Kick start fasting for weight loss


(Carrie) #1

Hi
I’m 5 weeks in and had lost 8lbs total, until this weekend.
I got in the scale and put on 3lbs over the weekend, grrrr so I’m very deflated and feel like I’ve gone backwards.

I know keto is a lifestyle change, but I seriously need to lose some weight, I see posts where people drop vast amounts, but for me it’s a slow creep. Can I do something to tweak this up?

I believe I am fat adapted, because my energy has evened out, I’ve been sleeping better, and on Friday I was my lowest weight for a while, I feel ok.

This weekend I treated myself to 2 diet cokes… and 2 glasses of wine…(over the whole weekend, not in one go) and went up to 26 g of carbs. My calories were within my limit, fat still good.
This morning the wee stick (I know not very accurate) was moderate still.

I had been consistently under 15g carbs all through the week. And feeling good.

I’m wondering if I can try a fast to kick start my weight loss? How long should I do it for first time, and what it entails, for example, I usually drink a lot of tea (English) with milk, will I need to ditch the tea too? I like herbal so that would be fine. I also like coffee with cream, but I guess that’s not allowed.

Please advise me, I need a boost!

Ps I’m post menopause at 49 and on HRT and thyroxine so these may be playing a part, I really struggle to lose weight.


(Robert C) #2

Ignore the weight gain!

You put chemicals into your system (diet coke and alcohol) and your body decided to hold on to some extra water for safety (both are probably viewed as poisons by the body).

8 pounds in 5 weeks is 1 to 1.5 pounds per week so is great and steady weight loss.

I would not jump to tools like fasting until the basic keto diet stopped giving results.
Fasting, if it ever becomes necessary, is a great tool physically but mentally, can lead to "yo yo"ing.


(Carrie) #3

Thanks for this RobC, good advice, thank you


(Janelle) #4

Very slow loser here. 50. Four months and about 17 lbs. The wine probably contributed to the gain but it will come off quickly. I speak from experience - it happened to me last week.

I have been searching for the holy grail. I have an obesity specialist doctor. He is happier with my weight loss rate than I am, by a mile. Ignore the results of others. I, too, NEED to lose this weight - not solely for vanity but for my health. I guess it will have to happen slowly. If you find anything, let me know?


(Carrie) #5

Thank you, CatGirl, I think these things get harder as women get older.
Ive put in sooo much effort and by this weekend I thought I’d plan on a glass of wine or two, now I regret it.
But now 2 of you have told me it will come off soon, I will keep on going :grinning:. Thank you


(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #6

+1,000,000 happens to me each time I drink wine which is getting less often over time. Hang in there. Everyone has their own metabolic derangements to contend with. The body has to sort those things out before the scale victories take over. KCKO


(John) #7

I chose to completely avoid artificial sweeteners, including quitting a 4+ a day Diet Coke habit. My goal was to completely quell / eliminate the desire for the taste of sweet things.

I think that was fully achieved within the first couple of months. I no longer crave sugary foods. I still don’t eat anything sweet. Closest I get is blueberries every so often.

I also gave up alcohol for the first 2 months.

I have been able to add the occasional glass of wine back in, but I recommend waiting until at least 8 weeks.

If you want to try a simple fast, go for a single 24-hour water fast (water / coffee / tea / sparkling water - unsweetened and no added calories from milk/cream). Basically just skip 2 meals in a row - Breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, with no snacking.

Try that and see how things go the following week, where you go back to your normal eating pattern.

A little more advanced would be a 36-hour fast - just skip eating for one full day. Eat your normal pattern day 1, skip day 2, return to normal eating day 3. Then see where you stand a week later.


(mole person) #8

Can you tell us how many times a day you consume anything with calories, including your teas with milk? You may not be anywhere near needing to fast. It might be that you can stimulate faster fat loss by simply lowering the insulin state in your body. To do this though you want to increase the amount of time between each insulin bump. Start by trying to have only three and then only two.


(Carrie) #9

Ok thank you for your help. This is an average typical day for me:

6am tea with milk
7am tea with milk
8am coffee with double cream for breakfast

Walk the dog 1hour before lunch

Lunch: 2 roasted chicken thighs with curly kale
Coffee with double cream

Afternoon snack of Greek yoghurt 100g

4pm tea with milk

Dinner beef burger with an egg and spinach

Apx 4 pints of water throughout the day

Sleep at 9.30 pm - 6am

I take magnesium and b12.
HRT and Thyroxine

What do you think?


(mole person) #10

I think you could definitely try reducing the number of small insulin hits. You would probably be well served by taking your tea black if you can.
Milk is very unketo and just that would reduce the number of insulin hits each day by three and also increase your nightly fast by two hours. Also, if you can, try to leave off the yogurt. Basically, you want to try to extend the number of hours where insulin isn’t stimulated. It’s far better to have a larger lunch that will take you to dinnertime, than a smaller lunch and a small afternoon snack. I see you don’t eat after dinner and that is excellent.


#11

That’s great advice from @Ilana_Rose, and I just wanted to add that except for your snack and milky tea, your food looks good, and your sleep hours look great!


(Frank) #12

Who told you that coffee and cream is a no no. Tea and milk is much carbier than tea with cream. I’d work on getting rid of the snacking between meals before trying to start any form of fasting.


(Carrie) #13

Thank you, yes I need to ditch the yoghurt snacking.
I was only asking if coffee with cream would be a no no when fasting.


(Carrie) #14

Thank you for taking the time to look at my intake, I really appreciate that.
So if I try to get off the tea with milk, and cut out any snacks, I might see a change for good. I’ve been keeping my insulin up with my tea habit!
Thank you


(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #15

Personally I was told that it is okay, but I wonder about that too. I like my coffee with heavy whipping cream. It’s hard to ditch the coffee and soon I may start fasting but not sure if that counts as eating.


(Frank) #16

Oh gotcha. Well there are different schools of thought on fasting methods as well. Isn’t this fun trying to wrap your head around all of this. Don’t worry about fasting right now. Set a goal for removing mid meal snacks, give that some time, and research fasting methods in the meantime.


(Carrie) #17

Can I ask…

Can I drink coffee with cream in between meals without spiking my insulin levels?

( If I’ve cut out the tea with milk)


(Carrie) #18

Thank you


#19

Just wanted to add that some of not most artificial sweeteners can cause an insulin spike too so the diet cokes might have caused some hiccups via insulin spikes


(mole person) #20

No, any calories, even those from pure fat will increase the amount of insulin your body is producing.

The best thing you can do, is have your coffee with cream immediately after your lunch.