1 month fast? thoughts and advice needed

[sekitori]

From what I read above I think that the maintenance side is the problem, I don't want to do this fast, go through all that effort, and then the weight just comes back on in the next month. So, how do I maintain? this is the direction I obvesouly need to go in whether I fast or not.

It's easy to lose weight. The problem is keeping it off. You obviously have problems doing this on your own but you're far from being alone. Many (probably most) people who lose weight can't maintain that loss. So how do you maintain it? Find a good nutritionist and follow his or her advice throughout your weight loss while of course, continuing your exercise routine. Keep following that advice when you reach the maintenance phase. Will you ever be able to eventually maintain your desired weight without professional help? Hopefully you will, but it certainly is no disgrace to continue geting advice. Your goal is actually very simple--to reach a weight that's the best for you and to stay at the weight. Between physical activity and seeking advice to keep you on a healthy diet, that should be attainable.

[JerekKruger]

A question you should ask yourself before you embark on something so drastic is "why do I want to lose weight?" If the answer includes wanting to improve your health, even if that's not the main reason, then I would seriously reconsider as this isn't a healthy way to lose weight.

From what I read above I think that the maintenance side is the problem, I don't want to do this fast, go through all that effort, and then the weight just comes back on in the next month. So, how do I maintain? this is the direction I obvesouly need to go in whether I fast or not.

If you want to maintain a lower weight then you've got to make permanent changes to your diet, not look for an extreme short term solution. You've got to eat less food and/or eat healthier food (coincidentally simply doing this is also the healthiest way to lose weight, though it's not the quickest). If you find this hard make small changes one at a time: a typical starting point is to stop drinking sugary drinks (probably the single worst offender when it comes to weight gain). I'd urge you not to replace them with diet versions as there seems to be more evidence mounting that those are bad too; instead relearn to drink water as your main source of, well, water.

What I can (almost) guarantee is that if you do do this fast without having spent at least some time improving your relationship with food beforehand then you'll revert to your former diet when you stop and put on all the weight again (and quite possibly some more as your body will be in starvation mode).

[GFE]

After joining another forum and asking the same question to get pretty much the same reply as you guys have given I have decided to knock the month fast on the head. I have decided that a 3 day fast every other week is much more realistic and no way her as (Possibility) harmful, glad I come here first!. Something you guys can see I need to change is my diet but in terms of what I should eat, how much I should eat and when I should eat it I am clueless and a little advice would be great. If I don't make changes now it's never going to end.

One of you guys mentioned above the KETO diet so I have found a book here http://www.used.forsale/diet-books is this the right book? I have been reading into the KETO diet online and It does sound different to most other diets so I want to give it ago and this book will give me the recipes to do so.

[JerekKruger]

The first diet you should master is a normal healthy diet. Don't look for extremes. The keto diet works but it has two downsides: (i) it's not clear at the moment whether it's healthy in the long term (I tend to think it probably is, or can be, but others strenuously disagree) and (ii) it's tough. It's particularly tough if you're used to eating a lot of refined carbohydrates and sugars and you can expect to feel like you've got the flu for a few weeks which, for most people, is enough to make them quit. Honestly I'd say it's not a good diet for those simply looking to lose weight, it's for those who really want to reach very low bodyfat percentages.

Here's what I would suggest instead: don't make big changes that will be hard to stick to, make a series of small changes one at a time.

1. What do you drink during the day? If the answer anything apart from water or perhaps tea then there's your first step: cut all sugary drinks from your diet and whilst coffee is fine, it shouldn't be your primary drink, so make sure you're also drinking water. Don't fall into the trap of thinking fruit juice is healthy: it's marginally better than soda since at least it contains some vitamins and minerals, but ultimately it contains a similar amount of sugar in a very easily digestible form which is pretty universally acknowledged as a major cause of fat gain.
2. If you're not currently, start eating fruit and vegetables with every meal. Moreover the majority should be vegetables, not fruit, and the majority of the fruit you eat should not be sugary tropical fruit (mangoes, pineapples etc.) but rather things like apples, pears, berries etc. If you don't like vegetables then either learn to treat them as necessary medicine or learn some ways of cooking them that you enjoy (though if those ways involve adding sugar or honey or whatever then that defeats the purpose to a large extent).
3. Examine the carbohydrates you're currently eating. If they include a lot of refined carbohydrates (pasta, white bread, pastries, cakes etc.) then try to switch as much as possible to unrefined carbs (oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta etc.)
4. Cook at much of your food from scratch rather than eating out or buying pre-packaged meals. The former two are likely to have sugar added to them (there'll be sugar added to things you'd never imagine) as well as things like trans fats, whereas if you buy your own ingredients you know what's in your food.

Note that apart from step 1, these can be done in whatever order you want. I'd say step 1 should always be done first because it's perhaps the single biggest offender when it comes to fat gain and a lot of people see dramatic results from doing it alone.

Beyond that you've got to learn to accept that this isn't going to be easy. If it were easy then you would already have done it, and the western world wouldn't be facing an obesity crisis. Try to remind yourself often of the end goal, particularly when it feels tough. It can also help a lot to find a sport or form of exercise that you enjoy and want to get better at, as whilst that won't have a noticeable affect on your calorie expenditure it will give you another source of motivation to stick to your diet (there aren't many sports I can think of where losing fat won't improve your performance).

Once you've stuck to a decent diet like this for a year or so, if you still want to you could try out other diets like the keto diet. You'll already have a lot more willpower when it comes to your diet as a result of sticking to this and the "keto flu" will be less severe and last less time as you won't be so carb dependent. However for now stick to something manageable.

[hjs]

Re fasting, google 16/8 Fasting for days is still a crap idea and extreme. The idea that having keeping a normal bodyweight is so difficult is nonsense. Only if you want to eat lots of crap and sit on your ass 24/7 it is.

[JerekKruger]

The idea that having keeping a normal bodyweight is so difficult is nonsense. Only if you want to eat lots of crap and sit on your ass 24/7 it is.

Well for a lot of people that is what makes it difficult. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should be (reasonably) active and eat a (reasonably) healthy diet, but for some people exercise is thoroughly unenjoyable and eating crap is one of life's pleasures, so it is difficult to change.

Agreed with regard to to intermittent fasting, though I'd still say it's better to get into the habit of eating a "normal" healthy diet before you try something like IF since I doubt IF will be particularly effective if you gorge yourself on cream buns during your eating window.

[hjs]

The idea that having keeping a normal bodyweight is so difficult is nonsense. Only if you want to eat lots of crap and sit on your ass 24/7 it is.

Well for a lot of people that is what makes it difficult. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should be (reasonably) active and eat a (reasonably) healthy diet, but for some people exercise is thoroughly unenjoyable and eating crap is one of life's pleasures, so it is difficult to change.

Agreed with regard to to intermittent fasting, though I'd still say it's better to get into the habit of eating a "normal" healthy diet before you try something like IF since I doubt IF will be particularly effective if you gorge yourself on cream buns during your eating window.

You can,t have both. Its one or the other.

Don,t like the term "normal" to me thats at best a dadbod and flabby assed woman.

We eat whats in the stores, looking at the big picture, thats "normal" at least 50% is crap empty calories and sweat drinks. Thats making us fat and weak. Things will only change in the big picture if the foods we produce will change.

I won,t hold my breathe..... Bizar idea s like fasting are so not needed, nor a long term solution.

[JerekKruger]

You can,t have both. Its one or the other.

Very true. I think the sad reality is that a lot of people prefer to eat crap and do very little over being healthy. They don't admit this to themselves, but the fact that they fail to get fit and lose weight time and again tells you the truth.

Still, every now and again someone does succeed in making a long term change.

Don,t like the term "normal" to me thats at best a dadbod and flabby assed woman.

We eat whats in the stores, looking at the big picture, thats "normal" at least 50% is crap empty calories and sweat drinks. Thats making us fat and weak. Things will only change in the big picture if the foods we produce will change.

Yeah, perhaps normal isn't the best word. By normal I mean eating three meals a day, each one including a quality protein source, vegetables, healthy fats and unrefined carbs. Basically eating healthily without doing anything that drastic. I recognise that for many people in the west this isn't actually normal.

My view is that if you can't manage that, then you're pretty much guaranteed to fail with more extreme diets, whereas if you do make such a diet your baseline then even if you do fail with a more extreme diet you'll fall back on something reasonably good.

[hjs]

If you do like everybody else does, you will look and have the health of everybody else.

People around you are important, people after all are group animals, we follow the group. So join a good "group".

Its also against or nature te restrict ourselves, we are still programmed to build reserves for less abundant times. Which don,t come anymore.

[bob01]

Seems Like a bad idea to me.

Most days I train fasted.... try that

[Kafka]

Nice necropost!

I think the OP has long gone - was probably a wind-up anyway.

[jackarabit]

No respect for the sixth Aristotelian category!

[babble]

I do not like the concept of fasting at all. The basic idea behind is to "clean" your body from "slags". And those have been proven to be non-existing. So just eat healthy, and dont fall for such bogus.

[Dangerscouse]

I do not like the concept of fasting at all. The basic idea behind is to "clean" your body from "slags". And those have been proven to be non-existing. So just eat healthy, and dont fall for such bogus.

Totally agree. The thought of not eating is terrifying to me

[KatetDeFibonacci]

Fasting is safe. Intermittent fasting is very effective for many people, especially men. I don't think that weightloss should be the driving motivation for a month long fast. One CAN become too focused on the desired results that warning signs are easily dismissed. You will certainly loose fat, but also muscle. This will decrease your resting metabolic rate and make it more difficult to keep the weight off when you begin eating again.

That said. I set out to do a month long fast several years back. My only nutrients were lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water. (Master cleanse anyone? I've learned a lot since then) After 24 days I knew it was time to eat again. I couldn't stay warm even though I'm usually always warm and I'd get dizzy when I stood up. My wife says that I was lethargic and uncharacteristically impatient. I lost weight which was quickly recovered upon eating again. In the end I gained a new understanding about food and the role it plays in social settings. I won't do it again, but I don't regret it.

In my experience (losing weight and keeping it off, becoming a personal trainer, crossfit coach, nutrition coach, licensed massage therapist) the best way to loose weight is through consistent, sustainable effort over a long period of time. I understand the desire to lose a lot of weight quickly. But, trust me, it's not the best for you physiologically, emotionally, or aesthetically. Find something you enjoy doing and do it regularly. Eat in a sustainable way, and cut out the garbage (keep your sugar intake low except for immediately after a workout, NO REFINED SUGAR). If you want to fast, look into intermittent fasting (I.F.). Good luck on your journey!