Intermittent Fasting (16/8) Results Check

[robertkatz321]

Hey everyone, I've been trying intermittent fasting (16/8) for about 3 weeks now, and I'm seeing some minor results, but I'm not sure if it's optimal. I used a fasting calculator to estimate my calorie deficit and potential weight loss, and it's projecting about 1.5 lbs per week. Does this sound reasonable? I'm a 35-year-old male, starting at 220 lbs and aiming for 190. Any personal experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[KennyA]

Hey everyone, I've been trying intermittent fasting (16/8) for about 3 weeks now, and I'm seeing some minor results, but I'm not sure if it's optimal. I used a fasting calculator to estimate my calorie deficit and potential weight loss, and it's projecting about 1.5 lbs per week. Does this sound reasonable? I'm a 35-year-old male, starting at 220 lbs and aiming for 190. Any personal experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated!

hi and welcome.

I wound up doing intermittent fasting completely by accident. It was the result of other dietary changes. It happened (I think) because I stopped being hungry any more often, largely because I was eating a lot of protein and fat and reducing carb to around 20g/day. My intention was to reduce my blood glucose, not weight loss. I haven't ever been in calorie deficit, as far as I'm aware, and I'm not attempting to be.

Blood glucose to normal levels was sorted inside four months (but still needs maintenance). Weight loss followed much more slowly over the next 3-4 years. I found weight loss was never consistent and went in a series of steps. I'd lose no weight for months and then 10lbs would vanish in a couple of weeks. Waist size was and still is a better indicator for me than bodyweight, particularly when you're doing enough exercise to gain or regain muscle. Although I've gained a couple of pounds in the last year, my waist size has dropped from 34 to 32 in the same period. I don't really want to lose any more weight than I have already (around 90lbs).

At the moment I'm eating one substantial meal a day, most days, usually in the early evening 7-9pm. I also often have a small salami/cheese/olives (or equivalent) mix around 1 or 2pm, often later.

I honestly don't think there's a "one size fits all" solution or a right way to do this. If what you're doing isn't working you might need to try a different approach.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hey everyone, I've been trying intermittent fasting (16/8) for about 3 weeks now, and I'm seeing some minor results, but I'm not sure if it's optimal. I used a fasting calculator to estimate my calorie deficit and potential weight loss, and it's projecting about 1.5 lbs per week. Does this sound reasonable? I'm a 35-year-old male, starting at 220 lbs and aiming for 190. Any personal experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I'm rather confused by you details since you both say you don't have diabetes and that you have Type 1 diabetes (which is a type that can't be controlled by anything diet or weight loss).

If you really are Type 1, then I can't give advice except that the NHS advises a moderate speed of weight loss of around 1lb to 1.5lb per week, anything quicker is more likely to affect your metabolic rate and also to lead to loos skin.

If you are a Type 2, then I can say that like @KennyA above I only do intermittent fasting because I am 'fat adapted' from a Low Carb High Protein High Fat way of eating (which I used to get my Blood Glucose down so as to be in remission, for 5yrs now, from Type 2 diabetes). I noticed I was no longer hungry at breakfast and so just stopped eating it, then the same with lunch, except that for only one meal per day I feel the need to eat before 5pm which I can't manage on weekdays and so eat lunch on those days despite not being hungry and save the one meal pe day for the weekends.
I never reduced my calories, in fact probably increased them with all the fatty meat, fatty fish, cheese and eggs I eat.

If you really are not diabetic and just want to lose weight, then I have no personal experience because losing weight was, for me, just a symptom of my improved Blood Glucose in the same way that the original weight increase was just a symptom of me becoming Type 2 Diabetic. However, there is lots of evidence (in the success stories on this forum) that it's probably easier to lose weight by starting with LCHF first (with no calorie reduction - so no starvation) and only adding in Intermittent Fasting after being 'fat adapted'. And I know dome non-diabetics in real life who have done this.

 

[lovinglife]

I don’t do or never have fasted for personal reasons, I do low carb at 20g carb a day, I don’t count calories religiously but I do keep an eye on them and watch my portion sizes. Like @KennyA says we are all different and do what’s best for our personal situation. I also have to watch dairy as even when I did calorie deficit a couple of years back too much dairy I would stall or even gain so it’s not just about calories but for me personally more low carb high protein, normal fat.

As to your question of 1.5 loss a week that sounds very reasonable and I found in my long weight loss journey (over 11st to date)
That those small steady losses remain losses where as if I lose much more than that week on week for a few weeks it can stall and reappear for no reason!

 

[robertkatz321]

I don’t do or never have fasted for personal reasons, I do low carb at 20g carb a day, I don’t count calories religiously but I do keep an eye on them and watch my portion sizes. Like @KennyA says we are all different and do what’s best for our personal situation. I also have to watch dairy as even when I did calorie deficit a couple of years back too much dairy I would stall or even gain so it’s not just about calories but for me personally more low carb high protein, normal fat.

As to your question of 1.5 loss a week that sounds very reasonable and I found in my long weight loss journey (over 11st to date)
That those small steady losses remain losses where as if I lose much more than that week on week for a few weeks it can stall and reappear for no reason!

Thanks so much for the reply! Really appreciate you sharing your experience. It’s a great reminder that everyone’s journey is different.

Good to hear that 1.5 lbs/week sounds reasonable. I’ll stick with the steady pace and keep an eye on how my body responds, especially with things like dairy and macros.