21 day fast

#1

Hello! I’m on day 3 of a 21 day EF and really expected to feel worse… I’ve been on Keto since early September, doing a 20:4 fasting regimen. I’m doing an extended fast to burn off some weight and be less insulin resistant.

I would appreciate a sound off if anything I’ve listed below seems wrong for weight loss.

  1. Bone broth- homemade, stored in 1/2 pint containers. I remove the fat cookie (for the dogs) and put the gelatin portion into a pot of water with @2 tsp of sea salt. I have 2-3 of these each day.

  2. Herbal tea- I just started this today (Moroccan Mint). Has caffeine. I’m guessing 1-2 of these each day.

  3. Multivitamin + 500mg Mg each morning.

Having read Dr. Fung’s book, I was of the understanding that these first days would be the hardest. Anyone have any experience with discomfort later into the fast?

Thanks /fes

(Robert C) #2

Not exactly discomfort but I have found that after 7 to 10 days I can end up with some sleep issues.
Difficult to fall into sleep and difficult to get more than 5 hours.

#3

Looks good! Many folks try to wean themselves off of bone broth but (personally) I would probably use it for such a long fast, and the added salt is probably why you feel so good right now.

The only thing I would suggest is making sure that you’re checking in with yourself and be willing to stop earlier if you’re not feeling good.

I hope you come back to this thread to update! It will be nice to follow your progress.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

As a vet tech we’ve seen dogs come in with pancreatitis from getting the “doggie bag” of fat scraps from a steak or just getting meat scraps their humans don’t want (usually fat). It’s how I got my wonderful dog of 14 years, they were feeding fat scraps, she got pancreatitis, they didn’t want to pay for her and gave her up and I took her sweet butt home after hospitalization.

Just a friendly word of caution from one pet lover to another. :blush:

“Dogs can have the scraps of fat from the dinner table, that’s fine, certainly for a raw fed dog.
Dry fed dogs are different, we expect their pancreas to be under enormous pressure from daily trying to digest a diet of 50% carbohydrates. With a dry fed dog the fat trimming from one steak can be enough to push them over the edge.” https://dogsfirst.ie/raw-faq/what-not-to-feed-dogs/

#5

I can’t seem to reach your link, but thanks for the warning. My dogs are large and healthy (although I’m not sure the annual blood tests include pancreatic function), and the amount of fat seems insignificant to me. But if this is a trend you see in the doctor’s office I will modify the amount of kibble (and associated carbs). I use grain-free (Wellness Core). I know it has carbs, but I do not think it has 50%. It’s definitely worth checking, as they just raised the price again ($63 for 25 lbs)…

#6

Woke up at 0400 this morning (day 5).

:upside_down_face:

Six hours of sleep & wide awake…

(Mike W.) #7

Bone broth is something that is fine at first but should be seen as a crutch when first starting fasting. Not a 2-3 time per day thing.

#8

Is there a better way to maintain salt intake? I’ve been having it once a day since day 2.

(Mike W.) #9

I just dissolve some on my tongue.

(Mike W.) #10

I just reread your first post. Are you even fat adapted yet? I can’t imagine fasting without being. What do you think the advantages are of doing a long EF over ADF or other fasting protocols? Just curious.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #11

I add it to my coffee

#13

I am fat adapted. Started keto in early September, <20grams of carbohydrates daily. I managed to get to 20/4 IF schedule in early October. I have been dropping weight steadily, but slowly as I worked out the caloric intake issues associated w/ a 4-hour window.

Prior to this I would characterize myself as a cheating vegetarian, with infrequent meat and relatively low animal fat. Lots of bread and pasta, though. September was the hardest part, but after about 26 days the sugar cravings settled down and my appetite was under control.

Why EF:

Given my age, weight history, and latest A1C(11/1), I suspect I am IR. Ideally I would have my A1C after 3+ months of keto (instead of 2), but based on what I am reading an EF would more effectively curtail IR, and my November does not have me traveling for work.

Over the past five years I have been doing 30-day juice fasts in August, when my tomatoes come in; but I have not attempted a fast like this before.

So, I’m just taking it one day at a time, and seeing how I respond. I am not really attached to 21 days, just drawing a line in the sand. I figure- if I last- this timeframe would give me a few days to adjust before Thanksgiving dinner.

#14

Thanks! Is pink salt absolutely necessary? I have lots of sea salt, as well as iodized. I have been just using sea salt, but def will try your recipe with iodized in the PM…

#15

NOT THE COFFEE! It’s all I have left… :cry:

#17

Thanks. started yesterday, def drinkable (I was worried it would taste awful). I get my sea salt at costco or sams, and it comes in a grinder that can be adjusted, so on the fine grind it seems to integrate well into water.

#18

Quick update- I was looking at the calendar yesterday and realized that Thanksgiving is on the 22nd and not the 29th; so my fast is going to be a maximum of 14 days, not 21. This would allow me to break my fast a few days prior to the holiday.

Is it at all beneficial to segue into an ADF routine following an EF? Specifically/obviously health-wise, but also from a comfort perspective. Has anyone tried this? I’m not sure if breaking the fast comes with added urgency to continue eating (in which case it may be more difficult to transition into ADF) or if it fosters a touch and go as the person is already acclimated to the fasting mode…

For what it’s worth, I’m not looking to torture myself :slight_smile: - just looking adopt a pattern of 20/4, ADF and/or EF to keep changing up the routine and prevent stalls. It will likely be better for me to choose between EF and ADF (and not do both).

Also- for the record- feeling really good on day 6.

#20

Great that you’re feeling good on day 6 (or that you were feeling good on day 6, and I hope you’re feeling good on day 7!).

Some people love doing ADF and others have an easier time with slightly longer fasts (but done less often). I recently heard Megan Ramos say that women tend to actually do better with slightly longer fasts, which I guess would imply that the ADF (that the IDM clinic often uses as a protocol) might actually be better for guys.
Since you want to mix it up anyway, you could experiment with a few weeks of one (ADF) and then a few weeks of the other (say, 3 days fasted and 4 days eating)?

#21

@Madeleine - It’s so funny you wrote this. I really seem to have hit a wall today on day seven. Basically feeling headachey, woozy and awful. I am taking salt & Mg daily. This morning I ate 1/2 an avocado (potassium?) and it felt SOOO good. Still feeling crummy now 10 hours later. Also in crazy ketosis; peeing some really dark purple on the ketostix.

If I feel the same way through the night and tomorrow I plan to break the fast in the morning. I have some walnuts, macadamias and more avocados to ease back into eating.

I’m going to use @That_Fat_Guy 's advice, eat 16/8 for four or so days to normalize, then I’ll give ADF a shot.

All- thank you SO much for the timely and helpful input on this. I am very grateful.

#22

yes, if you’re feeling lousy, this sounds like a good plan! Sorry - I don’t remember how much experience you have with fasting - but in case you’re not used to breaking them: some folks find nuts problematic for breaking a fast (and others LOVE them for breaking a fast).

:slight_smile: it’s great forum