Fasting to Break a Weight-Loss Plateau
As some may have noticed, I have lost over 60lbs over the last two years. I struggled with my health for a while after being infected with Lyme Disease. I was fat, felt like shit and had little to no energy. I decided to start playing around with 4-5 different “diets.” What I have learned is that almost every diet works to an extent, as long as there is some mode of accountability.
Over the last 12 weeks, I have been screwing around with long duration fasting to help me keep dropping weight. What does this mean? To make it as simple as possible, check out my regular day of consumption.
5:30 AM: Black Coffee (Max Effort) and Earth Fed Essentials
6:30 AM: Black Coffee (Max Effort) and Beta Testing Earth Fed Life Greens
8:00 AM: Black Coffee and Beta Testing Earth Fed Life Collagen
12:30 PM: Water and 2 Scoops of Earth Fed Muscle Primitive Protein Post-Workout
3:00PM: Kombucha and Beta Testing Earth Fed Shred
8:00PM - 10:30PM: 200g of protein, 200 grams of carbs, 20oz milk with 1 scoop of EFM and ZMA Advanced before bedtime
A few things to note. I have dropped from 235lbs to a consistent 228lbs without really restricting my calories. My strength levels have not decreased at all, although I have not gained a ton of strength either. My energy levels hold quite well throughout the day and I typically have plenty of energy for training as long as my carbohydrate intake holds high enough from the feeding period the night before and my sleep quality is optimal.
Takeaways
Is fasting the end all, be all? Not really, but for me it keeps me very accountable during my busy day. It is simple to track everything and I can have a nice long dinner with my wife. I also find that it makes traveling easier because I really only need to find food during a very limited block of time. On the weekends, I move my feeding time to 6:30PM to enable me to have a nice meal with my family. I have also found that I feel much better and recover quicker if I have collagen and whey protein post-workout. Although this negates my fasting period to an extent, it still helps me hold strength adaptations and higher levels of energy.