I'm trying fasting again

[FlexpertHamilton]

I am 6'½ 185 lbs as of last month, and I want to lose about 25-30 lbs by the end of year. Last year I was in the best shape of my life, and since then I gained about 15 lbs of mostly fat while losing some muscle, so that was a wake up call. Don't want to develop the dreaded dad body and I'd rather be leaner asap and worry about muscle later.

For the last 2 weeks I've been doing strict OMAD and I don't typically eat anything until about 9pm where I then consume about 1200-1500 cals, high protein, high fat, low/moderate carb.

If I get weak or hungry I drink a green/probiotic supplement (Ghost Greens) mixed with a preworkout (BCAAs, amino acids, electrolytes) which is maybe 15 cals at most. Otherwise I am only eating seafood, some fruit, homemade salads, protein shakes, or premade meals (got a bunch of free Factor75 meals). No snacks.

So far in about 2 weeks I've already lost about 10 lbs of pure subcutaneous fat, and my whole torso is much flatter and less bloated/flabby. I'm not super built, so at 185 lbs my body fat % was probably +20% which I found deplorable - if I gained another 10-15 lbs I'd be on my way to developing man boobs. Now i'm guessing it's already below 18% based on the fact that I can see my abs again.

I want to work up to doing a full 5-7 day water+salt fast, but I already find it difficult enough tto sleep on a caloric deficit, let alone empty stomach. If anyone has any tips for sleeping on a fast please share them!

If anyone is curious I can post updates for the next several weeks and see how this turns out.

 

[Obee1]

Why not just keep doing what you're doing? You're down 10 lbs and 5 lbs away from what you said was the best shape of your life. 6 1/2 and your goal weight is 155 lbs? IMO, you don't have the muscle tissue to sacrifice for a 5-7 day fast. Less muscle tissue = slower metabolism. I would consider resistance training and more recomp than straight weight loss. A muscular 6 1/2 and 180 lbs sounds better than 6 1/2 155 lbs. Fasting or intermittent fasting can be a good thing but it can also just make you skinny fat if done improperly. You may end up looking more like a emaciated runway model than a muscular super hero.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I'd recommend a 5:2 program, which is what I do regularly.

Mitigates any muscle loss that you will have from longer fasts, highly effective at fat loss.

Your goal should be to lose fat, not weight. Your method is going to result in a lot of that being lean body mass which is counterproductive to what you want.

I highly recommend you don't do this. At least not in the method you are attempting to.

Why are you imposing this on such a short time frame? What is the importance of it being by the end of the year?

Do you have some contest prep you are doing or some other reason that it needs to be completed by that time like you are going to lose out on an opportunity or lose money or something?

If not, then you should set a more realistic goal based on sound science and not some random date that you've chosen that has no real meaning.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

Why not just keep doing what you're doing? You're down 10 lbs and 5 lbs away from what you said was the best shape of your life. 6 1/2 and your goal weight is 155 lbs? IMO, you don't have the muscle tissue to sacrifice for a 5-7 day fast. Less muscle tissue = slower metabolism. I would consider resistance training and more recomp than straight weight loss. A muscular 6 1/2 and 180 lbs sounds better than 6 1/2 155 lbs. Fasting or intermittent fasting can be a good thing but it can also just make you skinny fat if done improperly. You may end up looking more like a emaciated runway model than a muscular super hero.

I have lost some muscle mass since last year so relative to my weight I'm still less lean than I was then at the same weight.

The effectiveness of fasts isn't based on muscle mass but fat. I have high body fat. Metabolism is moot. I'd rather start lean and very slowly gain weight than try to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously ie recomp.

A muscular 6 1/2 and 180 lbs sounds better than 6 1/2 155 lbs. Fasting or intermittent fasting can be a good thing but it can also just make you skinny fat if done improperly. You may end up looking more like a emaciated runway model than a muscular super hero.

Again I'm not particularly muscular at 180lbs. For instance I cannot OHP more than 135 lbs for a couple reps. I'm at least 20% body fat so I'm basically already skinny fat. Last time I did this I lost almost all fat and very little muscle.

I'd recommend a 5:2 program, which is what I do regularly.

Mitigates any muscle loss that you will have from longer fasts, highly effective at fat loss.

Your goal should be to lose fat, not weight. Your method is going to result in a lot of that being lean body mass which is counterproductive to what you want.

I highly recommend you don't do this. At least not in the method you are attempting to.

Why are you imposing this on such a short time frame? What is the importance of it being by the end of the year?

Do you have some contest prep you are doing or some other reason that it needs to be completed by that time like you are going to lose out on an opportunity or lose money or something?

If not, then you should set a more realistic goal based on sound science and not some random date that you've chosen that has no real meaning.

I did set a bet with my friend for EOY. Plus I am gaining too much fat and I want to put a stop to it. I also generally like to lose weight in the winter so I don't have to worry about cutting around summer.

In my experience and the experiences I hear from others, fasting causes minimal muscle loss. It's simply an expediated way to lose fat and inflammation/bloating as well and promotes autophagy to boot. A few years ago I fasted from 180-185 to 160 and my deadlift PR barely dropped. The most noticeable muscle loss was in my delts and lats but those are for easy me to retrain.

 

[BoomToTheMoonAlice]

I fast for two days before I hit the buffet.

 

[Robert28]

I'd recommend a 5:2 program, which is what I do regularly.

Mitigates any muscle loss that you will have from longer fasts, highly effective at fat loss.

Your goal should be to lose fat, not weight. Your method is going to result in a lot of that being lean body mass which is counterproductive to what you want.

I highly recommend you don't do this. At least not in the method you are attempting to.

Why are you imposing this on such a short time frame? What is the importance of it being by the end of the year?

Do you have some contest prep you are doing or some other reason that it needs to be completed by that time like you are going to lose out on an opportunity or lose money or something?

If not, then you should set a more realistic goal based on sound science and not some random date that you've chosen that has no real meaning.

Do you do 2 consecutive days or how do you structure it? For instance is I workout during the week, fast Saturday and Sunday?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Do you do 2 consecutive days or how do you structure it? For instance is I workout during the week, fast Saturday and Sunday?

Nope, not 2 consecutive days.

I workout 4x a week 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off.

Typically fast Monday/Thursday.

In your case maybe try fasting one of your off days and then maybe you could try changing your meal start/end times to get a 24 hour fast on one of those other days.

 

[obelisk]

Are these 24hr fasts two days a week?
Are these water or dry fasts typically?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I have lost some muscle mass since last year so relative to my weight I'm still less lean than I was then at the same weight.

The effectiveness of fasts isn't based on muscle mass but fat. I have high body fat. Metabolism is moot. I'd rather start lean and very slowly gain weight than try to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously ie recomp.



Again I'm not particularly muscular at 180lbs. For instance I cannot OHP more than 135 lbs for a couple reps. I'm at least 20% body fat so I'm basically already skinny fat. Last time I did this I lost almost all fat and very little muscle.


I did set a bet with my friend for EOY. Plus I am gaining too much fat and I want to put a stop to it. I also generally like to lose weight in the winter so I don't have to worry about cutting around summer.

In my experience and the experiences I hear from others, fasting causes minimal muscle loss. It's simply an expediated way to lose fat and inflammation/bloating as well and promotes autophagy to boot. A few years ago I fasted from 180-185 to 160 and my deadlift PR barely dropped. The most noticeable muscle loss was in my delts and lats but those are for easy me to retrain.

I feel you on the winter part...this is the first time in a while that I am controlling my normal 20+ lb weight gain over the winter.

Mostly from too much eating of bad stuff/holiday food.

Still holding under 185 lbs which I am pretty happy about. As long as I stay under 185 thru the EOY I will be set up really well for my normal getting in shape process that happens thru spring.

Finding it's much harder to drop weight as I age and as such want to ensure I stay focused on keeping it in check.

Honestly in your situation I would focus less on fasting and more on gym workouts. Specifically intense short workouts of like 20-30 minutes which would help build muscle and torch fat.

And walking. I get 12-18K steps in a day with a few days being higher like 20-21K steps. It's one of the greatest fat torchers there is if you do it consistently.

Fast maybe once or twice a week but the key for you will be to start lifting weights. Not only will lean muscle help with fat loss and burning calories/metabolic rate, it will also make you look a lot better after you drop the fat.

 

[EyeOnThePrize]

I am 6'½ 185 lbs as of last month, and I want to lose about 25-30 lbs by the end of year. Last year I was in the best shape of my life, and since then I gained about 15 lbs of mostly fat while losing some muscle, so that was a wake up call. Don't want to develop the dreaded dad body and I'd rather be leaner asap and worry about muscle later.

For the last 2 weeks I've been doing strict OMAD and I don't typically eat anything until about 9pm where I then consume about 1200-1500 cals, high protein, high fat, low/moderate carb.

If I get weak or hungry I drink a green/probiotic supplement (Ghost Greens) mixed with a preworkout (BCAAs, amino acids, electrolytes) which is maybe 15 cals at most. Otherwise I am only eating seafood, some fruit, homemade salads, protein shakes, or premade meals (got a bunch of free Factor75 meals). No snacks.

So far in about 2 weeks I've already lost about 10 lbs of pure subcutaneous fat, and my whole torso is much flatter and less bloated/flabby. I'm not super built, so at 185 lbs my body fat % was probably +20% which I found deplorable - if I gained another 10-15 lbs I'd be on my way to developing man boobs. Now i'm guessing it's already below 18% based on the fact that I can see my abs again.

I want to work up to doing a full 5-7 day water+salt fast, but I already find it difficult enough tto sleep on a caloric deficit, let alone empty stomach. If anyone has any tips for sleeping on a fast please share them!

If anyone is curious I can post updates for the next several weeks and see how this turns out.

I'll do a monthly three day fast, but not to burn fat. It simply gives the metabolism a chance to catch up and clean the pipes. Poorly folded proteins are broken down and autophagy is triggered to help clean up senescent cells. As other have mentioned, there are much better ways to burn fat if your goal is to drop some weight.

If you have a rigorous workout schedule of 40-60 min every other day with cardio on your off days, then losing weight will be easy since hitting your macro targets will become pretty hard. For me it's something like 3000 cal a day, which is typically a huge chore. Yours is probably around 2500 cal. Imo you're much better off bulking up to 210-220 while working out like an animal and then going into a cut phase with a very slight caloric deficit or going into 5:2 as mentioned above.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I feel you on the winter part...this is the first time in a while that I am controlling my normal 20+ lb weight gain over the winter.

Mostly from too much eating of bad stuff/holiday food.

Still holding under 185 lbs which I am pretty happy about. As long as I stay under 185 thru the EOY I will be set up really well for my normal getting in shape process that happens thru spring.

Finding it's much harder to drop weight as I age and as such want to ensure I stay focused on keeping it in check.

Honestly in your situation I would focus less on fasting and more on gym workouts. Specifically intense short workouts of like 20-30 minutes which would help build muscle and torch fat.

And walking. I get 12-18K steps in a day with a few days being higher like 20-21K steps. It's one of the greatest fat torchers there is if you do it consistently.

Fast maybe once or twice a week but the key for you will be to start lifting weights. Not only will lean muscle help with fat loss and burning calories/metabolic rate, it will also make you look a lot better after you drop the fat.

I did just do a big trip where I hiked 34-35 miles and nearly 10k elevation gain over 3 days. That alone probably triggered a big metabolic change for weeks. I do agree that just walking and stretching is key for recomps though. Lately the only exercise I do consistently is 30-45 minutes of HIIT sprints at 100% exertion and that's enough for me.

I honestly don't have the energy to lift weights on a caloric deficit, certainly not fasted, it's miserable to me. I need a lot of protein and carbs before lifting to have effective workouts or even enjoy them. Once I hit my target weight I'll only fast 1 day a week probably.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I did just do a big trip where I hiked 34-35 miles and nearly 10k elevation gain over 3 days. That alone probably triggered a big metabolic change for weeks. I do agree that just walking and stretching is key for recomps though. Lately the only exercise I do consistently is 30-45 minutes of HIIT sprints at 100% exertion and that's enough for me.

I honestly don't have the energy to lift weights on a caloric deficit, certainly not fasted, it's miserable to me. I need a lot of protein and carbs before lifting to have effective workouts or even enjoy them. Once I hit my target weight I'll only fast 1 day a week probably.

Then your caloric deficit is too high, IMO and that will end up killing your metabolism in the long run.

How many calories are you taking in on a daily basis? What's your caloric macro breakdown.

IMO, you have a lot that could be optimized, if I had to put a percent on it, you are roughly doing things 30-40% efficient

 

[Obee1]

I have lost some muscle mass since last year so relative to my weight I'm still less lean than I was then at the same weight.

The effectiveness of fasts isn't based on muscle mass but fat. I have high body fat. Metabolism is moot. I'd rather start lean and very slowly gain weight than try to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously ie recomp.



Again I'm not particularly muscular at 180lbs. For instance I cannot OHP more than 135 lbs for a couple reps. I'm at least 20% body fat so I'm basically already skinny fat. Last time I did this I lost almost all fat and very little muscle.


I did set a bet with my friend for EOY. Plus I am gaining too much fat and I want to put a stop to it. I also generally like to lose weight in the winter so I don't have to worry about cutting around summer.

In my experience and the experiences I hear from others, fasting causes minimal muscle loss. It's simply an expediated way to lose fat and inflammation/bloating as well and promotes autophagy to boot. A few years ago I fasted from 180-185 to 160 and my deadlift PR barely dropped. The most noticeable muscle loss was in my delts and lats but those are for easy me to retrain.

Not sure I can agree with a lot of your reasoning but sounds like you're going to do what you're going to do. If you lost the most muscle from your delts and lats last time, than regardless of the fat loss you probably looked fatter just by losing the "V" shape that is prevalent in strong athletic men. To answer your question about sleeping better while fasting, take Berberine after the last meal before beginning your fast. Then Ashwagandha an hour before sleep. Fasting increases cortisol which typically screws with the circadian rhythm until your body can adjust. Cortisol is typically lower in the evening but not necessarily while fasting. The rise in cortisol is needed though, because this helps breakdown fat (and some muscle) tissue for fuel. The best way to not breakdown muscle or at least minimize muscle loss, is to not workout during the fast. This will raise cortisol even higher and make sleep even more difficult. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

 

[BoomToTheMoonAlice]

Dry fasts are dangerous, don't do those.

 

[Ricky]

There was an article i read once that suggested there was a limit to how much fat could be burned in one day and its based on your current fat.

one way to interpret that is that it would not be good to have a deficit much greater than the amount of fat calories you can burn because then you would be at risk for burning more lean muscle.

They discuss it in this link
https://www.burnthefatinnercircle.c...t=This says that the limit,have 18 lbs of fat

 

[Hudson]

Hi there! Impressive progress in just 2 weeks! Keep up the discipline. For better sleep during a fast, consider herbal teas like chamomile or valerian root. Also, try creating a bedtime routine to signal relaxation. Additionally, incorporating aumeto berberine supplement can aid in safe weight management. It's effective for metabolism and supports digestive and heart health. Looking forward to your updates!

 

[BoomToTheMoonAlice]

Do you think lemon water in the morning breaks a fast?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Do you think lemon water in the morning breaks a fast?

It does not.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Short-term fasting outside of spiritual reasons is a meme.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Short-term fasting outside of spiritual reasons is a meme.

Uh...it's actually not. I do it regularly, twice a week around 36 hours at a time.

Been doing some form of fasting for 8-10 years.