All sorts of confused

#1

Hi Everyone!

I started keto back on March 1st and have had great results with increased energy, decreased brain fog, beautiful skin, less headaches, slow weight loss and my favorite is that I don’t feel like I need to fall asleep at my desk during lunch!

My confusion is on fasting, should I or Shouldn’t I? I love the idea, know the benefits and have even tried this before going keto with some success.

Here are my questions:

  1. If you are starting a fast at 6pm and you wake up famished, do you listen to your body or push through? I normally do I coffee with had and mct and then a 2nd coffee an hour or so later with hwc, mct/protein/ghee/college and then not eat any food until 5pm or so.

  2. If I am losing weight this way should I wait it i/f until I hit a real stall?
    I have lost about 12lbs so far and have about 22 to go.

  3. I have hypoglycemia that has been in check so far, has anyone who is currently I/f had issues with this?

Any insight would be appreciated.

(Ken) #2

Fasting is not a Keto Rule. If what you’re doing is working, just keep it up. In any case Fasting becomes an option once you’re well adapted, and is not recommended for people just beginning Keto.

If anything, you might consider OMAD, but only if you experience an extended Stall, say of at least three weeks.

#3

That was what I was thinking but was not sure, thank you!
How long before I am considered “just starting out”? Just curious

(Ken) #4

Usually several Months. If you’re using Pee Sticks, an indicator is when they begin to lighten up, it shows your body is using ketones more efficiently. Another sign is when Hypoglycemia disappears, showing the typical drop in Insulin Resistance, one of the major benefits of a fat based nutritional pattern.

#5

It’s up to you. If you aren’t hungry, fasting is a logical idea. If you are hungry, many of us consider it a bad idea not eating…

  1. I am always very satiated in the morning so I never experienced this. But if I am hungry and I have proper food, I always eat. It’s one rule I never break. Sometimes I wait when I am just slightly hungry but real, stronger hunger? It’s a sign to eat. Coffee with more than minimal calories isn’t fasting in my world. Fasting is not eating, that’s it. Black coffee and plain tea is fine in my world, I am not too strict :smiley: But whatever works for you.
  2. It’s up to you… If IF feels fine, why not? I did it automatically and never needed keto or fat-adaptation to prefer IF. I was satiated so I didn’t eat. I have not much experience with losing fat on keto and if you don’t have an IF history, maybe it would be too hard. But maybe it’s logical and quite natural, who knows? If you think you would like to try, try it. You can stop if it causes any problems like undereating, stress, whatever. I ignore all usual advices as I am an individual. I experiment.
    But fasting is probably easier after some level of fat adaptation. Even for me but 16/8 was ideal for me before keto and possibly on high-carb too… So there is an individual factor.
#6

Thank you Shinita for your insight, the coffee is my normal day, I realize that if it is not black, that it isn’t considered fasting. I agree with you that we are all individuals and need our own paths to follow.

#7

Hi Kabob! I agree with the others. Fasting is easier after several months. A good sign that you are ready for fasting is when you forget to eat when you are busy. :smiley:

Everyone is different, but I did begin to forget to eat in the mornings after a month or two of Keto, and then ended up forgetting about eating even lunch. Once I could easily do OMAD, then I knew fasting would be pretty painless.

I do keep up with my electrolytes when I fast, and think that is especially important for people that have been eating this way for only a few months.

Best wishes to you on your Keto journey! I changed my eating to keto back in August of 2018 and love the way it has healed my body. There are ups and downs from time to time, but overall, this is the healthiest I’ve been since I was in my teens. Honest. I’m 57 now.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Fasting is a lot easier when we are already fat-adapted, so if you are new to a ketogenic diet, you might want to wait a few weeks, until you start skipping meals without intending to.

Also, if you are a woman who is still fertile, be aware that pregnant and lactating women eating a ketogenic diet should not fast. The reason is that attempting to fast under those conditions can trigger something known as “euglycaemic ketoacidosis,” which is similar to diabetic ketoacidosis but without the elevated serum glucose. This is only a temporary problem, and after giving birth and ceasing to lactate, a ketogenic woman can safely fast again.

Once keto-adapted, most people no longer suffer hypoglycaemic episodes. You will find a number of threads on these forums started by people who noticed that their serum glucose was registering abnormally low. As long as you are not experiencing the symptoms of hypoglycaemia, you are fine.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #9

Also be aware that this has only happed once on record as far as I know.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and don’t happen to be hungry, don’t be afraid to skip a meal. Also, as a fertile woman, this kind of warning drives me up the dang wall. Not every post-pubescent pre-menopausal woman is at risk of being unknowingly pregnant at every moment. Surprises do happen, but not that often. And, if you know you are pregnant and or breastfeeding, you are more likely to have done the research on the subject than some guy on the internet giving you advise for the sole reason that you are a woman, bless you Paul.

#10

Thank you everyone, your responses help a lot!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

Yikes! I sincerely hope I didn’t come across as implying that! I can’t imagine that a woman wouldn’t know whether she was pregnant or not. I look on the warning against keto and fasting during pregnancy as being in the same league as the warning to abstain from alcohol, just one more thing that a pregnant woman needs to know. (You women are tough; if we men had to cope with stuff like this, the human race would have died out aeons ago!)

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #12

Also :roll_eyes: