Hi Keto Fasters;
I need some help. Strict keto hasn’t really gotten the weight off very quickly.
Keto and IF did a little better with weight loss but still not as quickly as I need for health reasons. However Extended fasting and keto really take the weight off at a good pace.
However, Every time I do an extended fast (3 days or more), I seem to gain all of the weight back…even though I am eating keto. I decided to do a 13 day fast which I really enjoyed. I lost 11 pounds, almost a full pound a day. When I started my feast cycle which lasted 7 days, I gained all 11 pounds back. I am so disappointed. I ate quite a bit and did alot of restaurants and fast food, but it was keto food and I kept it around 2000-3000 calories per day. I also IF during the refeed. My plan is to fast all the way down to my goal weight (which is still 70 pounds away) by doing 5 days fasting and 2 days feasting (thanks to @4dml for the idea). But right now, I seem to just keep going in circles. Losing weight at a pound a day during the fast, then refeeding and gaining it all back. Please help me figure out what to do to stop this cycle. Even when I was doing my 13 day fast, I stopped losing weight after the 11th day which is why I ended the fast on day 13
Dr. Fung doesn’t really address weight gain during the refeed in his guide to fasting. So I am unsure how to get off this roller coaster. Am I just eating too much? I thought we weren’t supposed to worry too much about calories (even though I still stay around the 2000 calorie range). Is it just a insulin problem? Is it an electrolyte problem? My logical self is telling me that my 11 pound weight loss in 13 days was inflated and I really only lost about 5-6 pounds during the 13 day fast and the rest was just water weight. My logical self also says that I probably ate a little too much protein and had some carbs sneak in during my refeed that may have contributed to the gain as well.
Can anyone give me advice? I know that fasting is the answer to getting to where I need to be, but I can’t keep negating my gains just because I ate. Confused =0(…
One additional point that I want to add. I do not really exercise. I do some slow occasional walks, but no real consistent focused exercising. Could that also be why the weight is coming back?