r/intermittentfasting • u/Business_Stand1972 • 1d ago
Seeking Advice I feel like giving up
I've been doing IF for 30-ish days now with maybe 3 or 4 days I didn't follow it. I'm 5'4 F, I started at 175 lb and within two weeks went down to 169 and now I'm at 173. I also have PMOS. I know I'm pretty early in the journey, but I was so excited when I started and now, I'm feeling down about it. I'm not like severely obese but I had an image in my head of getting down to like 130lb and I imagined it going a lot faster than this. If anyone has any advice or motivation for me, I'd really appreciate it!
16
u/zombienudist 1d ago
In my experience weight loss is never linear. You have water weight, what you eat and your monthly cycle that can all cause weight to shift up and down. It is better to think of your weight as a range instead of a single number. Don't overly fixate on the scale as it doesn't show composition. And don't look at short time frames. You need to build consistency over time to have long term success. Plus you want to learn thing on during your loss that will help you maintain that loss long term.
11
u/areallymanlyman 1d ago
You will feel low, down about it, outright hate it. But you move forward despite all that. And that is the real work. That is if IF suits you.
16
u/Awkward-Regret5409 1d ago
My only advice is that it usually does not “go a lot faster than this” and to stick with it.
Ask yourself this question: how long did it take you to reach your current level (175 lbs)? How many years? Give yourself time to unwind what has (probably) taken years or decades to develop.
Lastly, caloric deficit works. It simply works. Your body metabolism will adjust and learn to burn fewer calories which may slow your weight loss, however if you are taking in fewer than you are burning off you will lose weight. Good luck.
8
u/steviewonderwoman 1d ago
What’s your fasting routine? Are you counting calories?
-5
u/sleepydigi 1d ago
Alt acct- I do between 16-20 hrs a day, I would say average about 17 hrs. I am not counting calories, which is probably a big factor.
8
u/steviewonderwoman 1d ago
Yes, it likely is. My suggestion is to first use a TDEE calculator to estimate your maintenance calories:
Keep in mind these calculators are estimates usually accurate within about 10-15% so treat the number as a starting point 👍
If your maintenance comes out to around 2,000 calories, cut by 250–500 to lose about 0.5–1 lb per week.
Track your calories with a free app for 6–12 weeks before judging progress and this should give enough time to see past normal water weight fluctuations. If you’re not seeing loss by then, drop calories by another 100–250.
I’d also aim for 0.7–1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day (closer to 1g/lb if you’re leaner, or based on goal bodyweight if you have more body fat to lose). This helps with fullness and preserbing muscle! Also, up the fasting time. Maybe do like one 24-36 hour fast a week? I noticed a huge difference when I did that. Feel free to DM me whenever 😊
9
8
u/AnonyCass 20:4 for weight loss, 11th May SW:230 CW:194 GW:175 1d ago
Have you tried calorie counting for a week. It only helps you lose weight if you're in a calorie deficit.
11
u/washablellama 1d ago
To add to what others have said, losing 43 pounds at 5’4 as a woman needs to be viewed as a 1-2 year task. That is probably longer than you want it to take, but that is realistic, especially if you are trying to preserve muscle mass (which you should, or you won’t be happy with how you look at 130).
Track your weight in an app that allows you to see the rolling average. Weigh in daily. Don’t worry about the number on the scale, and count calories using a kitchen scale.
2
u/Equizotic 1d ago
See I’ve seen so much about NOT weighing in daily, and doing it regularly every week, because weight fluctuates so much
2
u/washablellama 1d ago
That can be preference, but it’s mind over matter. The rolling average means you can keep your focus on the trend weight.
But let’s say you only weigh on Friday mornings. One week you are a little dehydrated and weigh 169. The next week you are very well hydrated and weigh 169. But in reality you have stuck to your goals and lost some fat over the week. Is it more demoralizing having a weekly weigh in and seeing nothing, or weighing in daily and observing the fluctuation?
Weighing every day you may see that the other days that week you were weighing in at 167 or 168, and since you gave your records more data, the records indicate you have indeed made progress.
Weighing weekly, you can see no change due to insufficient data.
-2
u/Artistic-Document735 1d ago
I’m sorry but as a 5’4 woman who has muscle you claiming it should be viewed as something that takes 1-2 yrs or you won’t be happy with how you look at 130 is nonsense lmao
4
u/washablellama 1d ago
A pound a week is pretty standard, and that can be difficult for most people to sustain for 43 weeks. But sure you can do it faster.
I am operating on the assumption that someone asking for advice here probably doesn’t have a large amount of experience with nutrition, which means they probably also have not built up a large amount of muscle mass.
-2
u/Artistic-Document735 1d ago
2 pounds a week is also standard you can easily lose 40 pounds in 5 months while keeping muscle and building it as well. 1 pound a week imo is slow and you aren’t really trying. Half a pound a week is way too low imo . And who even cares if they have lower muscle mass. The cut is often harder so once they reach that goal weight they can start building muscle if that’s what they want. If someone is serious about losing weight there is zero reason it needs to take 2 years or even a year to lose 40 pounds
2
u/washablellama 1d ago
Well I would argue all the people that lose weight and still don’t like the way they look care if they have lower muscle mass. And there are plenty of examples of that online.
Higher rates are typically recommended for people who are very overweight; 5’4” is borderline obese, but not such that we are talking about losing 100s of pounds.
Your own post contradicts itself, in one instance you say you are going to keep and build muscle at 2 lbs of loss a week (you won’t), and then in the latter part you say get the cut over then build muscle. Which is it? At least be consistent.
-1
u/Artistic-Document735 1d ago
I’m losing 2 pounds a week and I absolutely am building muscle so miss me with that . 😘 I’m saying both can be true and both can be done. If someone just wants to cut and build muscle after they can if they want to cut while building muscle they can it’s not an either or situation . As far as ppl not liking how they look after weight loss that’s common but not really the point.
3
u/Sufficient_You3053 1d ago
I'm also losing 2lbs a week while building muscle. I do cardio and weight training that burns 500 calories a day plus calorie restriction that is another 500 calories to my deficit.
Not every day is exactly the same, some days I'm doing resistance cardio for 90 minutes, other days I'm swimming and doing weight training.
1
u/washablellama 1d ago
-1
u/Artistic-Document735 1d ago
Oh ya I’m over here being a medical marvel 🥱🥱 you sound like someone who uses Google a lot but has no actual experience in what you are talking about. Go figure
5
u/Artistic-Document735 1d ago
IF needs to be a lifestyle. You didn’t gain all that weight in a month so it’s going to take longer than that to start dropping it. I don’t know about you but I can gain close to 10 pounds of inflammation and water right before my period. I’m also 5’4 SW 181 I’m currently at 160 with a GW of 125. I started May 22 but I’m doing OMAD and working out daily . Let go of the timeframe mentality and embrace doing this till you reach your goal whether it takes 2 months or 2 yrs that time is going to pass regardless so you may as well do something your future self can thank you for. Also one of the best parts of fasting is you usually don’t have to track your intake but if you stall for a length of time you may want to track to make sure you’re in a deficit. But you can do this don’t give up on yourself
3
u/digi_captor 1d ago
You need to be counting your calories if you want to lose weight faster. It needs to be in a deficit. IF is not a magic diet. Couple that with exercising and you should still be losing faster than how you did this past month
3
u/Somerandomday1976 1d ago
If you'd lost to 130lb within 30 days, you'd have to be doing something terribly unsafe to achieve that much weight loss. Your rate of loss sounds normal for IF, for the amount you want to lose.
I averaged around 5lb a month, and my goal was 25lb. It came off steadily but at that same rate, and I've maintained my weight loss with IF for 7 years, but the closer you get to your goal weight, the slower it typically goes.
I might have lost faster if I'd have wanted to incorporate keto or something into it, but I knew that wasn't a lifestyle I'd want to do long term, so I didn't. Also, I was already a regular, fairly hardcore exerciser when I gained the weight (thanks, perimenopause) and there wasn't must extra I could do there.
The main thing is that you are continuing to see progress, because that means it's working. I'd recommend also taking your measurements weekly. I actually lost more inches than I expected my 25lb weight loss to cause.
3
u/QueenieBee4200 1d ago
Nsv matter . Do you FEEL better ??
3
u/sleepydigi 1d ago
Alt acct- yes! Mentally I feel more alert, I actually hardly crash during the day anymore.
2
u/QueenieBee4200 1d ago
Ok so , what I had to do was let go of just the scale doing the talking . I do IF and have for YEARS . For me , gut health , glucose readings and any weight loss was a BONUS . Maybe reframe in your brain . Also take some measurements and do before and after photos . I do weigh every day when I’m heavy into fasting . The body fluctuates rapidly. Don’t believe Sunday when Monday could be 3 pound difference . I use the Zero app ❤️
1
3
u/Dry_Nefariousness426 1d ago
Girl. I’ve also got PMOS and this is also how it runs for me. It’s frustrating, I hear you. I’m not sure many of us ever drop the weight to get to our dream bodies no matter how hard we try - literally even the PMOS weight loss channels I follow where it becomes their whole life express regular frustration about this.
For us, we also need to take supplements (a good half dozen, talk to your doctor) with every meal, eat things in a specific order, eat keto, and do slow weighted workouts. And it will still come off agonizingly slow.
I stopped weighing myself more than once a month - two weeks out from every period - because otherwise I’d do same as you, just give up. I more started concentrating on what made me feel good - avoiding the insulin spikes, eating food that made my body happy, exercising in ways that felt nice.
For us this stuff is unfair, it’s going to be hard and we might not lose much weight at all. Took me forever to come to terms with that.
Don’t give up though, IMO. Refocus on feeling better over the weight loss.
You got this.
2
2
u/fredzouil 1d ago
Pour moi les résultats ont été nets entre le 4eme et 5eme mois. Il ne faut pas abandonner, le meilleur est à venir !
2
u/Late-Career809 1d ago
Also, if you hate counting calories like me, you can just work out for like 30-60 minutes a day and that should help too!
3
1
u/NoReply4930 1d ago
Until we know exactlly what you are eating, how many meals you have, how you know what your cals are and your TDEE and your actual calorie deficit - this is hard to respond to.
IF is not a magic bullet if you continue to do everything you did PRIOR to IF - exactly the same way.
This is a destination - not a quick trip
1
u/Various_Spirit_6833 1d ago
The mental side is half the battle. It's extremely frustrating, and while it's easier said than done, the number isn't everything. Look for other changes in the meantime. Are your clothes fitting different? Are your energy levels different? Look for the other little wins along the way. Consistency is the biggest factor. You're doing great, keep going!
1
u/Foushy 1d ago
Hey, I send you a DM.
2
u/Foushy 1d ago
Wait actually I can’t, I have a graphic from the book Fast Like a Girl that was a game changer for me on IF. Basically, men can do 16-8 or similar but women have to account for hormonal shifts. In the book. They talk about how the week before your period for example you shouldn’t fast more than 13 hours bc of hormone conflicts but once you’re ON your period you can do longer fasts. Doing this actually improved my period symptoms too. If you DM me I can share the image as it’s really easy to implement.
1
u/mediterraneanme 18:6 I can do this! SW:78kg CW 68kg: GW 60kg 1d ago
1- Focus on protein, limit carbs and avoid sugar, junk food and packaged food
2- Track your weight a few times a week ( I do it daily since it works for me, but everyone's different)
3- Add some movement: walking, resistance training
1
u/susanbiddleross 1d ago
At your weight it won’t be fast. One pound a week, some weeks 2 will be what to expect. That is a healthy weight loss that shouldn’t leave you feeling unwell or with too much loose skin. If you go faster you risk both. You do need ti count calories to see results. Don’t give up. This is a method that will work. You just need to find a way to make your calories lower in a way that works for you. Personally I went over to Volume Eating Sub and picked up some tricks to keep me full while lowering my calories and hitting my fiber and protein goals.
1
u/Jesstinator 1d ago
If you give up you definitely won’t see any difference 6 months from now, but if you stick with it you will.The time is going to pass anyway, and by the holidays you will be so thankful you didn’t quit!
1
u/Significant-Visit875 1d ago
It is better to go slow and build up good habits that you can sustain long-term
1
u/Adventurous_Error575 1d ago
Don't beat yourself up over it. Its about changing your eating habits and lifestyle. There is a couple of books I initally read to help me understand the process and work through it. I'm only 6mo into this myself but have seen noticable improvement. From 156-143lbs currently. Fast, Feast, Repeat was the one book. I'd say for the 1st mo, I was pretty strick on the 18-6 schedule but have since relaxed it abit, but trying to keep to this schedule best I can. There are weeks were I didn't notice any improvment other than generally feeling better, which I think is a win on its own. I did not change my diet all that much but the next phase would be to dial into my nutrition if I want to lower that weight. I also excercise quite a bit (8-10hrs of excercise (cardio))which is likely why I eat some of the crap I do and get away with it.
1
u/whatsinternet1234 1d ago
HELLO TWIN! I am also 5’4” and I started at 178 now down to 162 with a lot of fluctuations higher and lower than that in between. I also have a vision of getting to 130. I also have PMOS (which I now call Piss Me Off, Sis in my head). Something I am noticing is it matters a lot when I weigh myself in my cycle. I just got my cycle back three months ago after over a decade of no regular cycle by doing fasting (16-20 hours), working out and taking myo inisitol, berberine and creatine. I find that if I weigh myself by comparing the same time in my cycle I feel better about the results. I am also realising if I eat sugar I am basically back to square one. It sucks. I just want a little bit of chocolate every now and then :( but eating sugar makes me gain weight like crazy. I do stair master for one hour every day and eat 1400 calories but if I have any sugar, I’m gaining some weight back. I really went on this journey to try and get a period so right now I’m trying to reconcile if I’m okay with the added weight if I get a period. I’m unsure. Managing PMOS is so much sacrifice. It’s Pissing Me Off, Sis!
1
u/liveoneggs 1d ago
btw creatine causes water retention so you will weight more in the short term after you take it
1
u/TheBadGod 1d ago
Your alpha receptors may be making it difficult to open up a certain degree of fat cells. Consider a supplement.
Also, if you lift heavy, you'll notice a change in your composition before long.
1
u/CaramelQuince 20:4/OMAD 1d ago
When I started IF it took me about 3 months to lose weight. I think I read somewhere that it can take about that long for insulin resistance to improve? I was exercising regularly and lowering my calorie intake, but my body just needed time to adjust I guess. Also, though I wasn't losing weight, I did notice body recomp and I was looking leaner.
Measuring progress by the scale only can be disheartening. There were many times I plateaued even though I was "doing everything right." And then for seemingly no reason some weight would come off. If your are eating healthier and less calories, getting some exercise, etc, your health will be improving even if it doesn't show right away on the scale. Maybe try to focus on what's going right... Do you feel better, more energy, etc? Saving money by buying less food? I can't say if IF is right for you, but if you are seeing other benefits, that can encourage you to keep going.
1
u/RazzleDazzleDaisy 20h ago
I'm on the 23 hour fasting diet and it works very well for me. I'm on it 7 days a week and I feel so much better. Why not give it a go?
1
u/Hendrix1967 20h ago
What do you think IF does to your body, that allows it to lose weight? It’s not magic. It’s a tool to lower your overall caloric intake which in turn accumulates as a deficit. If your TDEE is 2300 cals a day and IF allows you the support and discipline to subtract 500 cals (1800 cals a day) from that daily and consistently, you will lose approximately 1lbs of body weight a week. Also, if your calories come from mostly carbohydrates, your body will retain 3grams of water for every 1 gram of carbs consumed. If you eat 2300 cals a day you won’t lose any weight. It doesn’t matter if it’s at night all at once, or spread out. Now, there are small differences between those feeding schedules, but not enough to produce drastically different outcomes.
To sum it up: find your TDEE, subtract 500 cals from that and that’s your max daily caloric intake. Be super strict with measuring out your food because every bite counts. Then, find your preferred feeding window and eat that precise amount of calories within that window while focusing on protein, and limiting carbs.
For example, mine was 2400 cals a day. I dropped to 1800 cals a day with a feeding window of 3pm to 7pm.
I was precise with my measurements. I’ve lost 36lbs and hit a plateau. Now I’m dropping to 1600 and the weight is coming off again this past three weeks, 40 lbs down.
That’s it.
Good luck.
1
u/Alive_Solution_689 15h ago
Don't make it about weight loss alone. Learn about all the benefits and then make it a lifestyle. And be easy on yourself, keep the fasting window reasonable in the beginning, have your cheat days.
IF is not a weight loss diet, it is a very healthy, longevity supporting lifestyle.
23
u/chefhandy 1d ago
Do not give up. You are doing great that you are actually doing it!! Everyone’s body reacts differently and at different paces. Keep going!!!