Fasting and losing weight! :-)

lecola · #1 (**permalink**) December 30th, 2006, 06:18 PM

Hi there.
Was wondering if anyone out there was losing weight while fasting. I am on a medically supervised fasting program in my city. It's actually called a Protein Sparing Modified Fast, which only permits protein powder shakes and soups (which they supply), skim milk, sugar free jello and other non caloric substances.

I lost 15 pounds in the first 2 weeks! I'm hoping on the next weigh in to have lost 20 lbs total for the first 3 weeks. Its a great program for me because I'm less hungry then I've ever been on any diet. Although it's a pretty difficult diet when it comes to social aspects of eating.

If anyone else is on such a diet please make yourself known. We fasters can use all the support we can get. Also would love to hear what you plan to do differently when going back to solid foods. Thanks and good luck with your program. Have a wonderful new year... I know I will!

Female
Start: 254 lbs
Current: 239 lbs (on last weight in)
Goal: 135-140 lbs

Nikki116 · #2 (**permalink**) January 14th, 2007, 01:52 PM

Hi i started a fruit juice fast yesterday.
I did it before but my weight has jus gone up and up since i had my daughter 18 months ago. I want to wear fashionable clothes again!!!
The idea is you drink as little or as much fruit juice as you want and water. Also it is an idea to switch to water fasting for a few days now and then to speed up weight loss.
I am not doing this from a medical point of view purely to lose weight FAST!!!
So I am also allowin Diet Coke and Diet Red Bull.
On day 1 I lost 4lbs!!! GO ME!!
Day 2 now and i feel quite good was a bit hungry doing my daughters dinner this evening!!
When you go back to solids i have read to take it slow and try soup and raw fruit and veg for several days - apparantly this can cause you to lose still more weight!!! LOVE IT!!
Then my aim is to adopt a healthy eating plan, poss weight watchers?

Female

SW 257
CW 252
GW 140

Debbyd · #3 (**permalink**) January 14th, 2007, 05:08 PM

I am interested in the fasts you speak of. Do you have the name of the protein shakes and soups? We don't have that program around here.I NEED to do something about my weight. This has gone on long enough for me. Debby

lecola · #4 (**permalink**) January 15th, 2007, 09:31 AM

Hey Debbyd.
the shakes/soups aren't available commercially. They're supplied by the weight loss program and I just eat what they give me along with potassium & chloride. I'm also allowed to have fat free milk, crystal light, diet soda if I want, and egg substitute.

Nikki116 · #5 (**permalink**) January 15th, 2007, 03:28 PM

Hi Debby um im not using any shakes or soups. I just have fresh fruit fuice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And loads and loads of water. I'm also allowing diet drinks ( D.Coke & D.Red Bull ) cos i am not doing it for health reasons jus to lose some weight fast!
So umm good luck with the whole fasting thing.
And good luck with your weigh in lecola!! An your interview!
Nikki x

Leigh P. · #6 (**permalink**) January 20th, 2007, 12:15 AM

Fasting is in no way is effective for long term FAT loss, but great for short term water loss and long term muscle loss. I understand the desire for the quick and easy, however when you gain that weight back it will make it that much harder to lose it the right way when you finally try. Something to think about.

wishes · #7 (**permalink**) January 20th, 2007, 01:31 AM

^^^^^

What she said

Merciless · #8 (**permalink**) January 20th, 2007, 04:59 PM

Fasting = the worst way to lose weight long term.

Why?

When you fast and deprive yourself of the nutriets it needs to survive, what do you lose? Fat, Muscle, Water, etc.

You can't fast forever or you will die. So when you get back to eating like you should, you will gain all that weight back and then some. Depriving your body of nutrients is actually counter-productive to big, long-term weight loss. Not to mention it destroys your metabolism which is your body's natural means of burning calories.

Sure, as Leigh said, you will lose all that weight quickly. What happens after? you gain it all back. If you want to make a change for your life instead of a few weeks or months, then you should reconsider fasting. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I'm simply trying to state facts so that you'll understand that fasting is NOT an effective means of longterm fat loss.

Steve · #9 (**permalink**) January 20th, 2007, 06:38 PM

PSMF is actually a very proven and legit (read hardcore) diet that I would recommend to many of situations. Fasting in general is not a bright idea. Protein Sparing Modified Fast, now that is a different story. Good stuff to the original poster.

For those of you who are not familiar, see Lyle Mcdonald.

Also, for those who were against fasting, especially PSMF, please realize that people who have a large amount of weight to lose, their bodies don't follow the physiological rules that you are accustomed to discussing.

Merciless · #10 (**permalink**) January 20th, 2007, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

PSMF is actually a very proven and legit (read hardcore) diet that I would recommend to many of situations. Fasting in general is not a bright idea. Protein Sparing Modified Fast

I should learn more about this, seems as though it would be an interesting read

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Also, for those who were against fasting, especially PSMF, please realize that people who have a large amount of weight to lose, their bodies don't follow the physiological rules that you are accustomed to discussing.

Sry =\ I guess I haven't made that transition in my mind yet.

lecola · #11 (**permalink**) January 22nd, 2007, 07:11 PM

Despite the fact that I really believe in this diet, and have already lost a good amount of weight from it, I would agree with both Merciless and Leigh P. on a couple points.

This diet IS NOT good for long term weight loss. As was mentioned, you cannot fast forever. Neither would you want to... the protein shakes are just not that tasty. :-) If you do not work hard to start exercising and changing your lifestyle while you're fasting, you'll come out no better than when you started and will gain the weight back quickly. This is why my program offers nutritional and behavorial modification classes every week for the duration of the program, and I've been working damned hard in my classes.

But this is no quick and easy quick folks. I have over a hundred pounds to lose. That means I'll be on this diet for a while. My six week anniversary is tomorrow and I'll keep going for another 4-5 months. Anybody who thinks it's easy to drink chalky shakes and disgusting potassium oral solution for that length of time would be wrong. Oh, don't forget the metamucil or else you'll get constipated. Really constipated. It's no fun. But it does beat counting calories and the stress of modifying regular food portions. My eating habits were so out of control I felt it was time to take a break from real food for a while. I feel like I'm getting a fresh start.

Medically supervised fasting programs are pretty hard core. I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, but it's definitely helping me. I started my diet on Dec 12th and have already lost 27 lbs. :-)

wimic · #12 (**permalink**) January 23rd, 2007, 01:14 PM

The biggest problem I see with fasting is not that it's not maintainable... it's that when you reach your goal weight and stop fasting - you inevitably go back to your bad eating habits because you didn't work on building new ones. A friend of mine lost 80lbs on slimfast (which obviously isn't the same as fasting, but it's the same idea) and when she reached her goal weight she stopped using the slimfast and went back to the way she was before - ie. bingeing, eating all the unhealthy, calorie/fat laden things she wanted. She gained the 80lbs she lost (plus and extra 30lbs on top of that) back in a year.

I, personally, am on a low calorie diet (around 1000 cals per day) and i workout around 50mins per day. I realize that because this weight loss will be so quick, it won't give me time to work on gradually curbing my eating habits, but I'm ready and willing to make the necessary adjustments and sacrifices once I reach my weight loss goal.

So long as people know that reaching your goal weight won't be the only battle with fasting (ie. that there'll be a lot of learning left to do once you're there and step back OUT of the diet bubble) I think they'll be okay.

Steve · #13 (**permalink**) January 23rd, 2007, 03:50 PM

PSMF was not created for long term diet adherance. So, that kind of blows the comments above regarding it not being sustainable out of the water. Again, if you really want to know about the PSMF, see Lyle McDonald.

Steve · #14 (**permalink**) January 23rd, 2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wimic

The biggest problem I see with fasting is not that it's not maintainable... it's that when you reach your goal weight and stop fasting - you inevitably go back to your bad eating habits because you didn't work on building new ones. A friend of mine lost 80lbs on slimfast (which obviously isn't the same as fasting, but it's the same idea) and when she reached her goal weight she stopped using the slimfast and went back to the way she was before - ie. bingeing, eating all the unhealthy, calorie/fat laden things she wanted. She gained the 80lbs she lost (plus and extra 30lbs on top of that) back in a year.

I, personally, am on a low calorie diet (around 1000 cals per day) and i workout around 50mins per day. I realize that because this weight loss will be so quick, it won't give me time to work on gradually curbing my eating habits, but I'm ready and willing to make the necessary adjustments and sacrifices once I reach my weight loss goal.

So long as people know that reaching your goal weight won't be the only battle with fasting (ie. that there'll be a lot of learning left to do once you're there and step back OUT of the diet bubble) I think they'll be okay.

What made you shoot so low, at 1000 calories?

wimic · #15 (**permalink**) January 23rd, 2007, 04:37 PM

I'm trying to go as low as possible without suffering for it. I'm managing to eat lots of food (fruits and vegetables) to keep me going strong. If I don't see results in a hurry I have a tendency to get discouraged (I'm quite impatient). I'd like to reach my weight loss goals by the summer (and by my birthday at the latest - Oct). I don't fully expect to be able to lose 80lbs in 4 1/2 months, but I figure I'll shoot high - that way, even if I do come up short I'll still be that much better off.