The fasting journal · matched to fast day 23
Day 23. From Obese to Overweight
Day 23. Sunday. The scale moved 0.9 pounds and a category I have lived in for years quietly let me go.
197.0
The scale said 197.0 this morning. Started at 228.6, so that is 31.6 pounds gone in 23 days, 13.8 percent of my starting weight. Another 0.9 pounds since yesterday. Nice.
How am I feeling? I am feeling good. Everything is fine.
The Sunday part
I love the weekends, because on weekends I sleep a little bit longer. Monday to Friday I am sleeping around six to seven hours. I try to get more but usually it does not work out that way. On the weekends I sleep in. Ten hours straight this morning. I am like, God, this is so great.
And truthfully, when you are fasting, you should be resting. Taking it easy. Finding Zen. Just relaxing. You should not be doing too many activities. The body is doing a lot of work right now with no food coming in. Sleep is when it gets to do that work in peace.
The number that flipped
The other thing I wanted to touch on is my BMI, my body mass index.
When I started down this journey, it gave me a BMI of 34.6. That is based on your height and weight. And that classified me as class one obese. So that is what I was. There are three classifications of obese, so thank God I was just at one.
But today, because my BMI is 29.9, I am classified just as overweight.
Woo hoo.
There it is on the calculator. Same height, same age. The only thing that changed in 23 days is the weight and the needle now sits on the other side of the 30 line. The category says overweight, not obese.
What the line actually is
The standard table puts the obesity line at a BMI of 30. Above it there are three classes. Class one from 30 to 35, class two from 35 to 40, class three above 40. From 25 to 30 is overweight and 18.5 to 25 is the normal range.
Yesterday I stood exactly on the line at 30.0. Today I am at 29.9 and out of the obese range for the first time in this fast and honestly for the first time in a long while before it.
Well, you know, I am not too happy about that either. Overweight is not the finish line. We are going to get there to a normal state as I keep losing the weight. But a line I have been on the wrong side of for years is now behind me and that one gets marked.
One honest note. A BMI from a scale or a calculator is an estimate built from height and weight, nothing more. It cannot see fat versus muscle and it cannot see what the bloodwork sees. The lab draw around day 33 is the real report card. This was just a very good Sunday on the way there.
Day 23 done
Twenty three down, sixty seven to go. Slept 10 hours, lost the obese label, kept the water glass.
That being said, I am going to let you guys go. You guys have a good Sunday and I will see you next time. Cheers.
Quick answers
How did John go from obese to overweight in 23 days?
By losing 31.6 pounds of body weight on a supervised water fast. BMI is just a formula built from height and weight, so when the weight moves, the BMI moves with it. John is 5 feet 8 inches. At his 228.6 start that put his BMI at 34.6, inside class one obesity. At 197.0 this morning the same formula returns 29.9, which sits under the obesity line at 30. Nothing about the formula changed. The weight did. This is one supervised result on one body, not a promise about anyone else's timeline.
What BMI counts as obese?
The standard World Health Organization table puts the obesity line at a BMI of 30. From 25 to 30 is overweight and 18.5 to 25 is the normal range. Obesity itself is split into three classes. Class one runs from 30 to 35, class two from 35 to 40 and class three is above 40. John started the fast at 34.6, near the top of class one. This morning he crossed the line out of the obese range entirely and his stated goal is to keep going through the overweight band toward normal.
Is a BMI from a home scale or online calculator accurate?
It is an estimate and John treats it as one. BMI comes from height and weight alone, so it cannot tell fat from muscle and it says nothing about blood sugar, blood pressure, or anything happening inside. A very muscular person can read obese on paper while being lean in the mirror. That is why this fast also runs on real lab work drawn before day 1 and again about every 30 days, with the next draw around day 33. The BMI flip is a milestone worth marking. The bloodwork is the scoreboard that matters.
Should you rest or stay active during a water fast?
John's answer on day 23 is rest and his doctor supervision points the same way. During the week he sleeps six to seven hours and on weekends he sleeps in, about 10 hours straight this Sunday. His words were that when you are fasting you should be resting, taking it easy, finding Zen, not stacking up activities. A body running on stored fat has less margin for hard exertion and sleep is when a lot of the repair work happens. Light walking is one thing. Pushing workouts three weeks into a water fast is a different conversation and it belongs with a doctor.