APRIL 2019 IF/EF Chat ALL WELCOME

#261

Finished up my fast at lunchtime at around 64 hours, feeling just fine. I think I could have gone through to dinner time, but I there was a possibility of going out this evening and I didn’t want to break somewhere with very limited food offerings, especially the first time I went this long.

I was originally planning on fasting on Tuesday and Friday this week. Not sure now that I’ll keep that schedule, since I’ve been trying to do two days of eating in between fasts. But maybe mixing it up a bit, might be a good idea.

#262

This :point_up: - Agree 100%. … Always listen to what your body is saying/asking for, you will usually find that you both will usually be much happier. :+1:

I get like this often too, Alec. I’m fortunate that I mostly don’t get hungry whilst Fasting, so I started just trying to alter the times of each Fast instead. Like I’m planning a couple 48’s or so this week and maybe a 72 in the following week or next? I try to keep everything mixed up, like my meals, eating times, and Fasting as to not get used to any one schedule. Seems to be working just fine for me. :slight_smile:

Very well could have been? I know others mention Coffee doing this as well, as Tamela mentioned above. Even before switching over to this WOE, I always drank Decaf Coffee and Tea, so I don’t do Caffeine myself, so can’t really speak on it, but I would suspect it could indeed be amplified whilst fasting, not to mention, not having any food. Similar to alcohol on an empty stomach. :slight_smile:

Presently at 25 hrs. and plan to break tomorrow night.

#263

Congrats on 30!!! Stop when your body wants to is a good starter plan. I never push my. Good jobself yet

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #264

It is amped up for me. Even just 20 hrs fasted. Tomorrow I will drink a lot less. It is probably just an empty stomach thing. When I don’t drink coffee on a fast and get hungry sometimes a 1/2 cup satisfies me a lot.

I mix up drinking coffee and not during my fasts.

(traci simpson) #265

Thanks! I’m not willing to do a fast so soon I to my journey. It’s hard enough staying in track. Lol. Maybe after a few more weeks.

#266

I can imagine. More bang for the buck too, as to the boost. :smile: … Though I prefer to just stick with water nowadays, I have drank both Tea and Coffee (Decaf) mostly back when I started Fasting, but I actually found that I really enjoy the taste of water more now? Not sure what that’s about. :slight_smile:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #267

Take your time. I was probably 5+ months in before I did anything longer than 23 hours. It gets easier but I’m almost 10 months into this WOE.

(Windmill Tilter) #268

I’m 72hrs into my weekly 84hr fast. I’m finely feeling like myself again. For all of day 2 and a good part of day today, I felt really run down, with lots of brain fog. It really surprised me. This is my 15th 84hr fast since the start of the year, and for the last two months the fasts have been pretty effortless. Not so this time around. I don’t really know why either. My food was more or less normal. The only thing I did differently was that I had a bunch of coffee yesterday with half/half instead of my usual green tea. Hard to imagine that could do it though. I doubled down on my salt intake and that seemed to help. Interestingly, my resting metabolic rate data reflected the low energy I’m feeling right now. My RMR dropped down to the low 1700’s for the last two days.

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I’ve been planning 2 week fasting-break/refeed starting on Easter, and this fast has convinced me that it’s a good idea. I could use a bit of a reset. So far, I’m down about 45lbs since New Years, which I’m pretty happy with. Time to give my body a break with lots of bacon and steak and Easter eggs. :grinning:

(Bacon for the Win) #269

Late to the party as usual, just found this thread. Have been IFing 16+ so far this month and will go for my first EF after dinner tomorrow. Going for 72 hrs which seems feasible given my schedule this week. Off Tuesday, work wednesday, off thursday, work friday. They are 12 hr shifts which means go home, go to bed, so no pressure there. Also have a coworker joining me which is a nice addition.

#270

Wow. That’s a big jump–from 16 or so to 72! Good luck!

(Doug) #271

Nick, that’s admirable and amazingly consistent. To go two months with “pretty effortless” is beyond what I thought possible, though you control “for everything” really well. Man - other than the first day being easy I never know what’s coming… :smile:

There is a generalized “it gets easier the more I do it,” but after ~25 fasts of three days or more I can have a super-easy fast and then the next one or two will just plain suck, and I quit earlier than what I wanted.

Perhaps I’m not being regular enough in setting up for a fast. Or - I wonder if I jump off the rails mentally/emotionally and sometimes it gets worse and worse.

(Carol) #272

Every fast and every body is different. Today it was 27 hours from my last meal until the one I planned for today. Surprisingly when the time came to eat I not only wasn’t hungry, I could feel that light, airy, energetic mode I usually get on the second full day of a fast. Was my body anticipating? Falling into a routine? So, I fed it. Like Dave, I want to keep things mixed up. I am the master of my fate. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

(traci simpson) #273

Thank you!

(Alec) #274

Nick
I am intrigued how you measure your RMR? I would love to be able to do this!
Cheers
Alec

(Windmill Tilter) #275

I bought an indirect calorimeter like they use at weight loss clinics and DexaFits. They’re a bit pricey, but nobody has ever published data on what happens to metabolism with frequent extended fasting so I figured I’d have get my own. I think RMR is the best high level metric of metabolic health, so I track it.

As it turns out, by the time you’ve finished your 10th extended fast, your metabolism’s response to fasting no longer resembles anything published to date. Every extended fasting study ever done has been on subjects fasting for the first time.

(Alec) #276

Amazing! We have so much to learn about fasting. You are so right about the studies done so far.

(Windmill Tilter) #277

Here’s a good example of how differently experienced fasters respond to fasting compared to someone who has never done it before. The top chart is from Zauner et al. that most of us saw in Dr. Fung’s “The Obesity Code”. It shows RMR/REE remaining stable, and even slightly increasing by the 4th day. Compare that to RMR/REE charts of my actual 4 day fasts for the last two weeks or so (the units are different, but the difference in variability is pretty clear! The third chart is from my friend @primal.peanut who has the most impressive metabolism I’ve ever seen, but look at the variability compared to the Zauner chart (blue line is RMR and is measured on the left Y axis).

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(Alec) #278

So I am intrigued by the variability, by the low number at the end of your long fasts, and also by the bounce on your refeed. Have you made sense of all this?

(Windmill Tilter) #279

It does look like carb density during the refeed affects it, and that exercise affects it. Other than that, it’s a bit of a mystery.

It’s not just the RMR though. Take a look at the yellow line on the bottom chart. That’s resting heart rate. It’s not a point estimate either. It’s full day average resting heart rate captured by an Apple watch. Look at how it drops over the course of fast, and then spikes dramatically during the refeed! I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but it’s pretty clear RMR and heart rate are tightly correlated. @primal.peanut figured that out. It makes me wonder how different metrics (HR, RMR, Blood Pressure, GKI) all tie together.

(Alec) #280

I know a LOT more about HR… I am a runner. My experience is also that my HR comes down as I fast, but interestingly when I run it is usually higher than normal when I run fasted.

I figure the lower resting HR is because my body is not having to digest anything? I am not entirely sure why I have a higher HR when fasted.