Source
r/fasting•
mandragara

Weight you lose while fasting just stays off!

So I did intermittent fasting from about August 2017 to June 2018 and lose a solid of weight in the process, 139kg (306 lbs) to 112kg (247 lbs) (I'm 6'1").

Now I've lost 10s of kilos before with regular approaches, MFP etc, however once I stopped my diet I've always managed to put the weight back on in about the same time it took for me to lose it. However with the weight I lost with my IF routine, the weight hasn't come back. Last week I weighed 113.4 kg.

In the 6 months I wasn't doing IF, I have paid no special attention to what I ate. I've had KFC twice a week, burgers, ice cream etc. For whatever reason my bodies natural appetite control has held me in check. As of this week I'm back on my IF regime and looking to drop down to a non-obese BMI.

So for me this has affirmed the idea that it's not just about the number of calories you eat or don't eat, but also in what way you decide to eat\not eat them.

Posted Jan 12, 2019, 11:38 AM UTC

6116
BBBalls•

Yeah, fasting is a mechanism to alter the bodies homeostasis. I have been doing keto for a couple of year, and had some initial weight loss, but gained it back over time even though I didn't change how I ate. My body really likes being 190 pounds. I am hoping to get my resting body weight down to 160, but I would be thrilled with it being 175 too.

32
d4d5c4e5•

If you want to really kill the junk food habit, try cycling extended fasts for a while (maybe 3-5 days, followed by 2-3 day refeeds). You will likely find there simply aren't enough opportunities to eat to really make any kind of junk a habit.

16
PM_ME_YOUR_ARSEHOLES•

This is pure fantasy

2
Meeseekslookatmee•

This has not been my experience. If I'm not fasting the weight is creeping up.

12
JorgePasada•

In my experience it takes a solid 14 to 21 days of continuous fasting, or a solid 3 to 6 months of IF for this to hold true. Also you have to not use the fasting as an excuse to eat junk all the time when you're doing IF. But if you don't eat for 3 weeks, you'll keep the weight off for at least 3 months in my experience.

6
mandragaraOPSW 139kg - CW 111.7kg - GW 105kg•

Maybe it's an age thing? I'm 25

2
KingSnazz32•

First of all, congrats on the progress. That's a fantastic change in only a year.

I think in the long run you'll be a lot happier if you try to give up that fast food habit. You may do better in the short to medium term, but your body will eventually reset, and you'll be obese again.

4
mandragaraOPSW 139kg - CW 111.7kg - GW 105kg•

I'm a believer in calories in = calories out, so if I don't eat too much of the stuff I'll be OK. Also I'm Australian so I feel our KFC might be higher quality than the US strain?

Anyway, I have to walk past a KFC 4 times a day on my way to and from work, it's just too convenient. Maybe I'll look into it if I have trouble getting below 100 kg.

0
Stompa_Guy•

I'm an American in QLD and I can vouch for the American KFC being better quality. I was also disappointed that they give you a stale dinner roll with your meal instead of a buttermilk biscuit. (Similar to a light, fluffy scone, not a cookie.)

1
mandragaraOPSW 139kg - CW 111.7kg - GW 105kg•

I'm surprised the American one is better. I thought it was bottom tier fast food over there whereas here it's like more expensive than a Cafe lunch.

1
morfasie•

What was your IF routine?

3
mandragaraOPSW 139kg - CW 111.7kg - GW 105kg•

Twice a week, I don't eat all day and go to bed on an empty stomach.

The next day I don't eat breakfast (I never eat breakfast normally anyway), I then eat lunch when and if I feel like it.

Outside of that I eat whatever I want, whenever I want, without guilt.

I know there are much more serious fasters in this subreddit, for you I guess the takeaway is even a mild routine can be effective.

  • Please don't take this as dietary advice, you need to do what works for you. I don't really eat for emotional reasons so I could see how this could backfire if you did.
  • I do stay away from chain burger\pizza fast food though, just out of personal taste preferences. So KFC is OK but I'll pass on the Dominos\McDonalds etc.
13
reijn•

For me it's more like fasting reduces my stomach capacity to what I'm assuming is a normal person's stomach (and not an overweight former BED person). So when I return to eating, I just can't fit as much as I used to.

My cravings when refeeding are usually pretty healthy too, my fast food favorites of course are always calling me, but thankfully I'm too lazy and poor to go out of my way to drive there to do that.

My current long term plan once I reach some area around my goal weight is to fast 36 hours twice per week for maintenance.

2
night_heron_tx•

There are plenty of fasting success stories followed by regaining the weight. It happens. A lot. Glad you’ve been able to maintain.

1
mandragaraOPSW 139kg - CW 111.7kg - GW 105kg•

Thanks, I was surprised as well. Perhaps it's the method of weight loss, IF vs long fasts? Or an age\sex thing. Or just luck.

1
downvotesgivemeachub•

Same thing happened to me

1