Ok, so first of all you’re not stupid. No one knows all the answers when they are first starting out. It takes trial and error to figure out what works/what works for your body. Secondly, be careful with your words. I know you’re asking for fasting advice but fasting takes lots of mental strength. Please try to speak kindly to yourself and give yourself some grace. I know you certainly wouldn’t speak like this to someone else who was struggling with their weight, don’t do it to yourself. We’re here for you! We know you can do this! I’ve lost 60 pounds since September not because I’m special but because I stuck with it. You have everything it takes to make it work!
I like to drink sparkling water because it makes me feel full but that’s a personal preference. Be care to get one without any calories/sugar/sugar substitutes.
When you feel yourself getting hungry that’s ok! Your poor little body is just so programmed by society to eat at certain times of the day it THINKS it’s hungry but it’s not actually hungry. Have some tea/sparkling water and distract yourself for a bit. The hunger with pass naturally until the next “meal time.” Do the same thing until YOU are ready to break your fast. Remind yourself that you are giving your overworked intestines a much needed break, that they actually really, really need!!
You’ve got everything it takes to be successful!! I am so excited to read your success story in a few months!! Feel free to reach out if you need some help. Good luck!
i’m starting today as well! i’m the same height as you and around the same weight as well. hate how i look specially since i’m short the weight is so obvious. just remember after eating your gonna feel even worse than u did out of regret for breaking ur fast, sometimes the things we eat out of hunger isn’t even worth it after we’re done and have to hit reset.
You got this!
Fasting, whether it is intermittent or extended, does not cause weight loss. The only thing that causes weight loss is consuming less calories than you burn. Most people burn around 2,000 calories per day. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat.
On an extended fast you could lose 1/2 - 3/4 lb per day on average. But, the scale might tell you that you’ve lost more. Dont be fooled or discouraged. Some of the changes on the scale are you emptying your digestive tract and exceting the water retained by the carbs in your system. That weight will come right back when you refeed.
With intermittent fasting if you eat more than 2,000 calories (or whatever you burn) in a day you won’t lose weight. Calorie counting and eating 500 less than you burn will make you lose 1 lb/week. (500 x 7 = 3,500). Burn an extra 500 calories per day through exercise and lose another lb/week. 1 hour of brisk walking burns about 500 calories.
There are lots of benefits to fasting beyond helping with calorie restriction. Like “autophagy” which can include rebooting your immune system. Knowledge is power. Learn as much as you can about weight loss, exercise, nutrition and dieting. Make yourself an expert on your body, like a pro mechanic and their car or am astronaut and their ship. Learning a little everyday has the added bonus of keeping you focused on your goal. Dont be afraid to change things up as you learn new things.
Weight loss and health are a marathon not a sprint. You can’t get to your goal and stop taking care of yourself. Maintaining your goal weight takes work. Learn about “body set point.”
When you lose weight your skin needs to shrink. Help it by using lotion twice a day. Help it even more by not losing the weight too quickly so your skin has time to keep up. 2 lbs/week is a good pace.
You got this.
For my mindset when I started, I told myself I’d “skip breakfast” and eat lunch at 1.
Consider something like that at first. If your eating window is 1-7PM that’s 18/6. Eat dinner, let it settle before bed, skip breakfast and eat lunch at 1. Was simple for me. I would switch to coffee around 10am and after a cup or two move to sparkling water
How long are you fasting for? 16 hours did nothing for me. Same with 18. I do well with fasts that are at least 20 hours. But I worked up slowly to 24 hr fasts, 28, 36, 42, 48. Now I do a 60 hr fast once a week and love it. Take your time and try different things to see what works for you. And if you want to do long fasts, build up to it slowly and take electrolytes. Good luck! You’ve got this.
Not stupid, you’d be surprised by how little any of us actually know. Go into this understanding you don’t know though, that’s the best way to be receptive to the process better. You research and care more when you realize and accept that.
Keep it up! I just got into 34h of my 7 day fast. Let’s get this started together. You’ve got this
YOU ARE NOT STUPID!I used to be 110lbs, 5’4. Due to an illness, surgery and a difficult recovery, I ended up being 200lbs. This was three years ago.
In those three years, my weight has bounced all over the place. At 31, I hated how I felt in my own body. It felt like it didn’t belong to me. I hated how I looked. My confidence was in the dumps and I almost destroyed my own marriage.
It has taken a long long long time for me to even like (not love) where I am at and to learn to love the journey I am taking. No one is going to make you feel better about your body and nothing anyone will say can change how you see your reflection. Trust me, my husband and friends were all very supportive but that didn’t matter. This self love has to come from you.
Everyone has something that is beautiful about them. So, love yourself, even if it is just one thing. … for now.
Trust that you can do this. Know that it will take time.
And in case you are wondering, I only started fasting a week ago. Down 7lbs in my first week, ate and regained 1.5lbs. Currently on my second fast! Girl, you can do it too!
Same height here and almost same age.
For me fasting is something i need to work my way up on. I can’t just decide one day I’m going to do a fast that is significantly longer than the last one i did. It’s a certain fail. I need to plan ahead, and i need to build up the time incrementally.
It’s also much easier to fast when my body is used to ketosis. So try going keto for the first week or two before you decide to fast and see if that makes a difference.