Am I ready for a fast?

(Brandie) #1

I’ve been on strict keto now for 2 months. I’ve been essentially doing IF from the beginning, as I’m not a fan of breakfast and after about the first 2 weeks I stopped forcing myself to try to eat breakfast. I generally eat dinner around 6PM, have my macadamias around 8PM, and my tea with Coconut milk around 9PM and don’t consume anything again until around noon the next day.

I’m at the point now where my meals are getting smaller and smaller due to just simply being full at the end of a meal. I’m pretty sure at this point that I am “fat adapted” but wanted to get more experienced opinions.

I’m thinking of trying a 72 hour fast with just water, electrolytes, and my 2 cups of tea with unsweetened coconut milk. Am I rushing this too soon?

(Khara) #2

I am right at this stage myself. 2 weeks ago for about 3 days straight I just could not get my regular meals in. Felt forced and I ended up leaving much on my plate. I was essentially calorie restricting every day which we all know from this forum is not a good thing. I decided it must be time for an extended fast. I too have been IF naturally for a while. So, last Monday and Tuesday I fasted. Ate last meal on Sunday by about 8pm and then didn’t eat again until Wednesday after noon. It ended up being 65 hours fasted. I felt fine the entire time. Just made sure I had plenty of liquid and salts. I’ve decided to try this every week for a while and see how it goes. So being Tuesday I’m fasting again and I also fasted yesterday. I tend to naturally eat a bit more on the weekends due to a more relaxed atmosphere and I’m trying to be sure and really feast Thursday thru Sunday even though those days are mostly still IF. I had a hard time getting back into the feeding last week but as the days went by I was gradually adding more food in to where my Sunday feast was pretty good for me and considerably more than I’d been able to get into me 2 weeks ago. So, no I don’t think you’re rushing this if it came naturally. IF came naturally for me so I went with it and to my surprise EF I guess has come naturally too so I’m going with it. Best wishes!

(Brandie) #3

With me… I don’t “calorie restrict” but I do generally try to stay around the 1400 mark. I don’t freak out if I go above it… and if I’m simply not hungry that day I don’t sweat going below it (as long as I stay over 1100). I find that my sweet spot for satiety most days is between 1250-1450. So many of my calories in my pre-keto days were from soft drinks… I was easily consuming 1000 calories a day or more in soda… so I’ve never been a huge eater.

(Crippie) #4

I have been keto about 3 months now.

I accidentally did a 24 hour fast my first month, but that was more because of appointments, traffic, forgetting my lunch at home and stuff. i got hungry, but it was easier than I thought, at that time I was not fat adapted, so i was at my limit.

At 6 weeks I KNEW I had hit fat adapted, its like a light was switched, more energy, no hunger, felt great. I had this exact same question you did, and I decided i would ride into the 2 month mark with a 72 hour fast. First day was a breeze, getting past the 24 hour mark was easy compared to the month before! Second day was not bad at all, but I hit hour 48 and suddenly felt horrid. Dizzy, lightheaded, and just could not focus on anything except the fact that I had not eaten. So I decided that this was my body telling me STOP NOW! So I did, broke my fast then at hour 50 and felt instantly better.

Now last weekend I tried to do 72 hours again, and I made it. Getting through the 48 hour mark was much easier than the previous month. I actually felt like most of the third day i wanted to continue it further. But I got to hour 70 and that quickly changed. Again i got lightheaded and dizzy and my legs started really cramping up and I broke the fast right at 73 hours.(With a nice steak and lobster dinner too)

So that’s the long story haha. The short of it is this. If you are fat adapted(and you will KNOW that you are) go for it! If you run into a road block don’t hesitate to break early. Fasting seems almost like a muscle, we need to flex it and build it up. So if you can only make a day, that’s fine, maybe the next time you can do two, then three, and just slowly ramp it up.

Most importantly just listen to your body, it will tell you when it is time to break a fast. And it can be sudden, like my last one I literally felt like I could go for days and days more, then suddenly right at hour 70 that all changed and I was struggling, my body needed to break it so I did.

(Crippie) #5

Also when you fast make sure to keep electrolytes up, make keto-aide, or take potassium and magnesium supplements. That helps a ton. Don’t be afraid to drink a glass of broth, it’ll get sodium in you, and a wee bit of protein you may need. Also it can be helpful for those with low bodyfat to supplement some fat in, like coconut oil or butter, maybe a BPC to help give your body enough fat to burn.

(Doug) #6

In general, I sure don’t think so, Brandie - you have a sensible approach to the keto deal so far, and some good preparation. Never know beforehand, though - we’re all different.

Salt and other electrolytes are good items for your tool belt or weapons arsenal. Have fun with fasting. :slightly_smiling_face:

(Brandie) #7

I’ve gone ahead and started my fast. Goal is 68 hours which will carry me until suppertime on Friday.

(Crippie) #8

Best of luck!

(Bacon, Not Stirred) #9

I’m 3.5 months in, 38 lb down, and am just now at the 23 hour mark of my first accidental fast. To this point, I haven’t been able to complete one. We shall see how long it lasts for. I’m hoping through dinner tonight, which will make it a 29 hour fast. Not bad for a first attempt. If it goes REALLY well, I may see about extending it past dinner and into tomorrow. Who knows.

(Brandie) #10

I’m currently at hour 40 of my fast.

So far… no real issues with hunger. I’m drinking 3 cups of tea per day with 2T of unsweetened coconut milk in each cup… so roughly 200 calories per day give or take. The only real changes I’ve noticed is that I have dry mouth like crazy-- despite drinking a ton of water. I also don’t have quite the pep on my morning walk this morning that I normally have (I live in a super hilly place… I have to walk up a pretty steep hill to get home). Was down 1.2 pounds this morning.

Planning to continue the fast until around 5PM tomorrow evening as long as everything continues as it is now.

(Bacon, Not Stirred) #11

That’s awesome! I think I’m hungry, but I guess I can’t tell. I think it’s my body thinking that it is… that’s all.

Have you tried salt? Everyone here seems to swear by it on fasts.

(Brandie) #12

Yes… I’m doing salt and keto-aide.

(Brandie) #13

Overall, the fast has gone well. No real hunger issues at all-- however, I am going to go ahead and break my fast a few hours early. While I’m not really hungry, I am starting to tilt when I stand and I’m feeling a lot weaker than normal. I don’t have a glucose meter because I’m not diabetic or pre-diabetic… but I’m betting both my blood sugar and blood pressure are a little low (I normally run around 110/60). So… I’m going to have something small for brunch and ease back into food today.

End result-- loss of 3 pounds.

(Carpe salata!) #14

Nice. I’ll look for your next one.