(I'll explain alittle why I wanted to lose weight so badly)

Being overweight for years, and having medical problems was hell. I remember going on a depression after developing a bizarre illness. Where half of my body was always numb and I would twitch at times. My doctor told me I was showing signs of multiple sclerosis, and that I had inflammation on my spine. I had to get injections with medicine for hours at the hospital. Then I had to take another medicine at home called Avonex. It's the worse medicine I ever took in my life. I had to inject a needle in my leg everyday, and the side effects was just awful. You'll feel like you have the flu after a few hours.

Then I had people bashing me, because of stupid mistakes I've done in my life. Saying that I would stay fat and never amount to nothing. I used to be real hard on myself. I've done something in the past that still effects my life today. Then one day I just go tired of people saying I won't amount to nothing. So I decided to set goals for myself and I wanted to change.

My biggest goal was to get healthy and have a nice physique. I would go on the internet and learn about different workout routines and diets. Then I started watching youtube fitness channels, and the one channel where I learned about AF was from the hodgetwins. I also watch channels such as CT flecher, elliot hulse, kali muscle, PhysiquesOfGreatness and others. Soon I will go back to a normal eating routine and work on making gains.

Though the gym that's at my apartment is very small. There's weight lifting machines that's put together, and dumbells that goes up to 25 pounds. For cardio they got two stair masters (Which I hate) and one Elliptical machine. Usually I only use this gym when I can't make it to planet fitness, which has a whole lot more workout equipment and its huge. Though at the sametime even though the gym is small I got no complaints.

Having some workout equipment is better then having none, and yes there was a time where I had no access to a gym, but still found ways to exercise. So far its been along hard journey, and building muscle is going to be even harder, but I'm willing to do what it takes. After I went through medical hell at the hospital. Working out for an hour isn't bad. Hell I enjoy working out and feeling the intensity.

First off, congratulations on exercising such self control. That's commendable because it means that you can do what's best for you if y set your mind to it.

Second, I have nothing to add that others haven't already said, but I agree that while your methods so far won't have wrecked havoc on your body or anything its best to switch to a more natural diet for very long term health.

Third, I thought this thread was going to be one of those hilarious spam threads like the ones that start with "Is it really appropriate for my sister to wear this dress?"

Dude that is the worst thing you can do to your body. You are depriving your body of the nutrients it needs each day and slowing down your metabolism. You are starving yourself and it is going to bite you in the butt. Slowly get yourself back to eating everyday and start exercising. That is the only way to lose weight in a healthy way and for you to keep the weight on. You will gain that weight back as soon as you start eating everyday, guarantee it. Just make smart choices about what you eat and exercise, but you have to eat everyday or your metabolism will fuck itself.

There is nothing wrong with intermittent fasting or alternate day fasting. As someone has said before there has been studies done that show that fasting doesn't have any negative effect on metabolism until somewhere between 48 to 72 hours. There have also been studies showing benefits of fasting including better blood/glucose levels, lower diabetes risk, increased weight loss, increased hormone function, and believe it or not living longer.

I've tried IF and alternate day fasting in a whole bunch of ways and combine them to this day. Sometimes I'll go 24 or even 36 hours without food, sometimes ill do a 16/8 or 20/4 split. Fasting isn't really a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss though , as someone has stated above what it basically comes down to is calories in/calories out. When fasted your body produces slightly more testosterone and HGH which can help with fat mobilization and burn but the basic premise of how much you eat vs how much you need is still there. If you fast for 24 hours and then eat for 24 hours, but you eat 2 days worth of food in that 24 hours, you will not get anywhere fast.

I managed to go from 116kg (255 pounds) to 92kg (202 pounds) at 6'2". I'm pretty lean at the moment, but I'm thinking of cutting a few more kilos and I will be using IF to get there.

I would never do that, but then I've never been particularly overweight.

Though, I really do support intermittent fasting when I'm on a cut. (you would eat the same amount of calories you would normally, but in a much smaller time window).

The problem with your method of isn't that its not effective (basic calories in, calories out) but that it sounds extremely unhealthy, and doesn't promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle. I would at the very least juice on those fasting days.

Congrats on losing the weight though, bro!

I have not actually heard of this method before - it probably isn't that popular because of how most people would probably be extremely hungry on the off-days, as well as tired and irritable - but it's not that bad of an idea.

There are no easy ways to lose weight. The only surefire way to do it is to cut down on how much you eat - and this is difficult unless you are very disciplined and have very firm grip on just how many calories you actually eat.

Eating every other day effectively cuts your food intake in half. Even if you eat more on the "on" days you will never be able to eat twice as much as usual so the overall intake in calories on a weekly basis is almost guaranteed to drop.

I assume you intend to to keep your weight once you reached your goal and shift back to more "normal" eating patterns but when you do that, be careful about slowly shifting your intake from the on- to the off-day and keep a track of your intake over the two days. If you don't, you can end up eating more again and quickly regain all that lost weight.

If you manage to maintain your weight long-term it will get easier and easier to do so as your body adapts to your new constitution. But be very vigilant about the first few months after reaching your goal weight - this is were most people start eating too much again and rebound.

Stamping on landmines is an extreme weight-loss method. Eating less and exercising more is a sensible weight-loss method. Fasting every other day seems like an odd and unnecessarily challenging structure but I can't imagine that it's particularly damaging.

The only "keys" to weight loss are well...persistence and the law of conservation of energy (which is to say calories in vs. burned). If you have the capability to do this and exercise regularly for a year, I have no doubt that you have enough willpower to wean yourself onto a more moderately distributed diet all while keeping up your regiment and (hopefully) changing your food choices into healthier ones for your situation.

When you're starting it in the face, it's understandable to do something that will get results but getting used to not eating for a whole day is likely not doing you any favors.

This. Do this, man. Your body will thank you for it. Nevermind what fad weight loss programs say, you should never fast unless given specific doctor-ordered instructions to do so (by the way, that will probably never happen). The point of losing weight is to have a healthier body, right? Then don't fast; just eat less every day and keep on exercising.

Also, this:

@pillclinton said:

I would quit the whole fasting thing, though. You need to fundamentally change what you eat too, not just how you eat. If you're still eating the same crap you were before, just alternating days, you absolutely will gain the weight back when you stop.

By the way, congratulations. I don't see enough people in this thread commending you for doing this for a full year. I'm sure it isn't easy.

You should start lifting asap. No sense in waiting. Even if you're operating on a caloric deficit, resistance training can be a superior workout to long, moderate cardio in many ways. It can accomplish equal or more calories burned in a shorter amount of time, it's an excellent form of (anaerobic) cardio, strength increases, muscle increases (even on a caloric deficit, if you're a newb and lift, you willgain some starting muscle), etc. Just because you're cutting doesn't mean you can't also lift.

I would quit the whole fasting thing, though. You need to fundamentally change what you eat too, not just how you eat. If you're still eating the same crap you were before, just alternating days, you absolutely will gain the weight back when you stop. Only eat whole foods, don't overeat, avoid sugar, only drink water, coffee, tea, etc. The basics. If your diet's clean and in check 100%, then it's so much easier to keep the weight off, and it's really just a matter of calories in/calories out at that point, modified depending on your goals at a given time (bulking or cutting).

I don't really have anything to add on topic that hasn't been said already, but am I imagining it or did this thread cause a sudden influx of fitness related spam?

@falserelic fasting sounds like an intense exercise in self control and patience more than anything. Props to you for that. The 'secret' to weight loss is simply using more calories than you consume. There are calculators online that will tell you how much your body uses in a day, so do that and just keep track of how many calories are in what you eat.

Counting calories and exercise kinda always work.

Best health advice I can give: Make exercise something you want to do instead of something to avoid.

Don't do the fasting thing anymore, I mean I can't chastise you if it's what worked, but it's not necessary anymore.

I'm 6'2 and after thinking about it your right. I'll probably focus on doing compound movements, and switching up my diet. After afew more weeks of fasting, and then I'm done.

I'm no nutritionsman or anything but I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume fasting is probably not good for you. Especially over a long period of time. You're not guaranteed to start gaining weight after a fast like some people are saying, that's just crazy.

I'd say the biggest issue in getting fit and staying fit is not getting lazy and reverting to old behavior of eating poorly combined with neglecting exercise. This is the problem I have with fasting. It's very easy to revert to old behavior of eating like shit and laying around on your ass all day.

The best way to lose weight and KEEP it off is to eat healthy (protein, fruits, veggies) and exercise regularly. Yes you won't lose weight as fast as if you were not eating, but I'd say you're a hell of a lot more likely to keep it off that way. You're making a permanent lifestyle change to stay fit rather than a temporary one to drop some pounds. Just eat healthy and exercise like a motherfucker. That's it

So yes, fasting can be extreme over the long term. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But, I assume you're a grown ass man so you can do whatever you want, but try to stay away from fasting in the future. Just my take on it.

@falserelic: Then stop. Focus on muscle gain. Lift heavy and maintain justa calorie surplus. Depending on your height, 210 ain't that bad, and hopefully if your skin does its elastic thing, you can continue to cut in a bit.

I'd recommend stopping the irregular fasting, as while I'm sure you've had success, it can't be doing healthy thing for your body. Maintain a balanced, healthy, calorie-appropriate diet, and you should be good.

If you've mastered by-the-day-fasting, then it's clear you can control your diet.

true, I'm already developing excess skin, but sense I was morbidly obese it was going to happen. I know one day I have to bulk up or have surgery. It's something that's always on my mind.

Its very difficult to keep off weight that you lose from fasting.

@falserelic:

If you lose weight to fast you're going to have excess skin that only surgery can remove. It's better to lose weight slowly and gradually to let your skin adapt this will minimize any saggy skin when you do finally hit your goal.

Good work but yes, I do.

( From experience)

The only times I've gain weight back is when I over eat after a fast. I never gained a huge amount of weight back, but then I usually end up burning it off. So far I've never had any horrible weight gains from fasting.

You are going to gain all of that weight back when you stop fasting.

Your plan will get the pounds off, but not in a way that is good for your body and not in a way that is going to last.

Google ketosis.

There are medical facilities you can go to get on diets like this, though typically you will take a multivitamin shake in place of a meal. Basically a liquid diet that still gets you what you need but still putting you into a state of ketosis to encourage rapid weight loss.

@falserelic: I'm no doctor but that doesn't sound healthy.

That can't be good for your metabolism long term, you might have trouble maintaining your current weight once your resume a normal healthy diet.

you might want to talk a nutrition expert about how to handle this from here.

The heavier you are, 1-2 lbs per week can be 2-3 lbs per week. Other than that, I agree. The key to keeping off weight and the relapse into gaining a lot of weight is sustaining the lifestyle and having the body adapt. Too rapid of a change can definitely hurt your body.

Not extreme enough. Voluntary amputation is much faster.

The difficulty will be going off that diet. You will suddenly be taking in twice as many calories which might be difficult for your body to deal with. The other thing is that if you are exercising daily you need to be taking in calories to support that. Fat is only one of the multiple things your body needs every day to survive. Hopefully you are taking vitamins on a daily basis. A shortage of vitamins and minerals can be just as hazardous to your health as excessive weight. Just make sure you are getting the nutrients you need on the days you aren't eating.

For me when I started AF. It took a few weeks for me to get use too. There were days after a fast I might feel weak, or end up over eating, Overtime I ended up getting use to it. The only bad habit I have is I keep getting on my weight scale every few hours.

I would certainly consider that method extreme, but then, it sounds like you're at least not being extreme about it long term. "Extreme" would be telling everyone that it's some key to weightloss you found. You're just sharing that you're glad you finally found something that worked for you, and that's good. I hope you can keep off the weight and be healthier now.

I have done intermittent fasting and lost a lot of weight. It works but there are problems with it. I was eating only inside a 4 to 8 hour window every day and taking in absolutely no calories the rest of the time. Studies have shown that this kind of fasting will not affect your metabolism. It takes at least 48 hours for your metabolism to be affected, which is what you were getting close to. Under this, your body is not yet going into "starvation mode" as the other person said. I did one 24 hour fast and all I can tell you is that when I ate that first meal after I breaking that fast I felt like absolute shit for many hours after, probably the ridiculous insulin spike I got. I did not do it again.

Here's the problem I had with intermittent fasting. When you do IF, you can eat two really big meals a day and still lose weight. This guy that commented above, "as soon as you quit fasting you'll continue to lose weight." This is not absolutely true. It still always comes down to calories in and calories out. What happened to me was that since I got use to eating such big meals, when I did start to break the routine, I was starting to take in way more calories than I use to. I ended up eating three big meals and putting on weight.

Doing IF works, but you have to be aware of how it is going to change your habits and thinking. I don't think I would recommend it unless you are disciplined as fuck. And generally people who are disciplined don't have weight problems in the first place, do they?

YOU'RE NOT A DOCTOR?!?!?

You're eating less and exercising more. That's the only real key to weight loss, though the result would have been the same if you were eating half as much every day- it'd probably be easier on your metabolism too, but hey, I'm no doctor.

@mrfizzy: Your body doesn't "freak out," nor should he expect to gain that weight back. If after he stops his diet, he begins to eat a suitable amount of calories (2000-2400 a day for a male), he will maintain whatever weight he's at.

@falserelic: Move more, eat less. If it works for you and you haven't died yet, why not.

The problem with fast weight loss is that it tends to not stay off and some of that weight is muscle mass. Typically you want to loss between 1-2 pounds per week. You've lost about 2.17 per week. So it's not horrible. But doing that at the expense of eating is the issue. Eventually you'll go back to a default diet and if you haven't changedit to adapt to your new size you'll gain all that weight back.

I always do cardio for aleast an hour, sometimes more. The main machine I use is called a Elliptical. Every now and then I use the treadmill.

Once I get to 180 I probably will. By then I want to start adding on muscle, but I know I have to gain weight to do it. So I wanted to make sure I'm at a comfortable weight before I bulk.

It does sound a bit extreme but if it's worked for you that's all that matters in the end I guess. You should probably start to follow more of a standard exercise routine now that you have lost a lot of weight though.

There are two problems with fasting in my opinion.

1) Your metabolism is likely to freak the fuck out and start trying to hold onto any and all calories it can coz it thinks you're starving.

2) As soon as you stop fasting the weight starts to come back.

If it has worked for you that is awesome and its great you've lost the weight you wanted to. Now you would be best to get a gym membership and start smashing the cardio in order to keep the weight off. Fasting is not going to be a long term solution to your weight.