Rapid weight loss question

I do not have much to add about fasting itself, but dropping forty-five pounds over eight months does not count as rapid. That pace is actually considered healthy. If the doctor back then said otherwise, they were mistaken.

Hopefully your physician is a new one these days.

Fasting is not an unhealthy method provided the fasts are not excessively long. The main drawback of faster loss is that some of the weight can be muscle, though exercise and enough protein can limit that. I am not a doctor, yet I think any downsides of these medications are far smaller than the downsides of staying significantly overweight. Obesity leads to many serious illnesses while these drugs have not been linked to any. A doctor who calls forty-five pounds in eight months too fast is not one I would keep seeing.

I have been taking my medication pretty aggressively and probably do not need to slow down, but I get frustrated with how long the process still feels. I started at twenty-three stone and am now at nineteen stone eight pounds after three months on five milligrams. Like you I usually wait until afternoon for the first meal, then stay full for hours before a second meal of mostly vegetables, chicken, and rice. I have read that the liver handles the weight loss and that gallstones or liver damage can result, so I should probably pay attention, yet it is hard to add calories without bringing in less healthy foods.

A paper from NIH gives a decent overview of fasting effects on metabolism and mental health. The short version is that fasting, especially the intermittent kind, tends to have positive results overall.

I do not enjoy fasting and worry about low blood sugar or other side effects. Spreading small healthy choices across the day seems better to me. A loss of half a pound to two pounds a week feels like a sensible target.

Thank you all. I have not seen that doctor in years. My current one is pleased with the progress and wants me to keep going. I have always thought the extra weight was harming me and needed to change. Hearing from everyone here is encouraging.

I think nutritionists generally favor small frequent meals as the healthiest pattern. One issue with fasting, besides blood-sugar swings, is that it becomes easy while on the medication, yet earlier you mentioned regaining the weight, so it may not support lasting results. The better approach on these drugs is to practice the healthy choices and routines you can keep for life. As people age, fasting grows harder because the body needs steadier fuel and digestion changes. Many medications also require food. I am only fifty-four and take several doses daily that must be taken with meals. This is just my view, not professional advice. By the way, you have the best username here.

Whenever people start explaining how great fasting is, outside of a thread actually about it, I tune out right away. I am overweight because I eat too much and too often. If simply deciding not to eat as often worked, I would not be in this spot. It is like telling someone on fire that the trick is to stop burning.

By my math you lost about one to one and a half pounds a week, which is normal and slow enough to stay healthy. I average two pounds a week without fasting, just two meals a day plus the occasional piece of fruit. The medication makes waiting between meals easier than it used to be when I grazed all day. My doctors are happy because my health markers have never been better, and I am watched closely as a cancer survivor with endocrine issues, so someone would speak up if there were concerns.

Forty-five pounds in eight months is very okay. You are doing well.

You are using something that reduces hunger and slows digestion, so one option is simply not eating. That is not a healthy long-term plan for your body though. You still need fuel for energy and basic functions. The real task is shifting your habits so the calories you do take in are the right kind, packed with protein and nutrients. The aim is not to keep riding low intake, since your metabolism could slow in response. Instead make the smaller amounts count and treat food as something helpful rather than the enemy. This is a chance to change how you think about eating.