Man who lost 44 pounds says extreme fasting cost him muscle and taught lasting lessons

According to Businessinsider, Mike Prytkov lost 44 pounds in a year but later learned his extreme methods were unhealthy after a body-composition scan showed he had lost muscle as well. In 2017 Prytkov either ate one meal a day or followed a 16:8 eating window and completed three seven-day water fasts; he lost weight quickly but said, "I tried to do some workouts, and I had zero strength." He learned he had lost about 15 pounds of muscle, lacked energy to fuel workouts or eat enough protein, and that the strict routine "affected his family and social life." He worked with nutritionists, ran self-experiments, added strength training to cycling and swimming, ditched extreme fasts, and focused on a balanced diet of mainly whole foods and body composition rather than scale weight.

Dietitians recommended a Mediterranean-style approach and around 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, and Prytkov says he has kept the weight off for eight years and founded Simple, an AI weight-loss app based on his experience.

Key Topics

Health, Mike Prytkov, Simple App, Intermittent Fasting, Water Fasting, Strength Training