Dear Kayla,

I just weighed in at 152.3 (just on the low end of overweight, I think). I am 5’5″ and have not been at this weight in years. I am starting with your channel because I like the dirty fasting. In the past when I attempted fasting, I would get very nauseous and light headed. I didn’t like that feeling and have been unsuccessful in fighting through it. What do you recommend to help get through that feeling in the beginning stages of fasting?

Signed,

Jenny

Dear Jenny,

Thanks for the question. First, let’s tackle where you’re starting from. According to this BMI calculator, your weight puts you at a BMI of 25.3 which barely puts you in the overweight range. To get into the normal range, you’d just need to lose 3.3 pounds. If your weight fluctuates anything like mine does, it’s possible that your 7-day average is already in the normal range. In other words, you may not need to lose any weight. Depending how old you are, it might be to your advantage to maintain on the low end of overweight, instead of losing. As we age, a bit of extra padding is a good thing. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned.

Either way, I’d recommend tracking your weight for a few weeks first, weighing daily, and seeing where your average is hanging out. If you want to lose more, I’d advise going very slowly. It sounds to me like your body is sending you signals that you’ve been too aggressive with fasting when you’ve tried it.

Going forward, eat more during the eating window, and make your fasting window shorter. Your first fasting window should feel easy, so set it at whatever point that is for you. I started with an 8-hour fasting window, which I slept through. Push your fasting window out slowly. This is not a race. When your body is used to a window, try pushing it out by 15 minutes and see how you do. Or, 30 minutes. When that feels easy, push it out another 15 or 30 minutes.

The goal is to be feeling good in the fasting window, while simultaneously seeing the scale do what you want it to do. Keep adjusting the windows and how much you’re eating until you find that sweet spot.

If after much experimentation you just never seem to do well with fasting, fasting might not be for you. Take heart, all the weight loss plans out there work. You just have to find the one that works for you.

Best wishes on your journey!

Kayla