August Fat Burnin'

(Doug) #81

Good morning, Irishred. :slightly_smiling_face:

4th day of a fast here. Black coffee and water. Havenā€™t felt ā€œbadā€ but yesterday got some of the Himalayan pink salt and the makings for Brenda Zornā€™s Ketoade. Had both and it made a difference; whether something was really corrected or not, I donā€™t know, but felt more energetic afterwards.

Iā€™m impatient to get to my goal - and that weight is so far away that there is nothing to do but keep my cool and try to stay with the program - ketogenic eating and lots of fasting. Until this year, I had always gotten by on general good health and lots of denial. Blood sugar had been going up slowly since 2012, and Ba-Boom - this year the house fell down, so to speak, Type 2 Diabetes and pretty darn bad numbers for cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.

In a couple weeks Iā€™ll get a new number for my HbA1c. That will be 4 months into the new way of eating, and it has been a change - weā€™ll see what improvement there is, and it should provide some clues about how correctable things are for me.

Impatient, yes, but I wouldnā€™t wave a magic wand, even if I could, and have me lose another 120 lbs./55 kg/ 9 stone. Spent 45+ years over-indulging in harmful things; a huge amount of habit, inertia and momentum to overcome. There is a journey here, and itā€™s necessary.

And that all sounds good, rational, somewhat dreamy or new-agey, and Iā€™m still impatient. Yet I havenā€™t been stuffing my face with french fries while writing this post.

(Carpe salata!) #82

Been doing a few days of IF20/4 and itā€™s been so cruisey. No dramas, not hungry , good energy. Been keto since Jan and new to fasting.

To think I used to need a coffee and donut by 10am. Lol

(Sonia A.) #83

To shake things up, Iā€™ve decided to fast for 3 or 4 days. Iā€™m currently 20 hours fasted.

@OldDoug I hope your Hba1c will be in the normal range. But Iā€™m pretty sure itā€™ll be, fasting lowered my numbers tremendously (I went from 7.8 to 4.6). Keep us informed. 4 days of fasting is really good. How long did you intend your fast to last ?

@Peter the 20/4 IF is the protocol that Iā€™ve used the most. It helped me lose a lot of weight. Like you, I found it so easy.

#84

Hello. Itā€™s a stormy, gray day here in central Wisconsin. I love thunderstorms, very relaxing. I am still doing the fast, and the only discomfort has been feeling a little chilly. Hot shower was great for that. I lost the 3 lbs gained the past 2 weeks when I tried Metformin, plus another 4 or 5 lbs came off. I know some will be back when I eat something, but it is always fun to see weight go down.

Now I have done a handful of these 4 or 5 day fasts, the only real struggle is missing the keto diet. Not eating is a little boring. If not for that and occasional social eating situations, I could probably fast for weeks or more. I certainly have plenty of stored energy and insulin resistance that needs healing.

Thanks for the continued support and sharing!

(migorstmarseille) #85

Day #4 today, about 88 hours in.

As Iā€™ve done previous 72 hour and one 120 hour fast, this fast seems pretty easy. My BG last night before bed was 65, which is the lowest reading Iā€™ve ever had, but I felt perfectly fine.

So far, so good today. Plenty of water and pink himalayan salt have kept me alert and functioning at a good clip. I took a two mile walk today and for about 3 seconds, I had a bit of a woozy head. I stopped, took two deep breaths, and started back to walking, albeit a bit slower. Iā€™m back at the office and feeling great again! While weight loss is not one of my goals for this fast, Iā€™ve lost about 5 pounds so far, and gained back a half pound overnight. Ah, water weight.

(Doug) #86

Thanks, Sonia. 7.8 to 4.6 = WOW. :sunglasses: I was figuring around 6.0 for me, hoping for something in the 5s, this time around. Was 7.3 in April.

I had no intentions for this fast. On Monday I hadnā€™t eaten yet that day, and just let the fast begin. Went for 3.5 days a couple weeks ago for the July Zornfast, and such works really well for me. There is some weight gain afterwards, most of it water, but there is a clear ratcheting down of weight, overall. 2, 3, 4 days and I can feel the difference in the tightness of clothes, etc. Never really pushed myself to see how long I can go - I just start eating again out of boredom, for the social aspect with other people, etc.

#87

Well, ended earlier than planned. After a relaxing morning, I found myself sprinting across a parking lot in 59 degrees and pouring rain (surprised myself to be sprinting and not winded). Got chilled, then shaky and decided it was a good day for soup. That will be tonight. Broke the fast with coffee w/ cream and (what else) cheese curds. I am planning to try to get a few fasting days in each week, but be flexible with schedules and life. I will shoot for 1 or 2 90 minute eating windows on eating days. Hoping this way my glucose wonā€™t bounce up so high between fasts. From high 200s thru mid 300s before the fast, while fasting I was between 170s and 220. Hoping each fast will shift the range lower.

#88

yum! looks great, and I love that ā€œbacon nectarā€! Best wishes for an eggciting fast! :stuck_out_tongue:

#89

Thinking about a short 46-48 hour fast starting after I finish this buttery decaf and a fat bomb dessert. Just had a great cauliflower/cheese and pepperoni pizzaā€¦oh how I love that stuff! But the fasting can really be addictive too, strange.

Just had another ā€œI donā€™t know how something like peas grown in your garden can be bad for youā€ comment from my dear friend who handed me bag of the little darlings (for my husband). Ughā€¦trying to explain hyperinsulinemia, high FBG readings, pre-diabetes and etcā€¦so exhausting when you see their eyes just blank and you KNOW they arenā€™t ā€œbuying into your weird ideasā€!

AH well, fat bomb, here I come. And hereā€™s to the next fast. You all sound like your fasts are rolling along quite well, KCKO and IF :wink:

#90

Thanks Darcy. I finally found and watched the video. I get a little something more each time I listen or read something from the IDM team. I really liked listening to her when she was doing Fasting Talk. As great practical advice.

#91

OldDoug.
I think you hit a very important point. It is probably crucial for us to have a long period of losing weight and improving our biomarkers so that we can truly incorporate the behavioral, the psychological, and the woe into our new self as well. We are learning hard lessons. Even the lessons that come when we fall from our plan and have to get back on. Time is really our friend. Our journey is one step at a time.

#92

Peter, I can see you laying back in the seat and cruising down the highway all mellow from keto and if. Bliss.

#93

Darcy, how often do you weigh? I am trying to hold off this month until the end of the month for both weighing and measuring. May not make it as sometimes it feels almost like a driving compulsion to weigh every day and see if there is downward motion. And then there is the letdown if it is not what I want. I am going to try and take a healthier approach (for me) this month and only follow my bg and ketones. That is my core issue and I need to keep that front and center. Sometimes the weight distracts me and I start to make too many changes.

#94

Migorstmarseille,
You are doing so good. It is amazing when you get a super low bg like that and realize you are really okayā€¦just a new experience and the body will find its homeostasis. Keep it up!

#95

That sounds like a good approach if it is too much of an emotional roller coaster watching the scale. Helps you stay focused.

I actually weigh myself 4 or 5 times a week, basically any morning I am not in a hurry and remember. I have a Fitbit Aria scale so it is keeping track for me. I am not obsessed about it, just curious about how things are affecting me. Also weight is almost as important to me as getting sugar under control because I have to lose 50 lbs to have surgery to fix an incisional hernia, yuck, what motivation. My weight has been pretty consistent with keto, less water weight fluctuations. I know to expect losses and gains with fasting. Knowing my own weight trends clued me in to the fact I was gaining on Metformin.

Have you learned anything about your blood glucose patterns during a fast? I know to expect a major drop but I still am excited to see it on the meter. And I also donā€™t look forward to the quick climb back up when I start eating againā€¦

#96

The scale is my enemy, but yes it is a compulsion as well. I try not to weigh often, but that works out to about 1 or 2x/wk anyway.
I am right there with you regarding the ā€œtoo may changesā€ if Iā€™m not pleased with the evil, lying scale :wink:
I do measure my waist at least 2x/week, Iā€™m looking for some real changes here and hoping to reach a much healthier W/H ratio.
The BG is a something I canā€™t stop myself from following, but this is important and helpful. I will have a new ketone meter w/ strips by next week. Nova Max is what Iā€™m going with because I can get 40 strips for $66 compared to $50 for only 10 strips in my precision meter.
Fast began 3hrs ago, looking to go until Sunday evening. Maybe Iā€™ll try the egg fast? Iā€™ll see what seems appropriate for me when I get that far.

#97

I track my bg in an app that produces graphs. What I see is that yes my bg goes back up but it is clear over time it is moving down. I have tried to find the best approach to when to test to see overall changes. I experience Dawn Phenomenon so am bg can be very discouraging and a skewed view of how you are really doing. I still test first thing, but I balance that with bg on fasting days around 5p (entered as pre-dinner as there is no label for fasting unfortunately) and on eating days I do a bg 2 hours post dinner. With regular fasting periods I keep moving towards my goal of ā€œnormalā€ bg. Progress baby! One day at a time, but we are still moving forward.

#98

Hi Darcy,
Regarding BG rising after a fast; I am noticing this pattern the last two days and my carbs have been 21g at highest. BG 2 hr post prandial this evening was 92, and last night it had been 72, but some of my food choices and perhaps the better stevia as well, may have been reason for this increase? Or stress? I have had a rather stressful afternoon and family stress tonight, soā€¦ Iā€™m very curious to see the FBG tomorrow.
Thereā€™s so much we can do, and thatā€™s what makes the challenge/journey exciting. Now, to get this cortisol to simmer down, hm?
I think the 2-3 day fasts more frequently have good results in getting these numbers under control, at least as reported by IDM (Dr Fung and M. Ramos)

#99

Helewisa,
I always laugh when I read about the waist:hip ratio. My belly fat hangs low so when I measure my hips I am also measuring my belly which I donā€™t think is what they had in mind. Terrible image I know and reading this might scar everyone for life. But I laugh every time I do measurements. Was that 2 inch loss from my hips or that apron? Someday when my belly retreats enough I will be crowing on here about my 10 inches lost from my hips and you will be calling me on the truth of the statement.

#100

I wasnā€™t tracking consistently til last month. Nor was I fasting on a consistent basis. I am really hoping to see that downward trend and the scale moving down (in a lasting way) soon. Iā€™m using Headsuphealth.com to track stuff. I have to enter the bg readings manually, but it works.