I Lost 40lbs by Fasting and Keto—With No Exercise

I first tried intermittent fasting in 2010 but didn't stick with it. I lost some weight but I didn't have the tools and knowledge to build up any momentum so I gave up and put the weight back on.

In 2018, I was newly engaged and I had to lose 30 pounds before my wedding. I had tried so many different diets and workouts, but the only thing that ended up working for me was fasting.

Before my wedding, I felt horrible in my body. I'd been gaining loads of weight gradually through my twenties and it was really showing. I didn't feel like myself anymore, and I didn't want to feel like that on my wedding day.

I dreamed of being the beautiful bride, feeling gorgeous and happy in my own skin. But I had a long way to go to achieve my goal. I had tried calorie counting, the Special K diet, and cardio overload at the gym, but nothing worked.

That was until I discovered fasting. I started off with an intermittent fasting schedule called OMAD, where you eat just one meal a day. I did that for a whole month and I already dropped ten pounds.

After that, I did a mix of intermittent fasting schedules as well as some longer fasts of 48 hours or longer. Fasting was difficult but I loved seeing the results. The biggest challenges for me were hunger and just missing the social aspect of food. But my body was changing quickly and I was loving it. I had also read about so many health benefits associated with fasting and I could really feel them working.

My wedding was in July 2019. By the time my dress fitting came along in March 2019, I had already lost 20 pounds and I felt so much better. Fast forward to my bachelorette party and I was at my goal weight.

It was an incredible feeling and my wedding was just one week away. Then, on my wedding day, I felt the most amazing I'd ever felt in my body. All the hard work had finally paid off.

I can't stress this enough: I believe that fasting melted my fat off.

Switching to a ketogenic diet was also the perfect pairing for fasting because it got my body fat adapted, meaning that I felt less hungry, I was able to fast for longer, and could keep my insulin levels constantly low, which supercharged my fat loss.

To help with my weight loss, I also cut out alcohol. Alcohol is very high in calories, and all kinds of stuff that will cause inflammation in your body, and it wasn't helpful for my wellness journey.

I learned that to start to burn body fat, your body will need to burn through all the alcohol you've consumed first. So, if you keep drinking, you're going to slow down your weight loss significantly.

I also cut out all sodas and anything with artificial sweeteners. I believe that all sodas are bad for you, especially the zero-calorie ones. Zero-calorie drinks like Coke Zero all have sweeteners, which will spike your insulin and break your fast. They also trick your body into expecting sugar, which can slow down your weight loss.

Instead, I got into healthier eating habits, like eating slowly and having herbal tea before bed. This will help you be more mindful about what you're eating and learn to listen to your body's true hunger and fullness cues.

By December 2021 I had lost 40 pounds through fasting and doing a ketogenic diet. On a typical day, I'd do a 16:8 fasting schedule meaning I'd skip breakfast. For lunch, I'd have eggs and bacon with sliced avocado. For dinner, I'd sometimes have steak with broccoli and cream and mushroom sauce. And for dessert, I really like Greek yogurt with cinnamon and coconut flakes.

I achieved all of this without working out. A common misconception when embarking on a weight loss journey is thinking you need to go crazy at the gym or do long and hard workouts to lose weight. This couldn't be farther from the truth!

A typical one-hour gym session will only burn around 300 calories so it's not going to make a huge difference in your weight loss. Keto and fasting are going to get the weight off. Use working out for all the other benefits such as mental and physical health.

It really is true what they say: "Abs are made in the kitchen."

Changing my diet and incorporating fasting into my daily schedule has completely changed my life for the better.

I am at my goal weight and I have maintained that weight for close to two years now. I have more energy and I no longer get these sugar highs and sugar crashes like I did before. I can easily fast without being too bothered by hunger anymore, and I feel so much stronger and healthier both physically and mentally.

It's important to remember that weight loss is only one of the many benefits of fasting. Fasting is a hugely powerful health tool that can help reduce inflammation, promote brain health, and reduce the risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I now work as a Fasting Coach, helping other people achieve weight loss and health through fasting. I have spent years figuring out and perfecting the most effective fasting schedules for fat loss and that's why I'm so passionate to teach these techniques to others.

Fasting has truly changed my life—and I will keep doing it for the rest of my days.

Emma Van Carlen is a Fasting Coach with over 10 years of experience. She helps individuals lose weight and discover food freedom through fasting. Find out more about Emma by visiting her website or check out her TikTok or Instagram.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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