APRIL 2019 IF/EF Chat ALL WELCOME

(Herb Martin) #101

I think this is important and something that was a conscious consideration when helping my wife: A first success of ANY time length is better than a tremendous fast that leaves a new faster unhappy with the experience or without a feeling of SUCCESS.

Also, we’ve been putting off the measurements, which is an annoying mistake – Must do this TODAY.
We’re at 60 hours (and she’s sleeping, we’ve been working on her micronutrients for sleeping and that has REALLY been working the last few days, especially on the fast – related or not.)

People do TAKE PICTURES – if you never want them you can always delete them but you are almost certainly going to want them as your successes become evident in clothing that is too big and new health…

Tip: Don’t take the “container” of anything to WHERE YOU eat. Take some out, take ONLY what you are SURE you want. Give yourself permission to COME BACK for more but make that a separate conscious decision.

Same goes for serving your plate. Serve in the kitchen. Take the plate to the table or wherever you eat…

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten “too many” of some snack or “cleaned my plate” unnecessarily (It was a thing we were required to do when I was a kid.)

Two good reasons:

  1. Obviously no reason to wear food you didn’t want anyway.
  2. If it is good stuff you can STILL HAVE IT LATER (unless you live in a place where others will steal your leftovers – buy a lock. :wink: )

Last night at bedtime my Carol had what is likely a big breakthrough; she went from planning the “next 2 hours” to this (at about 50 hours):

“Well, I’ll sleep through the night and we’ll be halfway through day #3 in the morning so I know that I can get through 3 days – might as well go to bed tomorrow night [now this is today], and that will make 3 1/2 days for my first fast.”

:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

We did the “2 oz booster” of something “Ok” trick for her about 4-5 times yesterday.

Tee2Tanya
You are doing fantastic – everybody is.

Anyone who stopped a fast – you didn’t “give in” or “quit” (and certainly there is no failure in a fast of ANY LENGTH), but rather decided to take your winnings and push back from the fasting table with your successes no matter how many hours or days that was.

And even though my ketones haven’t kicked into full gear yet (0.9), I am down 6 1/2 lbs in less than 3 days. Whoo Whoo.

Feeling energetic and wonderful – so was Carol and she had a new modern weight loss low yesterday also. Hopefully, she will get another “spirit booster” weight drop today, or higher ketones to delight her…

(Tamela Robinette) #102

I’m feeling a little melancholy this morning after breaking at 66 hours yesterday. I didn’t take my prescription sleep med during my fasts and didn’t sleep well during the fast, only slept 5 to 6 hours a night with no deep sleep. I took my sleep med last night after breaking my fast, hoping for a good night’s sleep. Woke an hour and a half later than usual feeling really groggy and unmotivated. I have a strength training workout scheduled for today but just ain’t feeling it. I lost 4 pounds during my fast and I know I may gain some of that back but I’m quite happy about that. My foot is not any better though, which means no running again today for me & maybe that’s part of what I’m feeling. Running is definitely my passion. I also have another half marathon scheduled for April 13th and it’s not looking good if I can’t get this foot inflammation under control. A real bummer. Everyone is doing great! I love this thread. It has helped me tremendously. I will do 2 meals today with a 20/4 feeding window, then I may attempt a 42 hour depending on how I feel and what’s on my social schedule. Happy fasting everyone. I’m following your progress with great interest.

(Liz ) #103

Great reading all these updates!! I did a 41 hour fast over the weekend and have been eating a LOT since then, two meals a day, and up 6 pounds. Hoping that’s water!!

Usually I fast weekly 70-90 hours starting after dinner Saturday night but these startling 6 pounds have me thinking I might start a fast after tonight’s dinner and go to Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon instead.

I’m not even at goal weight yet and I can’t abide the idea of backsliding again. I already recently fasted my way back from a 15 pound winter stress gain, I can’t do this over and over forever, I’ll go nuts.

(Heather) #104

@andesite I felt the same way yesterday. I really wanted to push for another day or two, but I was feeling cold, tired and just “not right”. I had a nice feast last night and felt so much better! I had done an almost 6 day fast last week, so I think my body was just calling for food. I feasted well yesterday and plan to again today, then maybe another 48 hour fast.

I have noticed that my endurance with HIIT is more difficult after longer fasts. Does anyone else experience this?

#105

@Robinette71 Hope you start feeling better soon. Sometimes there’s so much other stuff going on, it can indeed influence how well a Fast goes. Just try to listen to your body, it may just be asking for rest, which I know is even harder when getting good, restful sleep isn’t coming easy. :slight_smile:

Could be indeed, along with ‘meal weight’. Especially if you ate some heavier foods. I’ve had this too.

I believe I’ve seen others mention this before too? But I can’t say one way or the other myself. More-so since I haven’t been able to do much myself lately. I’m planning to start doing some lighter workouts this evening. Treadmill & possibly some light stuff on the Total-Gym, but I can’t do anything strength related that will put too much stress on my Abdominal area, where my surgery took place. But I have to start somewhere. :slight_smile: … Hopefully some of the others can provide some feedback?

Presently at 18 hrs. and will just break when the Wife decides to. … But she did just remind me that she made some stuff up that might go bad, if not eating here soon. So probably just make it a 2 or 3 day.

(Herb Martin) #106

From reading, this is somewhat expected. Energy will go down a bit, then up in the short term with fasts.

However, endurance and actual performance will go down with ketosis in the beginning, but after one become’s “fat adapted” your performance goes up – enough that performance athletes are switching over to these diets.

It’s costs performance up front (maybe for months) but then pays off when significant fat adaption (keto burning by more and more body tissues) sets in deeply.

Update: I stepped back on the scale (because I like numbers :slight_smile: ) and even with mediocre glucose/ketone numbers (GKI) my weight is down 9 lbs in less than 3 days of fasting.

Of course this is largely water (in gut content) but what happens is the fat does disappear too, even if I put some of the water weight back on.

9 lbs down, I’ll take it. My calculations now say I am 31 lbs from a reasonable GOAL WEIGHT of 15% body fat.

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #107

I also have trouble sleeping during fasts. I have been hoping that will improve as I keep up with fasting, has anyone here experienced an improvement in sleep after they have become more veteran fasters? Poor sleep is the only drawback to fasting that I have found, but it’s a big one.

(Liz ) #108

I have been extended fasting since July of 2017 and my fasting sleep is still always disrupted. However, I am never tired on those days so :woman_shrugging:

#109

I too have had a handful of restless nights whilst Fasting since I started, but as Liz mentioned, I wasn’t tired on those days afterwards? I would say 90% of the time, I don’t see much difference in my sleep?

(Herb Martin) #110

Sleeping “short” is common for me during fasts (or anytime ketosis brings up my energy levels.)

My wife, and to a lesser extent myself, are seeing good sleep results fasting & taking the following supplements at bed time:

  • Inositol, Tryptophan, Magnesium (Citrate or Glycinate) *
    Also, 2 grams of Vitamin C
    – 1 liposomal & 1 time release –
    but the C is not for aid in sleeping.
(Tamela Robinette) #111

Well I completed my strength training and I’m trying to make it to 1 p.m. before making lunch which would put me at 20 hours. Then I’ll have dinner and begin what is hopefully 42 hours. My workout made me feel better. I rubbed some prescribed steroid cream on my foot and took some ibuprofen. It feels a little better.

On the sleep issue my fasting sleep time is definitely shorter as well as on keto in general. My sleep disorder has been a pain in the a** basically my whole life. I was hoping someone would say “after fasting for a year” I sleep like a baby. Might try Herb’s suggestion on the supplements. I have 2 of them on hand already.

#112

Shows just how we are all different. … I never weigh during Fasting, except one time where I was still Fasting come Sunday morning, when I normally weigh-in. (Very rare for me, since I enjoy eating meals on weekends more, mostly for mostly meal prep, etc.) … Plus, in my mind, I figure why see a number that won’t really represent an outcome number overall. (But that’s just me) And I guess seeing a better number only to be replaced by a lesser number just days later, to me, is not very motivational. :smile: I basically just weigh in once a week just for recording purposes. But can understand why some do. :slight_smile:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #113

I try to weigh everyday fasting and refeeding. My low when fasted coorelates to my stable WT approximately anyway. So this morning I hit 200.2. I think my previous low at about the same time was 202.4. If I am remembering. So my stable WT would be down 2 lbs or so. Oh who knows. But tracking is fun.

#114

Yeah, I can see where some do like to follow the numbers. I think for me it’s just not my thing. Like to keep things simple and enjoy just weighing in the once a week. … But I did tell V this one day, and she said she wanted to try it for a week, just to see if it was something she would enjoy. … It wasn’t. :smile: She laughed about it, but said it was aggravating seeing just how much the numbers could move from day to day. So she’s back to weighing in every Saturday morning. :slight_smile: Water weight can really fluctuate not only day to day, but simply hours apart.

(Herb Martin) #115

Dave is correct: Some people should not go near a scale more often than once a week.

Others should weight 1 or even more times per day, every darn day.

Basically if you don’t need it or for those who get discouraged when the scale doesn’t move or even jumps up a few pounds, checking on a regular but spaced interval is best.

For those who need to “keep their head in the game” and who also understand the TREND is what counts, then every day, or thereabouts, makes more sense and might even be critical to success.

I also have issues with fluid retention AND losses (when exercising, fasting etc.) so I need to know what my fluid levels are doing.

I like the motivation of seeing the scale go down, and understand what is real vs. what is just fluctuations or water changes so it does nothing but help me.

Use the tools that work best for you.

There’s also that idea Tim Ferriss (4-Hour Body, 4-Hour Work Week, blog) had that “measuring ANYTHING is better than measuring nothing.”
(for most people.)

Humans tend to adjust behavior automatically to whatever is measured.

The “Hawthorne Effect” is an amazing study in human psychological quirks.

#116

I’ve measured every single week since I got serious again at the beginning of the year. And I’m taking pictures every 10 lbs. The great thing about measurements is that sometimes they change even when my weight hasn’t so that’s great motivational NSV.

Yeah, we talked about this some in the March thread. I had trouble my first couple of 42-hour fasts and then resorted to some artificial assistance for the next couple. I ended up settling on some whiskey or bourbon about 1/2 hour before bed. But the last few I haven’t done this, so it’s definitely getting better for me.

I do this, too. I just like the consistency of doing it every day. And I guess I’m really numbers obsessed (I’ve got a good conversation going with @Don_Q over in his accountability thread based on months of collected data). At this point I know that I’ll probably lose about 2 lbs. on a 42-hour fast and gain back about half of it back over the next two days. How and when is not consistent. Sometimes I’ll gain 2 lbs. back the very next day and then drop a lb. again the day after. I’ve got a good downward trend going, and that’s what really matters.

Anyway, I’m about 15 hours into another 42 that I started after dinner last night. I’ve often been having a cup of broth around early dinnertime and sometimes a cup of tea with a tablespoon of HWC in the evening. I’ve got a good routine of 2 days eating followed by a 42-hours fast, so that I have two or three 42-hours fasts every week. I might try a longer fast later in the month, just to try it and mix things up, but I’m pretty comfortable with how I’m doing now.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #117

This makes sense. Clearly I did some sort of reset. Whole new place for me and my body.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #118

As others have mentioned seems like a uptick in the monthly fasting thread. It is so nice to learn from others.

I am so glad I broke my fast this morning. I ended up drinking 10 oz of my 2nd batch of bone broth which was so much better than the first batch. Hey this old man can learn!

20 mins later 10 small green olives and then ground beef etc. at 70 mins from the break point. No problems down there. I did realize that my satiety signal takes a long time to kick in. Also I’m really into breaking the fasts with bone broth. It is mild and tasty if you like that sort of thing.

(Tamela Robinette) #119

I have my 1st pot of bone broth going right now! Trying to finish off a glass of pinot noir and I will begin my 42 hour fast after that. Feeling pretty good after a not to good start to the day. Happy fasting everyone!

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #120

Robinette

I freeze mine and thaw out want I want to use to break a fast. I hope this fast goes well. I’m going into 18/6 and will start a new 60 to 72 hour fast Sunday after dinner. May do OMAD Saturday to watch basketball and eat wings.

I too drank some wine tonight.