Advice on fasting when close to ideal weight

(Vladaar Malane) #1

Okay, looking for some advice here. I do intermittent fasting every weekday, except on weekends I eat breakfast around 10 am.

I’ve done plenty of fasts over the years, the longest being 7 days. However, on that one I was disappointed in that I was ravishingly hungry afterward and put back on all the weight I lost. I did a feast, then fast strategy. I ended my fast with eggs, thinking that was a safe way to go. But I was overtaken by cravings, shortly after I finished them. Maybe it is a in-balance in electrolytes that caused that I don’t know. I would hate to fast for a week and get zero results again.

I am down to 188 pounds at 5 foot 9 inches tall so I don’t have a ton of weight to lose and that might a factor as well. I know I got 20 pounds around my middle that has to go, whether the body would rather the fat be there for the apocalypse or not. LoL I want it gone, and I’m going to win that battle. I don’t want to be 4 percent body fat, but would love to be 10 percent and be able to see my abs again.

Anyway, is someone having good luck with fasting, that has only 20 pounds or so to go? If so what methods are you using?

Thanks

#2

I don’t think it’s much different, other than you’re not going to lose weight as quickly. Some say keto gets you to a normal weight, not a model/bodybuilder physique without extra heavy exercise or fasting. If you’re not lifting heavy already, I would give it a try. I’d follow a program like Stronglifts 5x5 or similar. And lift towards the end of your fast to really burn the fat.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #3

I can only speak for myself, I started at 80kg and am currently 67kg.
Aproximately 63kg is my body weight set point, where it seems to be quite happy.
I am looking to push past that as I am also looking to decrease body fat as much as possible.
I have done numerous fasts, some extended, alternate day, OMAD etc, and the closer I get to 63kg, the hungrier on a fast I seem to get.
I pretty much calculated that with another few kg loss, I won’t be able to extend fast anymore.

(Vladaar Malane) #4

Yeah @grinch734 thanks, I do gymnastic rings for workouts. I don’t think it is mandatory to get to ideal weight though. Any exercise will help use up extra glycogen that would otherwise become fat.

My main 2 concerns were I think I’m either too close to my ideal weight for extended fasting to be effective, or I just had a bad electrolyte status when I came off that last fast and it caused me to go on a binge eating thus gain all that weight back.

I guess the only way to know if it’s the electrolyte theory is just do a Extended Fast again and make sure I get plenty of salt, magnesium and potassium. If that is correct, and I still have the hunger issues afterward that cause me to gain all my weight back @ava_ad0re may be right in that I’m just too close not to be hungry after fasting.

Thank you guys for your thoughts and I’ll give it a shot.

(Vladaar Malane) #5

OK just finished a 4 day fast.

Started 189 pounds ended 182 pounds.

Thankfully I didn’t have the massive craving to eat after this time. I’m thinking it probably was a in balance of my electrolytes that caused that last time.

#6

Hey so – curious how’s your progress going?

I’m in a similar situation as you described in your OP, where I’m also trying to get rid of my last ~5% body fat (getting from 18-19 % down to say 13-14). Although I read / hear all the time that diet is the key way to drive body fat % down, I feel my standard 16:8 IF keto diet on weekdays hasn’t really been cutting too much body fat (or at least, it’s been going really slow).
I figure I’d try to kick it in to higher gear by implementing more routine “alternate day fasting” for a time.

(+ I’m doing calisthenics every other day (to failure a-la ted naiman style) and do feel I am slowly getting stronger… but want to really drive more fat loss without sacrificing muscle too much).

What’s your current protocol? For me I’m going to try out some strict 42-hour ADF (lunch + dinner only on feeding days) with my calisthenics on my ‘feeding’ day, and nothing but light walking on my full fasting days.

Hope it’s going well!

(Vladaar Malane) #7

Well it seemed to work good.

However, I haven’t done extended fasting since. I just do intermittent fasting no breakfast.

I’m at 185 pounds today, and instead of extended fasting, I’ve added keeping sugar down to less than 2 teaspoons a day. Which so far appears to be breaking my plateau. Sugar is in literally everything, even on Keto it’s not easy staying that low on sugar.

I think extended fasts would still provide me results, but I don’t really enjoy them and I know it bothers my family when I’m not eating with them, so trying the sugar thing to see how far that gets me. I might go back to the extended fasts if I hit plateau again.

I am loving the Calisthenics too. I do every other day workouts on gymnastic rings.

(Nicole Sawchuk) #8

Once I reached my goal weight of 145 lbs, (5’9"), I could not EF anymore. So I started lifting weights and gained 5 lbs (did not gain in measurements so its fine) and have been stuck there since January. Once every couple of months I am able to go 3 days but that seems to be my limit. So I IF or do 42 hr fasts now only. I still would like to lose maybe 10 more pounds but this seems to be my body’s happy spot right now.

I have of course played with my diet lots, changed up the routine but this stall seems to be sticking. Its very frustrating. EF still provide me with the best results. But they are now very unpleasant (and I typically LOVE fasting and how I feel on it). I don’t have as much time to workout (I average twice a week) as I would like and what I would suspect would really get me over this stall. Hoping you have better luck and can share with me how to get thru this!

(Vladaar Malane) #9

@N1coleS

LoL if I ever get 6 pack abs, you know I’ll post a pic and write a book about how I did it.

I don’t know if I ever will get there, but at least this spare tire around the belly and back needs to go. I don’t care if my body is more comfortable with it there for emergency situations or not. My body will succumb to my will eventually. LoL.

(Nicole Sawchuk) #10

I feel the same way!

(Running from stupidity) #11

Body fat has to be down around 10 percent or so for this. Not a huge amount of fun according to mates who have done it.

#12

one year later… any update? I am in a similar situation, trying to get down the last 15 scale pounds-- started lifting and trying to stay on an EF regime or ADF. Results for you? Get rid of that spare tire yet?

#13

I actually am very close to my goals after doing Ketogains bootcamp for 8 months. That’s my update. I gave up fasting, except for skipping breakfast, so a natural 16-8 pretty much entirely. Controlled macro nutrients. 4x–5x per week lifting. It works.

(Vladaar Malane) #14

Yeah same for me just 16 — 8 cause very minimal results on extended fasting now. Weighing 182 pounds now had a setback due to extreme stress that took me a few months to recover from.

My spare tire is fading faster now that I am also working my entire core.

(Vladaar Malane) #15

Me at 179 pounds still got some spare tire but I swear totally attacking my complete core is helping burn the tire.

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