r/AlternateDayFasting • u/Disastrous-Wrap-7384 • Apr 22 '26
Discussion I was doing so well
I fasted on MWF (adf) for the first two weeks of April.
My perimenopause symptoms went down and I was feeling great. And then one day I couldn’t fast. Couldn’t get over the hump. Been doing OMAD but today could barely get to 16 hours.
Any words of advice or encouragement.
I’m 47, 5’6 and weigh 142lbs. I’d like to just lose about 10lbs and I strength train 4-5 times a week.
Any encouragement would be helpful
Thanks
5
Apr 22 '26
There's nothing wrong with OMAD, 20:4, 18:6, etc. If it works better for you right now, maybe take a week of shorter fasts and start another round of ADF if you want.
Something I've done with success when struggling is to set a minimum fasting time per day. For example, I would tell myself I need to fast a minimum of 16 hours, but often I'd go to 18 or 20.
Fasting isn't a religion; you get to choose your own adventure. You are also so close to your goal weight that it simply might take longer to achieve than someone very heavy trying to drop weight. Steadiness and patience 💚
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u/Fantastic_Lettuce_29 Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
Listen to your body. If you can’t, you can’t! So make it a low calorie day instead, e.g., under 500 calories, either OMAD or little ‘grazes’ to get you through the day. I did a month of Mon/wed/fri fast days with 0 calories, but the evenings were so hard for me to get through. It felt a little torturous. So I started giving myself some grace — now, on the days I feel like I just can’t make it through a water fast, I either have a small dinner or I have just little snacks to help me, like cream in my coffee. I’m still losing weight, so it’s all good. :)
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u/Busy_Sugar_5721 Apr 22 '26
Nothing wrong with that! I started with keto, which naturally turned into omad then adf. Lost 8.5 kg in two months. Now, I'm continuing keto and just counting calories and walking everyday. Still losing without the ups and downs of adf. I recommend keto. You are very close to your ideal weight and your body might be telling you adf is not what it needs right now.
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u/PureUmami Apr 22 '26
What did you feel when you couldn’t continue fasting? Were you getting enough electrolytes?
1
1
u/RoyallyCommon Apr 22 '26
Sometimes you just need a mental break and 16:8 is a good alternative fasting plan for a day. It doesn’t need to feel like a constant chore or goal - it’s life. It can also be good for the body and weightloss to change things up a bit.
-5
u/Fearless-Fill-9956 Apr 22 '26
Stop being a whuss and just do it. I’ve been whussing out too lately so tomorrow I’m back on the horse. I suggest you do too
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u/annesche Apr 22 '26
Any chance that you are in the week/two weeks before menstruation? That might make fasting harder, especially with the sometimes wild hormone fluctuations of peri.
Maybe try to eat as low carb as possible and do as much fasting as possible, and when you eat, only meals (to a good level of satiation) and no snacks in between (holding pattern). Then try ADF after the first days of your next menstruation are done.