Fat Loss During Fasting: What Really Happens + Tips for Success

Hi, I (M, 50) have been in the intermittent fasting game for about 2,5 years now, with some breaks in between. I only started experiencing real results with IM when combining them with other lifestyle choices. Now I've achieved a considerable weight loss, and want to share my scientific insights and other elements that helped me succeed: Many intermittent fasters use apps that predict when you're likely to enter an autophagy phase—the fat-burning and cell-repair mode your body enters when energy is needed. However, it’s important to understand that these apps are simulations, not guarantees. Whether or not you hit autophagy depends heavily on factors like calorie consumption during your eating window.For example, if you still overeat (like I definitely did on my first try!), your body won’t reach an autophagy phase anytime soon because it will still rely on the calories you’ve consumed instead of accessing fat stores.The Science of Fat LossTo keep things realistic, here’s a breakdown of what actually happens during fat burning:How Fat is Burned Fat is stored as triglycerides, which break down into fatty acids and glycerol. These are then oxidized for energy, producing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water as byproducts. Fun fact: 84% of the fat you lose leaves your body as exhaled CO₂, while the rest exits as water via sweat, urine, and other fluids.The Role of Fasting Fasting forces your body to use stored fat for energy, especially if your caloric intake is controlled. However, staying hydrated is crucial. Water not only supports fat metabolism but also helps flush out waste products.Tips That Worked for MeAfter some trial and error (and a lot of overeating early on), here’s what helped me lose 13 kg (28 lbs) in 6 months at a sustainable pace:Learn the science: Understanding how fat loss works gave me the motivation to stick to it.Eat healthier: I began treating desserts as desserts (not as all-day snacks).Practice “Hara Hachi Bu”: A Japanese concept meaning “Eat until you’re 80% full.”Slow down: Eating slower and chewing better made a big difference.Be flexible: If I needed an extra snack or had to adjust my fasting window for convenience, I didn’t stress. I just accepted it and moved on.I preferred a more gradual, tiered approach where for every 5 kg I lost, I would take a step back, relax a bit, and focus on maintaining that weight before pushing for the next goal. This made the process feel less overwhelming and more sustainable. For example, you could also allow yourself a break during a holiday or a particularly stressful period at work without feeling guilty.The ResultThis combination helped me achieve a sustainable weight loss curve without being overly strict. My young teenage kids used to tease me endlessly about my belly fat. Now they’re begging me to stop fasting because it’s no longer as soft! Looks like it’s time to give them a firmer 'pillow'—a little payback for all the fun they had at my expense! 😅PS: sharing is allowed under the Creative Commons license CC BY-SA. Meaning you will have to give credit to my Reddit alias r/trollie74 and share with the same license. I'll hunt you down if you don't.https://ift.tt/LXn82Qq via /r/intermittentfasting https://ift.tt/3al0ZhA https://ift.tt/ERVXH5O