Easter 2017 Fast

(Ben Davis) #61

Broke the fast this morning after 60 hours. Was terribly hungry and burping non-stop and borderline nauseous. Had two slices of bacon at 7AM and my normal full breakfast of 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 more bacon, and 2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Shortly after the initial two slices I started feeling much more normal. After breakfast I felt pretty normal for a while. An hour or two later, I’m getting a minor headache and feel less of the focus I had while fasting. Took blood glucose and ketones at 10:30AM - glucose was down two points from last night at 53 and ketones were now 5.5. According to those numbers, I’m still pretty much in fasting mode although I feel much more normal and not like I haven’t eaten in days. Seems like these numbers are much farther from what I normally see from keto folks, but it also seems like most keto folks have have dealt with metabolic syndrome whereas I’ve only had elevated triglycerides and a max HBA1C of 5.7 before, prompting me to look into NOT becoming type 2 and getting into keto.

It was an interesting first experience with extended fasting. I know I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been with prepping bone broth, taking a multivitamin, and having electrolytes at the ready. But with Ron’s encouraging story and this thread, I thought I’d give it shot. I’m down something like 4 pounds since the start of the fast, We’ll see if it stays off.

Keep calm and fast on, my friends!

(G. Andrew Duthie) #62

Into day 4, and dropped another 1.5 lbs (4.5-5 lbs so far). Not hungry, and overall feeling good.

Still supplementing with 400-600 kCal of butter and other fats daily, and pushing my salt intake higher than non-fasting. Seems to be keeping my energy good, and warding off the chills I’ve experienced with fasting previously.

RHR is down, which is fairly consistent with experience on previous fasts.

My wife bought a beef brisket for Easter dinner, which I am definitely looking forward to. I will not dwell on that, however, in deference to my fellow fasters. :smiley:

2 more days, and feeling like that will certainly be achievable.

@Bendy22 Congrats on your first fast…60 hours is very respectable for a first go at it. With respect to the weight, you’ll probably see some portion of it come back, but it can be a good ratchet if done regularly. If you lose 4 and a couple of that comes back, and then you do it again next month, you can definitely make progress that way.

(Jeff Davis) #63

You’re right, Ron! I would be tempted to make it a 4-day fast if Saturday wasn’t my wife’s birthday. We’re going to have family start trickling in on Saturday too, staying with us for Easter, so that would make it a bit tougher. But I definitely plan to incorporate some occasional 3, 4, or 5-day fasts into my schedule going forward.

#64

I was reading about fasting causing higher cortisol levels due to stress caused by not eating. High cortisol levels over time can cause insulin resistance. So how does fasting help reduce insulin resistance and reverse type 2 diabetes?

If anyone is aware of information please point me in the right direction. Thanks!

(G. Andrew Duthie) #65

I don’t have specifics to offer, apart from my own N=1 experiences. I definitely land on the high stress/high cortisol end of things in general, but my experiences with extended fasting do not subjectively seem any more stressful than when I am eating. In fact, I’d say that I tend to experience less stress while fasting than while not fasting.

So either I do not fit the pattern of higher cortisol while fasting, or there is some other factor that occurs for me while fasting that mitigates the impact of elevated cortisol.

We are incredibly complex creatures, so it would not surprise me in the least if there are additional hormones at play that change how cortisol affects us. I wish I had more information on all this, but both my experience, and what I’ve seen from others suggests that even if it’s true that cortisol is higher while fasting, the benefits are still worth doing it.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #66

Congratulations @Bendy22 on a great start with fasting! I sounds like you enjoyed many of its benefits and did like we’re told and listened to your body and ended the fast we you didn’t feel good.

Have a blessed Easter and thanks for posting.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #67

@devhammer you are doing great and that is good to hear! Keep the smile on your face and enjoy that brisket as much as I will enjoy my ham on Easter!

(Sascha Heid) #68

Fung mentioned this in one of his podcasts once and said they (the clinic) never observed this issue.
The way i understood it is that it’s a theoretical possibility that does not happen in practice to any significant degree.
Also, if fasting would cause insulin resistance and therefore impede access to our fat-stores, that would be a pretty shitty design.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #69

@Allison I agree with Andrew that each of us finds stress differently. I do a lot of public speaking and when I first started it was very stressful for me. As I became more experienced, and learned the ‘tricks of the trade,’ it became much easier and much less stressful.

I think it is the same with fasting: it is the zone of unknown and fear for many people. “My God, you are going to starve yourself!” The first time I fasted I began by skipping breakfast every morning for a week and when I realized that there was no physical repercussions from this I was more confident.

Next I tried a 36-hour fast: ate 7 PM one day and 7 AM the second day after. Again, no physical response noted just the mental thing of “Will I make it?” I probably could have skipped breakfast again but I was sticking to my plan.

As I grew in experience fasting I even made a point to fast during stressful situations like traveling. My wife and I took a 14-day trip to visit family all over the eastern US and on the last 3 days of that trip I started a 5-day fast. I learned that I could fast with no worries and therefore very little stress.

So in summary, if you think that there is stress from fasting it is most likely fear of the unknown causing the stress unless there is an underlying medical problem that requires you to eat regularly.

Good luck with your future fasting and have a Blessed Easter.

#70

I agree that not everyone reacts the same. This is what I read that prompted my question:
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/closer-look-cortisol-hormonal-obesity-xxxx/

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #71

Will either start my fast Friday night or Saturday morning (leaning towards Friday night because tomorrow will be a closing feast day) and will end on Resurrection Sunday.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #72

The thing to keep in mind is that the same Dr. Fung who wrote that article is a major proponent of fasting to help address obesity. So I think it’s reasonable to infer from that that the downsides of any increase in cortisol from fasting are outweighed by the upsides associated with fasting itself.

Intuitively, one must assume that for most people, the rise in cortisol and the follow-on rise in insulin cannot be large enough to prevent weight loss, or most people would fail to lose weight when fasting. So it may well be that fasting can increase cortisol, but perhaps it does not raise it much, or perhaps as I suggested earlier, there are other mitigating factors that prevent cortisol from raising insulin during a fast. One possible mechanism I can think of is that fasting would typically mean lower blood glucose as a starting point, so any gluconeogenesis in the liver as a result of cortisol would be acting on an already-low level of glucose.

Whereas, in someone eating a SAD, who already has somewhat elevated glucose levels, increased cortisol due to stress or sleep deprivation would be aggravating an already bad (or at a minimum, borderline) situation. So for someone who is on the borderline between normal and insulin resistant, added stress (and cortisol) could easily be what tips them into IR, T2D and obesity.

All that to say that I don’t think you should allow fear of cortisol to prevent you from fasting. If Fung is correct about the mechanism for insulin rise being elevated glucose due to cortisol-induced gluconeogenesis, then you may be able to look for that by testing BG periodically while fasting. My n=1 experience is that my BG tends to go very low (as low as in the 50s) during a fast.

Regardless of whether you fast or not, reducing stress and focusing on improving sleep habits is probably a more effective means of addressing cortisol. The latter in particular is something I need to get better at.

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #73

Recently, i went to replenish my supply of Torani and noticed a slight change in the ingredients list. Either I hadn’t paid attention to it before or it’s a new change, but I saw that it included ace-k, so I don’t know if that was the impact or not for your insulin response. I opted not to buy it, which was a bummer because I liked it. LOL

#74

On March 1, I was 195 pounds, but really only 192, which was my waking weight. On April 9, I was 170 waking, 165 after the gym and 174 after my daily meal in the evening. I started my fast that night (Sunday, April 9 at 7pm).

I have felt a little low on energy in the evenings and at the beginning of my workouts; however, all my workouts have been great. At times in the days, I feel very energized. I have not felt hungry; although, I miss eating because it is fun to cook and eat.

Monday ------ water, minerals, bone broth, vitamin, green tea — yoga
Tuesday ------ water, minerals, bone broth, vitamin — 12k run with good pace
Wednesday - water, minerals, bone broth — terrific gym workout
Thursday ---- water, minerals — terrific spin class
Friday --------- no food or drink

I hope to wake tomorrow (Friday) around 162 then go to 154 then end my fast at 7pm and hit 165.

7pm tomorrow will mark 5 days (120 hours) without food.

The 162 will mean that I lost 30 pounds in 45 days. In those 45 days, I will also have lost an additional 11 pounds of water and have hit 154, which is the lowest that I have ever weighed since I was 17 (or maybe even 16 years old) and was only accomplished since that age by doing a water cut.

A waking weight of 162 is probably the very minimum that I can maintain, which means that I will have lost my LAST 30 pounds in 45 days! I’ll be proud of that and thank @ron-coleman, @carl, @Charmaine-OLD and the others who have posted on this thread and the Fast/Feast Cycling thread for giving me the extra push.

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #75

Woot! @Pinnacle this is exciting!

#76

@devhammer I’ve been learning a lot from Jason Fung (podcasts, books, blog posts and YouTube) and have always heard him speak very highly of fasting as a way to loose weight, decrease IR, and a variety of other benefits. So that’s why I was surprised at that blog post I posted the link to. It sounded like a contradiction, but I’m sure there’s more at work than what can be squished into a blog post. That’s why I wanted to share it and was hoping someone could shed some light and help me make sense of it. I appreciate your response. This was my first extended fast and I wanted it to be about the fast itself and listening to my body. Next time I will track blood glucose and weight.

I ended my fast at 7:00 pm this evening with a few macadamia nuts. I felt great and definitely could have gone longer but we’re driving tomorrow 4.5 hours. Fasting while visiting family isn’t something I want to do right now, and I didn’t want to risk an upset belly during the car ride. This seemed like the best option.

I can’t wait to hear how everyone else does!

(Mary 🌹 ) #77

I just read Jason Fungs book about fasting. He and Jimmy Moore did not mention a problem with CORTISOL. Jimmy Moore documented an extended fast and only had problems at the end of the long fast because of traveling.

(Mary 🌹 ) #78

Fourth Day of my fast was really weird. I work at Sam’s Club. Today they had me in bakery packaging :bread::cake::doughnut::cookie:! I had two urges to eat that CRAP!:cold_sweat::scream::fearful::tired_face::weary:I have been GLUTEN-FREE for a long time and these urges haven’t happened for a longgggg time.
I attribute it to the fast! Now that I am home, things are back to normal and I feel great again! I had energy to RUN UP SOME STEPS at the end of my work day! (I am 63) LOL😉!
Good luck everybody! This has been FUN (except for this incident at work) :wink: I may extend this past SUNDAY! My church is having so many extra services so they can handle the huge attendances. My daughter and I are going tomorrow night! She will have dinner at the In-Laws on Sunday so I am free to fast! I am Planning to see that new movie about Christianity on Sunday. Sitting through a movie while I am hearing people munch on food won’t bother me I hope!:confused: I am not weighing till the end!:wink:MY CLOTHES FIT LOOSER!:heart_eyes:

#79

Congratulations @marybeth00! Keep rocking your fast!

#80

Numbers such as what exactly ? Lol. My BP prior to starting was: 117/73
No issues with weigh or BG :grin: .