3 days fasted and running


(Rafe) #1

Okay,

Background: I have been on the keto diet for almost 9 months and was not diabetic before starting (probably insulin resistant still). It has went well so far. I am 6’3 and 280ish lbs, started at 415 and I am 30 years old. I have done multiple 3 day fast and have been able to do strength resistance training and walking with no issues. I also started running about 8 months ago and have completed 3 5ks.

On my current fast I tried running for the first time. I was 63 hours into my 80ish hour fast and found out I was having some issues. My heart rate is typically high (180 when running) and today hit 174 but felt more stressed. Hopefully this rate should drop with additional weight loss and cardio health. I hit a wall at about 1.5 miles today that was not typical. I also had patchy skin and a dry itchy forehead that I believe may be from acetone sweat from ketosis.

I have been supplementing with kosher salt, magnesium citrate and potassium chloride. Only coffee and water on the fast out side of the electrolytes. Any tips of information around why this occurs/occurred? Are there ways to avoid the wall in future fast?

Thanks for any help,

Bomb


(Whitney) #2

I see that no one replied to you, which disappoints me, since I am now in a similar situation. I’m 47 hours into a fast and hoping to continue it through a 10K race I’m signed up for in a couple of days (at ~90 hours fasting). I’m wondering if I’m insane to attempt it. I don’t want to get a mile in to the 10K (6.2 miles) and hit a wall, so I was looking for other advice/experiences when I came across this old thread. My current plan is to keep drinking bone broth plus salt once or twice a day and maybe take some extra bone broth the morning of the race. Other than that, I’m just hoping for the best.


(Rafe) #3

Good luck! I have learned a lot about myself since that post. I now maintain my fasting state while adding some calories through bulletproof coffee which seems to help on the run. I also make sure I have at least 12 hours after I break my fast before going on a run due to, ah, “bowel distress”.

Another interesting observation for my body is that I can still run, but need to target a slower pace. My best guess is without dietary protein glucogensis occurs at a slower rate by breaking down excess unneeded cells or muscle tissue. So when I push harder my blood glucose may drop lower then normal and take longer to come back up.

I dont know what is really happening, but that is what I got. Hopefully it goes well for you.

Bomb


(Whitney) #4

Thanks for your response! I sadly just broke my fast about 15 minutes ago (at 9:25 p.m.), due to (as you put it) bowel distress. I got some diarrhea and I just can’t handle that during the race, which starts in 10 hours. So I had some macadamia nuts and a protein bar with fiber. I’m hoping and praying no diarrhea tomorrow morning during my 10K. I’m kind of sad about this, since I wasn’t hungry and otherwise felt fine, but I still made it about 80 hours, and my previous longest fast was only 24 hours. Next time, I’ll make sure to time it so that I’m hitting this point on a day I can just be home all day. :joy::woman_facepalming:t2:


(Omar) #5

for bowel distressed while fasting try glutamine, ghee, and fish oil


(Running from stupidity) #6

Guys, you might find the “Fat for Weight Loss” podcast interesting - the guy who runs it just did a marathon on keto, and talks to a lot of athletes.

He talks too much (rather than letting the guest talk), and says “awesome” WAY too much, but I still think you’d find it useful.


(Bob M) #7

I’ve been having bowel distress for the last 3.5 years when fasting. I haven’t figured out the cure yet, though haven’t tried those (do eat fish up to several times a week, though).


(Omar) #8

Bob

try the glutamine powder and ghee. Fish oil also helps.

After 24 hours of fasting try hot cumin tea by itself or with little lemon.

should be only water fast no butter no coffee no tea.


(Rafe) #9

Hey Bob, there might not be a “cure” it could be gut flora being flushed out and a nice cleanse. I usually only get the bowl distress when breaking a 3+ day fast. A small serving of psyllium husk and almonds followed by a 3 hr break seems to help me as well.

Also I disagree with “only water” concept. You can do what you want and there are many doctors who have studied a fasting mimicking diet where it is typically no carb no protein and they have similar health benefits. Weight loss is less(duh), but organs decreasing in size, inflammation reduction, and an increase in stem cell production are all observed like a water fast. Dr. Rhonda Patrick had some Dr. on her podcast a few months back going over the data. I personally keep my bulletproof in the morning in the morning which increases my ketone levels and reduces my cold hands and feet while calorie restricted.

Long story short, do what works for you :slight_smile: N=1 and absolutes aren’t valid in diet advise. :wink:

Bomb


(Bob M) #10

Any amounts of those? When do you take them? For instance, if I fast 4.5 days, do you break your fast with these?


(Matt Gilmer) #11

What’s up Bomb? Thanks for your post and replies. I have been on keto for a week and I am not seeing any results. My starting weight is about the same weight you started out. Do you have any general advice? Also, over the past nine months, how often did you fast and do you have any information on how to fast as you have done? Thanks for your help.


(Rafe) #12

What is your typical daily intake look like? For induction kept carbs super low (-20g net a day). I did mostly eggs, bacon, steak, salad, and avocado with salt on everything for the first week. Really watch the sneaky carbs. Dextrose, sucrose, HFCS, maltodextrin are all different names for sugar, and some sugar alcohols have highish glycemic indexes as well. Have you tasted any breathe acetone yet from ketosis? You should give off water relatively quickly as the glycogen stores drop out of your muscles. Some people also take a little longer to transition into ketosis, so give it some time.

I try to do a 3 day fast every 6 weeks. It needs to be planned for gastric distress, but makes me feel better. I also do intermittent fasting where I dont eat M-F till I get off work (4-6 PM) and stop eating around 8 PM.

If you go back to the first few episodes of 2ketodudes podcast they have a ton of great information about transitioning into ketosis. I am a little nuts and started keto and couch25k on the same day. Probably excellerated early results but made it a little harder.


(Rafe) #13

Didn’t see this sorry. I dont measure them out. Usually a handful of nuts and few fiber pills. I actually broke a fast last night recklessly :). Pounded some macadamian nuts, a 4oz steak, 4oz of cheese, and a little bit of whipped heavy cream over an hour. I try to stop eating a 8 PM and got off work really late.