The FastDay Forum

I’ve been doing IF for 2 weeks. 16/8 eating window 1pm-9pm. No breakfast just black coffee no cream or sugar sub or green tea no sugar sub. I do however take my supplements (multi vitamin, the B 100’s, vitamin D, Alfa Man herbal supplements) during my eating window I try keeping my carbs low & protein / fat high. For the most part I’ve been working out fasted, 30 mins cardio & some weights. Some days I have to workout fed because of my schedule. My weight started out at 228 and it came down to 224 but jumped back up to 226. What could I be doing wrong? Is taking my supplements fasted the wrong thing to do or is this normal for weight not to move until your body gets adjusted? I heard that after 2 wks your body switches to fat burning mode. Maybe I’m rushing things? Please advise. Thanks!
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REPLY

Welcome to the group! Yes, you're rushing things a bit.

Started from a similar point nearly 5 years ago, then averaging 10 pounds lost per month, maintaining since. Weight variation of 3-4 pounds during the day is completely normal. Lightest in the morning, heaviest in the evening. Be aware that an especially carby meal will add an additional pound or two for a day or so before dropping back. This is because the body requires additional water to process those carbs. This also explains the early sudden weight loss that all diets have grown to depend on for their marketing efforts!

It's useful to start a food log (and weigh yourself everyday, first thing in the morning) so that you can identify these kinds of things as your experience with the process grows. Check out the weight tracker here to plot your progress and smooth out the inevitably irritating waves in daily weight.

Adding cream (fat, butter, coconut oil) to coffee is harmless. Sugar in all forms should be avoided because it spikes insulin which immediately stops fat burning. Realize that this restriction isn't necessarily permanent, but early in the process it should be to get the best results.

If otherwise healthy, supplements for the most part are harmless. Protein however should also be kept low because the excess will be converted to glucose, which can increase insulin etc... Add fat instead, to gain satiety. Weight lifting is considered ideal to maintain lean muscle mass during weight loss efforts. From a number of sources cardio has been shown to be nearly useless as an effective calorie burning tool, but otherwise good for general health and attitude.

Being able to use fat for energy takes a minimum of several days to get started. To become fully fat-adapted (ie: not hungry, ever) can take 4-6 weeks or more. Getting back to previous cardio performance levels is nearer the outside of that estimate. Be patient.

Overall 5:2 and its variations work. But they are not a quick one time and done fix. To anticipate or consider ever going back to what was "normal eating" is to invite weight regain with a vengeance.

This is a lot of information in a hurry. Questions? Ask them and we'll see what we can do.

Lots of great advice and suggestions from ADFnFuel. I agree with a lot of what he has written, but I do urge caution around the balance of food groups in your diet. Although I believe that the recommendations from ADFnFuel can be associated with good weight loss and more fat burning, our diet should not be just about losing weight. It is important to ensure the body gets all the nutrients it ideally needs.

Keeping added sugar to a minimum is a good idea, but many fruits have important nutrients, as do whole grains. I also believe that an adequate amount of protein is needed to ensure muscle repair after exercise, as well as for many other purposes in the body.. I am not a fan of having a lot of fat in your diet, though I acknowledge the points made by ADFnFuel. Make sure the fats are healthy ones (not too much cream perhaps).

I do think that consulting a dietician could be useful.

Very best wishes!

I am also doing 16:8 and the weight loss is slow going! If you can shorten your window at all, that may help. Because of my schedule, the best I can usually do is a 7 hour window. I also try to keep my carbs lower (under 100g) and I track all my food and watch my calories. For me, I haven't really found the fasting itself to be a magic fix, it really does just seem to reduce my calories, but I'm not sure. I've done it before, but I've been doing it seriously the last month and only lost about 4 pounds, which was holiday weight to begin with! I haven't been exercising much though either. I'm hoping with time and more exercise I'll start to lose more.