Fast/Feast cycling

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(Kathy L) #226

Me too!!

(Jim Russell) #227

Hi all. I’m new here, but I have done keto on and off for about 8 years. I lost over 100 pounds and have kept it off.

The last couple of years my weight has fluctuated and had started to creep back up. It also seemed like keto wasn’t working for me anymore. I never registered any on the urine strips and I was rarely even registering more that 0.3 mmol/ml in blood tests no matter how low carb and protein I ate. It seemed like I had broken my metabolism and I blamed eating very low carb for screwing up my gut microbes.

A few weeks ago a friend was doing a two day fast and I decided to give it a try too. The longest I had previously done was about a 24 hour fast. I did about a 55 hour fast supplemented with MCT oil and HWC and my blood ketones were the highest I had seen in a very long time. I lost about 10 pounds.

Since then I have done a few more fasts of around 48 hours and it’s been pretty easy and I’ve started losing fat again.

I just started a fast about 24 hours ago and I’m going to see how long I can extend it. I’d like to do 3 or 4 days.

I don’t generally track calories or macros, just trying to keep an eye on how many net carbs I eat.

I’ve enjoyed reading this thread and I’ve learned a bunch about extended fasts. I’m looking forward to learning more.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #228

Congratulations on your success, that is BIG!

As far as having fats during a fast I have found that my blood ketones are marginally higher when I do consume no more than 500 calories of fat on a fasting day. I say marginally because I did the tests during a 46-day fast and I did 3 days using HWC (about 1/2 cup total) and then 3 days of water only. My blood ketones averaged 5.1 on days with fat and 4.9 on the water only days.

Your supplements sound good especially if they work for you! I put a bit of emphasis on salt as it manages the storage and processing of many electrolytes and nutrients. The more I learn about salt the more I believe that we need between 3500 and 5000 mg of sodium (1.5 to 2.5 teaspoons of salt) per day. There are many studies showing the recommended amount of 2300 mg or less actually increases the risk of many ailments.

(Adam L) #229

Hi Ron, thanks for posting your stats & experiences in such detail, it’s very interesting. How do you view the 3.4 lbs gain from the feast day on Thursday 4/27 - when that is factored in the weight lost is 6.2 lbs which is still a significant result in that time period. Is the pre fast weight gain from feasting the price of admission that is paid to hop on the feast/fast weight loss ride (dare I say rollercoaster - goes up before it goes down at great speed) ? One step backward in order to take 3 steps forward? Just trying to get my head around it. Very curious to see what happens as you continue the cycle, a graphic of this would be awesome.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #230

@Adam: as a bit more background: I had done a 46-day fast for Lent and then almost 2 weeks of feasting immediately before beginning the fast/feast cycling. The Friday that I gained the 3.4 pounds was my first fasting day, after my 12 days of feasting ended and I ate almost 4000 kCals the Thursday before.

Here is a 30-day graph of my weight so you can see the end of the fast; then the feasting with some weight gain; and then the fast/feast cycling.

image.png885×388 8.94 KB

I used the my body weight including the 3.4 pound gain as the starting point for my weight loss from the fast/feast cycling.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #231

Perhaps not quite what you’re looking for, but @Fiorella provided this:

(Barbara Greenwood) #232

A general point: if you fast, some weight regain when you start eating again is inevitable. Why? Because one contributor to your overall weight is the contents of your digestive tract, from the mouthful you just swallowed, to the stuff that’s getting ready to come out the other end. If you stop putting stuff in, but stuff continues to leave your digestive tract (not just as poop, but by being absorbed into your bloodstream so it can be metabolised, and then excreted as urine or carbon dioxide), then inevitably you will lose some weight that WILL come back when you eat again.

Jason Fung, the god of all things fasting, says that a good rule of thumb is that you will lose around half a pound of fat per day while fasting. That would be full fasting, i.e. non-caloric liquids only.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #233

I hate to post this on 2 different threads but it applies to this topic as well.

This graph shows my eating and weight changes for the last few weeks as I ended my long fast on Easter, April 16, and then started 12 days of feasting. Then I went onto fast/feast cycling on April 28.

I fasted from 7 PM Thursday, April 27, until 5 PM, Sunday, April 30 (70 hours).
I feasted until 7 PM, Tuesday, May 2, (50 hours)
Am fasting again since 7 PM, Tuesday, May 2, and have lost 12.4 lbs. in about a week!

I like this cycling so far!

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #234

I’ll be doing a fat feast tomorrow - I’m totally looking forward to it. At least it seems like it’ll be a feast in my head right now. LOL there will be bacon fat, heavy cream, a few strawberries (with the hwc), maybe an egg or two, raw cacao butter, butter, coconut milk, and coffee… and coconut oil, and some cheese; I’m out of macadamia nuts, though. Doesn’t it sound like a feast? I haven’t put it all together in my head, but I’m gonna do it!

(Jim Russell) #235

At about 42 hours of fasting now. My mouth is bored, but my stomach is not at all interested in food yet. I’m thinking that 72 hours sounds good, but we’ll see how it goes.

(Dustin Cade) #236

I love this thread, gives me the motivation to push my fasting cycling to see where I can go!

(Cheryl Meyers) #237

Ron, did you mean to type “feasting” for the 12 days? lol, I’m a proofreader by trade… :wink:

(G. Andrew Duthie) #238

Starting another fat-supplemented fast this morning (well, last night, technically). Managed to keep off 3 of the 5.5 lbs I lost on the previous fast, so if that pattern continues, the feast/fast cycle should be a very effective tool for breaking plateaus.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #239

Thanks!

Yes, I live with a part-time proofreader as well, I keep her very busy!

(Arlene) #240

Charmaine, Have you done these kinds of feasts before. What is the goal? I’m always interested in the self-experiments we take on. Sad you have no macadamias. They’re my favorite.

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #241

I’ve had days when I stuck mostly to fat, but nowhere near the level of today. There’s so much fat in my life today - I’m just like wow! However, there’s still some carbs and protein because of the sources of some of my fat. The ratio for the macros are 86/9/5. I’m not full or feeling stuffed so far, and that’s a huge plus for me.

This week is the first time I’m keeping up with the estimated amount of calories I burn per day. I’m seeing how my workouts vary in intensity and how it affects my burn for the day. In a way, it’s helping me to get a fuller picture of my needs and helping me to understand that I don’t always need to restrict myself so much - which I have a longstanding tendency to do. So, I made a decision to feast without all the bulk - fat was the perfect way to do that. I could’ve made a few different choices regarding my use of cream cheese and heavy cream, or the amount of strawberries used (just less, not much less, but less), but overall, I’m not disappointed. Plus too, I’m finding this to be helpful with my mood as I’m in the midst of my ‘hormone zone’ and experiencing some stresses. So, I just want to eat all the foods - but I’m not, I’m gonna eat loads of fats. :grin:

(Arlene) #242

Hang in there, and great job with your resolve at such a difficult time. I’m happily past all those “hormone zones”, but it was this side of impossible for me to eat responsibly during those times.

(Blyss (Old @Charmaine)) #243

Thank you!

(Jim Russell) #244

I decided to end my fast at 61 hours and start a 4 or 5 day feast.

First meal brisket and cheddar cheese omelet with sour cream and some bacon wrapped sausage stuffed jalapeno poppers. Yum.

(Jim Russell) #245

I lost 3.5 pounds during the fast. I really enjoyed it and I’m planning on doing a longer fast next time. Maybe 5 or 7 days. But I’ll listen to my body and see how it goes.