| | Water Fasting

How long do you usually fast?

I particularly enjoy shorter, 48-hour fasts. I was wondering what you guys usually average. Also, what kinds of results (weight loss, etc.) do you see? Just curious!

Answer

That’s like asking how much you usually run. Not that I run anymore but think about it; some jog, some sprint, some run marathons. Everybody does what they like the most.

Weight loss is more of a factor of how much you weight. If you are currently at say 220 pounds, you are going to lose a lot more weight than if you weight 160. Basically at 220 it is the equivalent of carrying a 70 pound backpack every moment of your waking life, and that burns a lot of energy/calories. If you calculate how many calories your body spends in a day, you can calculate how much you can expect to lose by fasting/not consuming those calories. The norm is about half a pound per fasting day, with the rest being water.

Answer

I’ve been doing IF since late June this year. Started at 16:8 then worked up to 18:6, then OMAD. I don’t mind not-fasting or breaking early for special occasions/being social.

I’ve done 2 multi-day fasts (67h and 117h) thus far. All total I’ve dropped ~20lbs since I started. For reference: 35M 5’11” SW ~198lb, CW ~175lb, GW 165-170lb.

I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do once I hit GW. I think I’ll continue to IF/OMAD - it’s not particularly challenging for me at this point and I appreciate not having the distraction of food during the work day / a food coma after lunch. I’m not sure how I’ll incorporate longer fasts, though. I like them as an exercise in discipline/self-control, and for the health/immune system benefits. Maybe I’ll not manage my weight too closely and let it float up a bit so that I have some fat stores to work thru during ~quarterly multi-day fasts.