Fasting tips needed

fasting
(Becky) #1

I am wanting to try fasting, tho the thought kind of scares me. I have been trying to do 14 hours between eating and so far it seems ok. The only problem is i was reading in the fasting thread and am totally confused now…some say that this isnt even an actual fast…i really want to do this correctly but now, like i said, im confused…can anyone break it down to the basics for me…maybe like “fasting for dummies” :thinking::exploding_head::crazy_face:

(Robert C) #2

Hi @Rseay,

Yes, eating dinner at 6 PM and having breakfast at 8 AM is not a fast if those are pretty much your normal eating times. If you normally have breakfast at 6 AM then, haven’t you really only fasted 2 hours eating at 8 AM? And if you just sleep in a bit on a Saturday morning - are you fasting because you aren’t eating while you are asleep?

Before anyone can give you the basics, you need to say what you are interested in - something like daily feeding windows or extended fasting (not eating for entire days).

(Becky) #3

I apologize, didnt mean to be vague, i would like to try a 24 hour fast…is that dinner time tonight until dinner time tomorrow or would it be tonight until breakfast the day after tomorrow…and since ya mentioned it, is there any positives to eating in a certain window @RobC, i really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

(Robert C) #4

Eating daily in a window is probably best done by only including 2 meals - like noon to 6 PM.
Daily windows are just about keeping insulin low most of the time and are helpful if you are not trying to lose too much weight - just want 10 or 20 pounds gone.

Technically, a 24 hour fast is dinner to dinner but - that is not where the real gains are found. It is too easy to have a very large dinner and then another large dinner the next night and essentially not get any fat loss (scale weight will jump around due to water loss though).

I have found that real progress is made by not eating an entire day.
Have dinner Sunday and then eat breakfast Tuesday.
The first time, this might be difficult depending on how dependent you are on carbs.
But, this is the first step to moving to 48 and 72 hour fasts.
It is totally up to you and your body.
Once you break the 48 hour barrier - your body will tell you whether it is actually happy with this scheme or whether it feels like it is a big stress.

(Becky) #5

So during this 24 hour fast, is it water only?

(Robert C) #6

Dinner to dinner water (and coffee) only is fine.

Salts are needed when you go into 3 plus day fasts.

(Carl Keller) #7

Jason Fung permits a little cream in your coffee or tea… or even green tea if you prefer. Otherwise it’s mainly just water and maybe a little salt to make sure your electrolytes are in balance.

There’s no need to be scared. Just let your hunger decide if it’s doable. If you are fat adapted you may be pleasantly surprised with how easy it is. If you start getting really hungry, eat. You can try again in a few days or next week.

(Becky) #8

Wow, that is amazing how with 2 little sentences you took away a load of pressure. Thank you @CarlKeller…and thank you as well @RobC…i am going to give this my all and see where i get!

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #9

black coffee and black or green tea seems to be allowed. I do both with salt and water.

Stay busy. Hunger is 90% mental.
Becky you have this.

(Becky) #10

Thank you @daddyoh, i envy your positive spirit! I honestly thought i was doing something good with the 14 hours between meals, but now i really feel like i can do the 24. And you are right, if i set my mind to it then this is gonna be do-able. To be honest i never thought id make it thru Mardi-Gras without King Cake but i did lol😅so these next 24 hours will be a piece of cake. (Just not King Cake😉)

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #11

Also if you feel weird or bad then you can eat something. Not likely on a 24 hr fast but can happen on longer fasts. There is always a next time. I did OMAD (24 hr fast) and 18/6 for months before going longer. Now I do one extended fast a week and mostly 18/6 IF the other days.

This past week I did 49hrs. This week because of social obligations will be like 46 hrs.

Good Luck.

(Becky) #12

Ok @daddyoh can you explain the 18/6, did this include sleep time?

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #13

Becky

Yes, the 18/6 includes sleep. I skip breakfast and started eating at or around lunchtime. Another way to look at this is called time-restricted eating. Make your eating widow shorter and don’t snack before your first meal of the day nor your last. Try to avoid snacking between meals.

There seems to be some evidence that the body does better when the last meal of the day is completed many hours before bed. My work and social life make this very hard for me. We are a two-career family and can’t usually get done with dinner till 6:30, 7:00 or even later. My wife and I go to the gym in the wee hours of the morning so we go to bed at 8:30 or 9:00 pm most nights.

This means my dinner is too late. I deal with that anyway by doing a longer fast once a week and sometimes twice a week.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #14

Hi Becky, welcome!

An eating schedule with a 14 hour fasting period may not be “real fasting,” but it does still have value letting your body rest from eating for that long. We kind of graze all of our waking hours these days, which never lets your insulin go down.

Others have mentioned that if you try a longer fast but get hungry, eat. I second this. But it is also good to know that at your regular eating times your body will release hormones saying you are hungry. If you push past that time, you will probably stop feeling hungry. If a half hour or an hour goes by and you are still hungry, consider eating. This isn’t supposed to be punishment. Don’t suffer unnecessarily.

If you do decide to eat, break the fast for real. Don’t have a snack or a meal and then continue fasting. Eat for a couple of days at least before you try again. Especially after the first day of fasting. If you break on the first day then it is probably fine to try again after a good meal or two.

You will also see some people do really long fasts. But it is not recommended that most people fast over 3 or 4 days. Do your own research before deciding. Jason Fung and Megan Ramos of IDM have some excellent videos on YouTube.