Extended Fasting Question for the Science Gurus--Please Help!

[brownfat]

Mid-March 2018: broke the 10 day water fast with a HIGH CARB, LOW FAT plant based diet. Constipation improved, energy good, eating tons of complex carbs and enjoying.

The only way we can know what works best for ourselves is by trying everything that doesn’t work as well. Looks like you have done a pretty thorough job of testing options.

Morning fasting levels were in the 90’s (which I’ve seen before with LCHF but when I’m in ketosis those levels are in the low 70’s to low 80’s) and post prandial hit low 130’s.

Those glucose numbers aren’t great but they don’t look scary at least compared to diabetics. I’d be most interested in the trend. If you stick with your current diet for 2 or 3 months and your glucose numbers fall towards your previous levels then it would seem you have a diet that is compatible with long term good health. If your glucose numbers go higher I’d be inclined to resume exploring some form of low carb or keto.

On another thread closed by an admin, jellybelly who seems mostly interested in finding fault with keto suggested someone was not good at “winning people over to the keto way of eating” as if this forum should be a contest between those keto or not “winning” each other to a style of eating. I’m here to learn how keto and the endless variations work and helping others fine tune their own testing of the diet so they aren’t scared off by easily avoided pitfalls or the misinformation of conventional nutritional wisdom.

You have contributed to the useful discussion of keto and I think you still can even if you are currently choosing to mainly eat high carb. And if you plan to sometimes use keto to facilitate fasting hopefully you will find value in continuing the discussion here.

[Suzanne_Leigh]

@brownfat I appreciate your gracious attitude re me sharing my higher carb experience. Clearly I’m a keto fan, but I keep in mind Dom D’Agostino’s suggestion of developing ‘metabolic flexibility’ (for those like me, not in a disease state). I’d love to burn fat for fuel AND get plenty of plants in my diet. For me that will probably mean cyclical ketosis.

I agree with your assessment re my blood glucose levels. You know, before I started purposefully manipulating my body composition with weight training and diet, I didn’t think twice about macros, keto or glucose/insulin. BAck then, before the knowledge of good and evil, my bloodwork showed fasting glucose of 83, triglycerides 28 (below the reference range and the lowest reading I’ve ever had–half what I normally run in ketosis), LDL 87 (optimal range), HDL 63 (higher than reference range of 40-59) and CrP .8 (<1 = low risk). From a health perspective, I was hitting it out of the park. I’d just come off 21 days of a ‘cleanse’ based on the book CLEAN by Alejandro Junger. I wasn’t in ketosis (berries and quinoa were allowed) but healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and nuts were part of my every day.

My bloodwork from January of this year, after 27 months keto/LCHF (and before I’d done fasting or eaten carbs) showed glucose of 78, triglycerides 130 (crazy high for me), LDL 138 (borderline high), HDL 83 (negative risk factor). I didn’t have CrP tested.

I’ll keep experimenting, and keep posting in case my info can help others sort through their own biological mysteries.

[brownfat]

@Suzanne_Leigh In addition to Dominic D’Agostino there are many others such as Dr. Peter Attia and Mike Mutzel who are big proponents of keto but they also prize metabolic flexibility and they don’t follow nor preach following a perpetually strict keto diet. Maybe it’s just a sign of my shallowness but these very fit people resonate more with me than say Jimmy Moore.

[Suzanne_Leigh]

I’m a huge fan of Peter Attia, but not familiar with Mike Mutzel. I’ll check him out. Thanks!