Sorry to hear that. I am no expert on this but I have been reading various posts on this forum and it is my understanding that the secret to keeping the weight off is all in how you break your fast and adapting a raw diet/ vegetarian diet for a while after the fast and gradually introducing proteins and carbs to your body.

In a post fast era, you need to eat less food to keep the same weight you had prior to your fast because your body is able to assimilate food more and better. Hence, your present calorie intake may be too high for you. Most people do not realize this and end up gaining more weight after they finish their fast.

Shelton mentions that the first week(s) gaining weight is very rapid. Despite the amount of calories.

OK, try looking at it this way. if you're female, not obese, not excessively active during your fast, then, allowing for a slow reduction in metabolism from day one, you were were probably burning an avg 2000 cals x 7 days = 14,000 / 3600 (=1lb fat) = 3.9 lb fat loss loss during the 1st wk of your fast.

add 1lb water loss each day and voila! approx 10lbs total weight loss in one week.

but you also have to take into account that the avg female has a BMR (basic metabolic rate) of between 1200-1600 cals burned pr day just lying in bed (you can calculate yours on the net) but that calculation may be less depending on one's dieting patterns prior to the fast (yo-yo dieting may have reduce BMR) metabolic syndrome (hyp'o'thyroidism, insulin resistance etc) hormone cycle fluid retention (when fast began and ended) many things. also take into account that one's daily BMR gradually slows down even in only a 1 week fast some to a mere 800 cals of fat burning pr day (a mere 1.5 lbs fat loss per week!) if the fast extends to a 21 dayer.

therefore one's fat loss in the first week may even be as low as 2lbs (not incl water) and avg even less if the fast had continued

so. after a 7 day fast usually 4-7lb of water weight returns in a matter of days and the 2-4lbs of fat loss stays off *only* if you eat NO MORE than your now - and still - reducing daily calorie needs - for at least a week or two anyway because.. the body has a *delayed reaction*. meaning it continues to reduce its cal needs even during your re-feeding. meaning, by the end of your 7 day fast you may only need as little as 1000 cals pr day if inactive or have a metabolic syndrome and such a small cal consumption can very easily be miscalculated.

the best part is; if you really really are eating less than your now slower metabolism and have no metabolic syndrome then you WILL STILL be in fat burning mode and next week you'll be wondering why youre losing weight again even tho you've been gradually increasing the cals. so don't worry it is possible to keep those hard won lbs off, if one realizes the jobs not done on the 7th day.

for these reasons i no longer fast (for weight loss that is) it just became counterproductive. i used to fast a lot when i was younger but now i only fast for an illness (like cold/flu or an ache somewhere). my priority nowadays is to maintain a fast metabolism so i can eat lots of healthy foods 'every' day and no longer feel as deprived as i did in my fasting days. i still feel deprived btw ;-) but its much easier to handle now that i don't fast for weight loss.

if/when my BMI (index) goes over 20.5 i immediately start feeling obese (which makes every one laugh) then out comes the big guns, the food scales, the cal diary (which i use every day anyway) nothing but fresh veg in the fridge, no money in the wallet if i don't have to spend. "i have strategies" :-) and in return i get to look and feel great everyday and will into old age. totally worth it.

i think more people have difficulty avoiding temptation with all these tasty foods in our faces than care to admit. we are not alone.