Before I started my own fast, I wanted to read as many stories about the experiences of others as I could. I am genuinely thankful to everyone for sharing their experiences. It was really helpful to me to learn! So I hope that others might benefit in some small way from my own experience.
Background: I’m 45. 6’2". Healthy with no problematic blood markers and on no medication Starting weight of 201 with an ideal target of 185 I was already well fat-adapted when I started the Fast since I’d been eating a strict keto diet for a while.
I consumed only water, sparking LaCroix water, black coffee and electrolyte powder in the water. I made a bone broth and tried that once but didn’t go back to it because I just didn’t feel like it (too food like, maybe?). Even though it was readily available, I never felt “in the mood” for the broth so I didn’t force myself to drink it especially since some think it may impede with the full benefits of autophagy.
Previous fasting history: none. Longest fast of my life is maybe 16 hours.
End weight: 188.
Some general comments and lessons learned:
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it started as a 36 hour fast but once I got into that, it seemed easy so I kept going. I decided to do 5 days and ultimately kept going to 7.
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I never felt any hunger or food craving the entire week. Being fat adapted at the outset made the first few days much easier. Other than some general tightness in my belly, I felt totally fine.
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My energy level for the first four days was 90-95% of normal and had occasional mild headaches. I decided to supplement my water and electrolyte intake by adding more salt. I REALLY wish I had done this soooner because the added salt cleared up all of the minor problems I was experience. Days 5-7 were much easier and I felt completely normal and was able to work out and be active.
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Sleepwsie, it was the same. I was hoping to get some additional benefit from great sleep (and longer sleep) but that didn’t materialize. I slept 6-7 hours a night.
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one of my main reasons for doing the fast was the benefits from mental clarity and focus. I never really experienced that which was a little disappointing. It was not a transformative experience for me in the way I’ve heard it described by others. Bummer!
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The challenges are far more mental than physical. Food is so important in our lives that I got a little bored. I realized we almost keep a clock on our day based on when we eat. I noticed myself losing track of time a bit without having the reference point of a meal.
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The biggest educational learning for me was how resilient the body is and how little food we really need. When I was at Day 6 of no food and doing a light workout at the gym, I marveled at how this was even possible. It becomes clear that the standard food paradigm of 1) 3 meals a day. 2) the amounts we eat and 3) the types of food we eat doesn’t remotely match with what the body needs or even wants. I will find it WAY easier in the future to skip a meal or skip and en entire day.
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I noticed that my keto weight of around 190 lb approximates a non-keto weight for me of around 200 lbs (which pictures seem to prove). I suppose that makes given the amount of water in your tissues on keto versus non-keto. From a belly fat and measurements standpoint, I look like I did when I weighed 200 and wasn’t on keto. So another lesson learned is how misleading the scale can be for evaluating body fat.
In sum, would i do it again? Yes, maybe once a year for a general body reset. And it makes me more likely to work with the IF techniques as well now that I know how long I can really go. It’s a great sense of an achievement but I was still hoping for something more transformative mentally. But oh well…still a worthwhile experience. It’s far less daunting than it seems from a distance and a great learning experience.
Best of luck to everyone!