Fasting Frustration

newbies
fasting
weightloss
intermittentfasting
(Jess) #1

Hi everyone,

Before I get into my frustrations I want to provide a bit of context. First, I’m not on a keto diet (i know this is a keto forum but it’s also the best fasting forum I’ve found). I do eat pretty low carb though
My start weight was 136 in April - I did CICO for about 3 months, lost 6 pounds semi-quickly then of course it snuck back on as my resolve slipped and I “cheated” more. I don’t find CICO sustainable for me. I was back up to 134.
Then I found articles on fasting and wanted to try it. I’ve been doing alternate day fasting for 2 weeks. The first week, I know I over ate on “feasting” days and my weight stayed the same.
Last week/this week, I fasted Friday for 18 hours, Monday for 33, Wednesday for 33 and ate regularly (not over board, not at a deficit) the other days.
I weighed myself today and I’ve gone up a little under half a pound. I’m 135 today.
HOW?!?!?!?

I just don’t understand how I’ve had 3 ZERO CALORIE days in a week and yet my weight went up (or at the very least stayed the same as it’s “that time of month” which may skew things SLIGHTLY). Also, I go to the gym 4-5 days a week doing a mix of strength and HIIT training (more HIIT this week than strength) and walk 40 mins to and from work.

I know it’s still early in my fasting journey but I’m just so frustrated. If anyone can shed any light on this or share similar stories I’d appreciate it.
I’m still going to stick to my guns but feeling pretty down today.

Hope you guys are doing better !

#2

Questions: Are you staying well hydrated and keeping your salt up? Did you recently start your exercise regimen? How are your clothes fitting?

(Jess) #3

Hi MelTar, thanks for your reply!

Yes, I drink a lot of water and tea on fasting days and just slightly less on non fasting days. I get plenty of salt on feasting days but probably none of fasting days.
My clothes fit the same.
Yesterday I took my first body measurements so I’ll be using that along with the scale weekly now

(Brad) #4

So you say you eat pretty low carb. How much is that?
Also fasting on keto vs fasting on non keto have different profiles of weight loss. If you jump in and out of ketosis, I’m not sure that you will see the results you want.
Exercise will also make the scale a less accurate way of determining progress.

(Jess) #5

Well when I say low carb I guess I mean low carb compared to a normal diet, not even close to a keto diet.
For example, yesterday I had approx 160g
What is your advice for not jumping in and out of ketosis? I don’t think I’m ready to go Keto

also I agree re: exercise which is why I’ve added body measurements to my process now

(Todd Allen) #6

Depending on your metabolic rate you might burn around 1/2 lb of fat per day. But there is much more to weight than just body fat. A change in water retention can easily shift weight by several pounds.

Also, fasting increases salt loss. You should be consuming more salt when fasting. 3 days is a short fast and you might get by without it but salt should make you feel better and make it easier to sustain longer fasts.

(Jess) #7

Do you still think I need salt on fasting days even if it’s alternate days and not a 3 day consecutive fast?
And if so, how much approximately? Do i just eat it as is?
Sorry for all the questions, I’m new :slight_smile:

(Brad) #8

At 160g it is doubtful that you would ever be into ketosis. So Keto fasting protocols may not apply.

#9

If you are regularly fasting for 24+ hours you are ready for keto IMO. They go together so well. And starting a fast while already in ketosis is cake compared to what you’ve been experiencing.

By most accounts the first few days of a fast are the hardest. From my experience hour 44 or so is by far the worst and then things dramatically improve. The real magic happens days 3, 4, and 5. My goal has been to target 5 days depending on how I feel, but 3 at the very minimum.

To give you some perspective on the scale and why most people on here will tell you to throw it away: my last water fast was 4 days and I saw the scale swing between 208-228lbs over that time. Of course that’s mostly water weight but that is a prime example of how the scale isn’t your friend (especially if you hop on at a “bad” time). If I’m hungry and tired on day 3 of a fast and I see a “weight gain” of 5-10lbs you can be damn sure I’m going to start overthinking. Since fasting is mostly mental in my opinion, dealing with that kind of head noise isn’t healthy or necessary.

(Todd Allen) #10

If you read Stephen Phinney’s books or watch any YouTube videos of his presentations you will learn about the “naturiesis of fasting” which basically boils down to carbs stimulate the kidneys to retain sodium and eating keto and especially fasting increase the passing of sodium in urine. And since reading the book “The Salt Fix” I’ve been making an effort to increase my salt intake, especially while fasting and I’ve found it very helpful.

When water fasting I like to suck on a very large salt crystal once in a while and find it helps reduce food cravings. But I find I can fast longer and more easily when I’m not so strict and take in small amounts of food that are mostly fat. For example I’ll take a tablespoon of soft warm kerrygold butter mix in a generous amount of salt and eat it on a couple stalks of celery or roll it up in leaf lettuce. Broth or miso take salt well as do Kanji noodles which are essentially indigestible fiber. Most any greens for cooking such as collards, chard or spinach are best with lots of fat and salt and whatever else you enjoy as seasoning.

(Jess) #11

Thanks for sharing your experience Rian.

It’s not the fasting that worries me with keto (although I’m not really that interested in doing 3-7 day fasts because I enjoy eating and want to maintain a flexible lifestyle), it’s more the “stricter” diet.

I was hoping alternate day fasting would allow for flexibility while eating a variety of healthy foods and aid in fat loss.
I’m really only looking to lose 5-10 lbs at most but Im also looking for a lifestyle I can maintain and enjoy.

How often do you do 5 day fasts?

(Jess) #12

Thanks for the tips Todd!
I’m going to do some more research and your salt tips are very helpful :slight_smile:

#13

I just listened to the Keto Evangelist podcast with Megan Ramos last night. She went from 98 lbs to 107 due to fasting, but went from size 6 to size 0. Are you taking measurements? The scale doesn’t reflect everything that’s going on.

(Jess) #14

I just took my first measurements last night so I’ll be using that from now on :slight_smile:

very true! Thanks for sharing

(Jennifer) #15

I have lost a lot so far, and I’ve had a consistent weekly loss. I usually fast Tuesday - Friday almost every week. I have bad knees so I’m just getting back into working out. This week I did a HIIT workout on Tuesday (for me anyway - walking the track and climbing the bleacher steps every other lap. It was good.) and lifted heavy last night and I gained a pound this week. Building muscle is just as good as weight loss to me.

Honestly, I think 2 weeks is too short of a time to expect results. If you are normal metabolically and insulin sensitive you should eventually see results with IF. My husband goes between carb burning and fat burning pretty seamlessly.

If you have insulin resistance issues, going back and forth between carb burning and fasting might cause you more issues. If your body is struggling to switch from burning carbs to burning fats it could cause you to not burn either effectively. Making you feel tired and hungry and not losing weight.

(Sheri Knauer) #16

I’ve been keto almost a year and when I do an extended fast I tend to gain a few pounds at first, then I lose again once I stop but I follow a keto diet with carbs under 20g/day. If your not keto because of “restriction” , then you need to check out the boring keto section of the forum. Show me your boring keto food!

(Sonia A.) #17

Don’t worry too much about the scale (it’ll spike your cortisol and prevent you from losing weight :wink:). Your weight gain may be due to gaining muscle. It’s a good thing you started taking measurements, it’ll be a better indicator of fat loss.

As for fasting and fat loss, you don’t need to go keto to see results. I lost approximately 50 lbs with fasting alone before keto and I ate more carbs on average than you. I wasn’t ready either but now I am and maybe you will be later.

@brownfat is right about salt. You need it in your fasting days and it’ll make fasting easier.

When I started fasting, it took a while for my body to adapt and to lose weight. I think the delay is normal. Plus, you don’t have much to lose, so it may take a little bit longer. IMO, you should leave extended fasts for later if or when you can’t lose anymore.

And, to finish this very long answer (sorry), don’t restrict your calories on your eating days. Eat to satiety. If you restrict your calories, you could slow your metabolism.

#18

I’ve done some pretty extensive juice fasting in the past (7+ weeks a few times) and 3-5 day water only fasts a handful of times. Water only fasts of 5 days are my new goal. Maybe 2 per month. But we’ll see, life happens.

I go in and out of ketosis occasionally as I like things like beer and going out with friends. I would be healthier if I didn’t probably but I don’t think being in ketosis constantly is crucial. When I cheat, I get all of it out of my system in say 12 hours and then get back on track. A lot of times I can have 400 grams of carbs and feel fine and be back in ketosis in 2 days.

My main point was just to consider trying keto before fasting, even for just a few days to get into ketosis. See how you feel. I notice a big difference. It just gives you a head start almost if that makes sense? The burning sugar to burning fat transition is already done before the fast begins. That makes life easier IMO.

(Jess) #19

Thank you everyone! All of your tips are very helpful (keep 'em coming! :wink: )

I think you’re all right in terms of not relying on the scale so I’ll be using that less and photos + measurements more.

I’m going to give it more time and trust the process. I just wish there was some way to know now if I was doing the right things!

Also, I haven’t been restricting them on eating days - I’m eating at about my maintenance calories (as per MyFitnessPal) or even a little above.

I’m going on vacation next week and will not be restricting or fasting so maybe this will give my body a little rest then I’ll go back to alternate day fasting once I get back for 4 weeks and see what happens. If nothing changes after 4 weeks then I think it’s safe to say I should change something.

Anyone have any insight on whether they think I’d be better doing more frequent shorter fasts or less frequent longer fasts?

(Jess) #20

Oh and also wanted to add that even not on Keto I don’t find fasting difficult at all.
My longest has been 36 hours and could have gone longer honestly.