95 hours into fast and fighting psychological hunger

fasting
(Amanda Richardson) #1

What is your advice for fighting psychological hunger? I’m 95 hours into my fast and not physically hungry but I want food! I’m not craving junk, instead good wholesome, nutrient dense food. I’m well hydrated and good on electrolytes. Suggestions please.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

It might actually be time to eat. (Just saying!)

And remember that Dr. Fung does not recommend fasting longer than about 72 hours, except under the supervision of your physician.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #3

What’s your objective? I agree with @PaulL your body is telling you it’s time to eat. It’s just not using your stomach to deliver the message.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #4

When that happens to me I take on a project away from foods and the kitchen. Like cleaning my closet or rearranging the bookshelves, doing more research on genealogy DNA, etc. If I still want to eat, I know it is time to eat.

95hrs. is a great fasting window.

(Amanda Richardson) #5

@amwassil my plan is a 14-day post holiday fast then transition into Dr. Fung’s 42-hour fasting protocol. And repeat every six weeks until goal weight has been obtained and food’s control over me has been vanquished. This is a psychological issue for me as addiction runs in my family; my “drug” of choice happens to be everywhere and socially acceptable… Food.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

I have little fasting experience. I did one 14-day fast many years ago and a 4-day fast when I started keto 4 years ago. Now I only do overnight IF 2-3 times per week as my work schedule permits. Not to lose weight/fat, however, rather to reinforce ketosis perioidically. There are others here who can give you much more detailed and nuanced info.

That said, it’s my understanding that extended fasting needs to be approached with caution. Aside from not getting sufficient micro nutrients, etc, there’s a huge risk of slowing your metabolism. There is a limit to how much body fat your metabolism can utilize per day during a fast. It’s a moving target since as your overall weight/fat comp changes the limit changes. If you exceed that limit for a day or two, it’s not a big deal. But if you exceed that limit for a couple of weeks every month or so, your metabolism is going to ratchet down to compensate.

I suspect that hunger (in your case psychological rather than physical) is the signal you’ve reached the limit. If you ignore the initial signal, your metabolism ups the ante. You feel hungry all the time (in your case this may take the form of obsessing about eating and food), or you start to feel lethargic as your overall metabolism slows down.

Hopefully, others with more experience/knowledge will come along to offer their input.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #7

Make sure you refeed, (eating normal keto/lchf) for 7 days before jumping into another fast. Megan Ramos and Brenda Zorn both repeat this advice over and over again.

All the best on your weight loss journey.

(UsedToBeT2D) #8

I fight psychologial hunger all the time. Food is everywhere. Bad food is everywhere, cheap, and convenient. Remind yourself why you are fasting, why you began this Keto journey. But if you need to eat, then eat. Congratulations on 95 hours. KCKO.

#9

Just finished a 72 hour fast and it was pretty easy but every day late afternoon when thinking about food I took a hot bath with a good book and that did the trick for me.