Fasting newbie, kind of overwhelmed

fasting
(Charlotte) #1

Hello all–I’ve been keto for awhile, but have been resistant to fasting (I’ve done IF, but always seem to be white-knuckling it through hunger toward the end of the fasting period, regardless of how much good, fatty keto whole food I eat when feasting). I really would like to give extended fasting a try–something like 3-5 days–especially as I’ve read about how it can help a lot with digestive issues (I have IBS or something like it, and have had it regardless of diet for many years), but I’m pretty intimidated and overwhelmed by the prospect, and would love some basic guidelines from those who have had success, particularly:

1 or 2 good resources (I don’t have the time or inclination to read lots of super technical material or watch 2-hour long videos–one really good book or a couple good articles would be ideal)

Supplements and medications–can/should I continue to take supplements? I tend to get frequent, awful leg cramps if I don’t take potassium and magnesium daily. And I obviously still have to take my prescription meds–will that interfere terribly?

Beverages–I’d rather not drink coffee at all than drink it black, but I would like to include home-brewed iced teas, zevia, etc. (I can’t stand the idea of drinking only plain water with no flavorings). I’m assuming those types of beverages are OK? Would adding a bit of lemon juice, ACV or stevia effectively “break” the fast?

Hunger–how do folks navigate extreme hunger? I know a lot of folks say they aren’t hungry at all, or a salt crystal or two on their tongue does the trick, but in my experience with IF and occasional OMAD, I end up intensely hungry, to the point of pain, regardless of how much good keto food I eat when feasting (and trust me, I eat a LOT). I’m envious of those who don’t experience this, but I can’t be the only one who does. How do folks power through this effectively on a multi-day fast?

Thanks all–I know a lot of this has probably been asked and answered before, but t any help and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated!

(Ellie) #2

I had a similar feeling about doing my first extended fast. On my IFs I was literally counting the minutes until the time I could eat. Weirdly with an extended fast I didn’t get that. My first one was June’s Zorn fast and I did 90 hours. I had a few waves of hunger but nothing that salt and a cup of green tea didn’t fix.
I think there is something in my head about I can eat but not just yet, compared to ‘Not eating today, or tomorrow’. Maybe join the August Zorn fast. Unfortunately I can’t join this month as I am taking medication for a couple of weeks that must be taken with food, but I’ll be back on board for the September one.
You might surprise yourself!

(Charlotte) #3

Thanks! That’s a good point about the psychology of it…I’ve never actually tried fasting for longer than 20 hours, so maybe knowing that I’m not counting down to a meal on a given day could actually help me get through.

Your reply also lead me to the Zorn fast, which I hadn’t heard of before, and Brenda’s ketoaide recipe, which I’m excited to try. Thanks so much for that!

(Jane) #4

Everyone is different but most people have some trouble with hunger the first day. If you can make it through the waves of hunger to day 2 then it gets easier. Except for some who have more trouble on Day 2 than on Day 1.

I just passed 48 hours and I know I can make it to lunch tomorrow, which will be my goal of 72 hours. By the 3rd day my hunger gives up and slinks back into a corner, only tapping me one the shoulder politely every once in a while just to make sure I am still serious about this “not eating” thing.

My husband only fasts for 36 hours and he starts at dinner and then only has to make it through one day w/o eating and one night of sleep on an empty stomach. He knows he can break it when he gets up so that motivates him to stick to his fast for the one full day.

If the longer extended fasts become too much you might try this approach to work your way up to multiple days.

And take the advice of @Brenda on her ZornFast thread - stay away from food, food commercials, etc. The sight and smells of foods are strong triggers!

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #5

Love this visual

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #6

@Chazzam
I work for Intensive Dietary Management. IDM. Dr. Jason Fung and Megan Ramos. World leaders on all things fasting. They have a lot of free and public information on their website.
IDMprogram.com

(Charlotte) #7

Thanks so much for this info! I’ve started by slightly extending my regular intermittent fasting. I have some fresh food in the fridge I want to use before it goes bad, so I’ll probably hold off on attempting my first multi-day fast until next week. I think I’ll give your hubby’s approach a try first–36 hours definitely feels doable. I’ve also started incorporating ketoaide into my fasting period early in the day, and do find that it helps me feel less hungry, so knowing that will be in my arsenal helps me feel less intimidated as well.

(Charlotte) #8

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! The IDM site has a ton of useful info, and I very much appreciate it!

And thank you for all the fasting resources you share on this forum in general–I just discovered your monthly fast posts, and have started making your ketoaide recipe, which is fantastic. I’m feeling less overwhelmed and more ready to try a multi-day fast already!

#9

Good luck Charlotte! I just wanted to second everything @Janie said about the first 24-48 hrs, certainly most true for me also. I fast with IDM counseling (Rachel Primo, she has been awesome) and because I’d already done a few 24 hr fasts on my own, she started me on 42 hr fasts. But it quickly became apparent that the first day is the hardest for me, and the second day it was always getting a little easier and at 42 hrs I’d sometimes not even be hungry, so she moved me up to 72 hr fasts, which are done less frequently. This has been working much better for me. (Does take more planning, I know what you mean about wasting fresh food that’s in the fridge.) I’m telling you this because if you find that you can do 36 hours (which I know you’re planning and it’s a good place to start), but that the hunger is still distracting but you feel okay otherwise, just don’t assume that you can’t go even longer. 36 hrs is about where the magic starts to happen for me.

(Jane) #10

Agree with @Callisto and just want to add that with the 36-hr fast you only have to get to sleep once in an empty stomach which takes a bit getting used to.

You can tell your stomach it’s going to get to eat in the morning so it chills out…

Then if you find yourself not hungry when you get up… then stretch it out until lunch or as far as is comfortable … then you are up to 42 hours. Then next time try until dinner and you have made it 48 hours! And still only had to sleep once w/o food.

It builds your fasting muscle and psychologically your mind and body get used to the idea of not getting fed all the time.

And your mind plays a huge part in this. If you set your goal to x hours… then 2 hours before that you start thinking of nothing but food and what you will eat to break your fast. Hard to extend uneven if doing ok once you have made that decision that “x” hours is your goal.

Your hunger holds you to that promise and gets very insistent sometimes!!!