I have been fasting now for 11 days. I have thus far lost 31 pounds, and feel great. No hunger, no cravings… it’s like it has completely reset my (extremely unhealthy) relationship with food.
Today I had a CT scan. I had just had a full abdomen CT scan last month, so I asked them today if they could make sure they got my liver and if they would compare versus last month’s scan, and they happily said yes. So within the next day or so I will have an idea as to whether or not this is having a beneficial effect on the NAFLD.
My plan currently is to finish out to 14 days, see how I feel, and if my weight is not quite where I want it, push towards 21 (or my target weight, whichever comes first).
As of now, my belt has moved in two notches, and my clothes are getting baggy- jeans I haven’t been able to wear for years are now fitting great. It appears that most of what I have lost/am losing is likely just the visceral fat, which I had a TON of (CT scan last month showed multiple fat-containing inguinal hernias). I still have excess subcutaneous fat, but I’m not terribly worried about that- after I break the fast I’m going to start hitting the gym daily and sticking with a keto diet, and try to get into better physical shape.
krondys: None of us know enough about your health situation to offer advice. And I’m not sure you are seeking it! But at the risk of offering unsolicited advice that misses something unique about your situation, I urge you to reconsider whether this approach is actually healthy for you.
If you just lost 31 pounds in 11 days then you were and remain morbidly obese. That means that fasting until you reach a healthy weight will involve longer than 3 more days. That kind of prolonged fast is very unlikely to be healthy for you, for three reasons: (1) a typical person will start losing mostly non-fat tissue in a prolonged fast once they reach a non-morbidly obese weight; (2) you will start to experience micronutrient deficits that can be harmful; and (3) you aren’t learning how to eat sustainably, which is the only important thing here since it is the only thing that will keep you at a healthy weight.
A far better approach is to eat at a caloric deficit. You will lose far less muscle, you will get all your vitamins, and you will learn to eat in a way that you can sustain forever. You can even do that by intermittent fasting if you prefer and it helps you with compliance (only eating inside a certain window).
Just my two cents out of genuine concern. Feel free to tell me to fuck off.
Not seeking advice, and definitely not going to tell you to fuck off, just sharing my experience thus far. I’m definitely not planning on fasting until I hit a healthy weight, necessarily, just until I seem to have things in hand.
I have been taking a daily multivitamin, as well as trying to make sure I am replenishing electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and magnesium).
I agree that this isn’t helping with eating sustainably… that is the next step. I’m hoping that this hard reset might help, as previously I would eat in response to… Well, everything. Stress, boredom, happiness, just because… Now I’ve had to find other things to fill those roles, which I hope will stick with me past this.
Best of luck to you. Depending on how much longer you proceed on very low calories, you might have your doctors monitor your levels of the things most likely to become deficient (which, if I recall correctly from the research is B Vitamins and Vitamin K). The multi may or may not help with that, so it it safer to get a blood draw.
No, you didn’t lose 31 pounds in 11 days. Dr. Jason Fung, an expert on intermittent and extended fasting puts fasting weight loss at around a half pound of fat per day. You lose a lot of water weight while fasting but it all comes back when you start to eat. For long term weigh loss a good fasting protocol is alternate day fasting. Eat lunch and dinner on Sunday, fast all day Monday, eat lunch and dinner on Tuesday, fast all day Wednesday, lunch and dinner on Thursday… By now you see the pattern. That gives you a 42 hour fast three times a week.
Totally sustainable, and as long as you don’t try to restrict calories on your eating days, keeps your metabolism revved up. Calorie restriction always leads to a reduction in basal metabolic rate, that’s why those diets fail 95% of the time. When you reach your goal weight you just shorten the periods of fasting. I’m coasting along at an 18:6 intermittent fasting schedule, basically skipping breakfast every day.
There seems to be quite a lot of reports that reduced carb intake can help fatty liver disease (the non-alcoholic variety, that is) - so yeah, it should.
A ketogenic diet is very much all the rage as far as addressing a number of health issues - including type 2 diabetes. There seems to be no question that it works, at least in the short term. I don’t think they know yet what a long-term keto diet does to other aspects of the metabolism.
Update: I did end up breaking my fast on Friday. After cooking and carving the turkey on Thursday, I rendered the carcass down into a very tasty broth that I used to break my fast (about 16 ounces or so every 2-3 hours). Saturday, I supplemented the broth with eggs and cheese.
In the end, I dropped from around 250 pounds to 215, belt went from straining on the last notch to sitting comfortably at the fourth notch from the end. Lots of loose clothes, we’ll have to see if I can maintain now.
However, I do have a pro-tip…
Don’t break your fast then go out drinking and singing karaoke to celebrate. It didn’t end well.
ETA: This is the last extended fast for me. I am going to be doing intermittent fasting… doctor I talked to on Sunday morning said he has seen good results with a strange 3-day cycle… eat normal one day, ketogenic the next, complete fast the third, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. I’ll give it a shot.