Need some tips on breaking the fast (lost 135lbs to date)

This topic contains 3 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by fasting_me 5 years, 6 months ago.

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Mcpenco

8:43 pm
26 Sep 18
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Hey,

I’m Mike and I have been doing intermittend fasting (19-5) for the last 8 months; Mid January, I weighed around 380 pounds and as of today i’m at 245. I’m 26 years old and 5’11.

I do HIIT training 3x a week (mostly 15 second sprints and 30 second walk) for 30 minutes (with 5 minutes of warm up at the start and at the end) and play basketball 2x a week. I feel like I am starting to hit a weight loss plateau and I would like to know what I can do to get through it. (I started going to gym this week to build some muscle mass)

I would like to know what is the optimal foods to eat when breaking your fast. I usually have plain oatmeal (60g), use almond milk instead of regular milk, cinnamon, and 2 tbs of natural peanut butter with 2 small apples on the side. This may seem like a lot, but I only eat 2 meals per day.

I would like to know if it would be better to break my fast with Proteins/fats instead of what I am currently eating.

Thanks in advance, really appreciate it.

fasting_me

4:43 pm
28 Sep 18
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Mcpenco, your weight loss is fabulous! Well done.

It sounds as if your 19/5 eating pattern has worked so far. I perceive that you are not actually doing a calorie restriction menu for 1 or 2 days/week as Michael Mosley suggests for the 5:2 Diet. Most of us on this Forum take that tack. My husband and I have been doing the 5:2 [at 600 calories for each of the 2 days] for 5 years and are at our target weights.

We have eggs for breakfast on both Fast Days. Since you are asking what to eat after fasting for 19 hours, I would suggest protein for breakfast. How many calories do you eat in your 2 meals/ day?

Here’s an example of what we might eat on a Fast Day for breakfast:
Parmesan-Chive Bake: 279 calories 7.5 g fat 3.7 g fiber 15 g protein 30 g carbs 275 mg Calcium PB GF While I was away for 10 days, Dear Husband invented this breakfast to take advantage of the fresh chives in the garden. Clever man.
One 2-oz egg 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped 1.5 tsp reduced-fat ricotta cheese 1 oz kiwi fruit 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water
First set the toaster oven to 350 degreese F. My Dear Husband is the one who prepares the breakfasts. He says to start the coffee next and then to prepare the smoothie. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray. Whisk the egg with the cheeses and chives and pour into the ramekin. Bake in the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Prepare the kiwi fruit, pour the beverages and have an easy day.

Hope my ideas were useful.

Mcpenco

6:08 pm
30 Sep 18
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Thank you for the reply fasting_me, well appreciated!

I have been eating around 1800-2000 calories in my 2 day meal for the past 7 months now.

Someone suggested to up my calories intake to maintenance level (3100 for me) and stay there for around 1-2 months in order to allow my body to build some muscle and restore its hormonal balance again. That will allow me to break my weight plateau and keep losing more weight!

I appreciate your recipes, I will make sure I try when as soon as I have the time!

Noted for the protein when breaking my fast. If I just came back from a gym workout, shouldn’t I add some carbs to my first meal?

fasting_me

12:06 pm
1 Oct 18
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About the carbs after the gym: no real need for that. I’n not learned on eating around exercise, so I can’t specifically advise you there. But my workout days are my 2 Fast Days, with no added carbs. Also, I always hear people say that you need protein after working your muscles…

As for the higher calorie intake to ‘reset’ — sounds like poor advice to me.

If I understand you correctly, you eat 1800-2000 calories/day each of the 7 days of the week. And you are very active on 5 days of the week. Right?
In my opinion, if you want to lose weight, on one day each week, take the calories down to 800: eating good protein, plant carbs, low fat, lots of water. Try that for 3-4 weeks and see what happens.
BTW, you don’t want to lose weight too fast, as the skin will not reabsorb.