Day 20 of extended fast

#1

I’m halfway through day 20 of my extended fast. I am down 18. something pounds and all symptoms of my ai disease have vanished. I am hoping this fast helps heal my gut and my thyroid so I can feel this good while eating normally. I have followed a restricted diet for years but continued to have multiple symptoms. Being pain free the past 18 days has been remarkable and I feel renewed. I am looking forward to a meal this weekend but I am concerned that my pain may return.

I am thankful that I have found fasting. To lose 18 pounds is nothing short of miraculous. I estimate I had about 8 pounds of inflammation. So maybe in have lost 10 pounds of fat and it shows. I think I have about 25 more to lose. Hoping keto and fasting keeps me pain free and gets me down to a healthy weight.

(Michael ) #2

Congrats. I would introduce foods slowly every 3 days to try and pinpoint the culprit. Big offenders, dairy, legumes (peanuts), omega 6 rich foods (too many nuts or anything cooked with vegetable oil, sunflower oil, soy, canola, peanut). Also, nightshades ( tomato, peppers, eggplant) And for some unlucky souls, eggs are a no no

Good luck

#3

Sadly, I don’t eat any of the foods you mentioned. I regularly eat chicken, turkey, fish, olive oil, avocado oil, avocado, sardines, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, beets, white sweet potato, carrots. A few other foods less frequently.

(Michael ) #4

Hmmm, well green beans are legumes and corn fed meats are high in omega 6. A lot of people have autoimmune response to potatoes, but if white sweet potatoes are tuber, wouldn’t think it’s an issue

#5

Grrr I don’t want to lose chicken and turkey too. Living on fish alone might kill me. The white sweet potato is not a nightshade it’s an actual sweet potato and I rarely eat it. I was thinking it might be the broccoli/ cauliflower or the chicken. I guess I’ll leave the birds, the beans, and the broccoli alone for a while and see how I respond.

#6

And now I am wondering how to break my fast. I intended to start with chicken bone broth…

(Michael ) #7

That’s probably a good call with the broth. Bone broth is amazing. I never heard of broccoli being a problem. Grass fed meats are likely to have omega 3s more than 6, but i understand the expense and availability. Likewise, pasture raised chickens that ate insects. Better to reintroduce slowly so you don’t have to start buying expensive meat if it turns out that wasn’t the issue

#8

I only buy organic chicken but it’s probably not pasture raised. I guess I should try that. When I ate beef it was only grass fed. Hoping to add that back in if it works for me. Thanks for your suggestions.

(Michael ) #9

Good luck. Some people are unfortunately just more sensitive. There’s a lot of stuff i can’t do without issues. So i studied until i better understood it

(Tim W) #10

I did a 20 day fast myself.

I’ve done multiple other long fasts of 5-7 days or so.

My standard advice has been to start out with a small meal, then take a break from the kitchen. Ensure the meal has lots of fats and don’t get too far from a restroom.

Some easy ideas include bullet proof coffee with heavy cream or a few boiled eggs with bacon, maybe a slice of cheese (dip the bacon in olive oil!) things of that nature.

After you break the fast, try and take a few hours off from eating, then have more eggs, a small steak, something like that. Try to get some kimchi or sauerkraut in the 2nd or 3rd meal, that or a glutamine supplement (glutamine will help restart the digestion process).

Bone broth is a fine idea, starting with it is a fine idea, maybe consume it first, then the bullet proof coffee, or the eggs etc.

Ensure you keep your sodium intake up and get lots of water, too little of either and your stool will harden in the intestines, passing it will be brutal if you allow either one to get too low.

Good work and good luck!

#11

Question, I have to work from 5-11 pm at my volunteer job Saturday. Would you recommend waiting to introduce food until Sunday? I can’t spend Saturday night in the bathroom. However, I’m mentally over the fast and would lime to eat something Saturday.

(Tim W) #12

That’s a tough one.

Have you done long fasts of this nature before? How did you break those fasts? What was the response?

I can only answer from personal experience but, each time I break a fast of more than 3-4 days (so when I fast 5-20 days) I’ve had a fast bowel response within 2-3 hours of eating. That’s likely due to what I consume (high liquid fat content like olive oil, mct oil, butter etc) so, going with a small meal of more solid foods may have a different result. A small salad with some tuna or salmon maybe?

If you eat early Sat morning, you can allow the digestion to kick in, have time to deal with any “quick response” and maybe stabilize before the volunteer shift. I would suggest not eating from say 2 PM until later in your shift, that would minimize the window of gastro distress.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you. Just don’t forget that sodium the first couple of days, having a lower intestine full of food and no movement is a very uncomfortable experience.

#13

Thanks for the advice. This is my first fast so no experience whatsoever. I’m feeling so good today I may just wait until Christmas eve to reintroduce. My plan is to do a gaps introduction bone broth, then bone broth with an egg yolk, then a tablespoon of sauerkraut juice… etc…