back to ‘Jesus, I’m going to die now because I ate that’.
As a logical thinker it’s infuriating to do something in spite of yourself. The madness of going against your own better judgement for a quick fix is unfathomable. I wish I could explain it.

I have Michael Mosleys books. The BSD and the fast exercise one but I fell off that wagon too because the food prep was laborious and not as quick as making a sandwich. It’s a mental thing. The book mentioned shakes but then now brand name for the shakes. I could do that if I could find the right shake but gave up because the 800 calories had to come from prepared food.

No a fortnight would be silly as you've identified, however, I do find a single fast day is a good way of kickstarting other regimes - it's very motivating to burn 1800 calories as a starter and then you have something you don't want to undo.

Make loads of low cal veg soup, do a water fast, then straight on to something like the 5:2.

Good luck!

I do shakes. Good old slimfast. Could you do that OP?

If you have tried all of the various diets you describe then I don't see how a 14 day water fast would be feasible.

Here are the shakes thefast800.com/product/meal-replacement-shake/

To be honest though it might be worth describing these fears to a GP as you might be best off looking into CBT or something?

As for exercise, start where you are. There's no point aiming for 10 000 steps if you are currently doing 2000. If you have a fitness tracker then log your steps and see what your baseline is and then aim to increase it a few hundred steps a day.

Swimming is also good if you have pain. It hurt my back when I started but I slowly built up and strengthened those muscles and it increased how long I could walk without pain.

I’m 18st and about 5’5, a uk size 22/24. I carry a LOT of weight on my tummy from right under my bust to my pelvis. A stranger might think I was pregnant. I think most of my back pain comes from trying to support my tummy but arthritis is rampant in my family too. I’m pre-diabetic and get hypos after carb loading. That’s why I bought the BSD book.
Maybe I’ll revisit that. Would the slimfast shakes be suitable does anyone know?

I know it sounds mad {I really, really do} but I know I could eat healthier if I was slimmer. Being so fat makes me eat more. If I was a healthy weight I’d enjoy eating to maintain that new healthy body.

I’m waffling on now. You’ve all been very helpful and pleasant despite this being AIBU! I came here for a bit of a kick in the arse and I only got a gentle one

Hi there Nickname
THere are no quick fixes on weight loss
THere are no quick fixes on mental health
There are no quick fixes on getting fit
but dealing with the three together holistically over about a year can have miraculous results

Set yourself a target

• lose 1lb week for a year
• walk 5 miles a week for a year
• do the shred or yoga with adrienne every week for a year

you'll amaze EVERYBODY

I have long term health problems including sciatica from a bulging disc and I am overweight also because of these problems but I found swimming excellent for my back.

Start at the beginning.

Walk as far as your comfortable- let’s say to the end of your road and back. Then do it again and go a bit farther. Just a bit. Then do it again and little bit farther. Just around your neighbour hood.

Start with say 3 minutes, then say 5 minutes. Pip it up in tiny amounts. But crucially do these mini walks 3 times a day. With purpose. With your headphones in playing whatever makes you happy. I can recommend Adrian moles diarist currently on the bbc sounds app. Hilarious and gentle and totally absorbing.

3 tiny walks a day that you gradually increase. Mark them in a note book.

As you increase mark that too. See the increases.

Eating- water fast is nuts. You know that.

Chew gum. Eat nuts. Eat veg. Go brush your teeth. Drink a massive glass of water. Have a little walk.

In 2 weeks you will be changed.

I don't think any of what you're saying sounds mad OP. If that makes me mad too - well - then we're not alone!

No idea if slimfast would be right for you re:pre diabetes. It is carby.

A new low carb bootcamp is starting on MN next week. Have you checked out those threads? Very inspiring weightloss and people sleep better too.
Don't beat yourself up OP. Food is delicious and plentiful. It's hard not to overeat and takes huge amounts of willpower to stay in deficit calories continuously in order to lose weight. You are not alone. Good luck 💐

5:2 isn’t hard.
You will die on the water diet. And if you don’t die you’ll destroy your body.

Talkinpeace tips are always really good - I could do with following those to be honest!

If you are going to use shakes as part of your plan the fast 800 site I linked to earlier has a summary of some of the options thefast800.com/what-to-look-for-in-shakes/. I have never done shakes but have thought about it a few times.

Do look into help with the emotional side too though.

Sorry you're going through such a tough time with your weight worries OP. I have a chronic illness and it's very tough so I appreciate that being in pain makes exercise very hard for you.
Swimming might be nice and relaxing as the water would support your body. I don't swim anymore as I've developed an aversion to water but at the pool I used to go to, there were several larger ladies who swam regularly and nobody batted an eyelid.
How about tomorrow you try to cut down on your portion sizes and not have any snacks, drink plenty of water and allow yourself to feel a bit hungry between meals. Eat food you enjoy eg a fresh fruit salad, omelette, stir fry, whatever your favourites are. Nourish yourself. You are worth it x

I’m reading every post but they’re coming too quick to reply to everyone individually on my phone. Thank you, every one of you. I’m making notes.

I love swimming but I’m too embarrassed by how big I’ve become that I wouldn’t dream of going to a public pool.

I’m feeling a little empowered by your replies. I little confidence boost or something just washed over me. Strange. One of you just said accept it and I feel like I probably can. I mean I’ve been very overweight for a long time I can handle being overweight for another while knowing that it’s slowly going down. It doesn’t have to be fast. That’s panic. Sorry, I’m just typing as I’m thinking.