Fasting too soon?

(Jeff) #1

I saw a great discussion on another thread about fasting early on while going Keto.
Honestly I didnt see a clear definition of fasting in that context so I dont know if they were talking intermittent (16-20 hours without food) or full stop (24+ hours without food)

One person recommended not fasting for at least 2 weeks to get solidly into Keto and to be sure you are “fat adapted”

When I am trying to get into Keto, should I just be eating very low carb (<20 grams/day) as that one person recommended or can I start a little intermittent fasting any time I want to give it a shot?
I’m talking about skipping either Dinner or Breakfast so that I go 16+ hours without food.

Background:
Male. 330-ish. I’m not on any medications.
I’ve been Keto before when I was on Paleo, but I didnt know it at the time. I just remember a period of weeks where I couldnt care less whether or not I ate most days… accompanied by feeling great, mental clarity, and a shrinking waist.

(Roy D) #2

My opinion is to transition into keto prior to starting any fasting.

The reason for this is to allow your body to transition from being a “carb burner” to a “fat burner”. Carb burners will most likely run into increased cravings when fasting (which increases the difficulty of fasting).

(Liz ) #3

A lot of folks start IFing naturally when their appetites decrease so if that’s happening for you, go with what feels right. Do not eat if you aren’t hungry. But in early days, if you are still hungry then definitely eat, don’t force a fast. No need.

#4

There is no right or wrong answer regarding when to begin fasting. The vast majority of people who adhere to a fasting regime are not on LC diet. The fasting community is much larger than the keto community.

Being fat adapted will likely make fasting easier, but there are also advantages to jumping straight into a 3-5 day extended fast. This forces the body into a state of ketosis, rapidly forcing the body to switch to lipolysis, and bypassing the keto flu (which can result when the body is in limbo) allowing many folks to start feeling good quickly.

(Alex) #5

Hi Jeff!

I agree with the previous commenter, that there is no right or wrong answer here.

First, it’s important to understand that you have to test these things on your own body and try to understand which suits you best - how do you feel, how does your body respond and so on.

From personal experience, I can say that if you are not in ketosis right now and want to get there the fastest, I reached there thanks to Intermittent Fasting + Eating lots of fats + Low Intensity Walking.

Basically, I just skipped the breakfast, ate proper fats, cut down the carbs to almost ZERO and tried to walk at least 45 minutes per day.

Hope this helps