Intermittent fasting (update + adjustments)

[MisterLove]

Another thread on my diet plan, the famous intermittent fasting.

I started this odissey over a year ago with 82 kgs, there were ups and downs but yesterday I reached the 72 kgs mark. I'm happy and proud! (but I still have 2 more kgs to lose)

I have no doubt today that diet is the #1 factor in weight loss. (Exercise is great but it's not the fastest way to shed pounds.)

Put down the fork indeed but you have to know how to put it down, it really is a complex science.

At first I thought that skipping breakfast was enough. It's not. You should fast between 8 pm and noon the following day to make the most of it.

Have a cup of black coffee for breakfast and that's it. I had milk for a while and things didn't work as well as I wanted - 35 calories in the morning seems to be the limit.

I also made a couple of mistakes in the past year, e.g. eating at restaurants because of my busy schedule. Don't do it, not even the supposedly 'healthy' options. That food is full of sugar, chemicals and God knows what else. It was only when I started eating home made meals that my weight dropped to the current 72 kgs and I'm sure that was no coincidence.

No gym, no sacrifice (it was hard at first but I got used to it), amazing results. I still can't believe it!

[HumbleTangerine]

I advice you to be careful. It's true that diet is more important than exercise during weight-loss, but it worries me that you have a maximum limit of 35 calories for breakfast. It's not really my business, but may I ask how many calories (approximately) you consume during the day? I know, not only theoretically but also from personal experience, that losing weight too fast by eating too little is an awful idea. Please remember that the number on your scale is not in its own right a reflection of health. It's possible to be border-line under-weight and still have lots of excess fat left - losing weight too quickly destroys muscle and fat in the process.

But if my concerns are unwarranted, I'm very happy for you! Congratulations!

[loserguy]

I agree with HumbleTangerine. Be careful.

If you want to lose weight properly then eat less and move more!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and three meals and 2 snacks is the recommended. And drink loads of water! By starving yourself your metabolism will drop and when you start eating again you will put on more weight.
Running is brilliant for weight loss and weight training is good for maintaining your weight. If you build up some muscle it will actually speed up your metabolism and allow you eat more without gaining weight.
The starvation diet will deprive you of most of the nutrients you require and will ultimately damage your body. While you may not see it for a few years it will catch up with you eventually. For your own sake I would take a serious look at what you are doing!

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I have no doubt today that diet is the #1 factor in weight loss. (Exercise is great but it's not the fastest way to shed pounds.)

I doubt you got fat overnight, so why on earth to you expect to get skinny overnight?

Weight loss is not a speed thing - well actually it can be, depending on how much speed you use.

The route you are taking is not going to end well.

Either you will reach your 'target weight' then ease up and suddenly your body will retaliate by ballooning up (the reaction to being part of an extended famine is that the body will pack on as many pounds as possible to stave off the next famine it knows is right around the corner).

Or you're going to get into that little habit known as anorexia where you want to just loose one more kilo - just one....

Or you're doing damage to skeletal system and/or organs which may not have the immediate reaction of failing you today, but in future having been weakened by this prolonged, major famine your organ(s) go kaput.

See exercise is important with a well balanced diet because it maintains and/or builds muscle mass. You're starving yourself is having your body devour itself, not just the fat, but the muscle and organs and bones as well.

Starvation: Starvation can have very serious effects on all major body systems and organs. The basic metabolic response to starvation is to conserve body tissues and energy. However, the body will also start to use its own tissue, including muscle and organs, for energy since the body has no food to use instead, The liver and intestines typically lose the highest percentage of their own weight during starvation, followed by the heart and kidneys which both lose a moderate amount of weight. This often causes permanent damage to the organs in the process. Because someone's heart size may be reduced, they will experience low blood pressure and a slowed pulse. It cans also lead to cardiac arrest or kidney failure. Total starvation is usually fatal in 8 to 12 weeks.

Dehydration: the healthy functioning of cells and tissues is dependent upon a certain level of water content in the body. Also, salt and other minerals need to be kept within a narrow range. In a person who has become dehydrated, it's possible they are suffering from a depletion in salt as well as water. Long-term dehydration can
ultimately lead to kidney failure.

Muscle and cartilage: Over-exercise can put a huge strain on muscles and cartilage, particularly if the exercise is concentrated on one area for long periods of time.

Bones: Osteoporosis is a loss of protein matrix tissue (density) from bones, leaving them brittle and susceptible to fracture. Although it is a natural part of the aging process, the chances of developing osteoporosis later in life are significantly increased for anorectics, due to hormone changes. Bones may also stop growing, which causes stunted growth in younger anorectics.

Source: http://www.eatingproblems.org/epseffect.html

I hate to say this, but you are not exactly dieting, you are expressing an eating disorder, you are so obsessed with losing weight that you are willing to throw away sensible food plans and disregard decades of medical research that say that exercise and a food plan go hand in hand - instead you have opted for anorexia.

[Woollyhats]

Hi, is part of the reason you are fasting due to your religion? As a Catholic I was expected to fast at certain times of the year, and from certain foods, though as a youth I was not yet forced to do so.

35 calories does seem extreme for the morning, but it's better than what most people have (nothing). If I eat in the mornings I get sick, so that's actually probably what I get for breakfeast (I tend to literally eat a cracker/yogurt cup/single strawberry and force drink a large cup of water).

But later in the day you should be eating more.

Why not during or after your current diet try making a dieting plan with a dietician through a family doctor? If doctor thinks you don't need one since you're at a healthy weight, simply say you got there through starving yourself, and you want to keep it without something so extreme.

Congratulations though on the will power to fast as you are doing and achieving your weight goals. Being so close to your end goal, it's time to think of how to stay at your desired weight through regular healthy eating...

[Evan88]

Ugh...dont skip meals.

I suggest you lowering your salt intake..

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_salt.php

[MisterLove]

I doubt you got fat overnight, so why on earth to you expect to get skinny overnight?

[...]

This is the million dollar question and I'm afraid I don't have the answer for it.

I tried the 'sensible' approach first (healthy breakfast, 3 meals, exercise) and results were mediocre - I was losing 1-2 kgs per month.

With my new diet, I lost 5 kgs in a month. That's right: five!

And this is no theory of mine, my scale and my mirror don't lie and there are actually several studies that back it up. I didn't invent anything here.

I always had weight problems and I wish I had found out about intermittent fasting sooner. It would have spared me A LOT of stress (and money).

It seems that the human body has the natural ability to burn calories quick, you just have learn the right way to control it.

[synonymous]

What kinds of work out's were you doing?

[HumbleTangerine]

This is the million dollar question and I'm afraid I don't have the answer for it.

I tried the 'sensible' approach first (healthy breakfast, 3 meals, exercise) and results were mediocre - I was losing 1-2 kgs per month.

With my new diet, I lost 5 kgs in a month. That's right: five!

And this is no theory of mine, my scale and my mirror don't lie and there are actually several studies that back it up. I didn't invent anything here.

I always had weight problems and I wish I had found out about intermittent fasting sooner. It would have spared me A LOT of stress (and money).

It seems that the human body has the natural ability to burn calories quick, you just have learn the right way to control it.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I fear you might be making a big mistake: I'm telling you what I personally think you should do.

I grew up with parents who weren't exactly responsible food-wise. My brothers are pretty overweight and I used to be chubby as well. Once I got older I could no longer blame my parents of course. At age 17 I started working out. I wanted quick results - as quick as possible. I ate way too little and exerciced way too much.

In a few months I went from 89kg to 66kg which is border-line unhealthy for someone with my height. However, I still had plenty of fat left. Why? Because losing weight too quickly means you rid yourself of fat AND muscle, whereas the goal of weight-loss is to lose as much fat and as little muscle as possible. You're left with a very ugly, "skinnyfat" body. Do not measure the quality of a weight-loss method based solely on how many kilograms you lose.

At that point I had to gain weight again: both fat and muscle by lifting weights and eating more. I went up to 75kg and my body looked a lot better than it had done at 66 kg, despite having a lot of excessive fat. Then I started losing weight the RIGHT way - by losing around 500 calories per day through moderate exercise and better eating habits. I went down to around 70kg and reached my personal body ideal of a slim figure with more or less no excessive fat.

It's recommended to lose around 500 calories a day (in other words 2kg per month) for a reason - it will make sure you lose as little muscle as possible. I know you want very quick results. So did I and most people motivated to lose weight. But if you think of my story, do some research, read about other people who went through the same thing, I'm certain you will realize that losing weight too quickly is a bad idea.

My personal recommendation:

Find out how many calories you burn each day by default. There are calculators for this online. Try to keep yourself 500 calories under this limit per day through a combination of healthy food and exercise. It's very recommended to do some kind of strength training a few times per week to make sure you won't lose any muscle. Other than that you can burn fat in any way you'd like. Make sure to get lots of protein as well. If you do some research from reliable sources (not magazines that perpetuate insane weight-loss trends) you will find that this is the best way to go.

I'm sorry if I come off as kind of ranty but I once lived with a grotesque skinnyfat body that caused self-esteem issues WAY more severe than my previous, chubby body. Weight-loss shortcuts may seem fine in the beginning, until you notice the down-sides. I wasted like 6 months due to my ignorance and I don't want other people to do the same thing

[MisterLove]

What kinds of work out's were you doing?

High intensity interval training.

And I hired a PT, too.

Results weren't bad (I did drop a few kgs) but they weren't brilliant either. And I was spending a fortune too, so I decided to quit.