I’ve been doing Keto for about 3 weeks full on, (7 weeks with a Mexico trip in the middle)
I’m debating my first fast while my partner is out of town this weekend. I haven’t lost a single pound, nor have my measurements changed this whole time. I think perhaps my body needs a boost.
My question is- what constitutes a fast? Water? Coffee? What can I put in my coffee if that’s okay?
My normal coffee has full fat coconut milk and collegan peptides in it.
There is probably a post on how to start and break a fast huh? I should look for that haha
I wouldn’t recommend a fast until you’re fat adapted and it comes naturally. As for what you’re allowed to have, generally speaking anything that produces an insulin response will break the fast, so you’d stick with water, tea, and black coffee.
When I started fasting, I started skipping breakfast a few days a week (regular coffee, just a touch of cream). Then, I’d take a bullet-proof coffee in the morning and skip lunch, and do that two-three days per week. Then I started skipping both breakfast and dinner a few days a week. Then, skipping breakfast and lunch and dinner a few days a week. After that was successful, I started 3-5.5 day fasts. I had been low carb about 1.5 years before I started fasting, was eating many smaller meals per day.
I’d say try to fast to dinner with coffee and coconut milk in it. If that’s successful, try removing the fat. Now, when I fast, I have coffee, green tea, fake/herbal teas, water, no fat or other calories. But that might not be the easiest transition.
Best time to have your first fast is the first time you spontaneously don’t feel like eating. I find the more mental thought I put into fasting the less successful I am.
It sounds crazy until you experience it. I never thought I would ever fast, I thought these people were crazy. Then one day I was just like, I’m not hungry. And I felt that way for 3 days. Now I happily don’t eat all day until dinner. But if I’m hungry I will eat. You will get there
I’d probably do it in stages if I were you but it’s really your body. I hope you find what works for you. I agree with KetoCobra and ctviggen. It was gradual for me. I also went on my own journey eventually reducing fat intake. I’ve removed any cream and 99% of the dairy (cheeses) I used to eat in my first 6 months. I didn’t do this initially for weight loss. I did it because I just kept having diarrhea from the excess fats and unhelpful things I thought I needed but my body really did not need. My body feels a lot lighter and cleaner. My food and meals are much more boring and I have been eating the same thing for the past 6 weeks (preprepared meals) but I don’t care/doesn’t bother me. I definitely feel the difference in other areas (not just physically) as well, ie mentally (sharper/clearer) and this is primarily why I keep going - feeling sharper. I lost weight rapidly and am still working on achieving my optimum weight. I’m currently happy with what I am/where I am at but I am very small-framed so I’ve got a small bit left to go.
I made it to 4pm today. I ate some rotisserie chicken when I got home from the gym.
For dinner we made deconstructed burgers. (Beef burger, bacon, avocado, mushrooms, mayo, lettuce bun)
Mine was huge and I ate it now have had a headache ever since. A wicked shitty headache.
I ate between 4-8pm. I feel like crap
See what happens tomorrow. I feel like my clothes are getting tighter tho
Were you hungry enough to eat the burger with the bacon/avocado/mushrooms/mayo? I agree with the others - eat only when hungry. When I was first starting out I would eat to bursting because the hunger pangs were incredible (first two to three weeks), my head felt sluggish and my body felt as big as a bus. My body didn’t know up from down and like you, I had headaches. Mild but annoying. You should hydrate a lot, try drinking loads of water and I also agree about electrolytes if you have any (watch for hidden sugars also in a lot of brands). Some of the sugars are negligible but just be aware of what you’re consuming. I didn’t use too many electrolytes but I was practically waterboarding myself and drinking tremendous amounts of water. Be comfortable with peeing every 30 or 40 minutes and a fullness in your bladder especially in the beginning. Eventually all this will pass. It gradually subsided after about the end of the third week of protein/also burger patties. The number of patties I ate also started to decrease after 2 months and less and less over the next 6-8 months. You’ll want to order or prepare the same amount you used to eat but your body will be telling you you really don’t need it. Listen to your body…don’t go by habit. Really listen to your body and what it’s telling you over time. I found it took some adjustments after realizing I only need a few spoonfuls of food a day before I felt full compared to the x number of patties I used to eat.
We’re cheering you on! Keep hydrated and keep listening to your body.
I probably wasnt THAT hungry no. I should have stopped but it was so good haha.
There were no sugars, I made everything from scratch. I drink 2-3 litres of water a day, but Ive always done that so the peeing isnt new to me.
I just cant wrap my brain around needing such few calories. Even for hormone regulation alone I know I have to eat more. I feel like so many things are contradicting each other.
Eat til you’re full
Eat at least 1200 cals a day
Eat 2-3 times a day
Eat once a day
Only eat 700 cals a day
Im annoyed and frustrated. Im just trying to listen to myself but I have a fear of damaging my body…
@JamieBC I wonder the same thing. There are so many different opinions on what to eat, when, how much, etc. It can be confusing.
I am using Carb Manager and I try to hit my macro goals daily, but the longer I am doing keto (6 weeks) the harder I find it is to actually eat 1200 calories. Like yesterday I only ate around 850 and I felt like I forced myself to eat dinner. I just do not feel hungry but I am afraid if I do not get enough protein or fats I will lose muscle mass etc. Especially on days I work out.
I am just trying to listen to my body. I do stop when I feel full, only once did I eat until stuffed since eating keto and felt crummy.
A good part of a fasting strategy is sleeping late and/or getting extra sleep over the weekend. If you’re doing a 24 hour hour fast, getting up early should not be a big deal, you just drink lots of black coffee and water and hopefully you’ll cruise through with flying colors.
Being awake, especially early in the day, gives you too much time to think about food, especially if you are in day two or three of a fast. If you do a weekend fast, it might be a good idea to have your last meal early Friday evening, stay on your regular Saturday schedule, then sleep late on Sunday and break the fast with Sunday dinner.
Technically, no calories during the fast, which means water, black coffee and tea are ok. No coconut milk. However, if you need the coconut milk in your coffee to get you through day two, I’d do it, as it can help keep hunger at bay while maintaining insulin at low levels and keeping you burning fat.
Also, use of bulletproof coffee depends on why you are fasting. If for weight loss, yes, do the coconut milk, only if you need it. If for autophagy, then it is a definite no.
I wake up at 5 because I have to hence why I’m considering a weekend fast.
I don’t know if I need autophagy or not. I’m just trying to kickstart my Keto as I haven’t seen any physical changes since starting.
I won’t be waking up at 5 on the weekends, but I’d be hard pressed to stay in bed past 8.
I guess I’ll just see how I feel… Friday dinner then Sunday dinner… god it sounds so wrong lol
It sounds worse than it actually is. I did a weekly fast over 10 weeks last year beginning with Wed dinner and ending Sat am or afternoon. 48 hours was reasonably manageable, but getting 60 and beyond on Saturday mornings was really pushing my limit. I’m actually thinking of starting that routine again, perhaps with this evening’s dinner as my last supper.
It can also be harder over the weekend when you are home and have food around. I find it easier when I am at work and my mind is more occupied, and when there is less temptation to go out like on a weekend.
Let’s re-frame that a bit. Let’s imagine that our species has existed for 2 million years, and that for the first 1,999,900 years basically nobody was able to eat every day, and that essential functions of our immune systems and hormonal regulatory systems depend on that very fact to function properly.
I can’t wrap my brain around the idea that eating every day could possibly be good for you!
