A one hundred day fast

fasting
extendedfast
#1

So having finished my “last” meal, the fasting begins. I need to do this. Can I do this? We shall see.

I don’t have diabetes, but my fasting glucose is higher than where it should be. Of greatest concern is my lipid panel, with a terrible triglyceride to HDL ratio. I have some degree of insulin resistance, and a fair amount of weight to lose. I almost never eat breakfast and often skip lunch, but that’s not effective enough.

So on day 0, I’m 6’1 (185 cm) and 308.8 lbs (140.4 kg). A DEXA scan shows I have about 185 lbs (84 kg) of lean body mass, with a BMR of about 2100 calories. I want to get to 220 (100 kg) or about 20% body fat, so subtracting some food and water, I’ve got about 80 lbs to lose.

When I did a seven day fast, the clarity and focus on the last days of eating nothing at all was amazing. I was losing almost a pound a day. I wasn’t very fat-adapted at the time though, and ran into issues with insufficient electrolytes, especially potassium. I’m better prepared now.

I figure it will take me around 100 days to lose the weight. I may have to stop early if I reach my targets early. I may also have to stop around 250 if my fat stores can’t keep up with my energy requirements. We shall see. And should I feel unwell, I will stop then, too.

Hopefully it fixes my lipid situation, too, which is probably a result of insulin resistance. I look forward to trying @DaveKeto’s protocol.

I plan to limit my beverages to water and tea, and to take electrolytes, a multivitamin, zinc, and krill oil for omega 3, and to maybe eat a single nut or berry if I’m desprate for flavour. I may look into calcium supplementation, but I have strong bones according to the DEXA scan, so I’m not worried. I don’t have any monitoring tools besides a scale. I’ll probably get blood work done, but the schedule is thus far undetermined.

I’m ready for this. Here I go.

#2

Good luck to you! It sounds like you’ve done your hw and have a solid plan.
There’s someone on here who fasted for - I don’t remember, but around several months - and had fantastic results. In case you haven’t seen her posts, they’re toward the end of this thread.

#3

Good luck and listen to your body.

You’ll see significant weight loss early on, then potentially a plateau at 3 weeks - if so then feast for a few days and jump back into the next three week fast.

Watch the supplements, ingredients tend to be carb based.

Move around as much as you can!

#4

Having done 6 one month water only fasts, and many shorter fasts, let me give you my 2cents. You’ll be fine for the first three weeks, try to rest as much as possible so as not to lose essential nutrients/vitamins/minerals. Dont think that you can fast and expend energy without losing your teeth and hair.

After the three weeks, water will start to taste a bit strange. You MUST vary your water, try semi sparkling, or mineral water. Also just a touch of salt. Have a range of different waters at the ready. I’ve done ionised water, I’ve done distilled water, I’ve done alkaline water. Don’t do any of them long term.

After 30 days I would estimate that 30kg will be lost. After refeeding, that levels out to around 25kg. 100 days, well, I can’t comment on that as I’ve never managed to get past day 31.

There are some other benefits to fasting over 21 days, I won’t spoil your surprise.

Good luck, and holler if you need support.

(Ellen) #5

Cheering you on! Keep us updated.

(Jessica) #6

Following. These really long EFs fascinate and inspire me.

#7

Following!

#8

I’m not looking to do any great physical feats for the next few months. Sweating is unavoidable, as I work in an office with people who aren’t cold-adapted. I’ve learned the hard way about electrolyte loss with previous short fasts, so I’m familiar with the symptoms of both sodium and potassium deficiency. I probably won’t lose more hair than when I tried my hand at vegetarianism.

I drink carbonated water like a fish. Well if the water fish drink were carbonated. I find salt water undrinkable, so I spoon Himalayan on to my tongue. That doesn’t work with NoSalt though, as the potassium burns.

I don’t think my loss will be quite so rapid. I’m expecting at most 20 kg during that time.

Thanks!

#9

As always :slight_smile:

I intend to stay fasting for as long as reasonable. We’ll see.

I’ve noticed!

I walk often and usually commute to work on my feet.

#10

I think Dr. Fung recommends that any fast over 7 days be medically monitored as refeeding issues are possible at that point

Good Luck

(Ethan) #11

This is what I was about to write. I would consult a doctor and enquire about monitoring, specifically for vitamin/mineral levels as well.

(sue) #12

Please consider being monitored by a physician.

From Dr. Fung’s latest blog post:

However, many people forget the cardinal rule of fasting, or indeed, of any kind of dietary change – always make sure you are doing it safely.

Further, people undertake extreme fasting without any kind of preparation. Instead of undertaking shorter fasts and gradually extending it, they immediately opt for a full on water-only extended fast. This is like a rookie mountaineer that decides that he/she will tackle Mount Everest, without oxygen and push on to the summit irregardless of weather. The experience mountaineer would immediately recognize this as a death wish, but the rookie has no inkling of the dangers and may come home in a body bag. It’s pure stupidity. Yet fasting clinics promote this very same idea. Taking the most extreme fast (water-only fasting, as opposed to allowing some bone broth or some caloric intake), to an extended period of time (30 days instead of 1-2 days), in anybody irregardless of whether this is medically appropriate, without any adequate medical supervision or access to bloodwork? I can tell you right now, that’s pure stupidity.

A recent article in the New York Post “Is this the most dangerous diet ever?” tells of a man who, in an attempt to lose weight, decided that he would fast for 47 days. At day 5 he was feeling great. At day 28, he was so weak that he could hardly get out of bed. NOT smart. This is NOT something that I would advise.

So the bottom line is that fasting, done properly and with knowledge and experience is a powerful tool in the fight against metabolic disease and obesity. But tools can cut both ways and can sometimes harm the user. A chainsaw is a powerful tool for cutting trees. It may also kill you if used improperly. But the proper lesson is not to abandon the chainsaw. Instead, we need to learn how to properly use the tool. Fasting, used responsibly can be a powerful force for health. Fasting, used inappropriately can hurt or kill you. Fasting by starting out skipping a meal here and there – good idea. Fasting by starting out 30 day water only fast come hell or high water – bad idea. There’s a ton of free information on fasting that I‘ve written extensively on my blog. Just search for the 40+ posts I’ve labelled with ‘Fasting’. I’ve also posted free videos and podcasts, too. So cost is not an issue. Be safe, everybody.

Not saying you’re being stupid, by the way! But I think this is something you should strongly consider.

(Dawn) #13

Are you doing a 100 days straight? Or are you doing a total of 100 days but in different increments? If it is the former, then I have a little concern that the longest fast you have done is seven days yet now you are doing 100. We all know that people can fast for very long periods of time when they have a good amount of fat stores. But Please be careful and make absolutely sure that you have some medical supervision. I believe you can do this. But again, please be careful. I will be here to inspire you, root you on every step of the way. Many people say that day 14 and day 50 are no different in terms of how your body feels. I have never gone longer than 16 days and it was very difficult for me around day 11-16. I wish you luck. Check in with us daily or weekly so we know how you are doing

#14

OMG - this sounds totally insane and dangerous to me - I’m in shock that people actually do this! Of course, I am a newbie so ask me again in 6 months and I’ll probably be fasting like the rest of you, but this REALLY sounds extreme.

What’s the rush? I can understand your plan and it sounds like you’ve thought it through, but I can’t believe that there won’t be some health issues, (some serious) to doing something this drastic and extreme.

I wish you luck, but hope you reconsider and do something with a shorter duration.
Sue

(Jay Erdahl) #15

Best of luck - we’ll be cheering you on from here!

#16

Yeah, I am seeing a doctor during this time.

I’ll be taking a multivitamin to avoid any deficiencies. I could use a little more vitamin D currently, but I’m hoping to fix that with sun exposure. I have light skin and can tan 8 or 9 months of the year where I live, if the clouds are away.

During my previous fasting experience, I learned that blood tests are poor indicators of intracellular electrolyte levels. I know the feelings of deficiency and can supplement appropriately.

If I am feeling unwell, I will end the fast. I’ve done exactly that before.

#17

I ran into trouble the first time I did a seven day fast last summer. I wasn’t fat adapted at all, and wasn’t supplementing electrolytes enough. I ended up with low blood pressure and dizziness. That was, from what I can tell, hypokalemia. So I totally agree with Dr. Fung that it’s dangerous if one isn’t careful.

#18

I’m going to try for 100 days straight. Ish. We’ll see how long my fat stores hold out. That’s going to be the major determining factor. Unless I feel unwell, then I’ll stop sooner.

With intermittent fasting, I find my insulin levels don’t drop low enough to release energy until about 20 hours or so. I’ve been eating in a 10 to 12 hour window for many years and never considered that a form of fasting. The greatest success I see is after day four of a fast.

Eating low calorie also wrecks my metabolism. It’s much harder to eat 300 calories a day than none. If I go back to eating, I have to feast for a while, making progress slow with short fasts.

#19

I know a guy who did a seven day water only fast a few years ago. I thought he was crazy at the time. He probably was, given how little body fat he has.

Why the rush? You haven’t seen my lipid panel (haha). I don’t want another year of damage to occur. Keto hasn’t been enough.

(Daphne K) #20

Fantastic! The most I managed was a 6 day fast, and I have to say (after the 3rd day…) it felt wonderful and somehow “normal”. As if food wasn’t an issue anymore. I also think that 100 days is perfectly ok if you listen to your body. So good luck :slight_smile: