8 Fasting Mistakes that Slowed Down my Fat Loss 

Mistakes in fasting… 1.Jumping into a fast too quickly. Adapt first. Start with shorter fasts and work up. Go three or four days with lower carbs to also prepare your body for the fasting. 2.Fasting too frequently will cause you not to get the same benefits. Restrict the time not just calories and keep fasting as the abnormality. We don’t want to lose muscle mass. 3.Breaking your fast without realizing it by eating foods that spike our insulin. 4.Improperly breaking your fast. Eat protein first and fat intake…then carbs. Mono saturated fats. 5.Fasting when stressed out. Fasting increases cortisol…so does stress. And insulin sensitivity goes down. If stressed won’t get the best benefit from fasting. Too much cortisol will break down muscle. 6. Don’t fast if your are sleep deprived. Go for 14 or 16 hour fasts on sleep deprived days. 7. Dry fasting means losing more fat but being hydrated will be key to successful fasting. 8. Not moving. You need to be moving when fasting or else you are defeating the benefits of fasting.

I’m alternate day fasting since exactly 3 weeks. My starting weight was 135.5kg or 298.7lbs. I lost 5kg or 11lbs in the first 10 days. I ate everything i want, than i switched to a Carnivoreish/Keto diet. And today I weighed 123.4kg or 272lbs. So my total weight loss in 3 weeks is 12.1kg or 26.6lbs. I feel great 😁💪🏼😎. This works so great for me. As weird as it sounds, I enjoy my fasting days much more than my eating days. I never thought that this would be even possible 😂.

Long time subscriber, just wanna give a big thanks Tom for sharing all of your knowledge and research, it has been immensely beneficial along my journey to improving my overall health and physique. Understanding how processes work within the body has been fundamental to informing proper diet and nutritional decisions and IMO your content and approach make this complex domain very accesible for your viewers. I also really like how your content and dietary models/routines evolve with the underlying data (as is the true nature of science) and your delivery of information has noticably improved over the past year. Top notch content man, keep up the effort, you really do great work!

Thank you for everything you do, your knowledge is appreciated and has helped me so much with my journey.

Very well said Thomas I shared this video with a few of my Family members that are trying to fast and keep failing at it. Keep up the great work Love all your videos.

The problem is, that once you get used to a specific IF pattern (18:6 for example), it’s very difficult to switch back to a “standard” eating lifestyle, at least for me 😔

Great video. Glad to see I’ve been fasting correctly, thank you !

Enjoying the content lately. Thanks for keeping it real.

Thomas, thank you so much for this very important and useful information!

Ur knowledge is appreciated 💪keep the fire burning

Your the best thanks for all you teach us

Interesting! Thanks for explaining. This makes sense.

Currently doing a 72 hour fast (once a month!) I intermittent fast most days of the month, 16/8, and 20/4, with maybe 5-8 days a month of refeeding and eating 3x a day. This has done WONDERS FOR ME!! I only do fasts on weekends I know I can take my last day of my fast completely off work so I can fully rest the last day. 🙏 I always lift weights on day 1 and day 2 of my fast, and I still walk 3-4 miles or cycle 7-10 miles every day. I always use quality sea salt 🧂 in my water when I fast🙏. I think the refeed week in my month is CRUCIAL to maintaining and being able to not only maintain, but GET stronger. 💪

Great tips. Thanks!

Fantastic information and explanation on how to stay healthy, very informative, thank you for what you do, all the very best in health and happiness, very much enjoying your channel.

I usually fast during the week, and usually go between 20-22 hrs. My start time is not the greatest, being around 8-9 pm after I satisfy my sweet tooth, and goes until maybe 6-7 the next day. It's been such a life changer for me because it's helped my stomach problems so much, not nearly as bloated, clear-headed, more energy, etc. Thank you for continuing to educate and inspire us!

Thank you Thomas, excellent advice, no long winded gluconeo/genius words, just the straight goods. Cheers and best regards.

I loss 40lbs I.F. every day, then over 2 years gained 20lbs back even though I was still fasting, then I switched to doing Monk fasting ( 40-48 hour fast from Sunday night to Tuesday when I get home from work) and OMAD twice a week and eating at libitum the rest of the week and regained my fasting results even though I was eating more

Great vid with important suggestions

Very helpful Thomas Thank you 🙏

You are great. Thanks. Put into words whats happening with me. Very important considerations. I have been puting on weight with the 16:8 protocol.

This is one of your best videos. I've watched at least 50 of them.

One of my REASONS for fasting was sleep deprivation. Four days into my fast, and I was already sleeping much better! For the record, I had done keto and keto + intermittent fasting before embarking on my first long-term fast. I've got a hi-tech scale that measures over a dozen bodily aspects, and I weighed in every other day. My goal was four weeks; however, on my 14th day, my fat. muscle & water suddenly started heading in the wrong directions, so I broke the fast. Now I see this video, telling me to start with protein and then fat to break a fast, whereas other videos said, "Your gallbladder is asleep; start with fruit and work your way up," so that's what I did. I've heard do/don't exercise, do/don't eat fats right away when breaking fast, even do/don't have anything but water - there's a sh*t-ton of conflicting info out there. Can we please gat a resolution to all these conflicting "facts," please? In the meantime, I'm going to plan to do 14 days on, 7 - 14 days off fast, and sticking closer to an even ratio of fats to proteins than keto calls for, probably 45% each with the remaining 10% from vegetable carbs. I'll work out pretty vigorously when not fasting, and simply swim laps in a non-aggressive fashion when fasting. If any of this is wrong, please feel free to respond with properly backed science.

I think I agree.... I work 12 hour shifts, at night... I usually eat once a day, and try to take in 1000-1200 calories per day. I also go to the gym 3-5 times a week. After 6 weeks, I lost maybe 10-15 pounds. I look slimmer, and probably added some muscle. But the weight loss I had hoped for, as well as the weight goal that the app I use suggested I would meet is 20 lbs off. 🤷‍♂️ My fasts are usually 20-22 hours, and usually 4-5 days a week. My age is 63.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, very informative ❤️

This is really informative and interesting! One of the biggest things that have helped me loose weight aside from spending time in the gym has been a custom meal plan from Next Level Diet. I use it every week and I love it!

Great information ❤❤❤

Very helpful!🤩

Such a good point Thomas about stress and cortisol, thanks! What about fasting when you are sick (cold/virus) but still have an appetite???Currently doing this now hoping I’m helping to get over this cold sooner and not actually doing more harm

Fabulous tips and yeah I think they are all relevant and helpful in fasting! Just one thing about working out ....if you are doing it for Autophagy rather than just for fat loss - you want to prioritise on just short HIIT or SIT (this is even shorter than HIIT but in high bursts of 30 secs - ie fully anaerobic) so as to stimulate autophagy and not MTOR - which will negate your autophagy. If you just do just short amt of resistance exercise (but not too strenuous) it should be ok as well but too much. Health and longevity is more than just weight loss when you fast.

Good information. I like it

That's great. Seem like for me right now I am going through a lot of stress so may I just stay keto and fast once thing get a little better

😊 Thank you so much!

Love your channel!! Thank you so much for sharing all the wealth of knowledge. I'm feeling so much better and healthier. Question: does a shot of juiced turmeric break a fast??

Great video

On day 7(my last day) of a water only fast. I've been fasting for 2 years and started off of doing 7 days. There's sooo many benefits of fasting , not just weight loss.

This is the real deal here, it works, reducing carbs, go slowly into longer fasts, the biggest benefit is for the brain, this makes a superior human. Mood stability, deep CORE HAPPINESS, sense of who I am, alignement of fact with project, loving life, sleep better, love better, poop better, speed, calm, reflex, syntax, grammar, expression, all is UP. The senses are sharper, balance on feet is better. I do not see any down side.

Just ordered 🎉❤

Interesting. There's a lot out there that emphasizes weight loss targets. For some of us with no weight loss need, how do we make use of intermittent fasting and low carbs? It's challenging as I tend to lose muscle and weight so swiftly each time I go low carb or fast? Should I abstain from training during such periods? I'm open to views. I'm 5 ft 6", 143 pounds.

Hey Thomas, loved this video,I m 59 been fasting (no breakfast ) since I was around 17,used to start eating again anywhere from midday,everyday a different time.However for over a year now mostly midday.In 2018 I had a severe work incident that was changed my life,suffereing severe PTSD, anxiety, crap sleep patterns.My body constantly trembles and over the last few yrs I m losing so much weight and muscle mass , I workout daily,plus walk a lot(always have but more since incident) .I know as we age our skin thins and we lose muscle mass and we get crepey skin.This video helped me as as my sleep and anxiety are still really bad and my weight and muscle mass is getting less,I m still told I have a great slim figure but I hate it when I bend over all my skin still hangs and gets stretch mark looking.Can you give me anymore advice to help? Chers Deb Absolutely love your channel💯❤️‍🔥

I'd love to know more about a feast-famine plan. I've been ramping down to low-no calories during the week, with weekends being more for solid eating. It "feels" good, like almost an older-society eating cadence, but what do I know, lol

Greetings from Greece.

I'm doing the etrf on my second day of it doing 16/8 protocol cause I'm working 12 hour shifts start work at 2 am and get off work at 2pm start my feeding window at 8am til 4pm I usually do omad 3 times a week and eat 2 meals the rest of the week ,since I watched your video on etrf I was intrigued by it so I'll try it.

Currently in the middle of a 100hr fast, this video couldn't have been timed better!

Good video. Personally I find the easiest is to have a coffee and 30g whey protein for breakfast, then later eat low carb foods between midday and 7 pm. That means no sugar, rice, bread or pasta. Starches (potatoes etc.) are good for the microbiome.

Can you do a short informative video about monkfruit.

I’ve followed this channel for awhile. This is the first time I’m hearing about pork rinds as a healthy fat. Can I get more info?

I am planning to start interment fasting (16:8). There is some supplements that I take in the morning, and wanted to know if I can continue to take or if can break the fasting. Does magtein, Lion's Mane and cdp choline breaks the fasting ?

It is an eye-opener for me. I stick on a plateau, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, even I'm doing a walk, up to 5Km, after or before the breakfast daily. Doing low-carb, some days' carnivore for three weeks, no sign of change. Instead, experience urticaria. Have had this feeling sometimes after the workout, but never for days. 🙄

Thomas, I know you talk about working out before breaking fast…Are there any pre-workouts that would be acceptable to take that would keep you in a fasted state?

Every time Thomas talks about the dos and don’t on fasting I always wonder if his info applies to the simple 16 hour fast which seems perfectly normal to do every day.

I have been doing a 18-20 hr fast everyday for months. Just watched this video, so don’t do that right? How many days per week should I do a long fast? Thanks for all the great info

Definitely agree with stress, fasting and sleep being a horrible combo. I keep the fasts to weekends as work tend to generate stress 💪😊 Definitely working great for me! On weekdays I also have oats to break the fast together with great protein, to feel more relaxed and manage the stress and cortisol better 👌☀️🍳

#8 is the most important for anyone trying to lose weight during a fast. Also remember if you are on medication to talk to your doctor about intermittent fasting before you start as fasting could cause complications that may be detrimental to your health.

I’m fasting for detoxing more than fat loss. I’m a senior 70+ and wondering how often and how long you suggest for fasting

Exactly my experience as well

I on OMAD/24-hour fast for a while and the biggest benefit is that my kneecaps no longer "creak" or make weird sounds when I'm walking or even just getting out of bed. Probably due to me losing 25 lbs, which is probably what reduced the strain on my kneecaps and that's great. As it is recommended to do alternate-day fasting with OMAD, I wonder if I increase the eating window from say 1 hour to 3 hours (probably extra fruits and snacks after the main window) would be sufficient to prevent the body from getting "too used" to the fast? Or do I specifically have to eat a whole 2nd meal at another time frame?

I agree on the first point, I did a 72 hour fast just jumping in and I noticed it messed up my G.I after and I gained a bit of weight a week later

Hey Thomas is it okay to periodically go let's say from fasting 14 hours one week to 16 the next then 18 the week after until you get to like an alternate day fast where you're doing 24 every other day then reset and start back over at 14 and do it all over just a quick question.

Thomas for me Is a Different Game, Fasting Will Help me A LOT TO NOT FEEL STRESS , it's like a SUPER ADAPTOGEN and Is for interaction with amigdala, i think Will be good to research something on that

As Muslims our parents encourages us to train to fasting before it becomes a liste (religiously speaking). We starte younge to fast one day a week then one week un the month then when fasting becomes obligatory one month à year and if we want (as anciant tradition) we faste monday and thursday of every week and also full moon Fasting . Fasting is not only good for body but for peace of mind. We break fasting first with some water and dates then we wait a little and we take some soup, eggs...

I'm planning on a 24 hour fast tomorrow and was wondering whether or not I should workout or just take it easy, good to know working out is the way to go! 💪

So, with #2, are you suggesting fasting every other day? How about fasting for 4 days randomly throughout the week? I would imagine the randomness would also contribute to that shock effect you speak of.

I'm on month 3 of my fasting journey. I learned all that I could before starting fasting and here's how I did mine: Weeks 1-3: Did OMAD Week 4: Did a 3-day prolonged fast for the first time, then OMAD the rest of the week Week 5: Alternate day OMAD Week 6: baseline OMAD Week 7: 2nd 3-day prolonged fast with OMAD the rest of the week Week 8: Alternate Day OMAD Week 9 (This week): 16:8 with two meals a day to give my body a break (sort of) from fasting Week 10 (Next week): Alternate day fasting (haven't decided yet if it will be OMAD style or 16:8 style) Week 11: Another break from fasting Week 12: 4-day fasting for the first time

Hi re intake of water during fasting. I have been doing Ramadan fasts for nearly 50 yrs now and since the last 5-6 yrs intermittent fasts in non Ramadan days when I drink water during such fasting. Let me inform everyone that I feel more energised in Ramadan without water for nearly 16 hours a day than during other days of intermittent fasting when I drink water during those 16 hrs.

Splenda can spike insulin like other sugar substitutes become the main ingredients are dextrose and maltodextrin

Regarding #7 Hydration : I drink black coffee (probably 12 kcups) during 16 to 18 hour fast and mayyybe a half a bottle of water because the black coffee helps with any hunger pains. Does drinking the black coffee count? I know I need to drink more water 💦 Appreciate the help. Somewhat of a newbie here. Thanks!

I doing 3 days water fasting and after 2 weeks i have done again 10 days water fasting so far the results is still really good InsyaAlah

In regards to being sleep deprived and fasting, best solution I did was making some tuna salad (Wild Planet Skipjack, and Primal Kitchen mayo) with some avocado over a little bit of arugula, along with a small serving of walnuts, some dark chocolate chips and some blueberries as a little mini dessert a few hours before bed time or maybe earlier. The protein, fat, and antioxidant combo left me feeling pretty good and didn't have to go to bed stressed out. Can vary from person to person though.

What about 30days fasting from sunrise to sunset, as a muslim we have a fasting month called ramadhan no food no liquids we only allowed to eat before sunrise and after sunset, it’s coming soon and i want to know how should i workout during this month ?

Can you do a video on eating Keto or healthy at a wedding or party? Its almost summer and its going to be hard to lose weight! Thanks!

where does monk fruit fall in comparison to sucrose's and splenda's insulin spike? I've substituted monk fruit for over 2 years in my coffee and oatmeal

ive been doing intermitten small fasts for 2 months, well this past week i decided to do my first 24 hr fast biggest mistake . i was so fatigued, my body was having very painful spasms in my neck and arms and legs.. i wss weak. so yesterday i got me a bowl of bean soup with beef brisket and within 2 hrs my fatigue disappeared..this morning i feel great.. wont fast again

Where does "100%" liquid sucralose (ingredients: water, sucralose, potassium sorbate, citric acid) stand in the CPIR spectrum? Do I understand correctly that powdered forms (as in Splenda) have a greater chance of insulin spike because of the maltodextrin and dextrose? Just wondering, as I'm hearing sucralose and Splenda used interchangeably. Thank you, Thomas, for your very informative videos!

Please improve your audio. It sounds like you have your green screen setup in a small room with hard walls hard floor and a hard the ceiling because there is a boxy Echo going on at all times.. There's also an odd background noise that sounds like a furnace or a fan running. I have noticed this in video after video of yours. The information is great but we could sure use some better quality audio.

I've been leading a water fasting lifestyle for quite a while, I water fast for 5-7 days and eat for 3-4 days and rinse and repeat. Is that counterproductive?

So I have been fasting 16-18 hours per day 7 days a week for almost 2 years. I have definitely noticed diminished benefits for weight loss. So how many days a week do you recommend I do the fast?? Also I workout 5 days a week and walk about 30 min a day basically 7 days a week so I am quite active.

Finishing up a 5 day fast tomorrow night. I've had 0 hunger pains or even thoughts of food. It's been great! I initially started with the intent of a 48 or 72 hour fast bit I felt so good I just kept going lol.

I had been doing ketovore to carnivore fasting for 20 hours for months. I tried OMAD. Today, on day 4, I got up with a full headache that turned into an eye dropping full-on migraine. Eating a big bite of chicken didn't do it. I ended up taking 3 acetaminophen caffeine and aspirin pills for migraines and it took the edge off. I guess I'll try it again but, if I feel that dull ache coming, I'll immediately eat some protein. That headache was murder!

Craig the DeLaure who's a bright spark fan. In the dark about does protein make us fat? What's the process when cells or other makeups of a progressive personal best mechanism in a Thomas follower that's seeing their selves running the show without thinking about it. Thomas you look as though you really have this topic in hand. Well done Thomas.

I would love to read more about how they conducted their artificial sweetener study. I know not all, but most people drink coffee in the morning and I know there’s the dawn phenomenon, so am just wondering how they accounted for that. I don’t need to know for myself….I use monk fruit and have been wearing a glucose monitor and know it doesn’t spike my insulin, but I’m just curious! Thanks for all the helpful info, not just in this video but in general…..I was diagnosed with diabetes last month and have been doing keto and intermittent fasting since then and am already off all but one of the medications they put me on.

Just finished a 48 hour fast. Yay! 🎯 I consumed bone broth to break fast, then 30 min later 6 ounces of lean chicken. That was all I had for the evening. Fasted another 16 hrs, then broth…waited 1 hr then 6 ounce of protein, then waited 3 hrs for a regular meal of high fats, protein, and low carbs. Q. Is this the correct way to break it?

Thomas, you have restored my faith in you. Lately you were too obtuse for me. I lost you, This video made me hear you again, believe in you... Thanks

Hi, Thomas. Can you help me understand why when I take Stevia on my coffee and drink Coke Zero( which contains aspartame?), my sugar reading drops as much as 6 points. Repeated the tests on a different day, same result. I thought perhaps the meter is defective, but when I eat regular meals, my sugar level is raised, predictably. Was looking for references, but couldn't find one. Thank you.

I hadn't fasted in decades. I ate healthy low carb/keto, then after a couple weeks of getting the habit of low carb eating down, I just didn't want to eat one day. Potassium and mixed electrolyte supplements are vital btw. I felt AMAZING. I dropped 30lbs way too easily. Had aimed to do my 1st fast 15 to19 hrs, since Dr Berg explained that time is great for Autophagy and countless benefits. I breezed past 19hrs and kept going. After 40 hrs I was giddy with delight. Right about 48 hrs I felt like I wanted to eat. I pushed past 49hrs then called it. Ate an egg some berries and veggies. Felt wonderful. The best I've felt since hs. It was an amazing first fast. I continued healthy keto but had a hard time getting enough calories in with little appetite much of the time. Lost 30 lbs in several weeks and I was not over weight to begin with! Osteo-Arthritis relief was the main goal for me and joint pain decreased about 90%. I suggest Dr Berg. He's lovely and super informative. I've learned so much from him so fast. I still do low carb/ healthy keto most days but eat all the fruits I love a few times a week to add some nutrient dense calories back in. Never felt so grounded and energetic.

I did OMAD for months to loose 100#, that made me 2 MAD to refeed protein & gain 20#. So, now I'm going NOMAD to get back on track.

How does a cephalic insulin response work with someone with Type 1 Diabetes where they don't make insulin?

3:15 did they work out enough though? That too is essential for a good health and maintaining muscle mass

Confused a bit. If I can make it to 18 hour fasts, is it okay to do this every day? Or are you saying every 2 days do 18 hours or r switch it up every day 14,18,16 etc..

I break my fast 36 hour with bone broth from kettle and fire the coconut curry I’ve had a ear infection that won’t heal so it helps so much to fast plus gut health from antibiotics use. I’ve had eight ear surgeries in my life ! I was 1 pound at birth

What did you do? Fast beween winstrol shots?

Serious question here. I'm not a huge fan of coffee and need a good energy boost that won't break fast. Is there any drinks you can recommend? I'll have a bang sometimes, but it has sucrulose

What about Alternate day fasting ?

I don’t know what to do lol. My body is pretty well adapted to 16/8 and for someone like me who’s a foodie/binge eater if I’m not careful, all this switching up might cause me to spiral. However I really need to lose about 50lbs of visceral unhealthy fat 😢 what I’ve been trying to do is 16/8 5 days, 36hr one day, and one “free for all” day where I eat throughout the day. I hope this helps me with my goals and doesn’t cause more damage 😢

Does sucralose have the same negative impact in a type 1 diabetic? I’m wondering because if the cephalic phase isn’t able to trigger an insulin response (I’m on an insulin pump), I’m wondering what the other negative repercussions might be

Hey Thomas. Just to let you know in ramadhan I loose weight and feel great, by fasting for 30 days! I have been doing that for past 20 years once a year 30 days dry fast ! We also fast three days every month for religious reasons. Every Monday and Thursday too. So we are well adapted to fasting and it feels great! 😅

I’ve been fasting 20/4 for 5 months. And lost 10 lbs at first and have stayed there for the last 3 months. I don’t drink much water as my fasts are dry fasts. I wonder if I hydrate more I could lose more than I have.

Is there research that says daily IF one's body is used to is not as good as random, varied IF? Never heard any negatives about OMAD, 15 hrs IF a day, etc. If you're low carb, nutrient dense eating, those times provide great autophagy, so what's the problem?

New to intermitted fasting. I like my fried eggs breakfast. So breaking the 16 hour fast with eggs... good, bad? Interested in peoples thoughts.

you've promoted both dry and water fasting, so which one do you really think is better, because I can't tell