A really extended fast: going for 46-days!

[DaveKeto]

Good tips. Question: is rigorous exercise during an extended fast ok if I feel good during and after? I imagine so but it seems like most people don’t exercise or do so more lightly than usual while fasting. I have done a pretty intense HIIT boxing class, yoga class, and cycling class the past 3 days during my now-5-day fast. I continue to feel good during and after each workout and have been really careful to supplement with salt and that jigsaw electrolyte packet given my tendency to faint with low blood pressure…but I sometimes worry I’ll just not realize I’ve pushed too far and then go down mid workout or something? Is this a valid fear or should I just keep listening to my body, @DaveKeto ?

Even a relatively lean person has anywhere from 60k-100k calories stored in adipose. From a strict energy allotment standpoint, you’re good. But yes, you’ll need to work with keeping your electrolytes up and possibly watching out on the nutrition front with supplements (although this latter part is outside my wheelhouse as I don’t study much with extended fasts – or do them, for that matter).

[JohnD]

@ron-coleman, If your research, have you read about what happens to the bacteria that live in the gut during an extended fast? Do they starve to death? Or do they somehow also extract food from the body is some strange reverse way? How do things change from a short (<5 days) to longer and longer fasts?

[ron-coleman]

@JohnD: I have never researched the gut bacteria on a serious basis as far as fasting goes. I know they play a very important in breaking down and absorbing the food we eat but I am not sure about fasting.

I assume from the history of man and all of the starvation and fasting that has been done for a couple million years that there is nothing detrimental that happens to the bacteria as it would seem to just pick up when we begin feeding again.

[Fiorella]

That’s correct. The dormant micro biome “wakes up” and resumes digestion of food in gut.

A good analogy is the dry yeast we can buy at the grocery store. Throw it in dough, and it has no problem “waking up”.

[ron-coleman]

Day 37 and 886 hours fasted on water, coffee, bone broth, electrolytes, and occasional heavy cream. Cruising along and seeing some weight values that I haven’t seen in 20+ years! Here are my numbers for today:

I know, I keep saying that weight loss is not a primary reason for this fast but it is certainly a great benefit! I also realize that I will put some of the weight back on when I start eating again and I hope that from what I have learned about making better decisions on what I eat it will not be a disaster as has happened to me in the past.

I don’t have a regular workout routine but I did go for a 2-mile walk today just because it was sunny and dry here in Florida. It was about 70˚F (21˚C) and pretty windy so I didn’t get too chilled except when I would hit some shade from big trees. I just picked up my pace to get back into the sun again. I hope I made a lot of great vitamin D from all of those UV-B rays and the mighty cholesterol in my skin.

After the walk I felt great and no longer was chilled which is good for me, I will walk in the next few days to keep up the warmth. I also did not track my sodium intake today so I may be a bit shy and will try to catch up a little without upsetting my stomach. I am having a cup of broth as I write this with ¾ tsp of Real Salt so that gets my total up to about 3g for the day. I did take 2 of the Jigsaw Health Electrolyte Supremes and they are 1/8 tsp each.

I mentioned that I may continue this thread with my journey for a couple of weeks after I break my fast and I received many votes in favor of it so, I will do that! I am also going to schedule a fasting blood test (that might be difficult) for Good Friday, April 14, as that is a couple of days before I start eating again. I am going to schedule this one through my doctor as I know he will want to review it.

[Dmes10]

So none of the intestinal parasites have passed then?

[ron-coleman]

Dean, I don’t know anything about intestinal parasites and what happens to them on a fast.

[stacy]

Wow @ron-coleman!! 30 pounds down is amazing. Great stuff!

[djindy]

WARNING: Absolutely do not trust what I am about to say, but instead use as a prompt or direction for further research on your own. I am no expert on the matter and haven’t even looked into it much at all, and it’s been a while since I heard anything about it, so I could be getting even what little source material I have wrong.

So, with regards to gut bacteria, a 46 day fast really should have a big impact there. One extended faster / researcher I heard from mentioned a 28-30 day fast, and talked about gut bacteria briefly. He mentioned that 28 days is about the time for enough generations of bacteria to pass to significantly influence a population, something like 2000 generations or something (and/or for some level of significant natural selection/evolution to take place). It seemed some indeed were expected to die off, or be replaced, or just in general change during that time. The particular person mentioned, with that in mind, when he broke his fast was a good time to influence his gut biome and build up the kinds of bacteria he wanted, and so was careful about his first meal and was sure to include things like sauerkraut that contain some favorable bacteria in them already to help repopulate and influence the gut.

Go ahead and tear that information to shreds (I expect much wrong with it), but just do us all a favor if you do the extra research to provide the rest of us with the better information and sources.

[Fiorella]

I did a 33 day fast. And a very very strict one. I broke my fast with bacon. And following days, I ate keto foods with barely no vegetables…mostly meat, fish and eggs. I felt great, and no need for fermented foods to “help” the gut microbes.

And the famous guy who fasted for more than a year didn’t need sauerkraut, or any micro biome “help” upon refeeding either.

[ron-coleman]

We will be having ham for Easter dinner and I think sauerkraut, as I really like it, will be a great side. Not sure how the wife will feel about that. At least she will not have to complain about kimchee!!!

[djindy]

The part about that was not saying it was “necessary” or that something bad would happen otherwise. That was what the particular person did to give “added benefit”, of a particular kind, not to “avoid a problem”. He did it not as a necessary step, but as a matter of taking advantage of a particular opportunity not usually available (a gut biome that has gone through 2000 generations without added food, for instance) to accomplish a different task.

[ron-coleman]

Day 38 and 905 hours fasted on water, coffee, bone broth, electrolytes, and occasional heavy cream. Really enjoyed my walk yesterday as I felt better the rest of the day. I even did it again today! Here are my numbers for today:

I really like my numbers and I feel great. It is like I can do anything I want. Being down 30 pounds (13.6kg) I was a bit surprised today on my walk that I felt like jogging! I was able to do a faster pace than yesterday and I know I did well but am not quite for the extra jarring that jogging would entail. The last time I tried to jog was 15 years ago when I had lost a bunch of weight on the standard American diet (SAD) and was working out, mostly long walks in the morning, and not eating much. I got down to about 255 and tried jogging and my hips really did not like it. I think I will work on building a bit of muscle before I look into jogging again.

I am coasting downhill to the end of my fast in a bit over a week and am still surprised at how there no physical feelings of hunger. I am putting together a bit of a menu of what things I want for the first few days of feasting keeping in mind that I want to intermittent fast as well. So I need to plan the menu to be sufficient calories that my metabolism does not slow down. I am looking forward to cheese, fatty meats, butter, and especially BACON!

I still have some thoughts that I could continue to fast past Easter but there are too many reasons to not do that. It wouldn’t be any extra effort but I think that my wife wants to share meals with me again. I do try to sit with her and have broth or just coffee and she complains that I am trying to avoid her. I work from home and am always just down the hall and does she ever invite me to join her for lunch or dinner? No. So ending the fast will be best for my marriage.

Also, a group of LCHF, ketogenic, eaters in northeast Florida are planning a meat-up in the last week of April 2017. That will be well after my fast and would be a good time for everyone interested in this WOE to meet and share ideas. You can find lots more information about this meetup at https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/north-florida-meatup-april-2017/9311?u=ron-coleman

[MKChitown]

Is it odd that I look forward to this update more than I am interested in knowing what’s going on in the world?!?! probably yes.

Great job Ron! thanks for the update. Can’t wait to see how things go after Easter.

[ketograndma]

Me too lol! I find myself regulary checking to see if there are updates to this thread.

[Cat]

Hi Ron. It’s good to have a definite eating plan for the first week when coming off a fast. I have done many fasts up to 27 days. When fasting before Keto - not being fat adapted was very different than now. Then I did green juice fasts and once my digestion awoke it was a raging beast. Now in Keto (over 16 months) I eat a few pili nuts to awake digestion and then easily move onto soft boiled egg w/GF butter and pink salt. My mindset is always better and I find Its easier to reset all good eating habits after a fast, but having a Plan is best. I just ended a 14 day fast 6 days ago. My pattern is to regain 3 pounds within a day or 2 after the fast as the gut refills. I am below my goal weight so I only loose weight by fasting now. I IF daily, join @Brenda for her monthly Zornfast of 4 days for autophagy and an EF of 7-14 days every 3 months. Enjoying your journey. Best to you. Cathie

[Brenda]

@ron-coleman is a freakin’ ROCKSTAR

[ron-coleman]

Day 39 and 936 hours fasted on water, coffee, bone broth, electrolytes, and occasional heavy cream. Another real busy Saturday but no hunger and enjoying myself! Here are my numbers for today:

A late update as I have been going all day and even got a bit of a sunburn on my neck from the hours of yard work we did. Of note, I woke about 3:30 this morning with cramps in the front of my calves and got up and had some salt to settle them down. That worked in 5 to 10 minutes and I was able to get back to sleep.

Today I learned that night cramps are usually caused by a magnesium deficiency whereas muscle cramps while exercising are usually caused by a potassium deficiency so I took a magnesium supplement today. I was trying to take it every other day but just like my salt, I have been getting sloppy with keeping up. Tomorrow should be a bit more settled so I will try to get back in line with the program.

So, a week from tomorrow, Easter Sunday, is when I actually break my fast and I am starting to look forward to it! I have a feeding plan that I will stick to and I will post what I eat each day when I get to that point! Thanks for all of the support for those of you that have been following my journey!

[farmgirl]

I did a 33 day fast. And a very very strict one. I broke my fast with bacon. And following days, I ate keto foods with barely no vegetables…mostly meat, fish and eggs. I felt great, and no need for fermented foods to “help” the gut microbes.

I only lasted nine days of water only, yet I broke my fast with meat and eggs, bacon, etc. No veggies. Never had any stomach problems. Just ate till I was full. I expected to have sever problems, but just didn’t have any issues with the reintroduction of good foods. Lost 5 pounds during that 9 day fast, and kept them off. FYI

[ron-coleman]

Thanks for the info and congratulations on keeping the weight off! I will probably start off light with macadamia nuts and olives to get my systems going again and then dig into ham. I may add some bacon as well for extra fat!