I did a 33 day fast. My goal was 40, but broke the fast at 33 days. I will be interested to see how you do and feel. There were several surprises for me along the journey.
A really extended fast: going for 46-days!
Daisy
#14
Wow. Good luck to you. You are a pro at this so you know if you need to stop. Take good care of yourself and keep us updated. xxx
georgettestmp7
(Georgette)
#17
I am in the final hours of my first extended ever. Doing 72 hours and I wish I would have done it sooner! I cannot wait to hear how you do on this.
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#18
Well my fast has started and I am 16 hours into it, what have I learned so far? A venti Decaf Americano with steamed heavy whipping cream from Starbuck’s contains 231 calories! That is probably a quarter cup, 2oz, of cream—and it tastes so good. Need to limit these and just go with black mostly.
I got a lot of queries about why I chose to do this extended fast and what kind of support system I had in place; these questions made me pause and think as I really hadn’t considered these things before. I’ve known all my life that men are invincible so I didn’t think this thing through!
I am 62 and relatively healthy especially since starting the LCHF lifestyle: I reversed my pre-diabetes, and hypertension, and improved my lipid levels to the point where my doctor has taken me off of all prescription medications. I feel invincible once again!
Now, thinking about a long fast, I know there were 3 reasons I took on this task:
- A personal challenge: My wife always accuses me of being all or nothing and I’ve fasted before for up to 8 or 9 days and really enjoyed it. The reason I never went longer is more mental than physical; I don’t get hungry after about the second or third day but I do think about what I am going to eat when I break my fast. Places like Facebook that have all kinds of recipes scrolling by all day long also add to that anxiety. I figured with the season of Lent coming, and knowing that it is a season of fasting and repentance, that the timing would challenge me.
- Religious challenge: My ego pushed harder at the early days in thinking about this and then someone asked me if I was going to offer my fast up to the Lord? Hadn’t crossed my mind. Now I am planning to make this just one of the things I will do to celebrate Lent this year.
- Improve my internal health: Fasting has been shown to have many health benefits and few drawbacks (unless you have pre-existing conditions.) My body still acts like I have insulin resistance so fasting really keeps insulin low and will help with that. Other markers like CRP, an inflammation marker, are dramatically improved as well. Finally, and of most interest to me, is the fact that Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which decreases significantly in your 20’s and 30’s, will increase to help grow new tissues, muscles, and strengthen the bones.
My support system includes my doctor, I am going to see him tomorrow and will probably surprise him with my intention to fast. When I told him that I was LCHF, and that was what changed my blood sugar and lipids, he didn’t understand. I even gave him a couple of books but I don’t know if he’s even looked at them. Anyway, I am not looking to him for advice, I am looking for someone that can look at my test results and help guide me if need be.
I will also be using a website called headsuphealth.com to track my weight, blood glucose, and blood ketones on a daily basis as well as the results from any other tests I have. My doctor will have access to the site as well in case he needs.
There are lots of knowledgeable people in many forums across the internet who have advice and experience so I know that I can ask questions as I go. While they may not be doctors I know that experience tells a story and that helps me to learn along the way.
Finally, family and friends are always great, they may think I am crazy but hey; a year ago I would never believe if you told me I’d be attempting an extended fast!
How long do you wait between extended fasts
BillJay
#19
The longest fast you mentioned earlier was only water and vitamins and I was concerned that doing a 46 day water-only fast would be dangerous, so I’m glad to see that you appear to be on a very reduced calorie fast with fat and minimal protein.
The goals you mention also suggest to me that you’re well-informed which raises your level of preparedness and likelihood of handling anything unexpected.
Have you reviewed @richard’s 
blog post about the theoretical limits of bodyfat that can be mobilized per day for energy and compared that to your bodyfat?
I would certainly expect a caloric deficit while fasting and any calculated predictions are based on an unreliable CICO hypothesis, but can your bodyfat provide enough energy to sustain you with the parameters you’ve laid out so far?
Well, I’ll be monitoring and good luck!
MKChitown
(Michelle)
#21
BEST of luck to you for your fast!!! Great story and I would love updates (and tips) on how you are doing.
Fiorella
#22
Get ready for the little surprises. Tongue will change colour. Pimples come up where you never get pimples. And going to the bathroom after approx 3 weeks of last meal. Oh fun fun…lucky you there are people in this forum who have done long fasts. If something comes up, you can ask “hey! Is this normal?!” It helps to know others went through what you are going through.
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#23
@Fiorella Try as you might you are not scaring me! You did get my attention though!! My wife will have to tell me if my tongue changes as I am color blind and probably wouldn’t notice. I figured there would be bathroom issues as I usually get watery around the 72 hour point which doesn’t last more than a day. You say there may be more in store? I like new experiences so we will see what happens.
Thank you for the information and I will be doing daily posts and will ask for help often, I am sure.
I guess I should use this same thread for all of the updates.
Fiorella
#24
Oh hey…I’m not scaring you…or at least not my intention. Sorry if it comes off that way.
Just wanted to let you know these little surprises are around the corner. I did a lot of googling and discovered this stuff in other people’s blogs and diaries before my fast. I was glad to know before hand, so that I wouldn’t be surprised.
Another thing will happen to your tongue. It will turn furry, or velvety-like. And then, one day, the furry or velvet feel will disappear. After that point, your body will start to crave eating again. Happened to me around day 32. It takes about 4 weeks to get to that point.
Oh yes. Bathroom events will be interesting. You will have literally one “black sludge” experience at 2.5 to 3 weeks. It’s common. I remember seeing it talked about on youtube diaries, and in written diaries. And when it happened to me, it didn’t freak me out at all.
So, it helps to know what others went through. Puts you at ease during the journey.
BillJay
#25
It hasn’t been mentioned here yet, so I’ll take this time to mention that our bodies store excess toxins in bodyfat and as those are being released while fasting weird things will likely happen…
I currently use ACV since it’s supposed to help the liver cleanse toxins, but sometimes it seems to make me hungry and other times has no effect, so it’s hard for me to recommend it or not for a fast.
@Fiorella, do you have any suggestions for helping the body to eliminate toxins that won’t negatively affect the fast?
Fiorella
#26
No. It’s unavoidable. Autophagy will happen and it will unlock toxins. They will find their way out. Drink water. That’s it.
chris.coote
(chris.coote)
#27
Day 1 went by with little hunger issues. I wouldn’t have noticed since I spent most of my time realizing that I was biting off too much dropping caffeine on certain days as well 
Bahrutile
(Dustin Cade)
#28
so… an extended fast would be good to unlock these toxins or is this just another way the body rids itself of them? an acquaintance of mine mentioned on Facebook the other day he was starting a 2 month vegan cleanse… not sure really what that entails or if he understands its going to just make things worse… I didn’t say anything as i doubt he would’ve taken heed anyway…
Fiorella
#29
The vegan cleanses that I have seen are just fruit and veggie juices, sometimes coupled with herbs and spices (like ginger and peppermint). They all looked like liquid carb delivery systems. Not sure what they would cleanse, honestly.
When fasting, like water and coffee only, and the body gets into autophagy, it breaks down old and unnecessary tissue. Also helps with tightening of loose skin, as extra skin is “useless”. Any toxins in the tissue is released. So, “non toxic” and “toxic” compounds are broken down and/or released in autophagy. It does not discriminate and look for toxic molecules, and leaves behind the rest of the old and unnecessary cells tissue. All “bad” and unnecessary tissue gets targeted.
Bahrutile
(Dustin Cade)
#30
I do want to make sure i have the least amount of loose skin as I’m going to be going from 421lbs to whatever my “normal” body weight is… I figure around 225 to 200 or so… I’m down at least 54lbs down…
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#31
Day 2 is here and I am feeling great!
I weigh myself and check my blood glucose and ketones every morning, the weight is not as important as my other health markers but I would like to lose another 60 lb so I will track it but not make goals based on it.
Today’s tally:
Day 2 Daily Wt loss (LB): 3 Total Wt loss (LB): 3 BG: 92 Ketones: 0.6
BG is down 11 from yesterday but I had been sitting around 105 for the last few weeks due to excessive snacking on fatty treats: macadameia nuts, 90% Lindt dark chocolate, bacon (got to love bacon), and homemade chocolate mousse made with heavy cream and high-fat cocoa powder (really good!)
Now that I am fasting I don’t have to worry about it and am not hungry in the least, more on that in a little bit.
My ketone level is at 0.6 mmol/l which is down from 0.9 the day before. I am still ketogenic, just barely. From previous experience days 3 and later are normally between 1 and 4 for me.
As everyone has mentioned fasting gets easier with practice; I know my first fast I was hungry on the second day but now, other than a mental urge to grab a snack (a bad habit I’m hoping to break) I have not been hungry today.
Drinking water, black coffee, and bone broth to supplement the need for electrolytes. So this is not a ‘water’ diet as such as I do get minimal calories from the broth and any time I use heavy cream in my coffee. I drank my coffee black for years and years but like the heavy cream especially how it curbs my appetite.
I am still carrying on with business details and even had lunch with a client today. I had ordered a cup of decaf coffee and when the waitress asked what I wanted to order I said “I’ll just have the coffee, thanks. I have other plans.” A few people looked up and I just smiled. I had a slight urge when I saw the potato chips on their plates but that past quickly as I thought about what that would do to my insulin and the possibility of inflammation from the low-quality vegetable oil they are cooked in!
All in all a good day, still learning more about long, extended fasts and some of the weird things the body does as it goes through the detox process. That could be a good topic for a new section!
Lastly, I went to see my doctor today and told him what I was doing. He said that after my last year and a half and all of the improvements I’ve made in my health that he has no concerns about my doing this fast. He even gave me some advice to stay hydrated, use electrolytes along the way, and add some fat if I think I need something. I was floored by his positive attitude—maybe he did read those 3 books I’ve given him in the last 18 months!