Losing weight is like taking two steps forward and one step backward. Often it’s one step forward and three or more steps backward. I lose a pound one day, but then gain two pounds the next day.

It’s a back and forth process.

My process for getting to my Marathon Weight (180lbs) is to use Intermittent Fasting (IF) during the week and eat normally on the weekends. My IF consists of waiting until 1pm until my first meal and not eating after 9pm. Easy peasey.

Or rather “sorta simple” — it’s not always easy. 😉

But when my overall weight seems to hover over the same spot for a few weeks, I know I’m at a plateau and it’s time to shake things up.

How do I shake them up? Every now and then, I’ll do a longer fast.

I started playing with longer fasts last year. A “longer” fast for me is a fast of 24 hours or more.

If you had told me two years ago that I would willingly fast for 24 hours or more, I would have said you were CRAZY! Two years ago, even waiting until 1pm for my first meal would have been ludicrous.

But like I said, sometimes you reach a plateau and hover over one weight. I was hovering at 192 in August, which was almost the half way point to my Marathon Weight, and decided to throw in a 24 hour fast.

It got me below 190lbs temporarily. And yes my weight went up after I finished my fast, but it seemed to reset my baseline. And for most of September, I was just under 190lbs.

Now, I’ve been hovering around 188 for a few weeks. Down a couple of pounds, up a couple of pounds. So, it’s probably time for another shake up.

But I don’t have to do a full fast to shake things up.

Next week, I’m going to reduce my eating window by a few hours. So, instead of having my first meal at 1pm, I’ll have it at 5pm. I’ll do that for a couple of days to see how it goes.

If it pushes me past my plateau, great. If not, then I’ll try a 24 hour fast.

And once I’ve pushed past the plateau, I’ll return to my back and forth weight loss dance steps.

© 2020 Peter Gruner