How’s that possible after three days? Were you bleeding Jack Daniels when you entered the fast??
A really extended fast: going for 46-days!
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#56
Day 5 and 117 hours fasted. A bit late on this update but I have had a very busy weekend. Here is what today’s numbers were.
Had some homemade beef broth today along with my usual decaf coffee, water and electrolyte supplement. I did notice early this afternoon that my fingertips were shriveled like when you spend too much time in water and, in this case, being dehydrated. I just made sure that I drank a lot more water this afternoon and everything was fine.
We went on a road trip to a state park about an hour away and I took 12 bottles of water for the trip for the 3 of us. I think I drank 3 full bottles and when we stopped for supper I had 3 cups of decaf coffee and 3 glasses of water. Had to use the restroom a couple of times at the restaurant before the hour drive back home but all was well. I will probably have another cup of broth, chicken this time, this evening.
I’ve been making my own broth for the last year or so and really enjoy knowing exactly what goes into it. I used the stovetop method until last fall when I bought a Power Pressure Cooker XL electric pressure cooker for the broth and other things. I think we have decided that we like the stovetop results better, taste and appearance wise, although the pressure cooker was much faster 2-hours pressure cooker for beef compared to 24-hours on the stovetop. I tend to drink more broth when on a fast so I need to plan to make some more in about a week.
One of the biggest advantages of the pressure cooker is using it for canning the broth for storage! We have limited freezer space so canning the broth makes it very easy to store. Our pressure cooker only handles the pint jars, about 12oz of broth, but that is fine as it makes for a nice big cup!
Have to travel this week, I’m going to Irvine CA on business. I have seen a few people mention that fasting is difficult when travelling but I have never found that. I don’t have urges to eat and am not tempted when I see some of my favorite foods like my experience with BBQ yesterday. I simply drink water and black coffee through the airport. I like to buy the Smart Water brand when travelling as it has electrolytes in it already, it is quite a convenience.
My electrolyte supplements are Jigsaw Health’s Electrolyte Supreme that comes in a very convenient single serving packet. It is sweetened with stevia and monk fruit and is very safe for me. I did a n=1 test and monitored by blood glucose to verify it and will post the results on the forum in the near future.
devhammer
(G. Andrew Duthie)
#57
Following up on this…I’m on day 2 after breaking my fast, and RHR went back up a couple of points from its low at 61. Will be interesting to see if it continues to rise, which might provide some support for the idea that fasting contributed to the drop.
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#59
Day 6 and 138 hours fasted still on water, decaf coffee, broth, electrolyte supplements, and occasional heavy cream. Here are today’s numbers:
I added a column for the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is the rough percentage of body fat an average person is carrying. I said rough as it is not accurate enough for studies and there are far better ways of determining the total lean and the fat mass in a body like a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan often used to determine bone density. Rough is close enough for me.
I received my blood tests back and I was shocked that some of the numbers were a bit worse than I expected. I had been snacking a lot in the month or so leading up to this fast especially on peanuts which are higher in carbs. Peanuts have 161 calories(kCal) per 1oz serving distributed as 78.3% is fat, 11.4% is carbohydrates (2.7% from sugar), and 17.4% as protein. This may seem like a decent snack but I REALLY like peanuts, and like I have stated in an earlier post, I tend to go all-in. I could easily eat 6-16oz of peanuts in a day or even a sitting.
I would also snack on macadamia nuts on the same day and they have more fat but also more sugar! Macadamia nuts have 204 calories per 1oz serving distributed as 92.6% is fat, 7.6% is carbohydrate (2.7% from sugar), and 4.3% as protein. A much healthier snack than the peanuts as macadamias are much higher in fat especially saturated fat. Comparing peanuts and macadamias the types of fat stack up like this: saturated fat 13.9% and 16.2%; polyunsaturated fat 31.9% and 1.9%; monounsaturated fat 50% and 81% respectively.
Getting ready for a trip to Irvine, CA, in the morning so I will cut this update a bit short. One final word though is that my glucose (sugar) readings are dropping nicely and my ketones are increasing at the same time. This is an indication that my liver is creating ketones to fuel me while fasting. I am not eating any carbohydrates so the glucose measurement is likely from any residual glycogen stored in my muscles and that from my liver through a process called gluconeogenesis, yes, your body can feed itself and I have plenty of stored up fat to live on through this fast!
Taking on an extended fast (10-14 Days)
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#60
Day 7 and 155 hours fasted still on liquids only and as occasional ¼ cup of heavy cream (200 kCal). Here are my numbers from today:
Surprised me a bit that my weight went up a bit and I don’t know why! I had water, decaf coffee with a bit of cream in the first cup, and my 3 of my electrolyte solution throughout the day. I am wondering if it was just a bad reading as I wear the same thing every day. I am travelling today so I weighed about 5:15 and maybe my eyes weren’t in focus yet! Because of my trip I didn’t take the time to reweigh so I will have to wait until I get back home and then weigh on Saturday morning.
My glucose and ketones look great and the glucose may be leveling out a little which I expected. According to studies of people on high fat diets who are fat adapted, i.e. burning mostly fat for energy and not much glucose, low glucose does not cause hypoglycemia because the body is not requiring glucose. The low glucose does mean that my insulin levels are low and that is what I am trying for as when insulin is low human growth hormone (HGH) production is increased to raise my metabolism, protect my muscles, and help build bone density; that is the miracle I am looking for!
Ketone bodies are produced by the liver from fatty acids and can be used by almost every cell in the body for fuel. When glucose is at normal levels (low) the liver automatically begins producing ketones for fuel. This is what kept our ancestors alive during food shortages! The brain needs about 600 grams of energy and day and about 150 grams must be glucose, the rest can be ketones which many brain cells prefer. The liver produces about 250 grams of glucose every day through a process call gluconeogenesis so my miniscule requirement for glucose is easily satisfied.
I feel great sitting here in the Atlanta airport with about an hour before my flight boards. Like many trips, my flight has been delayed about 30 minutes. I don’t have any meetings today except some dinner plans with my Uncle and some of his children/grandchildren. Some of them I haven’t met so I am looking forward to some great family time!
I’ll be reading “The Obesity Epidemic” by Dr. Zoe Harcombe on my way to California so I will continue on my journey to learning how to get healthier through diet and so I can share it with others.
cadori
(Jessica)
#61
I kept muttering “have some salt, man!” as I read about day after day of lethargy.
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#62
I travel with a sea salt grinder plus about 2 small bags with 1 tsp of Real Salt each. The bags are meant for pills so they are rather small and easy to put in a jacket pocket.
Fiorella
#63
well…let’s just hope the authorities don’t think the little baggies in your pocket, filled with white crystals, is something else 
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#64
Real Salt is pink to red but you never know what they are looking for.I travel frequently so I go through the TSA Pre:Check line where I don’t have to take things out of my pockets. Well, except the steel lined security wallet my wife bought me for Christmas!
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#65
Day 8 and 183 hours of fasting on water, decaf coffee, electrolytes, and occasional heavy cream. Feeling great with tons of energy! I am travelling and I want to use my own scale for weight, to be consistent, so I will carry my previous weight forward for a few days. Here are mu numbers for today:
My glucose seems to be settling down at a very good level thanks to not eating any carbohydrates and that means that my insulin level will be low. My ketones continue to rise which means I am going through lipolysis which is that I am using my body fat as fuel; when fat is burned by the liver ketones are created for use by the rest of the body.
One of the differences between burning glucose and fat is that with glucose there are reactive oxidative species (ROS) created which are highly inflammatory; with fat there are no offensive outputs so fat can be considered a ‘clean’ fuel. Sort of like the difference between the soot from burning coal compared to burning natural gas with no soot. Our bodies were created to burn mostly fat and it is only in the last 50 years, when the government in all its wisdom, told us that we should eat more grains, sugar, starchy foods and avoid fat.
I won’t go into details but all of the studies since 1920 on diets, especially the ones since 1977 when the food guidelines came out, have failed to show that decreasing fat and increasing carbs prevents heart disease—no difference! Why do we have a food pyramid that tells us to eat 6-9 portions of grains each day? Because the food pyramid is put out by the US Department of Agriculture, the department shat promotes the production and selling of grains and other plant foods!
A very good friend from high school called me yesterday and was questioning me about my fast. He was concerned about my health and wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing. We have talked on a few occasions, when I make it the Tampa area, about my diet but not about fasting. I assured him that I have my doctor’s approval and I am keeping in touch with him and that I have done a lot of research over the last year on fasting. I can’t say that I am any kind of expert but I have done 5 or 6 fasts of 3-9 days so I do have some experience. The research shows me the medical studies of people who have been in fasting programs and their outcomes: thankfully no one has ever died from fasting in any of these studies and they studied thousands of people!
On a lighter note, I was able to hook up with some family last night for dinner in Seal Beach (I had 3 cups of coffee with about 2oz of heavy cream between them.) My Uncle Al is doing really well and my cousin Steve is his typical joyful self, always with the great stories. I got to meet Al’s grandson Josiah, his wife Sarah, and their 2 boys. I hadn’t seen Josiah in about 20 years or so and I was impressed with the man he has become.
Enough for today, work calls! My update tomorrow may be a bit late in the day but I will try to get it out! Have a great day and Keto On!
Fiorella
#66
Multi-week extended fasting has been going on for centuries. Very old practice with several religions. It outlasted centuries, because it is not an impossible thing to do.
ZackF
(Zack F)
#67
You didn’t carry on the scale! You didn’t want to put your bathroom scale in the overhead compartment? Seriously, great work.Congratulations on reaching a GKI < 1.
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#68
Day 9 and 206 hours of fasting on water, decaf coffee, electrolytes, and occasional heavy cream. Feeling great with tons of energy! I am travelling and I want to use my own scale for weight, to be consistent, so I will carry my previous weight forward for a few days. Here are my numbers for today:
The mental challenge is getting easier! One of my goals with this long fast is breaking my snacking habit; I work from home and could literally snack for most of the day—and the snacks were not always the best choices! I could easily eat 6-16 ounces of peanuts a day; an ounce or two would be acceptable but at the volume I was eating it had adverse impacts with my health that I could feel and see in the blood test I had drawn the first day of fasting. I am hoping this long fast will help me to learn to not snack and steel my will against shacking.
I spend most meals with others where they are eating and I have coffee and water. I can look at their food, like the 16oz bone-in prime rib my colleague had last night, and see how delicious it looks but I don’t have any physical urges to eat it. On the mental side, early in the fast I was thinking very seriously about having a bite—you know, that one bite that won’t hurt—but now I don’t think that way any more.
I am free! free from HAVING to eat, free from hunger, free from the distractions when my stomach growls, free of dependence on food. Give me water or decaf coffee and I am perfectly happy! What a great feeling.
My numbers still look very good! Someone mentioned that my glucose/ketone index (GKI) was less than one (3.9/4.5 = 0.87 yesterday). This is actually the therapeutic level that doctors use to treat cancer patients. Yes, the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet is used to kill cancer cells! As I said in an earlier post 99% of the cells can burn either glucose (sugar) or ketones (fat.) Cancer cells can only burn glucose so lowering the GKI to less than 1 is very beneficial for cancer treatments: thousands have killed their cancers with diet alone.
I will be travelling all day tomorrow going home from the west coast, again, pretty easy to fast while travelling for me; plenty of water and coffee available!
7 day fast with daily numerical posts & 1 week post fast update
ZackF
(Zack F)
#70
Yep! Nice on the GKI score. I’m chasing you as “fast” as a I can. Sorry couldn’t help myself, must be the ketones. 
ron-coleman
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!))
#73
Keep it up! Be careful of chasing numbers there can be a lot of disappointment that we don’t need.