First EF over 48 hours

(Cathrine Helle) #1

After doing IF for a few months, I feel it’s time to try a several day fast. I have not been following a strict pattern in my IF, but most weeks have had one or two 40+ hour fasts, and one, two or three meals the other days. This has absolutely been doable, although I sometimes find the complete day without food challenging. My reason for trying a longer fast is to experience what it’s like on the other side of the difficult first couple of days. My vacation is also coming up, and I know there will not be much fasting during the three weeks we’re away.

I’m aiming for a five day fast (next meal Friday), I last ate at dinner yesterday (Sunday) around six. I’ve had a good four days of feasting building up to this, which I think will help me mentally.

I will try a water-only/black coffee approach, but will add some fats if it becomes too difficult. I have also decided that I will break my fast with no regrets if I feel poorly (and salt/magnesium doesn’t help), or too deprived. The last thing is actually most important to me. I’ve never been on a diet my entire life, and I’m not about to start now. For this to truly feel like a lifestyle choice, I can’t feel that I’m always making sacrifices.

I won’t be measuring glucose or ketones, simply because I don’t own such devices. I will, however, weigh myself and log how I’m feeling here :slight_smile:

This mornings weigh in: 64,3 kilos

Keep in mind that I’m really short, so this low number is still overweight - I have ten more kilos before reaching optimal weight that puts me at a BMI of 24-25.

Hoping for some helpful advice and encouragement along the way :slight_smile:

#2

It sounds like you have a good plan and most,importantly the right mind set. I think it really helps knowing that you are the only one making the decisions from day to day. No rule book. Good luck and enjoy yourself.

(Kevin) #3

Good on ya! I hope you find the experience rewarding. I’m on day 6 of a 7 day fast currently and that’s the first EF I’ve ever done. If I had one main lesson learned so far, it’s to consume more salt than you think. I’ve never felt bad over the last 6 days but there are definitely times I’ve felt lethargic with a mild headache (not enough to affect what I do during the day, just enough to be a little annoying). That feeling seems to be improved significantly by consuming more salt. I made a huge pot of bone broth before I started and only used it once. Not sure why, but throughout the corse of the fast, I’ve just never had a taste for it. So I figured why consume something I don’t have a taste for when it could also diminish the autophagy benefits. So it’s just been water, black coffee and sparkling water for me.

Best of luck!

(Cathrine Helle) #4

Indeed there is no rulebook, and I simply love how fasting can be adapted to fit my life, rather than having to adapt my life to fit the fasting. This week our children are visiting family, and hubby and I are home alone. After the four days of feasting (we’ve had date-nights since Thursday), I don’t have to plan family meals or do any cooking to feed the kids. My husband is more than capable of cooking for himself (although he prefers me to do it), so there is nothing in the way of me focusing on my own not-eating-experience.

Thank you for your encouragment :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #5

Oh wow, day 6! Thoroughly impressed! I’m definitely upping my salt intake and will have som powdered magnesium citrate as well, thank you for sharing :slight_smile:

My biggest concern is not really how my body will handle the fast, I’m pretty confident that I’ll be fine physically. I’m not however sure of how I’m going to feel emotionally fasting for several days. Hopefully I’ll discover that this is doable for me as well, and not just everyone else :stuck_out_tongue:

(Cathrine Helle) #6

So the first day comes to an end. It hasn’t been too difficult, felt hungry at my usual meal-times, but I suppose this is mostly my conditioned respons to a time of day, rather than actual hunger.

Todays intake: Magnesium, 1 teaspoon salt, black coffee, one herbal tea, water
Energy: As usual overall. Had a small burst of energy right after work, where I did some laundry, but other than that, quite normal
Emotional status: Feeling fine. Had a couple of moments of sadness because I’m not eating today (I do really enjoy eating), but nothing major. Since I don’t plan on eating for quite a while I figure I might as well spend time on other things than food. Luckily work is super busy at the moment, happy for all the distractions I can get!

Looking forward to tomorrow :slight_smile:

(Rebecca) #7

@Camomilla I am on hour 20 of my seven day goal. I completely here you that the physical challenge is one thing but for me the emotional challenge is much worse. I think it for me really shines a light on my relationship with food.

(Cathrine Helle) #8

Doesn’t it tho, to me food is so much more than nourishment! Cooking is caring, and we express much love for each other by preparing food. It’s just as much a social interaction as a means of survival. I would assume that in earlier times when food often was scarce, sharing your food was a powerful sign of affection.

I personally spend a lot of time thinking about what to eat, when to eat and looking forward to eating. So fasting opens up a whole lot of time to do other things for me; although I’m not quite sure how to utilise it. I assume that I sometimes eat simply because I’m bored, and the act of cooking and eating keeps me busy. Hopefully will this extended fast give me some other options!

(Cathrine Helle) #9

Time for this mornings update :slight_smile:

Sleep: Slept well, but went to bed to late. So a bit tired today.
Weight: 63,3 Almost down to pre-feast weight.

I’ve always lost slowly, so I’m not expecting a huge weight loss from this experience. I’ve had many 40-ish hour fasts where I’ve lost nothing. But I do believe it does something for my overall metabolic state, even if it’s not immediately apparent on the scale :slight_smile:

(Rebecca) #10

@Camomilla I also love eating with my husband who gets home late from work and I know this’ll produces a problem because I get hungry and snack but I feel a huge sense of missing out if I can’t eat with him so I do anyway, I know this isn’t great, more insulin spikes and often eating past ‘satiation’ I’m also hoping fasting can he’ll improve my relationship with food in some ways. Deeper into it I start to feel better and less connected but in the beginning I feel depressed and think about food all the time. I love cooking, creating and eating food for myself and for others. Sometimes I think I’ll always have a fixation with food and I’ll just need to have it directed and tracked to be successful. How long are you going to go into this fast for?

(Cathrine Helle) #11

I’m hoping to go until lunch or dinner Friday. Sunday to Friday would make it five days I think, and what better way to start my vacation than by breaking my fast :slight_smile:

I think you and I share some of the same challenges when dealing with food and eating, I can relate to everything you’ve written! I don’t consider myself to have any kind of eating disorder, I’ve never binged or starved myself. Nor do I diet, I’ve never counted a calorie in my life. But that’s not to say that I haven’t felt guilty when eating, being overweight I’ve certainly had the inclination to think that I should just “eat less and move more”. Which I have tried on numerous occasions with very little success. I even borrowed a diet cook book from a friend and spent a few months making food I didn’t like (very low fat stuff), just to find that the cravings were killing me! I wasn’t counting calories then either, but were constantly hungry since I didn’t care for the food.

I’ll have none of this any longer, and if I can’t be normal weight when enjoying myself, I’d rather be on the chubby side. I do enjoy the keto food, and don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything, but I still find eating differently in social situations awkward.

Luckily, keto is absolutely working for me, and so is the fasting. I’m still not sure how to maintain when I’m within the normal weight range, I did try paleo / standard low carb and gained most of it back when I tried. So I’m not doing that this time :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#12

I SO relate to this!

Keto has finally allowed me to embrace the fact I love food, love to cook and no longer have to feel bad about it. It’s really reparied my relationship (formerly more like a war) with food. In another life, I’d be a celebrity chef. Now I channel that love into creative keto cooking. The fasting has only made me appreciate more the days when I do eat, and make eating much more mindful.

(Jim Russell) #13

Yes, me too. I have always been the type of person who will be eating one meal and thinking about what to have for the next one. I ended my last fast because I could not stop thinking about food. Not so much hunger as just missing food. I enjoy cooking, so that is part of what I miss too.

This current fast is the first one where I haven’t really had strong thoughts about food. My first couple of extended fasts, I constantly had thoughts of food. Seeing pics of food here or on facebook would make me really hungry. This time, it’s more like “hmm, that sounds good. I’ll have to try that recipe some time.” and then my brain moves on. I hope it continues this way. :slight_smile:

(Linda Culbreth) #14

Enjoy what you are doing and add some bacon:

(Cathrine Helle) #15

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts in this thread! It is obvious that we share many of the struggles, and mindsets around food and eating. It is SO nuanced - there is a myriad of grey areas between never having to consider what and when to eat, to obsessing about it. This WOE is definitely a step in the right direction for me, normalising my relationship with satiety is making my life more fulfilling. I’m utterly done feeling guilty for eating!

And that transitions nicely in to todays not-eating :joy:

Todays intake: Water, coffee, salt
Hunger: Yes.
Energy: Fluctuating. Started the day feeling all warm and fuzzy, soon turned cold and edgy. Used my extra on-edge feeling to do the dreaded summer shopping for bikini. If my mood wasn’t bad enough :stuck_out_tongue:
Emotional status: A bit irritable and restless. Hunger has come and gone, but has not been unbearable in any way. I’ve not been sad about not eating today, but I have started to plan what I would like to break my fast with. It’s nice to have something to look forward to.

All in all the day has been more difficult than yesterday. Today I would normally have broken my fast, and I think I’ve done so many 40-ish hour fasts that I’ve somehow gotten used to them, even though I feel like I didn’t have a pattern to them. Physically I feel fine, a bit light headed around dinner time, but salt took care of that. I’m not cold any longer either. Hoping for a nice fasting day tomorrow :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #16

That will come after the fast :wink:

(Cathrine Helle) #17

And day three has officially started :slight_smile:

Weight: 62,4
Sleep: Slept well, but went to bed too late again. (I’m really not a morning person, more of a night owl)

Hoping for less hunger today, I should probably stop torturing myself with watching Headbangers kitchen.

(Cathrine Helle) #18

And so day three ends. I have been hungry today as well, but not enough to break my fast.

Todays intake: Water, coffee, salt and magnesium
Hunger: Yes
Energy: A bit cold and tired today. I blame the tired on the fact that I got to bed too late, and cold on the air condition at work. My office is freezing!
Emotional status: Have not been sad today, even though I’ve been hungry. I simply accept that I’ll feel hungry from time to time when not eating. And the not eating is commencing until Friday, so I might as well ride through the waves.

To summarise the day has not been any more difficult than yesterday - rather a bit easier. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m ENJOYING my fast (like I see many do), but it’s not terrible either. Hoping for more sleep tonight and more energy tomorrow :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #19

Day four!

Weight: 62,1
Sleep: Not much. Hubby struggles with snoring and has a C-pap (don’t know if it’s called that in english, but too lazy right now to check), a breathing machine. Last night it was obviously bothering him, I woke up quite a few times. I don’t really think he slept much at all, he looked exhausted this morning :confused:

So this morning I’m even more tired than usual, and I’ve also got a slight headache. I’m guessing I might be a bit dehydrated, not had enough salt or not enough coffee. Otherwise I’m not hungry this morning, so I’m hoping I’m past that :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #20

Just out of curiosity; has any one else noticed an enhanced sense of smell? I’ts almost over powering, I’ve never noticed the coffee smell this intense before. I could actually smell it from outside the building when I got to work this morning :flushed: