Hi there I was wondering if any of you out there have tried water fasting?
How long did you do it? How well did it work for you? I'm pretty desperate to lose weight and I am really thinking about trying a 10 day water fast...

holy batman! that doesn't sound safe at all. all you would really lose is water anyway. not fat.

look, we're almost the same height and weight. the only difference is in the perspective. as you can see, i'm much lighter now, so my head says i'm thinner than before. your posted weight is not as bad as you are thinking. maybe just reexamine how you are feeling. maybe all you really need is to tone your muscles. i wish i had realized that's what i needed, way back when, instead of feeling fat.

try to journal your food, increase your exercise. you can do this! you don't need some extreme diet that won't work anyway.

Seriously, just eat a little less than you burn and move more. You don't need to punish yourself to lose weight.

I've lost 7lbs so far without punishing myself at all. Look around this site a little more- you could do calorie counting, weight watchers, south beach diet- whatever fits your lifestyle. Just change one little thing at a time like your food, exercise, etc so you won't feel overwhelmed.

GL and you can do it!

Once you start eating again the weight will just come back, you will be depriving your body of essential nutrients and while you may lose SOME fat a majority will be water and muscle depending on how long you go for.

You don't have a huge amount to lose, and even if you did my advice would still be to pick a HEALTHY way of losing weight. I'd look to eat 1300-1400 calories a day that should mostly come from lean protein, vegetables, complex carbs, and minimal fruits and sweets. That combined with a few workouts should get you to your goal with good time. Remember it took time to gain that weight it's going to take some time to lose it as well.

Sample menu:
B: 1 slice toast with a veggie omelette.
Snack: 1 apple with 2 tbsp pb (or celery with pb)
L: Large salad with roasted chicken, romaine lettuce, onions, tomato, sprinkle of cheese, balsamic vin.
S: string cheese
Dinner: Grilled salmon with grilled asparagus, whole wheat roll

Exercise: half hour jog (3-5 times a week)

Something like this, a bit of fruit, lots of protein, good fats (cook with olive oil), tons of veggies, and complex carbs

I think 99% of the people on this site who have reached their goal weight will tell you 1) fads don't work and 2) sustainable diets do. Is your goal to not have any energy to focus on school/work, be cranky, possibly crash in the middle of the diet and binge, all to maybe lose some weight that will just come back once you start eating again? Don't set yourself up for failure- find a long-term plan matches your own body and its needs. (I for example could never give up carbs and sweets, so I just make sure to build them into my diet prudently. Doing so otherwise will make me abandon my diet and binge).

When you first make the commitment to lose weight you want to see all of it gone FAST. However, if you get your eating right you'll be surprised how quickly the first few pounds comes off. Yes, it won't be as fast as if you starve yourself but in the long run you'll probably get to your ultimate goal of 140 more quickly by staying on course with a diet you can stick to, and be able to actually have a life while doing it

Don't do it. I've tried it before and it didn't work for me. I didn't lose a lot of weight to begin with, and the deprivation set me off on an eating binge. The exhaustion, the headaches, and the brain fog are also not worth it.

Last year I water-fasted for a week, (just to challenge myself, not weight-loss based). Ketosis kicked in around 24-30 hours. I think the body goes into 'Hunt! Find food!' stressed cortisol-making mode...because by the late-2nd or 3rd day I was hyper-alert, sleepless, had elevated blood pressure, and felt hypomanic.

AND when it was all said and done - I didn't lose weight any faster than I do on my low-carb/Atkin's-based diet.

My best advice, if you're looking for the quickest results, is go with a low-carb eating plan. The body loses a lot of water weight in the first week or two, about 5-15lbs, because carbs retain water. To me, I never view my low-carbing as a 'diet', it's more like a lifestyle. And fasting isn't practical nor very healthy, especially for long-term results.

All that will do is slow your metabolism down to a crawl so you will be losing mostly muscle....you NEED calories to burn fat!

This sounds dangerous. And it isnt necessary, you can loose weight safely.

thank you all very much! I guess I'm Just feeling inadequate as a wife, I feel my husband deserves a pretty, slim wife, I have giving birth to 4 children and my body has changed alot and I just cant seem to get rid if this extra weight and its driving me nuts! :P

I have ten children and always had weight problems until I started eating between hunger and satisfaction. About 30 years ago I started fasting often and my weight problem actually got worse. I have slowly lost 40lb over the past 2 or 3 years and kept it off. I get full easily now. I gradually gained weight with each pregnancy but I feel if I had never dieted, I would never have had a problem because I always lost weight gradually when I didn't obsess over it.

Bless your Heart Carol!!!! 10 children!!!!
I am NOT going to do the water fast, But realize that I just need to Add water to my Diet, I have NEVER been a water drinker, I have given up on soda in that past month, and really do not miss it! I have been forcing myself to drink and like water!!!

What about lemon juice or some sort of fruit in your water to help you drink more? That's what I did because I was not much of a water drinker either and I notice having a straw in my glass helped me drink more throughout the day!

I squeeze fresh lemon into my water otherwise I wouldn't drink nearly enough.

I used to use crystal light but whatever the artificial sugar they use in it messes with my stomach after a few weeks. (Splenda doesn't seem to however).

Water is essential to any diet but by no means can it be a successful diet on its own!

ALSO adding lemon is INCREDIBLE for your system, it helps with digestion. I was at a restaurant the other day and they had pitchers of water with lemon and strawberry slices, it was so refreshing, give it a shot! fresh fruit in water will always help the taste. I am by NO means a big water drinker, it needs to be ICE cold and with lemon. It works for me! good luck