One 24 hour fast a week has helped where 5:2 did not

[Lemonthyme]

I have a good diet, being sober and exercising a lot, perimenopause was starting to cause weight gain. With some levels of change to my diet to cut out the crap, this changed to stability (which would and did cause loss when I was younger). There was one thing though that pushed me into trying something different and that was my HbA1c result which was 5.8%. So despite doing EVERYTHING the NHS tells you to do to be a healthy weight, I was still overweight and very close to prediabetic (other countries would already class this as prediabetic).

I've not had another HbA1c result back since I started once a week 24 hour fasting on top of everything else I've done but what is changing is I'm losing weight. Total weight loss is c. 1-1.5 lbs a week so not huge but consistent and enough that it's really starting to be noticeable.

I have been so fed up since perimenopause hit with things not working. I'm really pleased something is and it kind of makes sense that if there's good evidence that intermittent fasting works to improve insulin resistance, if IR was my problem, that would have been making it harder to lose weight so it is a complete lightbulb moment for me that it's probably been that.

As for "how" as that's what I would have been wanting to know. I "read" an audiobook on the science behind the hormones of weight loss and it advocated one 24 hour fast a week (or possibly two) for insulin resistance and metabolic flexibility as your body has to switch to burning fat. Two sounded terrifying but one sounded possible. They then went onto explain that all you do is finish eating dinner on, say Monday at 6pm then miss breakfast and lunch the next day, eating dinner on Tuesday at c. 6pm or later. Well that sounded less frightening even though that is 24 hours, it's actually only missing 2 meals. I'd originally thought about doing it just once a fortnight but when I tried it, realised that it was easy enough (it only gets a little harder from 4pm onwards) and if anything I now almost look forward to my fasting days. What's more is if I'm busy with work, it's actually easier.

I'd previously tried 5/2 though and didn't lose an ounce. So I wanted to share this with people in case you've tried one form of "IF" type approaches and assumed they all didn't work for you (although I'm not really sure if 5/2 is really IF).

Top tips I have is to have herbal or spice (not fruit) teas so they're calorie free, black coffee and plenty of sparkling water. I don't personally have any sweeteners anyway but I think most people avoid them when fasting. Also if you find you're struggling and exercise a lot like I do, sodium can be depleted by fasting so another tip is to have some electrolytes or even a pinch of salt (e.g. in coffee) if you're struggling.

I genuinely cannot imagine stopping doing this now unless I'm advised to medically. It's far easier than any other method I've used to try and lose weight. I'm a total convert.

Your way of fasting isnt the only or correct way.
People fast in many different ways.
I've been long term fasting for over a decade and regularly do 72hr + fasts.

Let me know if you want any information

No, not really.

I’ve been doing this for a few weeks and really think this could be a sustainable way of eating for me for long term health. Scales are slowly creeping downwards despite not depriving myself hugely. I have noticed that I am less hungry in the day when I’m not fasting which is a bonus as I’m trying not to snack in between meals.

That’s good @JumpLeadsForTwo
im back on mounjaro just to lose half a stone - lost 5 lbs in two weeks.
but I need a maintenance plan that isn’t too focused on calorie counting

I've noticed that too that without deliberately stopping snacking, my snacking is going down without much effort on my part. Perhaps there is a bit of "learning that hunger is ok" and what "real" hunger is about it all?

I am back on for another fast, 22 hours and plan to make it 48.

So far it has been easier than the last one, had a massive lunch of a couple of home made lentil burgers and vegetables yesterday and did not feel ravenously hungry in the evening or night.

I'm fasting today but had a hugely stressful but exhilarating early work meeting at 5am today (it went really well but I was nervous) and I've found poor sleep + adrenalin + fasting is a bit of a disaster. I'm coping but I could eat a scabby horse if I'm honest. Much harder than other days I've done and I still have 5.5 hours to go to make 24 hours.

But you live and learn with all this. I know I will manage it, I'm pretty feisty when I've set my mind to something but I think I'll plan it round "boring" work days in future!

It’s like any way of eating isn’t it, but with the added health benefits of the prolonged fast. I’ve only been doing this a few weeks, already seeing a slow creep down on the scales, and can see myself doing this forever to maintain when I have hopefully got down to a healthy weight. Much more sustainable than a low carb diet where I’m sure I couldn’t continue so would regain the weight and more, or a low calorie diet where you have to go lower and lower and feel permanently hungry and miserable. One day a week when I’m busy is so easy when I know that I can relax slightly on other days. I’m still careful, but it feels far less restrictive overall, and that’s why the majority of people dieting ‘fall off the wagon’ at some point.

That doesn’t sound like a great combination, but hopefully will fly by!

This thread is interesting and I am going to try it as nothing else seems to work. Will start my fast tonight after dinner. I am such a grazer so it will be tricky but if just for 24 hours a week think I might make it.
Need to do something as my knees are so painful all of the time and losing weight must help surely.

I've managed a few Fridays now, am going to try tomorrow as well in between.

Evenings can be very boring with no dinner. I was just thinking about what I was going to have then remembered I was on a fast. Although I guess it is a good sign that I actually forgot I was on the fast when I am 27 hours in. I am not even really hungry just miss the ritual but it will probably kick in later.

I gave up my fast last night on 33 hours at about ten o'clock.

I just had some nuts and grapes and went to bed, I am feeling good now and not too hungry.

I have to admit that's the reason why I don't go beyond 24 hours. The thought of going to bed hungry is not a good one. And also there's been no need. 24 hours is working so far. At my heaviest I was 13 stone 6 I think. Through sheer grit and determination I got down to 13 stone 1-2 over the period of months. Now, fasting once a week I'm at 11 stone 12 (weighed this morning).

I have 2lbs to lose to then officially be no longer "overweight" and, ideally, 1 stone 12 to lose to get to what I'd term my ideal weight. (Which would be a BMI of 21.3.)

I genuinely don't know if this would work for everyone but I also don't know why everyone wouldn't try it. It's been a revelation for me.

I find it is like a lot of things, easy (ish) once you have got used to it.

Possibly the hardest aspect is believing it is possible. Most comments I have had have been on the lines of 'I could never do that' but when I hear that I think of people running marathons and whatever - I do not know how they do it but nor have I really tried.

I built up via intermittent fasting and getting my regular diet right. I eat almost exclusively natural wholefoods with lots of fibre and protein plus a fair bit of pro-biotics. I would recommend to anyone starting to read up on foods that you hungry and cut them out before trying

Plus I have spent a lot of time getting it bloody wrong.

This is my second stint of extended fasts, last year I was doing 72-96 hour fasts and then suddenly lost the ability to do it. It was like losing a super power.

Earlier this year I had a think about what was going wrong - I was doing too many 20-22 hour fasts that finished in the evening and finished badly with binge eating. I rejigged my fasting so that my final meal is between 10 and 2 and the meal ifs high fibre /high protein - lentil burgers are my current choice/obsession. This seems to have worked, I get to sleep OK then carry on the next getting up to nearly 36 hours.

What have you told people IRL about how you are losing weight? I’m 4kg down and v slight difference in my clothes so when I’ve lost more, hopefully others will notice. DH obviously knows, but I don’t want the ‘it’s an ED type of diet’, or have to explain why this way of eating is better than every other diet.

Why do you need to tell them specifically what you're doing? Just say you've been on a diet!

If they press for more info, make sure you have enough knowledge to describe intermittent fasting and its benefits - weight loss being just one of them. (Autophagy is a good place to start)

I've been really surprised by that @JumpLeadsForTwo but encountered that it sounds like an ED from people on MN actually on the fasting feed FFS! Likewise I don't really want to get into a big rant about why I do it or why there's really good evidence for health not just for weight loss.

If you lose weight these days, most people assume you are on WLI !

I have diabetes and friends and family know my diet has substantially changed to keep it in remission without taking drugs. They know that I know what I am doing so just respect that fasting is part of the regime as that is the way I see it.

@Lemonthymedo you exercise on your fasting days? That’s the bit I am struggling to get my head around

It's a bit mixed. I go with how I feel. If I'm ok, then I do some weights or pilates, i.e. I don't push myself in a big way by running. Or at least not so far. If I'm not feeling as energetic. I skip a day. Yesterday I wasn't feeling as good so I just walked to pick up some groceries. In the end I did 10,000 steps so it wasn't sedentary.

I am the same, do some light exercise, I find going for a walk in the evening helps me get to sleep too.

It sounds odd but you can actually feel more energetic when fasting, it is a very strange experience.

That’s a great result. Similar weights to my starting and hopefully end weight so hope I keep seeing results like you.
When I tried 5/2, I found sleep a big issue on the 2 days as I was having so few calories and spreading them out through the day as I didn’t think I could go without breakfast and lunch. So far, I’ve been ok sleep wise and this seems easier.