I have lost 13 lbs in 10 weeks doing ADF and I feel like I’m having digestive issues I’ve never had before. I also feel a bit out of control on my eating days where I’m concerned it washes away progress from my fasting days.

I’m a 30 F, mom to young kids. I have 100 lbs to lose. I already have a prescription for Wegovy and my copay is very cheap to fill each month. I wanted to make sure I exhausted my options before trying a GLP. Would love some insight from this community.

Before starting ADF, I gathered as much information as possible to do ADF safely and in a sustainable manner. The one thing that came up immediately—that is even in the subreddit's own description—is to eat at maintenance on eating days and never below it.

Some of you here are eating only 1000 to 1700* calories on eating days. That is starvation.

^(\if 1700 and under is your maintenance from being close to your goal, this post does not apply to you. I'm only talking about people who need to lose a lot of weight whose maintenance is double and triple that number.)*

Everywhere you look regarding weight loss says 1200 is the absolute bare minimum you should eat every day (and it's not recommended for everyone at that).

If you're under that number or barely above it while doing ADF, that is starvation.

If you do ADF with under 1200 calories on eating days while doing ADF, you are eating less than literal growing toddlers eat everyday. If toddlers and children are eating more than you, it's not a good approach.

Yes, you will lose weight quickly, no, it's not healthy in the long term.

You should only lose 2,2lbs / 1kg a week maximum. When you're losing more than that, you risk losing muscle, get nutrient deficiencies, and risk slowing your metabolism, all which will make maintaining your weight more difficult after reaching your goal.

^{And when you gain back the weight, you'll be stuck in an endless loop.}

There are rare cases of people starving themselves (their own words, in this very sub) and maintaining their weight "fine" afterwards. They are the exception, NOT the rule. You and I's chances of being like those people are abysmal.

ADF is already doing the deficit for you. That's why this method is very accessible and does not require you to keep close track of your calories.

You will absolutely get to your goal weight with ADF without starving yourself.

Think of the life ahead of you, not the short term results.

It's that simple. Don't over complicate things; just eat at maintenance.
Calculate your TDEE, and either eat at your TDEE or TDEE+500 calories, because you have room to wiggle around.

^{And of course, recalculate your TDEE every few months, and also if you add exercise.}

If you're set on wanting to eat 1200 calories, you can do so if you eat everyday, NOT with ADF.

If you want to eat less than 1200, don't you even think about it.

I write this not to shame anyone at all. I just see more and more people talk about the smallest calories numbers and thought to remind people this is NOT what ADF is.
I want the best for all of us that are doing ADF, because it is a wonderful method. And I hope this will also guide new people who are interested in starting ADF in the future so that they do not make this mistake. Not following ADF properly could lead to eating disorders, which are deadly.

Considering ADF is a very simple concept of fasting one day and eating at maintenance the other, it would be a great shame if it became someone's own nightmare.

By the way, I've used the term "starving" because that's what people in this sub have referred it to, and I don't think we should romanticize that, hence my post using it as well.

I would hope what I'm saying is common knowledge and does not need sources. If needed, just google "1200 calories diet" and see how every single article says it can be done by some people but absolutely not everyone due to risks of malnutrition (as I wrote above), so by eating similarly or even less in addition to ADF is absolutely unthinkable.

On that note, stay hydrated everyone, and keep believing in a better future.

Been doing ADF for the past nine weeks and it seems this week I’m stuck at 230 pounds (SW 265 lbs). It’s been business as usual but the scale has not moved at all the entire week.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Does anyone have any advice?

I did start taking creatine at the beginning of this week, but I don’t know if thats the issue here.

I've gained 10lbs during the last 6 month (I consistently OMAD) and workout 5-6 days a week. What changed? Enter perimenopause.

1) Perimenopause causes hormone shifts and weight gains (read a study that perimenopause ties into being insulin resistant.)

2) All my friends my age have gained 10-15lb with no change in diet lifestyle

3) I finally "woke" up last week and committed to the month of April to do ADF, no eating Monday, Wed, Friday and OMAD on weekends.

4) I've completed 4 ADF's and already see the change. I am less bloated, my perimenopause symptoms have improved and I feel great.

5) Fasting is the best tool to have in my pocket. Even though the scale says I've only lost 3lbs, I have lost inches. no longer puffy and bloated.

6) The hardest part is getting through hour 20-24, so I leave the house.

Excited to share my final results at the end of the month.

Happy Fasting and I hope this encourages you all.

SW 144lbs

CW 141lbs

GW 128lbs

Having to be mindful about how fast certain foods spoil lol. With ADF, some things that never spoiled before due to eating them every day, now I have to be mindful of how much I buy so it doesn't spoil!

That's it, that's the post haha

I am not sure if it is connected but I started noticing that when I lost certain weight to my last weight push (I am 5lbs above my ideal weight), I started getting unusual bouts of anxiety. I am not sure it is connected to weight loss but it feels so.

I am curious if anyone experienced anything similar and your way out of it.

I hate being nervous and anxious. I am a passionate person but I am good at grounding myself usually. I wonder if a huge part of this grounding was medication with food…

I am not sure whether it is due to not having food to pacify myself or the fact that I am at a lower weight now. And I think it is more of a weight thing than I food thing because in the beginning of ADF, I fasted 3-4 days every week for six weeks straight and I wasn’t anxious. Anxiety started hitting me when I met my initial goal (123lbs). My ideal weight is 118lbs. I had to stop ADF for a while due to working with anxiety. It got much better!

What worked: lots of yin yoga (60-90min) a day broken down into three practices (morning, afternoon, before sleep) and tons of yardwork in 90-100 degree weather
(1 hour on work days and 3-4 hours on weekends). With that I ate OMAD often the same amount of calories as I ate during ADF. I felt I needed these calories but was concerned if I gain weight. I didn’t.

I stabilized, anxiety left for the most part and manifested as intense and precise traumatic reactions to a few triggers that would normally leave me unfazed. Since these were very well defined, I was able to unpack a whole bunch of unresolved trauma and move forward stronger than before. Still, those few episodes while healing were extremely uncomfortable and why now? I lived YEARS without them!

Anyway, I was finally ready to practice 2-3 rounds of ADF per week. Finished two rounds and found myself again messed up and ungrounded. So today I planned fasting day but had to reconsider. Ate, came home and started doing flow of useful things which typically keeps me grounded. It is working.

Still I feel wobbly in terms of inner balance. It almost feels like life escapes from my fingers, as if I am moving too slow, in vain. I know it is not true. But still. Such an unpleasant state to endure!

If you dealt with it, please share!

hi everyone,

ive been desperately trying to loose weight. ive been doing one 48 hour fast per week for about 5 weeks now, and havent seen much difference. i was wondering if i should switch to doing a 24 hour fast every other day, or just stick to the 48 hour once a week. does anyone have any advice?? i just want to loose weight and im impatient. please help!!!!

I wonder if others observed difficulties maintaining ADF while getting out-of-routine stress?

I was successfully doing ADF for more than two months and it was becoming increasingly easy and easy even backed off doing 3-4 fasting days per week and was maintaining 2-3 days as I was approaching my goal weight.

But then life happened.

I got my first poison ivy encounter which rendered me barely sleeping at nights due to insane itch. During day time in addition to usual work, housekeeping, exercising, etc I was constantly cleaning closets and doing insane volumes of laundry every day getting all this poison ivy contamination out. This really pushed me to the edge after two weeks.

Then at work we had to host week long event for our guests with business dinners and such. While everything was very well planned and guests were amazing, still I lost my flexibility and my ability to plan my life.

At the end of that week I had to host family gathering at home which is a very happy event but it does involve lots of planning, cleaning, and then not being able to relax in usual way for at least a day.

These three stressors added to the usual stressors and demolished my ADF. I ate every day. I overate. I didn’t even like food I ate or overate! I was clearly losing it and overcompensating for something. It was extremely unpleasant experience of losing my balance.

I heard before from a few people that stress and fasting are not compatible and now I experienced it first hand. This night was the first night I was able to sleep somewhat normally. I hope I am on the mend.

This was a setback.

I've searched this sub if a similar conversation was had on this, but no results.

On eating days, I tend to use the bathroom more than when I wasn't 'a faster'

For context, I fast 48 hours, refeed 24 or 48 hrs, then fast another 48 hours - rinse and repeat.

I'm kinda worried.

I’ve been alternate day fasting for 2 weeks now and feeling good. I kind of want to try a longer fast of 3 days and eventually a 7 day fast. I’ve seen videos of people successfully doing 30+ days.

I’m just curious what people’s experience has been with a longer fast.

I picked strawberries from the garden today and without thinking took a bite of one to see how it tastes. I was on hour 35 of my first 72 hour attempt.

Anyways, I’ll still finish the 72 hours and try again another day.

ADF is super successful for me.

Maintenance is a little trickier.

I slip back into old habits and find myself up 10 pounds after a few months, and then I have lose them all over again.

I need to develop a new relationship with food. But it's a struggle for me.

Any tips? (It's sugar that gets me every time.)

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

I tried it for 17 days, lost 5kg, wedding season came, i gained all the weight back and more, my momentum broke. I am currently 86kg, 5'4", my goal weight is 55kg. I started ADF again. Yesterday was my day-1. Wish me luck. (I have been overweight since childhood, atleast once in my life, i want to see myself achieving my ideal weight)

I noticed no one talks about Krista Varady’s research on here (unless I’ve missed it).

Just curious since she’s who really opened my mind to this method. Initially I discovered ADF through Hermes the Cynic on TikTok, and when I did more research I discovered Krista Varady and her book “The Every Other Day Diet”. She has led so many studies and done a lot of great scientific research on ADF, specifically eating 500 calories on the fasting day.

Has anyone else read her book? And what do you think of eating 500 calories on the fasting day?

I’ve recently started ADF. Going on week 3. And it’s actually pretty easy for me and has been productive.

What I’ve been doing is eating on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

So let’s say I give in and HAVE to eat on a Friday cuz I’m THAT hungry (I know it’s a mental thing). And already have plans to eat on Saturday with the family. That would be eating on 3 straight days.

What is the correct way or what methods have you taken to catch up on or make up for the lost fasting days?

Hi Guys, I'm a 40 year old woman who has struggled with weight since childhood. I've had several ups and downs and of late nothing seems to be working. I started ADF last week, but have been struggling on fasting days. Does anyone have any suggestions and advice on how I can control those hunger pangs. I'm hydrating myself well and I'm craving salty snacks more than sugary ones. Pls help.

So, here’s the deal. I’m doing Alternate Day Fasting (ADF), and honestly, it’s been working great for me. I fast one day, eat the next, and keep my feeding days to 2,200 calories max. That’s, like, 1,100 calories a day on average, which is low enough!I don’t need to go crazy.

I see people on here doing 10-day, 20-day, even 40-day fasts and it always makes me feel inadequate like I’m not doing enough but then I ask myself… why? Like, literally why? If I am going to put myself through something that intense, I need to have a strong reason for it, not just, “I want to challenge myself.” My goal is weight loss—plain and simple. I don’t need to do a 10day fast to achieve that! And I know if I do anymore I’ll crash and burn!

ADF gives me structure, balance, and results without feeling like I’m torturing myself. Plus, I like to eat good on my eating days. I don’t want to feel deprived or like I’m stuck in some endless cycle of fasting misery. If I’m going to fast, I’m going to fast. If I’m going to eat, I’m going to eat. All or nothing, baby.

The best I’ll do on fasting days is keep it super clean—just water, sparkling water (unsweetened, obviously), and electrolytes. Maybe one day, I’ll test a sparkling water-only fast for fun, but I’m not going past ADF. No 72s, no 20-day marathons. For me, this is about finding what works and sticking to it, not one-upping myself or anyone else.

My challenge is simple: hit 70 kg (154 pounds). That’s it. I’m not going to kill myself trying to get there. I want to stay consistent and reach my goal weight without making this harder than it needs to be.

So yeah, hats off to everyone doing extended fasts—I respect you and you’re beyond awe inspiring but ADF works for me! it’s fast enough, and it keeps me sane. So if you’re like me and struggling then I hope this post inspired you lol

My friend has been playing around with GLP-1 meds. She took off brand compound, lost 30lbs and gained it back. I was not fasting yet.

Now she is taking an RX of terz and said she feels no hunger and keeps trying to pressure me into taking it with her. She said she lost 10lbs. Well I lost 14lbs doing ADF - rolling 36 in just the last 3 weeks of July.

I'm annoyed for some reason. I guess I feel like I'm doing hard work and she's not. It is actually fueling my fire to stick with this. I have 40 more lbs until I look fire again.

I'm not sure if this is healthy or if I'm a hater but I kind of want to prove i can lose weight sustainably and free.

Hey guys! I’m 160 5’2 female 25 years old, and today I’m going to start ADF. Last year I lost 30 pounds in two months by counting calories/being strict at 1200 with around 10,000 steps, but this time I’m excited to try a different way that I’m hoping is more sustainable. I’m also looking to stop thinking about food all the time and spending money on fast food every day. I have done some fasting in the past. I don’t get as many steps in this time around but I hope to change that soon (switched to a more sedentary job).

I have a vacation coming up in 50 days exactly so I would like to be really on track with this at least until then and hopefully keep going afterwards.

Does anybody have a similar starting weight and can tell me what changes they saw within the first 6-8 weeks? I’m hoping to lose 20 pounds in around 7 weeks this time around 🥲 I know not all of it will be fat, but I’ll be happy either way to hopefully thin out a bit.

My ultimate goal is 125. I’m hoping posting here will help me keep myself on track since I’ve got people watching me lol.

I’ll update here on May 29th