Absolute newbie to fasting - Fasting 101 - help?

[Insulin_Resistant]

hi:

I’m a longtime listener to the podcast and have done a good bit of reading on the subject, including this forum and other sources.

That said, I am not clear on how exactly to begin fasting. Based on what I have read/heard, a large number of variations exist with respect to fasting. Some fasts involve eating only at certain hours of each day, some fasts involve eating nothing at all for extended periods, some fasts involve eating only certain types of food, and on and on it goes.

As a beginner, I think I’m interested in a fast of 48 hours and possibly up to 72 hours. I think I would like to have coffee in the morning with some heavy cream and MCT oil in it. I otherwise would have only water or possibly hot tea. I think if I got really hungry, I would try some bone broth.

I would be grateful if you more knowledgeable folks could weigh in with advice on a very basic and simple-to-follow fast for a beginner. Although I have done my homework (reading and listening), the large number of different types of/approaches to fasting is a bit overwhelming. OK, a lot overwhelming. SIMPLE IS GOOD.

Update: Carl recently (April 2017) described a style of fasting that went something like 3 days of eating, then 3 days of fasting. The metaphor was the “kid on the skateboard” who would rev up his metabolism by eating for three days (pushing the skateboard), then would coast for three days (fasting). That makes a lot of sense and I am specifically interested in details on that style of fast.

Thanks very much.

[Keto6468]

Also consider ADF. Listen to this podcast.

2 Keto Dudes - Episode #58 - Switching it Up with Megan Ramos

K

[Insulin_Resistant]

hi, thanks. What is “ADF?” Something, something, “fast” I assume?

[Keto6468]

Alternate day fasting, for example: say normal calorie keto intake is 1400 kcal

Last meal 6 pm day one
Fast day two
Lunch and dinner day three finish by 6 pm, intake 2100-2800 kcal
Fast day four
Lunch and dinner day five, intake 2100-2800 keto kcal repeat

Time fasting 42 hours each cycle. Or 36 if you eat breakfast on feasting day. Keep up electrolytes. This works for me when I can do it and life doesn’t get in the way.

K

[Insulin_Resistant]

thank you!

Electrolytes: how to get them? Supplement, beverage of some sort? Pretty sure Gatorade is off the menu, heh. . .

[Keto6468]

Try this recipe

KetoAide homemade

It is very important that you check with your doctor before consuming Lite Salt, as it contains potassium. Do not over consume Lite Salt! I normally only drink two bottles of KetoAide a day and only add 1/4 teaspoon Lite Salt to each bottle. Do not supplement this with additional teaspoons of Lite Salt! That’s too much potassium! Again check with your physician before consuming Lite Salt. [image] [image] 290 mg sodium 350 mg potassium 75 mg magnesium

K

[DiMo]

I started some extended fasts about 5 months after I began eating ketogenically. My first few fasts were sort of accidental. I got to the end of the day and wasn’t hungry for dinner, so I didn’t eat. As I was usually eating my first meal about 2 pm, by the time I got to dinner the second day, I was already fasting for over 24 hours. After the first 24 hours was under my belt, I then found it pretty easy to keep on fasting.

Since then, it’s been much harder to begin a fast on purpose. I’ve found that feasting appropriately for the 2 to 4 days prior to a planned fast is extremely important for me. I focus on foods with fat and foods with fiber- eggs, bacon, pork belly, salmon, sardines, avocados, olives, spinach, etc. I add butter, fatty dressings and sauces. Maybe I eat a little more than I think I want. When I get to the end of the day and I’m absolutely uninterested in food, I know it’s time to begin my fast.

During a multi day fast, my ketones keep getting higher and higher. With higher ketone levels, the body has a harder time holding onto fluids and electrolytes. So, it becomes very important to focus on drinking plenty of water and supplementing electrolytes, especially salt. I use my own ketoaide recipe. To 1 liter of water, I add 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt, Celtic salt, etc), 1/4 tsp Lite pink Himalayan salt (this is half salt, half potassium), 20 drops of liquid trace minerals and 1 packet of TrueLemon (dehydrated lemon) which has minimal carbs and greatly improves the palatability of the ketoaid. I usually (when NOT fasting) drink 2 to 3 liters of ketoaid a day. I increase this by 1 to 2 liters while fasting. If you excercise or are outdoors in the heat, you will probably need even more). If you are drinking more than 2 or 3 liters of the ketoaid a day, omit the LITE salt from the additional liters. It’s really easy to overdo potassium and that is bad! You may also find supplementing salt by putting a big pinch under your tongue first thing in the morning and then throughout the day is helpful (this salt is absorbed more quickly than it is in the digestive tract).

I also take 500 mg of easily absorbable magnesium GLYCINATE (for me, magnesium citrate causes terrible diarrhea) about 1/2 to 1 hour before bedtime.

Keep in mind that hunger comes in waves, usually right around the times of day you’re used to eating. If it isn’t real hunger, these waves will pass. Also, you might ask yourself if you’re really hungry or bored? Try putting some salt under your tongue, sometimes when you think you’re hungry, your body is just telling you that you need more salt. Try to keep busy and keep your mind engaged in thinking about something other than your fast or food.

These are things that immediately come to mind which I’ve discovered with my fasting. Hope you find this information helpful.

Good luck!

[Anniegirl9]

I think I would like to have coffee in the morning with some heavy cream and MCT oil in it

BPC is a meal, and as such, you would not technically be fasting. Anything that adds more than 50 cal (and possibly less) would raise insulin levels and defeat the purpose of a fast.

Coffee with a splash of HWC might be okay, but anything more than that and it really isn’t a fast imo.

Listen to the 2keto dudes podcast on fasting. They address this. It’s one of their earlier ones.

[4dml]

Dr. Fung’s book, The Complete Guide to Fasting is an outstanding how to manual on fasting. It describe the mechanics, the benefits, warning signs, and details several fasting regimes, including the one @Keto6468 explained well in her post.

Here’s my 2 cents:

1. I’m not a fan of drinking calories. BPC is a meal.
2. Water fasting has some unique cellular benefits that may be effected by consuming anything but water.
3. The body does a pretty good job of keeping electrolytes in balance regardless of what we eat or don’t eat, especially in the short term. I don’t take any electrolytes unless I feel symptomatic, and this has never happened when I’ve gone without food for only a day or two. By day 4, I’m usually taking salt.

[jules4]

If it helps for your first few fasts, then I think having cream in coffee is okay; I do at times, you don’t get all the benefits but there’s nothing wrong with a crutch to help you initially. Many people say fasting is a muscle you build up, & I’d agree- I just did 24hrs for a while, & did that ADF, before going to 36, then 42, then 60hrs. (That’s the longest I’ve done as I’m near goal weight).
Sorry if this confuses you even more!