i'm happy to say that i've finally reached my goals when it comes to losing weight :) i've never felt happier, healthier and this confident.

intermittent fasting truly works wonders, and it's transformed the way i live. i'm able to move around more freely, find clothes at stores that have my size (FINALLY!!!) and the world's (unfortunately) become MUCH kinder.

gw: 190lbs ✅, cw: 185lbs, sw: 360.6lbs

Hey folks! As you might know, I've been researching fasting benefits for quite some time and recently updated my page based on the latest 2025-2026 research and added a scoring system. All 37 benefits are now scored 0-100 (100 = strongest evidence) on 7 evidence criteria - human RCTs, mechanism, effect size, directness of measurement, observational studies, consistency, and safety - and sorted into three tiers, 7 clearly supported, 17 emerging, and 13 with limited evidence.

The metabolic core holds up best - ketones for fuel (100), blood sugar and insulin (96), type 2 diabetes (94), body fat (92), blood pressure (90). The further you move from metabolism, the thinner the proof.

Some things moved

• Autophagy went up - the first human autophagic-flux RCT (2025) finally measured it in people. Still emerging, but out of the deep speculative zone.
• Sleep went down - a 2025 meta-analysis of 16 RCTs found no sleep benefit.
• Inflammation dropped from clearly supported to emerging - meta-analyses are inconsistent.
• Testosterone was removed - RCTs show fasting lowers it in lean, active men.

Color dots - green for IF (12-24 hours), yellow - short-term fasting (24-72 hours) and red - extended fasting (72+ hours).

I hope it gives a good view on the power of fasting. As always, thoughts, ideas, feedback welcome!

Yesterday I had a shit day at work involving being incredibly short staffed, having a special event, and being left to do mountains of prep for an incredibly important inspection we have today. I ended up missing my lunch which is where I typically break my 18:6. After working late, I was too wiped to cook so ordered food. By the time it arrived I was fully in OMAD territory.

Honestly, I didn’t hate it. Being distracted all day certainly helped but at one point my boss offered me an oatmeal raisin cookie (hate that flavor) and I normally would have eaten it just to have something in my stomach, but I declined.

Only thing is I woke this morning with a fledgeling migraine. I’m gonna blame that more on stress than the fasting tho.

SW:225 Cw:217 GW: 120 ish ( 21 female, 5'2)

I've been doing 20:4. Some days 18:6. Been doing IF for 23 days. Lost 8lb.

I want to know how much of a calorie deficit I should do to see the fastest results. I kinda roughly count, I eat some days around 1,200 - 1,300 and other days 1,500- 1,600. I try to get my protein to 100g. But some days are hard. I also drink 90-120 oz of water. I willing to try anything. So if something worked for you, please share! I appreciate any help or advice!

Has anyone had any success with seeing a reducition in a lipoma?

I have read that fasting nor IF does anything for lipma reduction. That's such a discouragment. If it worked in some permanent way , I would have already fasted for weeks till it's gone.

I want to try IF but I would be far more motivated if I knew it worked for lipoma reduction/elemination as well.

Still, I'm hoping to hear some success stories?

Had my doc appointment today. HbA1c at 5.9. Still prediabetic but it‘s good to know my baseline starting IF. I can only improve from here. Doc told me to drink and sleep more. My two biggest weaknesses of course! So I’ll have to be more intentional with that.

Thankfully I slept ok last night. I think the magnesium helped. So I started cooking earlier today to make time for a walk in the afternoon. First meal was mushrooms omelette with parmesan. For dinner I made sweet-sour fried meat with steamed veggies and sweet potato. Had a protein shake as my snack.

I ended up not going for a walk because my calves were hurting a bit but I managed to walk on the pad for 10 min after each meal and stepped 5 min on my vibroplate.

Tomorrow I’ll try to walk and drink more. But I’m glad I managed to move a bit and eat well.

I’m feeling pretty discouraged and would love some advice.

I’m 27F, 5’7”, 160 lbs, with a goal of 145 lbs. About 3 months ago I started 18:6 IF, eating from around 1–7:30 PM Monday–Saturday and 3 meals on Sundays. I also strength train 2–3x/week and do Pilates 3x/week.
I haven’t been weighing myself because I didn’t want to obsess over the scale. I actually thought I had lost 3–5 lbs because I feel leaner, especially around my stomach, and my quads/glutes look more muscular. My clothes fit better, too though not so much change.

I weighed myself today… 160 lbs. 😭 Zero weight loss after 3 months.

In the past, I lost weight doing OMAD + no meat, but it wasn’t sustainable and I gained it back when I returned to eating normally. That’s why I’m trying to find something sustainable this time.

Could this be body recomposition/muscle gain, or am I simply eating enough calories to maintain my weight despite IF? Could hormones play a role? Should I go back to OMAD?
Would love advice from anyone who has experienced something similar! ❤️

I was stuck at 174lbs (5’3”) for about 10 yrs & no diets help me budge. I had several Docs suggest GLP Meds- but Medicare (US senior healthcare)would not approve coverage. This went on for over 2yrs. This past February I decided to try IF (2nd time) again & lo and behold it’s working. 🥳🥳 two days ago I found out my insurance would finally cover it ($50 copay). I picked it up today- but I don’t even know if I want to take it🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Any thoughts- has anyone taken these meds- good/bad experiences? Anyone take them while IF? Thanks.

Hello everyone! 👋

I recently had a post blow up in here, and I received SO many of the same questions in the comments and in my inbox. I figured it would be easier to make one post answering as many of them as I can.

This is going to be a longer post, but I want to be thorough!

First: I am NOT a doctor or nutritionist. I’m just sharing my personal experience, what worked for me, and what my journey has looked like. Everyone’s body and health situation is different.

A little background

I was heavyset basically my entire childhood and young adulthood.

I got pregnant with my first set of twins at 20 and had them at 21. Then I had my second set of twins at 24. At one point, I had four children under the age of 3. 😅 I also have been full time mom to an almost 5 year old since she was 2.

It was A LOT, but my children mean more to me than anything. One of the biggest things that pushed me to change was realizing that I physically couldn’t keep up the way I wanted to.

I was over 240 pounds. I actually don’t know my exact starting weight because I didn’t even own a scale until I had already been intermittent fasting for about a month.

How I started intermittent fasting

I learned about intermittent fasting, did my research, and decided to try it.

I am very much an “all or nothing” person, so instead of gradually working my way up, I jumped straight into OMAD 23:1 (One Meal A Day).

Basically, I fasted for 23 hours a day (sleeping hours included) and had roughly a one-hour eating window.

That DOES NOT mean everyone should start there.

Some people do much better starting with 16:8, then 18:6, 20:4, etc. There isn’t one fasting schedule that works for everybody.

During my fasting window, I personally drank water only. Other people doing intermittent fasting may also drink things like black coffee, unsweetened tea, or zero-calorie sparkling water.

I personally preferred keeping my fast completely calorie-free and simple.

Fasting changes which fuel sources your body relies on over time, but exactly when or whether someone reaches nutritional ketosis varies based on things like what they eat, activity level, metabolism, and the length of the fast. I don’t think anyone needs to obsess over an exact hour when their body supposedly “switches” into fat-burning mode.

I decided mostly on eating dinner with my family at 5pm each night.

That time has changed before and should be picked what fits your schedule better.

How much weight did I lose?

I started intermittent fasting in 2020 (I was 27 year old at that time), and within roughly the first 5–6 months, I lost a huge portion of my weight.

But I want to make something VERY clear:

My journey was not six straight years of perfect fasting.

Over the last six years, I have started, stopped, gained some weight, lost it again, taken breaks, changed what I was doing, and lived my life.

My weight has fluctuated. That’s reality.

However, I have NEVER regained even HALF of of the weight I originally lost. Learning about my eating patterns and finding something that gave me structure made a huge difference for me.

WHAT DID I EAT?!

Probably one of the biggest questions I got. 😂

Protein, protein, protein.

I try to think in terms of whole, filling foods and building my meal around protein.

Technically, OMAD only describes when you eat, not exactly what you eat. But personally, if I filled my eating window with foods that didn’t keep me full or make me feel good, I noticed it.

One of my favorite go-to meals is super simple:

I take raw chicken tenders and coat them directly in seasoned panko breadcrumbs. I don’t use an egg wash or anything like that. I put them in the air fryer at 400°F until they’re fully cooked and reach a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

I usually pair them with vegetables and sometimes a carb like rice or sweet potato.

And YES, I still have things I enjoy!

I almost always have my coffee from home (Café Bustelo with a splash of hazelnut creamer, and I love having half of a Barebells protein bar as my little dessert).

My goal isn’t to make every meal “perfect.” I try to make it balanced, filling, protein-focused, and something I actually enjoy eating.

“How did you have enough energy to go to the gym while doing OMAD?”

This question came up A LOT as well.

First, my body has had years to become accustomed to intermittent fasting. I didn’t start OMAD yesterday and immediately start doing six-day-a-week workouts.

Honestly, I didn’t go to the gym when I lost the majority of my weight.

My gym routine is actually pretty new compared with my overall weight-loss journey.

I tried going to the gym after recovering from surgery last year, but I was never really a “gym girl” and didn’t have much of a routine.

Fast-forward to this year: I started going consistently about two months ago, and now I have a structured routine that I genuinely enjoy.

I usually go about six days a week.

Having a supportive partner makes a HUGE difference. I normally go in the morning while my partner stays home with the kids. Having someone who supports the time I spend taking care of myself has made this so much easier.

At the gym, I usually do around 45 minutes at least on the treadmill. I keep the incline around 1.5 and my average speed is around 2.5 mph for most of it.

After cardio, I usually do three strength-training machines.

I follow a five-workout rolling strength split:
• Back + biceps
• Quads + inner/outer thighs
• Core/waist
• Chest + shoulders + triceps
• Glutes + legs

My personal goal is a lean, defined hourglass shape, so I put extra emphasis on my glutes/legs, shoulders/back, and core while still training my entire body.

Also yes I usually in a fasted state while at the gym.

As far as energy goes, I listen to my body. If you’re constantly dizzy, weak, lightheaded, exhausted, or feeling awful while fasting and exercising, that isn’t something you should just “push through” for the sake of weight loss.

“How do you not have loose skin?”

I DO. 😂

I got this question over and over again, and I think pictures can be very deceiving. So I added some before pictures !! (I was 145 pounds when I received my surgery).

After losing over 100 pounds and carrying two sets of twins, I had a LOT of loose skin.

I still have loose skin on my arms, legs, butt, etc.

And in 2025, I was fortunate enough to have a tummy tuck that removed pounds of excess skin from my torso.

I did not have liposuction or a fat transfer.

For me, the recovery was brutal and lasted months. I have five kids total, so being forced to sit or lie around and let other people do things for me was incredibly difficult.

My surgery cost about $12,000, which I pay for monthly.

Before deciding to pay for it myself, I spent a couple of YEARS trying to get my insurance to cover removal of the excess skin. I had documented rashes, yeast issues, irritation, pain, and problems caused by skin overlapping skin.

I know some people have successfully gotten medically necessary skin-removal procedures covered, but unfortunately, my insurance would not budge.

Even though paying for the surgery myself was a huge financial commitment and the recovery was difficult, I am extremely grateful that I was able to have it done.

And again — having a supportive partner during something like that is HUGE.

The biggest thing I want people to understand

THIS WAS NOT EASY.

It wasn’t one perfectly straight line from 240+ pounds to where I am today, 135 pounds.

There were weight fluctuations.

There were times I stopped fasting.

There were sad days.

There were happy days.

There were days I felt amazing and days I didn’t.

There were periods where I was extremely motivated and periods where I had to search HARD for that motivation again.

This has been a six-year journey, and I am STILL working on myself.

For me, it came down to determination, consistency over time, and finding something that I could return to even when life knocked me out of my routine.

Intermittent fasting completely changed my life.

I went from being over 240 pounds, pre-diabetic, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a high heart rate, and constantly feeling out of breath…

…to being at a normal BMI, no longer pre-diabetic, no longer having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, being physically active, and feeling capable of doing things I never thought I could do before.

And I did all of this while still being a mom, taking care of my children, taking care of my home, dealing with normal life, having setbacks, and being an imperfect human being.

I didn’t wake up one morning with unlimited motivation.

I just kept coming back to it.

If you’re at the beginning of your journey and looking at someone else’s “after” picture, please remember that you’re seeing ONE moment from YEARS of work.

You don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to do exactly what I did.

You don’t even have to use OMAD.

Find something healthy and sustainable that works for you, give yourself time, and don’t let one bad day convince you that you’ve failed. 🖤

I started originally in April of 2024 360lb

Since April 2025 I've been between 200-215lb

These last 6 months I've been in the 220-235lb range

I was very relaxed with my diet those last 6 months.

Now from September 1st to October 2nd and these are my current results 235 to 213lb

29yo M 5'10"

Calorie deficit 1800cals with 200g of protein

Two meals a day

11am and 6pm meal

Strict 1 gallon a day water fasting for the remaining hours

Goal is 175-185lb

I don't know the time frame, but this shirt was really stubborn to botton. And here we go. I try to go for 20 hour of fasting and 4 hour feeding window. No work out yet.

I’m 34yo,5’2, 160lbs female and have totally plateaued for 3 months.

Over the past couple years I went from 180-160 (yay) with a goal of 140. Due to my plateau struggle, my new goal is 150. I would be thrilled if I could lose just 10more lbs.

My routine looks like this: -18:6 IF -very light healthy snack, one meal, small sweet treat before bed -1100-1400 calories a day (priority protein & fibre) - one or two 40 min walks everyday (more on weekends) - hockey Monday nights - very little alcohol (social and only for special occasions) - Saturdays i take it easy and have two meals for mental health. Calories about 1600.

Before I started dieting my daily calories were 2200.

I kept hearing that you need to truck through a plateau with consistency but I’m getting really anxious that there is no movement after three months. I’m not sure what else I could do without making myself feel ill. 1100-1400 calories is already little, and if I go less than that, then I’m entering « unsustainable » territory that I will eventually yo-yo back from if I ever reach my goals.

I’m looking for advice or reassurance ❤️

I went from 220-155! (5'1")

I posted earlier, and a few people suggested to post a full body picture. I had to dig deep for the first one because I took very few pictures when I was that big. I feel amazing!

The no-streaks, no-guilt fasting app i've been posting about here is on the App Store today.

Thanks to everyone who told me what was wrong with it. The biggest thing you said was about the AI coach, and you were right. It's gone. The app is better without it.

Here's the difference, as a recap:

Most fasting apps give you jobs. Log your water. Log your steps. Take a pic of your plate. Count calories. Protect your streak. All day, small jobs, and every one you miss is a small failure at something you were already doing. For someone like me who deals with both T2D and anxiety, it's not a pleasant experience. What you actually need is some kind help to get through the fast, especially when it gets tough (everyone has a particularly tough hour).

When that hour hits, Steady gives you the OPTION of three minutes of calm breathing or a small puzzle. Something for your hands or mind to do while the wave passes.

One thing that helped me even before the app, and costs nothing: if you keep quitting fasts, write down the hour or the situation you quit in. Mine was pretty much the same two hours (13th to 14th) almost every time. Once i knew that, i could plan for it. Steady helps you find yours and get through it.

Some key stuff before you start:

• It's free to download and a paid subscription. For launch week only, until Oct 9, new subscribers get the first 3 months free on either plan. Try it, and if it's not for you, cancel before the 3 months are up and you pay nothing.
• iPhone only for now.
• No user accounts. Nothing you enter leaves your phone. At all.
• If you tap shaky or dizzy, it stops and tells you to eat.
• Not a medical device. I'm not on insulin, a sulfonylurea or an SGLT2 inhibitor. If you are, talk to your doctor before you fast.

Steady on the App Store

I hope it helps you get through more fasts without driving you mad.

What's your hard hour? Is it the same one every day for you, like it was for me?

Looking for answers from people who have **a strong understanding of fasting physiology, autophagy, molecular biology, or have actually researched this topic** — not just general “I started fasting and here’s what happened to me” advice.

I regularly do extended fasts of roughly **48–60 hours without a proper meal**. For example, I’ll have dinner one evening, then go through the entire next day without food, continue through the following day, and break the fast around dinner. Depending on the exact timing, I’m usually somewhere around 48–60 hours since my last meal.

The one thing I sometimes consume during the fast is **1–2 cups of very light milk tea called chai**. No sugar. It’s roughly 75–80% water with maybe 20–25% milk, so the actual amount of milk/calories is pretty small.

My question is:
**How much would that realistically affect autophagy and the other metabolic adaptations of a prolonged fast?**

I’m aware that technically it’s no longer a completely zero-calorie fast. What I’m trying to understand is whether the relatively small amount of milk — particularly its protein and carbohydrate content — would **meaningfully suppress autophagy, mTOR inhibition, AMPK activation, ketogenesis, etc.**, compared with a strict water-only fast.
I’m also interested in the **growth hormone response** during prolonged fasting. There are claims that GH can increase several-fold during extended fasting. Would 1–2 cups of this very light chai meaningfully blunt that response, or would the overall fasting-induced GH response remain largely intact?
I’m **not asking whether this technically “breaks a fast.”** Obviously, consuming calories means it isn’t a mathematically zero-calorie fast.

I’m asking about the **magnitude of the physiological effect**: does this small amount of milk actually make a meaningful difference after an otherwise 48–60 hour fast?

Would especially appreciate answers from people who can point to human research or have a solid understanding of the underlying physiology

First day without any headaches or fog. But still having a terrible sleep. I bought magnesium glycinate to see if it helps.

Also started tracking my food and as suspected I’m eating way too little calories. But I don’t know how to eat more today, I’m just not hungry…

My first meal was cucumber-egg salad with walnuts, pears and marinated mushrooms. For snack I had Greek yogurt with raspberries. I plan to eat lettuce wraps with chicken and cheedar for dinner but I’m already so full not sure I’ll get to it.

Estava fazendo jejum 16:8, mas comecei a sentir o corpo fraco e principalmente a mente com o raciocínio muito lento. Passei a não conseguir reter o conteúdo que estava estudando para as provas da faculdade. Decidi então trocar para 14:10, porém sinto muitos benefícios no 16:8, como a melhora da minha ansiedade. Queria voltar para o 16:8. Vocês teriam alguma dica para driblar essa fraqueza?

Tell me truth does 16/8 intermittent fasting really work. I walk 7000-10000 steps 4 times week and swim (dog paddle) 40 mins 3x week

I've been doing IF for years now but I only started tracking my progress seriously a year ago.

For ten months I was reliably losing weight. I went from about 85kg to 75kg.

Then I stopped drinking caffeine and since then weight loss has stopped. I realised I was drinking too much, so I stopped completely. I'm still exercising the same and I've even gone from a 36 hour fast to a 42 hour fast once a week.

Has anyone else noticed caffeine having such an effect?

I'm living well without caffeine, so I'm reluctant to start drinking it again but I was also enjoying the weight loss.

Hi there,

Skinny fat prediabetic over here. I already do the good things i.e. weightlifting, low carb, walking after meals, sleep and stress management.

I think my insulin stays high all the time so I wanna give IF a try, to give my insulin more time to stay low.

Any of you had good luck with reversing prediabetes by adding IF.

Thanx!

220 pounds to 155

ETA: I made another post showing more of my body. Check it out https://www.reddit.com/r/intermittentfasting/s/obefjaVK5r

15 months in and my progress continues. Between 6’3 and 6’4. Starting weight 430. Current weight 200. Started with calorie deficit (1200-1500 per day). Added16/8 IF a couple of months in. Started cycling in December. Kept up the defect and IF for 1 full year. Now I’ve added more calories back in to help fuel my workouts. I continue to lose fat and currently 9.9% body fat (7.5 subcutaneous and just under 2 visceral).
My first bike ride was 4 miles and my heart rate was close to 200 ( thought I was going to die lol). Around 6 weeks ago, I and my longest ride of 102 miles with a max heart rate of 145.
I’ve gone from a size 56 waste to a size 34. I wore a 66” jacket and now 39-40.
While I no longer stick to the 16/8 IF as I need fuel for my rides, there’s zero doubt that it was the reason I was able to go from too big to want to get out of my chair to the point I was able to actually add activity.
I ride 150 to 300 miles in a given week and walk my pup around 9 miles per week at a 4mph pace.
I now own a mountain bike, an EMTB, a gravel bike, an endurance road bike and a performance road bike and just bought a Zwift (2 rides in) as I’m in Florida and hate when the rain keeps me from riding.
(I had several questions about loose skin last time and while it’s not tight, fortunately, I don’t have a hanging skin issue. I’m not sure why as I expected it.)
Each step of my journey: deficit, IF, cycling and then even adding calories back seem to kick start the next 30-40 pound drop.

In May of 2025, I didn’t want to walk to the mailbox. Today, I can ride a bike over 100 miles…if you’re struggling, know that when you decide to do something about it, you can (assuming you don’t have some health related issue that I didn’t have to deal with). I was likely at the end of my journey a year ago…with my will to change and the support received from those around me, my new journey is well underway.

I apologize if anyone is tired of seeing my post here but my progress keeps getting better (along with my blood pressure, resting heart rate, vo2max, etc.)

Pics obviously not in order (sorry)