Fasting - planned, or aah, let's go for it

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(David) #1

Here’s a question for all you experienced fasters.

Do you plan ahead for doing your fasts, or do you ever get to a point in the day where you feel like you don’t need to eat and just think “let’s see if I can go for another x hours?”

The reason is, I’m just getting going again, after starting the second week in January, and then doing an n=1 3 day experiment of being sensible but not strictly low carb, a couple of weekends ago when I went to Berlin for a long weekend. Anyway, since I came back I re-lost the 2 Kg water-weight (?) that I put back on over the weekend, but have been plateauing all week between 119 and 119.5 Kg. Yesterday morning I had a blood draw scheduled so had been fasting since I ate at just before 6pm the previous evening. I made boiled eggs, and bacon with cheese for breakfast (once I got to work), and lunch and headed off.

I managed to get to my usual lunch-time of 13:30 and I wasn’t feeling hunger pangs, and only ate my lunch because I had put a bit of effort in that morning. So, I had my 9oz Ribeye steak, along with some brussel sprouts, curly kale and broccoli (all deep-fried), along some asparagus tips that I had pan-fried with the steak.

That evening about 8pm (after getting home late) I had a Trout fillet that was about 140g, I think.

This morning I shouted out loud “FUCK YEAH!” when I got on the scale and was at 117.4Kg. My lowest weight for 3-4 years maybe.

My Ketostix since I came back from my weekend away (don’t worry @Brenda I won’t be posting a photo of it here) have been as pale as Casper.

The only reason I had my lunch was that, as I said, I had made it, and the only reason I had the trout in the evening, was because I had bought it the evening before doing a little planning ahead.

I felt like I could have gone on for a few hours more before starting to feel sickly, and had I not had the food prepared I might have attempted a spontaneous fast, having only Bouillon and Water with ACV in it.

So, for the majority of you, do you ‘schedule’ your fasts, or ever just ‘fall into’ one?

(David) #2

I just realised, that me having lunch would have been around the 18-hour mark that a lot of you experienced fasters say is a tricky spot, and I was feeling mostly OK.

Interesting.

(bulkbiker) #3

I find the 42-50 hour bit the most difficult…after that just the odd pang assuaged by a mouthful of double cream (sort of HWC for our US friends). I usually find it easier when doing extended fasts to have the length of fast decided beforehand. mentally that works best for me. The longest I have done is 7 days (4 times). I usually drop a lot of weight 1-2 pounds a day but it comes back pretty quickly on re-feeding even ultra low carb.

(Nick) #4

We usually finish eating by 7pm of a night. When I wake up in the morning, I have a cup of tea. At that point, I feel something in the pit of my stomach, and I know that either today’s going to be a fast day, or I’m going to eat. I allow myself to be guided by this feeling. So either I spend the day eating as normal, or I know my next meal will be at around 6:15pm, or just under 24 hours after my last one.

This works out that one or two days a week, I fast. I don’t do it for weight loss (my BMI is 20.5, and my waist is 28"!) but for the benefits of autophagy, clarity and, frankly, because food tastes so damn good after doing one!

Because I effectively let my body choose, it feels very natural and unforced. I am well aware that were I a sugar-burner, this would not be easily possible. The notion of “ah well, I guess I’m not going to be eating anything for a day” is unthinkable on the glycolytic insulin roller-coaster!

(David) #5

My other thought was “bloody hell! how much blood did they take out of me” :wink: 119.1 yesterday, 117.4 today.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #6

Both @Groversaurus.

And throw out those keto Stix.
Worthless kiddo.

(David) #8

I wish I had gone a bit longer to see when I really was getting the proper hunger signals, or even to see what signals my body would have given me. Today’s feeling is quite a bit different.

I know they are only a good indicator until you are fat adapted, but I’m not convinced I am yet.

#9

I tend to plan long fasts. Because I don’t want them to coincide with other events, like holiday dinner, planned parties, etc. I also want to put my mind at ease, sort of psychologically reassuring myself that food will definitely be present at X date, so don’t panic. Anything to keep stress hormones depressed (as they rise during fasting).

But, if one night I come home and I’m not hungry, I skip dinner, and eat dinner next day. That makes it a 48 hr fasting window, which I don’t find difficult to do. If I get peckish, a bit of HWC in black tea will do the trick.

(Michelle) #10

I do let my hunger guide me on most days. If I’m hungry, I eat, even if it’s a few macadamia nuts or something (if I don’t have time to prepare).

I am gearing up for my first multi-day fast, and definitely planning that. I am planning outside of big events so that I don’t have to look silly for not eating.

(David) #11

:slight_frown: I am not a Worthless kiddo.

I am a fully (over)grown MAN. :laughing: physically at least, if not mentally.

(David) #12

I’m glad I wasn’t planning on snacking on macadamia nuts on my last flight. There were 2 people with nut allergies. The plane would have had to have declared a medical emergency.

I’m not sure the Stilton I had was any better for my fellow passengers.

(James Bruno) #13

Ketone and IF. A breeze. This week I just had dinner. Incredibly easy. I really can not imagine fasting unless I was on Keto for a few weeks.

(David) #14

Well today I went 21 hours between eating anything but water with ACV then I had a beef medallion (95g) and a cheese sandwich (44g cheese in two slices with 22g butter in the middle) then an hour later I had another cheese sandwich with a bit of bacon nectar as a sauce on it.