Changing it up

#1

After starting in Jan, I’ve plateaued a bit over the last couple of weeks. I did a fast a couple of weeks ago (maybe 3?) for about 72 hours, just drinking BPC and stock cubes, and found it amazing.

I’ve been listening to some podcasts with Jason Fung and Megan Ramos, who harp on about changing things so your body doesn’t get too used to things. I’ve been eating one meal most days, and I realised that I probably had to do something. So what I’ve done as an experiment is had a big meal last night (Monday), basically spaghetti squash with a carbonara sauce with a shit tonne of cream and butter, and then had more cream and cream cheese for dessert. And from then (so for about 26 hours now), I’ve been on a water fast - I’ve just been drinking regular coffee/tea and water, as well as my regular magnesium and calcium supplement in the morning with some ACV.

I’m finding it easier doing water only than with fat in BPCs. I’m hitting a bit of a wall now, and am about ready for bed (10pm), but I’m cautiously optimistic that tomorrow is going to be pretty good. I’m planning on going for about 72 hours, so will be breaking my fast on Thursday evening, or I may extend to Friday morning - we’ll see. I’m interested to see if this can shock my body out of complacency!

#2

I’ve been growing more interested in the Insulin Index of foods since one of the things fasting does is reduce insulin and I wonder if at least some stalls come from people eating foods that release more insulin, ie. more insulinogenic, and whether reducing/eliminating the insulinogenic foods and balancing with lower ones, would be a better choice for some people as a first step.

@ALifeUngrained has a thread concerning a zero carb, low insulin approach that I find interesting.

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/insulin-index/

#3

As your body changes and depending on what your doing you are constantly modifying or changing. I have to go nuts on protien when i am building and I have never been out of keto in the last 2 1/2 years.

Awesome on the fasting. Congrats!!! I do 72 hour fasts when cutting. Its a bit of a superhuman experience. There is nothing like it in terms of the way you feel. First times the hardest on 72 hours. Like anything your body gets conditioned and gets used to it and all the cravings and sleep issues lessen greatly. There is nothing like your body running on crazy amounts of groth hormone and adrenaline. Its almost like being on drugs or superhuman.

If i could create muscle nuclei with 72 hours fasts i would never stop. Its like entering another dimension. Everything changes… senses highten, thought become deeper and clearer… unbelievable. Blew my mind when I adapted to it.

#4

Thanks for the reply. I’m reading The Obesity Code at the moment, and a lot of that seems to be around insulin, how your body uses it and how much there is. I’ve little doubt that I wasn’t doing myself any favours as far as insulin stimulating foods as I had gone from the “occasional treat” of a Stevia soft drink (Nexba, it’s an Australian one) to having one pretty much every day. From what I’m reading, Fung seems to think that this could be stimulating an insulin reaction even though there’s no carbs.

#5

Yeah, I’m feeling a bit tired this morning (about 36 hours in), but I’m hoping today I’ll get that super-alert, lightning-from-my-fingertips feeling that I got last time. :slight_smile:

#6

anything that tastes sweet tricks your body into an insulin response.

after a while you will get really good at feeling your body and highly adapted you will be able to tell when you trigger it.

#7

Well, I’m still going, about 43 hours. I have had a couple of waves of hunger, but not too bad. I’m definitely fat adapted (blood ketones were 2.4 last night, I’ll check again tonight).

Forgoing any major calamity, I’m planning on breaking my fast on Friday morning, which would be 82 hours.

I’m in a weird sort of up/down and a bit fuzzy energy-wise, but that could just be hump-day too :slight_smile:

#8

LOL… up and down. Thats the adrenaline hits. I friggin love it. When your up your way up. I am trying to find a way to trigger it so i can control when it hits.

how is your sleep? I can get maybe three hours before an adrenaline rush hits me in my sleep and jumps me out of bed. Thats the hardest part for me. I want to sleep but cant.

#9

Last couple of nights have been OK, been a bit going on so I’ve been tired anyway. I’ll be interested to see how I go tonight.

(Francis Lessard) #10

Interesting @BigTrev

Keep us posted. We’re going through the same experience at the same moment !

#11

Well, slept well last night. I faded a bit last night, felt pretty tired (that would have been around the 50 hour mark or so).

Woke up this morning feeling pretty well-rested. I think I’m starting to get that slight feeling of nervous energy.

What I can say is that doing a water-only fast (well, with coffee and tea) is not really feeling any harder than last time where I was still using butter and coconut oil in my coffees.

#12

Have to say, I’m a bit more zen and calm than I was last time at this point of the fast. Coming up to about 70 hours. Last time I was fizzing with energy and had to go exercise.

Still think I’m going to keep going to tomorrow morning, and have a big breakfast of bacon and eggs :slight_smile:

#13

Home stretch. I think I’ve got this fasting thing down - I’m about done, definitely ready for a feed in the morning.

That said, I did a Costco run tonight, which included about 3kg of bacon, 1 kg of salami, a couple of kilos of various cheeses, a pile of butter and 6 avacodos, and I wasn’t that fussed. Even walking past the cafeteria (I normally still buy a hot dog and throw away the bun!) was no issue.

I’m looking forward to a big feed of eggs, bacon and avocado in the morning, and I’m out for some drinks tomorrow night.

Keto (and fast) on!

#14

For some, this would qualify as an extended fast and they would break the fast with a small snack and after an hour or two follow-up with the rest of the feed.

I’ve personally broken 3 day fasts with a regular meal with no problems and other times broke a 24 hour fast with a regular meal and had noticeable digestive issues.

Just for the purpose of broadening the advice for anyone looking to break a fast, and going from the list of foods mentioned earlier, I’d start with some salami and cheese, wait a while, and then follow-up with the rest of the meal.

Whatever you choose, let us know your personal experience and great job getting through the fast!

#15

Thanks for the advice. I don’t have very long in the morning before I have to go to work - I may try having something before I get in the shower (if I remember!) and then breakfast afterwards.

#16

That sounds like a great compromise, let us know how it works for you.

#17

Nah, I got straight up and got in the shower. :slight_smile:

Had a few rashers of bacon, and scrambled eggs. I’m on my way to work now, I feel full /satiated but have no stomach upset.

(edit) - I should add that I tend to have a bit of an “iron gut”, and very little I do will tend to upset it, Keto or not.

I think I need to stay doing longer fasts, because I so could have kept going : it’s really for social reasons that I broke this one. I’m considering fasting from this Sunday night through to next Friday.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #18

Congratulations on your fast!

#19

Checking back in, particularly since this ended up on Episode 60 of the podcast! (colour me surprised!)

Now that things have stabilised over the weekend (and things have been a bit hectic), I’ve settled to a loss of about 1.5kg as a result of this fast. Which I’m pretty happy with. I’m actually looking forward to the next one, and thinking of doing what I’m going to dub a “work-week-fast” (last meal Sunday night, break fast on Friday night) semi-regularly.

(Ril) #20

Just getting to reading this now.

I really think anyone with IR should explore how protein may spike their insulin as well.

after over a month of eating small meals of about 20g of protein that is low on the insulin index… i can now eat a half a pound of ground beef mixed with 3 eggs for my main meal of a day and not have any sluggishness or feel like i need to crash for a nap. In fact thats mostly what ive been eating this last week or so. My energy levels are coming back too without the spike in insulin on high fii protein…whih is nice. Eating 3 and 4 times a day for the month was aggrivating and threw me off my routine. Im now back to 1 big meal a day and small nibbles to get my macros in. I like that much better

Before i did the lowfiizc protocol the crash i got eating high fii wasn’t something i could even avoid…i literally could not keep my eyes open and HAD to lay down and nap for about 45 minutes.