FEBRUARY 2020 IF/EF Chat Thread (All Welcome)

(Mame) #101

Cool. I miss the alliteration of Fasting Friday :smile: but still excited about this February plan I am following.

I am at 14 hours. I will take my blood measurements when I get home from work tonight.

I have the day off tomorrow so who knows how long I will go during Fridayā€¦ I wonā€™t need to eat to lift brain fog for focused work which reminds me

I am so grateful to hear that this happens to you as well. This is frequently why I end a fast and it is usually when my BG is in the 60sā€¦ which perhaps is not optimal for me at this time? although I donā€™t think in general having BG is the 60s is problematic.

Wishing all a great Thursday!

#102

Gosh! You guys are all pros! I just slipped into 18/6 and I was proud of myself! You are all amazing!
But fasting a whole day? Not ready for that. If I did fast for a day or two- can one drink a coffee with some coconut oil to stop the stomach from growling? Is that allowed?

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #103

Mame,

Yes - low BG when fasting is real for me.

I ended a 3 day fast several months ago because I felt weird. My BG was 53 if I remember correctly. I was like wow. Iā€™m usually 95+ after waking even when fasting.

Iā€™m fully fat adapted (605 days strict keto) but my IR has taken some time to break. With fasting and my Body by Science training + strict keto (now carnivore adjacent) I think Iā€™m breaking through new territory (i.e., de-medding BP meds and loss of visceral fat even with a wt stall). I also do hot tub and sauna (>= 3 / wk) and they may be impacting BP.

I do blood work this coming Tuesday for my annual physical a week later. Iā€™m really curious about hbA1c and some other markers. Last fall A1c was 5.2 I think. Iā€™d like to see 4.9 or so.

I wonā€™t be fasting (except the night before) my blood draw and will be feasting. With no coffee anymore I expect TG to be low and HDL to be higher. Last fall they were 43 mg/dL TG and 5 mg/dL HDL for a ratio of 0.7.

Probably more info than you wanted. Sorryā€¦ But Iā€™m excited about all of my NSV progress. Iā€™m not worried about the wt stall as long as BP and visceral fat improve.

(back and doublin' down) #104

of course! There will be some others vigilant about the process who do only water, and thereā€™s benefits for sure. But, a little fat to get you through rather than completely ending the fast seems ok to me. I started fasting by doing ā€˜fat fastsā€™ where Iā€™d have some bone broth. I still do HWC in my coffee in the mornings.

Do You!

KCFO my fellow fasting friends!

(John) #105

It was a ā€œWonā€™t-eat Wednesdayā€ if that makes it any better. :smiley:

(Mame) #106

of course! I agree with Paendora.

Try it and see if you like your results. although I want to warn you I do almost always drink coffee with HWC while I fast and my tummy still growls lots!! ymmv :smile:

Not possible to give me too much info! I love it. and I love NSV progress. and I canā€™t wait to hear your new results when they come.

I was lowcarb for 15 or so year and now Keto for 2 years. Never diagnosed or on any medications. I had my A1c tested for the first time last month and it was 5.6. My fasting insulin was also 5.6. Decent numbers but not where I want to be for optimal health.

I already know I have a long history of hyperinsulinemia. My waist is still not half of my height. I still have weight to lose but in the end- itā€™s all about the metabolic healing for me (along with emotional freedom from food).

All that being said: I still donā€™t really like fasting. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: and yet I am at 16 hours

(John) #107

I occasionally add a mostly-fat creamer to my coffee, In particular, with a cup of decaf in the evening, when my willpower is lowest and the pantry is nearby. Sometimes I will eat a very small amount of pure fat (coconut oil, cacao butter) when I am feeling an energy dip. You can also usually wait those things out.

As mentioned above, do it your own way. You donā€™t have to get it perfect when you start, and there really is no ā€œperfectā€ per se, I suppose, other than consuming nothing but water and salt.

I fast primarily as a psychological reset, because I tend to have non-hunger eating triggers: work-related stress, and ā€œmouth boredomā€ in particular. Having a period of time when I know I am not going to eat makes me recognize and analyze those triggers, so that I am practiced in handling them when I am not fasting.

I have done it often enough to where my stomach has kind of given up on growling, because it knows I am just going to ignore it.

Itā€™s like my body is no longer particularly impressed with me fasting, and it doesnā€™t really kick up much fuss.

#108

Finallyā€¦ A looooooong meal but OMAD unless I mess it up but I really shouldnā€™t, I donā€™t lack energy for sure.
Fasting Friday on Valentine day? It sounds tempting, I had other plans (after a long wait I will get my beef order tomorrow!!!) but we will seeā€¦ I donā€™t like Valentine day, I like Halloween, I celebrate it all year long, almost all the rooms has Halloween stickers, the kitchen is full with spiders (mostly live ones but I have some huge plastic ones too. I love spiders) :smiley:

Fasting is (very very close to) zero calories to me but of course, each to their own. I canā€™t consider fasting when one drinks a 500 kcal coffee though. Pure fat is the most innocent and I am not super strict on IF but if I do a 48 fast, that must be only water, tea and maybe coffee. Theoretically, when I must break my fast, that should be fat first, fat fast second as they are closer to fasting than eating my normal food (and there is a way smaller chance to get very hungry and to eat a lot) but if I happen to get hungry so I break my fast, I always go all the way, at least it was in the past. Maybe it will be different next time :wink:
Stomach/gut growling never annoyed me but itā€™s very hard for me to get it in the first 24-45 hours (it happens, sometimes super early, already in my 16th hour but itā€™s very rare), itā€™s the same with hunger if am determined to fast. I think I am lucky and should fast more, it suits me and itā€™s not like I have a good chance to lose fat without lots of IF and some EFā€¦ But the right diet helps a lot with control and satiation (if I am not satiated, I have not much control, after all) so I am hopeful now, again.

My trigger is mealtime. But a very good diet helps, I just mess up things when my options arenā€™t good enough. I do my best to avoid that in the future.
I am never bored (how could I, the world is so interestingā€¦ I have to stand in a row with a headache to get bored) and whenever I want to consume something but I donā€™t need energy, I drink tea or something similarā€¦ I drink a lot but I am thirsty a lot too. Itā€™s nice, I have an okay tea collection.

(John) #109

The stuff I use is a non-dairy unsweetened coconut/almond product, Califia Farms Better Half which is 30 calories total for 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp), mostly from fat, so I donā€™t worry about that.

(Susan) #110

@Chantarella

If you want to start your first Fast as a Fat Fast you could always do that, to ease your way into a calorie-free/carb-free fast =). The idea is to have Zero Carbs -so as long as the Coconut Oilyou use is a zero carb one then you could begin that way.

I do 20:4 on my eating days and 3 -44 hour fasts a week on the IDM (Dr.Jason Fung) protocol. I keep to plain water/herbal tea/tea/or coffee with nothing added on the IDM fasting but I have done Fat Fasting with adding some coconut oil, MCT Oil or even a bit of HWC to a coffee or tea on occasion on the longer fasts -ie: 72 hours+. On the last Zornfast in January I managed 91 hours without adding anything, however.

I think that the benefits are more intense if you can avoid adding anything (especially the benefits of Autophagy). However, having said that, I also think that if you need the feel the need to add some of these healthy fats with no carbs to the fasting process, I think it is still probably more beneficial still than in totally just stopping the fast.

I am no scientist or medical expert in the least, I am just telling you what I think on the subject from being on Keto for a year, and from all the videos I have watched and all the marvelous information here on the forum.

#111

@Momof5 Thank you! I appreciate the help and wish I could read the blotted out parts. I dont think I am ready to fast yet. I just began the IF 18/6 and thereā€™re times I even feel weak doing that. I think this what I am afraid of - having a fainting spell or something.That light headed feeling. Also seeing that I am just starting out, I want to see about my blood pressure meds and all that. So I guessI am just going to take it slow. But I wonā€™t count it out. I could imagine fasting for a day or 2 quite possible now that I have had such a strong loss of appetite. I actually would not have NEEDED to eat this afternoon, but I did because I was afraid NOT to. LOL. Dizziness is my biggest worry. Weird eh? But when you fall down at 67, bones are so easily broken.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #112

Click on them. They display then.:grinning:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #113

No fasting this coming week (except for IF). Blood draw for annual physical. I will fast 13 hrs Ā± 1 hr for blood draw. See you all the week after. I do read this thread even when not fasting. :sweat_smile:

#114

@daddyoh
AH SO! Thx.

(back and doublin' down) #115

CP: 3 day fast is underway! Though my timing sucks cause I have a rare social invite tonight.

White knuckle dinner & drink tea only? Or consider it a OMAD and then fast Sat-Mon?

(Mame) #116

@Paendora canā€™t help you choose but I support you whatever you choose!

As for me I ended my fast at 22h yesterday. Mostly because I got overwhelmed and distracted then my sneaky ass lower brain took advantage of my distraction and started proclaiming that food would fix everything! Everything I tell you, LOL.

So dusting myself off. Learning from the past. Storing up on my self care and climbing right back into my plan. Hoping for good awareness.

Also I soooooo look forward to the day when my habitual response to non-hunger stress is not food. What if it was craving for ā€¦humming or something? :thinking:

Anywayā€¦ wishing all a great fasting (or not) Friday. My next is 24 hours Friday eve to Saturday eve. kcfo!

#117

Fasting Friday didnā€™t happen but it would have been useful after the previous few days. I donā€™t know if it was circumstances or an attack of my subconscious but my SO was at least a bit happy and it was mostly for him. And I can explain anyway, maybe not the part where I didnā€™t fast but there was a reason for it in my own mindā€¦ It wasnā€™t my week, to put it lightly.

I got my substantial amount of beef order so I got back my control, I will behave from now on. I so needed this, the last days were the worst, hunger at night, what the hell?
IF for a few days, probably with small eating window but I am getting ready for ZornFast! I had to go over 60 hour now (72 is the plan, less if I donā€™t start it early as no way I could do it if I break my fast on Saturday. weekends are different), I want it and itā€™s so realistic if my previous days are okay. I planned everything, my plan is simple and satiating :slight_smile:

I had my coffee for some days (in moderation. compared to the old me) and now I stop drinking it again. I am more stubborn than any possible food/drink addictionā€¦ I have my water and tea.

(KCKO, KCFO šŸ„„) #118

Just finished up a 42 hr. fast I started on Wed. night. I kept busy and stayed away from the kitchen and all of its food and eating signals.

(Patricia) #119

Hello, all -
Have been reading your posts all along this month, but finally started my monthly 5-day fast tonight at 5:30 p.m. Itā€™s the third of three (one time a month for three consecutive months) that I was advised to do by my functional medicine doc as Iā€™m dealing with an auto-immune condition and he said this may help. First month was wonderful in reducing symptoms; second month not so much, but Iā€™m following through to do the three months consecutively as advised. Iā€™m inspired by @MadameChat and @Robert_Desrochers as you both have just successfully concluded 120 hour fasts!! Hurrah and kudos to you both.

So off I go and Iā€™ll be checking in and actually writing now during the next days. But thanks to all of you who are so inspiring in your fasting journeys!

#120

Iā€™ve just broken my first extended fast, managed 133 hours so Iā€™m rather pleased. Hubby is on board although he didnā€™t go longer than 48 hours as he picked up a 24 hour bug and felt unwell. Weā€™re going to try the Clark protocol starting on Monday and see how that feels.

My only curiosity is why Iā€™ve started to have flatulence despite a lack of food. Seems odd to me!

Love the feeling whilst fasting, slept so well and felt so sharp mentally, definitely a positive experience.