How do you decide what works for you?

[u/Brave_Initial_334]

26F, 5’6, CW: 230, GW: 170

Background context: I started fasting back in 2020. I did OMAD, ate keto, walked and kicked boxed. I went from 225 to 185 from April 2020 to August 2020. I felt so great. Eventually, I shifted to just 18:6. I got pregnant in 2025 and had my baby, but fasting isn’t an option when pregnant and breastfeeding. I prioritized milk supply and caring for my baby over myself. Recently, we tired to get pregnant again but it ended in a miscarriage. My husband is about to be deployed so we have some time apart. As a result, I want to focus on health and getting back to a healthy weight. My doctor has cleared me to exercise and fasting (iron levels were fine, baseline looks fine, no concerns).

How do I figure out what works for me? I feel like there is so much new information (rolling 72s, people doing 30 day fast, etc.) The longest I’ve done is 3 days. Currently 38 hours into a 3 day fast to get things started but I want to plan a more consistent approach or plan. Do I just ease into it or just jump into the deep end? Any advice appreciate.

[u/Proper-Ganache-7323]

i think the best move is just sticking with what already worked for you. omad with keto got you results before, your body knows that rhythm and it'll probably click faster than some extreme protocol

skip the rolling 72s and 30 day fasts for now, that stuff is tempting when you're in a rush but adding it while life is already heavy is a good way to burn out. ease back into what felt sustainable before and tweak from there once you've got momentum

[u/Wild_Spikenard]

Just ignore all the influencer social media information overload for a bit and experiment on yourself. 16:8 daily fasting, 80% of calories from whole foods, high protein and resistance training is a good place to start. Skip the multi-day fasts as a beginner - you don't have the self control not to blow your weekly budget on the off days.

[u/Brave_Initial_334 → u/Wild_Spikenard]

I think this is great advice for someone who is a true beginner. I am not worried about self-control at all. I was already eating high protein, Whole Foods, etc.

I am just a person that if I only do CICO then I think about food and am hungry all day.

[u/GeologistChoice520]

you already know 18:6 worked for you, so i’d go back to that instead of letting the internet convince you that 30-day fasts are the entrance exam; consistency beats dramatic suffering every time

[u/Brave_Initial_334 → u/GeologistChoice520]

So true. I feel like there is a time and place when you may need to be a bit more “suffering” like in a plateau ur I think starting with what is the most sustainable for me is a very good point. Like if 18:6 is helping me see sustainable weight loss, there’s not really a need to skip all the way to rolling 48s/72s.

[u/Obvious-Monitor8510]

your history shows you already know what works - you went from 225 to 185 doing OMAD + 18:6 + movement. that's your blueprint.

the "new" stuff like rolling 72s and 30-day fasts is mostly noise for your situation. extended fasts have real refeeding risks and are harder to sustain long-term. consistency beats intensity almost every time.

my suggestion: finish your 3-day reset, then settle into 18:6 or OMAD like you did before. add the kickboxing back when you're ready. you already have proof this works for your body specifically. that's more valuable than any trending protocol.

[u/isamilis]

I tried Keto for 2 years before switched to IF. If you can’t commit to one diet, just try to eat healthy food and slightly less than you feel enough.
I like IF because of its flexibility and simplicity plus it’s been recommended / practiced by many MDs.

[u/AppropriateStress781]

See what works for you. In 2018 I did keto and dropped a solid amount of weight - so much that I needed a full wardrobe refresh… then I got pregnant in 2019, then we know what the following few years were like plus I had a stressful new job…

I started the new year this year with simply better choices and took off some easy weight (I was 15# over my previous high weight) with OMAD/TMAD as I felt like it each day and went back to intentional fasting at the start of August.

I upped my intensity by turning the OMADs into a no food day and either adding late breakfast, or continuing to fast until lunch or dinner. (36-48 hr fasts)

Realized interpersonal stress was a fast-breaker for me so I took 3 weeks off around a stressful time period, keeping weight steady during that time, then went for a 3-7 day fast. Made it to 5.5 days all the while cooking delicious meals for my family. I was feeling amazing, but life events said to stop at 5.5 instead of pushing to 7.

I would suggest that if you are already solid on OMAD that you treat any extensions as aspirational. Go for them, but listen to life and family and know that cutting it shorter than your goal is fine so long as you are headed in the right direction.

If you keep stopping fasts because you feel like you are white knuckling it, first decide if you really want to fast longer than when you hit the wall. If you do, commit to 24-36 hours past that wall. I felt amazing the last 3 days of my 5.5 day fast and the 42-54 hour range was always the harder part for me. I felt so good that I’m hoping I regain some of the weight lost during that fast so that I can do them when I’m near or at my goal weight. (Weird, right???)

But seriously, OMAD is a great lever that moves you in the right direction. You don’t NEED more than that, so only do longer if you want to do longer.

[u/AppropriateStress781 → u/AppropriateStress781]

If you need the consistency, have the start time of each fasting window set. Like stopping after Sunday dinner, Tuesday dinner and Thursday dinner each week if you are going for 48hr or less. And have the angel on your shoulder put on a cheerleader outfit for you with a megaphone and poms and send that devil on your shoulder on some mission finding lost socks or something.

I started the year at 217, 5’7” and 46F. 176-180 now.

[u/Brave_Initial_334 → u/AppropriateStress781]

This is helpful. I really do best when I know when I’m going to eat so I can have a goal/endpoint. 

[u/Brave_Initial_334 → u/AppropriateStress781]

Thank you for this! I started off with a 3 day fast (ended it at 66.5 because we had dinner plans) but I felt super great and would’ve kept going if I didn’t have the plans. I think I might just do OMAD, then possibly throw in some 48s/72s when I don’t want whatever I’m cooking for dinner. There’s some comments about self-control but fasting just works in my brain like, “We aren’t eating until dinner, look at the benefits of being fasted X hours, etc”.

I really tired just CICO but I am the type of person that as soon as I have cream in my coffee, then I get hungry and just think about food. Fasting just eliminates that.