(long post warning)
I (M24, 6ft) started my journey in full at the end of November at 345 pounds. To go back even further, I realized a change need to be made in mid September when I clocked in at about 360. This morning, on day 7 of a monthly week-long fast, I weighed 199 on the dot.
Upon seeing 360 on the scale, I was pretty horrified. I had made attempts at weight loss before and always relapsed into sedentary life, poor eating habits, excessive drinking, the whole nine. When I realized I was at least half body fat after two years of nervously refusing to weigh myself, I knew I had to really give life a shot.
In September, I made small changes to my eating habits. I ate less (somewhat), was more conscious of what I was eating (again, somewhat) and started drinking a gallon of water a day.
At the end of October, I quit drinking (originally pounding at least six beers per night, sometimes an equivalent amount of liquor). The day after Halloween, I started going to the gym five days a week. That was the hardest part at first, I've always hated that feeling of generally being perceived, and the gym concentrates that when you're supermorbidly obese.
Towards the end of November, I was 345. I knew from past experience that 15 pounds was not a lot to lose in almost two months for a person my size, so I decided to try intermittent fasting, which I'd done before to some success. I started with a 16:8 eating window.
By mid December, I was down to 330 pounds. I was elated to fit into a 3XL dress shirt to be in my best friend's wedding, and I was even able to squeeze into the largest pair of slacks Amazon offered. Looking back on those very first progress pictures, I remember feeling so proud of myself.
After the holidays, I'd hardly budged. At the start of the new year, I was a little over 320 pounds. I decided to close my eating window to 20:4, and began to reduce my carb intake. I wasn't ready for full keto, but I was eating rice and beans instead of chips and dip, which was a good place to be. By February 20 (I remember the date because I was finally able to land a job in my area of study) I was 300 pounds. I felt great; it was the lowest I'd been since my last IF attempt in 2019, and I could start to see changes in my face shape.
For the month of March, I did alternate day fasting. That was the hardest month of my journey by far, but I dropped to about 290 and was only somewhat satisfied with my results. On April 1, I jumped headfirst into a 14 day fast (the second hardest part of my journey) and dropped to about 275.
That fast was a bit much. I burned myself out, and maintained at 275 for six weeks. Frustrated at a lack of progress, I redoubled my efforts again and went full strict keto and OMAD in mid May. By the beginning of June, I was 265.
In July, I decided to try a month of carnivore. With ketOMAD, I was seeing a solid 10 pound loss per month, and wanted to try something stricter. Carnivore was great, but it made me constipated, and at the beginning of August at about 230 pounds I went back to regular keto. Since then, I've eaten the same meal for breakfast as my OMAD every day: 8 ounces cooked ground beef with 3 ounces of coly jack cheese, four eggs scrambled with half a cup of cottage cheese, and a bag of frozen broccoli florets (about 4 cups). This is just within my carb limit, gives me around 1,500 calories per day, and has plenty of protein.
Since August, I've done a week fast at the beginning of every month. Not so much for pure weight loss, but in hopes of upping metabolism and reducing loose skin (I know the science is shaky on that, but I don't really care. Maybe it'll do something for me). This typically equals 10 pounds lost that week, then maintain the weight until the next fast.
This morning, I finally saw a one at the start of my weight. A total of 161 pounds lost in less than a year. It boggles my mind. I still go to the gym five times a week; I know I can't build muscle in such a drastic deficit, but the goal is to stave off atrophy as much as possible. I can see my collarbones now, which I don't think I ever have. I have a jawline now. I even buzzed off my shoulderlength hair, which I grew out to hide my face. I don't grow out my patchy beard because I'm proud of how I look now. Women give me attention now, and people in general don't avoid eye contact. I went to a party last night for the first time in over a year, and I kid you not, multiple people approached me asking if I've seen Fight Club because they thought I looked like Brad Pitt. I went from a 4XL to a large, and 48/29 pants to 34/32. I actually buy clothes I like instead of whatever black t-shirt and sweatpants will fit. I still have a bit of stomach and those cursed lovehandles to drop, but I know they will.
To whoever actually read all of that, just know it can be done. Mind over matter is the entire game; if you're hungry, you can eat later. If you don't think you can do it, you can. I've been fat my entire life, and I'll never go back. You can do it too. The grass really is greener on this side, and I hope you'll join me soon.
TL;DR: Lost 160ish pounds in less than a year largely due to fasting, am happier than ever.
