Fat fast limitation

fasting
(Mel Simpson) #1

Why only fat fast five days maximum. Apparently dr. Fung said that a fat fast can decrease muscle mass eventually. He also says that a water fast can increase muscle mass and that just doesn’t make sense to me. Why can’t we fat fast for 10 days or 5 days and longer? If anyone has any information about this or any evidence regarding this please let me know. I have looked and I cannot find any information regarding why a five-day fat fast would decrease muscle mass and I water fast will not

#2

I’d imagine it’s because on a fat fast you’re getting some calories (so provoking insulin/turning off autophagy) but you’re not getting near enough your daily caloric needs or your protein requirements. I might be wrong.

(Carl Keller) #3

Jason Fung is an advocate of breaking patterns as well as feasting and fasting. If you go more than 5 days on a fast, then that is likely considered a pattern. That’s not to say that people can’t be successful fasting longer than 5 days but I believe the longer you go, the more your risk complications and possibly diminishing returns.

Interestingly, the longest fast ever was 382 days. Angus Barbieri weighed 456 pounds (207 kg) and weighed out 180 pounds (82 kg). But he was medically supervised and studied the entire time. They even called it a “starvation study”.

What’s remarkable about Angus Barbieri is that five years later, he had only regained 16 pounds (7.3 kg). He died at the age of 51 but I couldn’t find a cause of death:

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https://cristivlad.com/total-starvation-382-days-without-food-study/

(Mel Simpson) #4

Fung is ok with extended water fasting. Not sure whether or not he is ok with extended fat fasting but what you are saying makes sense.

(Robert C) #5

Fat fasting is to get to fat adaptation faster than plain keto - 0 carb, low insulin but more easily sustained than water fasting over a 5-day period.
Fat fasting will not allow regular fasting adaptations (higher HGH etc.) to happen - so a temporary measure.
(Not a doctor)

(bulkbiker) #6

Extended fat fasting would be a form of calorie restriction which is probably why the Fungster is anti.