Re: Does fasting for weight loss work? Is it a good solution?

The initial slope was greater because I was really obese, "morbidly obese" is the expression (above 40) and I know I had a lot of fluid. Thus I think the same loss would have occurred with either method, However I do keep an open mind.

What I am finding now is that it's getting a bit harder to lose weight. I know why this is, it is because I drink a few nights a week with friends, and I tend to buy too much food when it is on special offer, then I don't want to waste it. But I am not putting on weight, that's the good thing, and I could live like this indefinitely. It's better than lettuce and tomatoes because I know a lot about food now, and I am eating things like nuts, peas, beans and lentils which I find filling and satisfying. In earlier diet attempts I thought we needed meat, dairy and oils, and thought I was doing my body the world of good when I ate a large meal.

The fasting disciplined me a lot, I didn't drink alcohol for a year, and I stuck to what I then thought was a good diet (I now know better though).

So I may fast again, just to reset my appetite. It will be very interesting to see what happens if I do this and refeed on a plant based diet. I have not done this before.

I also think hanging around at a certain weight for a while is not so bad, because I get the feeling my body is making other adjustments, for example losing some bone in my legs perhaps (they once had to carry 50 pounds more for each leg).

I think the problem with fasting a lot and neglecting the eating is that your body loses metabolism and gets undernourished. Towards the end of my last fast I felt a pain near my kidney, so I thought lets try eating for a change, just to be safe. But I should be fine to fast now, been very well fed for several months :)

I think for me, when I reach my correct weight, I can stay at it through healthy eating and exercise, and if I do stray I can use a fast now and then to correct my appetite and probably lose weight at the same time.

Anyway, I think IN THEORY you can lose weight quicker by eating, but people - myself included - tend to stray off course. So the odd fast can probably put you back on track.

Ask me again what I think when I have lost the weight :) Tweet