Hey Bro, I got fat too, I was up to 260 and I started going to the gym and doing my little workout when I started with IF, mostly 16/8 at the beginning and moved into OMAD and 48s. I tend to eat high protein, lots of fish. I’ve since stopped going to the gym (schedule, lazy, etc) and sure I’ve lost some strength, but I’m still muscular. I hit 210 the other day. Its been about 4 months, I could have forced it, but its been easy.
I’ve had people get on me about fasting, but I rarely (almost never) get heartburn anymore where I used to pop pepcid all the time. I feel great, I feel healthy and even without working out I’m still losing weight.
I’m also no super strict, if I get invited to the bar or an event, I’m going and I’m gonna enjoy it. Benefits of being a guy I suppose that IF still works for me lol.
So sorry about your accident. Glad you’re on the mend now.
I understand where you’re coming from. My family and friends don’t agree at all with fasting and constantly try to give me advice on how to eat or what to eat because “fasting is sooo bad for you”.
Ultimately, you have to do what’s best for you. I’ve spent years and years on diet after diet with little to no results. Then, I lost 4 stone (56lbs) through fasting alone so I know that it works for me and I’m not going to stop. Just make sure to do your research and listen to your body. There are days when you just want support from your loved ones but there is a whole community out there who has your back and will be here to support you through your journey.
It sounds as if you’ve been dealt some bad cards, and are trying for a better hand. A lot of people report remarkable healing from keto and fasting, although I cannot say how much it can help your particular issues. I’m sure that carrying all those extra pounds around is not going to help your body, though. It sounds to me as if you are off to a good start. Your body doesn’t need carbs. As for the negativity, many IF /Fasting people don’t talk about it, because they’ve had the same experience you’ve had. My neighbor flipped out when I told her I was fasting. “But you’re diabetic!”. Yes, it’s a food-related disorder…how is not eating going to make it worse? Hang in there, get support from people here, ask questions, learn!
Good for you for wanting to better yourself !
This is the exact reaction my brother is going to have if he finds out I fast. He’s big time weight lifting for strongman competitions and stuff. He would eat plain oatmeal like tons of it, a tub of yogurt & giant 2 pound bowl of plain ground beef for meals. I never commented cause eh it really doesn’t matter to my own life. To each their own. It’s your life , do what feels right.
I was amazed at the hostility and derision I got 20 years ago when I went low carb to lose weight or go on a shit ton of meds. They stopped once the weight came off, 60 lbs total in 2 years. I’m stubborn AF and good at shrugging things like off but it still stung.
My advice is to thank him for his concern but you’re going to keep doing what you’re doing. Or tell him to STFU, depending on your friendship. lol Don’t sweat the peanut gallery. None of them are in your body and thus their opinions are irrelevant.
You’re down over 20 lbs! It’s working for you and that’s all that matters. Muscle tone will come back once you’re pain free enough to work out.
This was always the type of reaction I feared from people but 9 times out of 10 I got support.
The few times I got that reaction I was able to fully explain the changes my body goes through on a fast, the fact that humans have fasted for various reasons throughout history (religion etc), what I’m trying to achieve, and the fact that the record for human fasting is over a year (doctor supervised, with vitamins). I started at 230 lbs and I’m down to 174, I’ve never had anything worse than a headache or slight feeling of weakness, in which case I either ate, took some ibuprofen, or got some electrolytes.
I don’t buy into the “screw up your metabolism” argument, I’ve tried the whole eat 6 small meals a day to “stoke” the metabolism thing … It didn’t work for me.
If your friend is making you feel unsure about what you are doing I would suggest reading (or listening to) “the obesity code” by Dr Jason Fung or consulting your doctor (a lot of doctors are supporting IF now).
I think every smart thing has already been said by other redditors:Keep it up if you feel like it’s the right thing for you at the moment. You get to decide, not your roommate.
Just wanted to ask you to keep posting because I think your style of writing is hilarious and as a non-native English speaker, I’ve picked up some funny terms I haven’t heard of before.
You Gotta do what’s best for you. It’s your life. Not your roommates.
People are generally against fasting because people are ignorant and don’t know it’s actually good for you. People are told to eat 3 meals a day. Which WE know is not necessary.
You have to stand up to your roommates. Tell them to shut the hell up, mind their own business, and you just soldier on. There is zero reason why you should let other people influence your life in a negative way.
Are they overweight? If so, tell them simply you’re taking advice from someone who looks like they know what they’re talking about. They’ll should get the stab.
Everyone wants to act like they know everything. You going to take tips to gain from muscle from a pipsqueak or someone who is covered in muscles?
I don’t understand why everyone has to let their emotions push them into being a subject matter expert in every field. I’ve learned to assume its some insecurity they’re projecting because you make them feel like inferior from their lack of control and will. How dare you outshine them.
Best of luck on your fasting journey! i usually do a 2-3 day fast a year. Couple times i’ve done back to back 3 days with a big meal in between. The feeling is amazing and can’t be explained.
To anyone who freaks out when I tell them I only eat one meal per day, I tell them I am under the guidance of my doctor… they immediately shift their attitude.
To clarify: I am kind of under the guidance of my doctor. She knows my weight is a problem and she knows I am working on it from an intermittent fasting perspective, and she’s fully supportive.
Sorry about the accident and glad you are on a path to make yourself back on track! I too underwent a knee surgery in the month of November, pretty lame injury. i ended up eating more and the holidays. Gained a good 10 pounds, started IF a few weeks back.
I actually did IF in the past and lost 40 pounds, did pretty much what you mentioned low carb and IF with some exercise, where i messed it up was protein intake or balancing the necessary nutrients + minimum food requiremnt. I thought i was loosing weight but i went on starvation mode and lost muscles. And once i stopped IF i gained some of the fat back. So make sure you include the necessary nutrients and meet your daily needs.
Someone told me IF was a “fancy form of anorexia” which didn’t make sense to me because im still eating the recommended calories. I’m just trying not to listen to other peoples opinions and do what I know is best for me
I mean he’s partially right about that. It’s simple to not get the amount of calories you need, the nutrition you need, and it’s simple to make carbs the enemy when the reality is carbs are just fine, it’s the type of carbs people eat (certain fruits have tons of carbs for example). You can also mess up your metabolism if you’re not handling things correctly. Point is, he’s made important remarks and it’s important to note that IF isn’t something to jump into without doing proper research
Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry about your accident and what you experienced after that.
Tell us more about your IF schedule. With 20g of carbs, you are a very low-carb diet or keto or something else. I’m currently eating 40% carbs, which is 124g. I’m just saying you are doing more than IF.
I once told my mom I felt hungry but couldn’t eat yet because I was on hour 17 and I wanted to make it to 18. She told me “that’s way too long to go without eating” 😂 so I don’t share with her what my eating habits are anymore. She comes from a long line of being forced to eat when you’re not hungry, so I get it. That side of our family is all overweight, including myself, but it seems like I’m the only one who is really trying to improve instead of falling into the same habits. Thankfully my husband supports me every day and before having breakfast, asks if it’s okay first haha
All in all, keep up the good work! 21 pounds is a good chunk to lose, and I’m glad you’re still able to get around despite having some roadblocks (no pun intended). Keep doing what you’re doing, especially if it’s working for you. And if your roommate has problems, tell him to read posts on this sub because they literally have taught me everything I needed about IF and it’s changed my life!
Did your roommate speak up when you put on 50lbs ? That’s not “healthy” either but ppl freak out more about what you are not eating than what you are…I say let your body be your guide. Don’t be self punitive (your body has done awesome in healing!) but experiment with what feels right. I bet carrying around less weight will increase your ability to heal and get strong and the autophagy benefits can’t hurt. Perhaps you have a plan to focus on weight loss first and muscle building next…
I don’t mean to judge but this “gym rat” has their own perception of eating habits etc and they’re trying to project them on to you.
As other people have said, don’t listen to the negativity. If IF is what you want to do, just do it.
People tend to judge others based on their own metabolism. You don’t have his, and that’s fine, you’re doing IF to combat that discrepancy. I would keep conversations to exercises for the gym and not diet, if I were in your shoes.