For the life of me, please tell me how to fast!

(German Ketonian) #1

I am REALLY struggling to do anything beyond a 18-24 hour fast. For the life of me, I really don’t know how you do it.

I’ve tried many strategies: salt, vinegar, coffee, (green) tea, etc. The thing is, sometimes I am not even that hungry, but I just WANT to eat. In a way, the feeling reminds my of hunger, though, because it’s equally compelling. Unlike ghrelin or symptoms of hypoglycemia, I am not shaky or sweaty or anything. I just want to eat. At the same time, I desperately want to fast.

Next to this problem, I don’t seem to get ANY of the benefits, like bursts of energy. I do notice mental clarity after the 18 hours mark occasionally, but it’s usually overpowered by the physical feeling of weakness (even though I drink plenty and supplement with micronutrients).

I am fairly lean (around 6", 170lbs) but definitely have some fat to give away (those subcutaneous spare tires, flabby, squishy fat). Why is it so hard for me? I am trying for months now and never achieve my goal of 36, or 48 hours… Its frustrating!

Any advice?

(Erin Macfarland ) #2

I hear you, I’ve only done 48 a couple of times and that was after an absolute feast including too many carbs. I am lean and athletic like you and generally fast 20 to 22 hours a day. I understand that feeling you describe, that you want to eat even though you don’t feel really hungry. There is a lot of pressure in this community to fast and it’s why I’ve posted several questions about the efficacy of more frequent intermittent fasts, such as what I do, and longer less frequent extended fasts. I want to know if there’s truly a benefit to those longer fasts, but I can’t imagine going longer than 48 hours personally based on my body composition and activity level

(She had one feck to give and that feck is gone.) #3

First of all you are fasting! If you really want to reach a goal of a certain number of hours though maybe arrange your last meal so that the new goal will be reached while you are sleeping. So you reach 24 hours or whatever at your wake up time then you can eat immediately if you want.

(German Ketonian) #4

Thanks for your answers so far. I also have a fairly active lifestyle, around 15,000 steps a day due to walking/commuting. However, I don’t do much sports besides this. My maintenance calories are between 2,500-3,000 kcals a day.

I’ve heard that fat fasts might work for me because I only have around 30lbs of body fat and my body can only access a finite amount of body fat per day. Would you recommend a fast with BPC in my case?

(Karen) #5

Try something simpler. A fat fast.
Buy an 8 oz block of cream cheese. Eat an oz at 10 am. Then an oz at 11,12,1,2,3,4,5,6 pm
Repeat for 2 more days.

Or if you don’t like cream cheese you can do an egg fast.

K

(Katie) #6

Is it around your typical meal times that you want to eat? I have heard that this is chemical signals in the body that are used to getting your body to eat around those times, even if you are not hungry. Once that 2-hour (about) window passes, the urge/desire to eat also diminishes. This is what I have heard.

(Doug) #7

Kate, exactly right - we often become used to eating at certain times of the day, and hunger hormones increase in anticipation of that. They also increase and decrease in cycles throughout the day, regardless of normal meal times - usually about 8 times going up and down in total. A 2 hour cycle would fit very well there. For me, in practice, it’s only 10 or 15 minutes that I have to get through, before the peak is passed and I can just keep doing whatever else I’m doing, rather than thinking about food.

(charlie3) #8

I train skeletal muscles by lifting, heart and lungs with cardio, walking with–walking, and (little did I know) I’d be training my digestive system with nutrients and various feeding restrictions. I see them all as important and similar in the sense that training to higher performance takes time as in months and years, not days and weeks. I eased in to time restrictions with no snacks and skipping breakfast. The first week or two I caved early a couple of times but lately I’m bullet proof.

The way I look at it is I’m negotiating with my metabolism. I promise certain things in return for being pestered less. It seems to be working. The last few days I’m eating dinner earlier than usual yet feeling less hunger pangs the next morning before lunch. That’s progress. I also eat nothhing every Saturday and that’s getting easier too.

It takes time to strengthen muscles and the heart and it takes time to adjust to eating restrictions. Pushing to hard too fast is a battle you might lose.

(German Ketonian) #9

Great tips, thanks so much! I don’t know what the urge is that drives me to prematurely end the fast. Most of the times it’s a combination of hunger, appetite and just the pleasure of eating, I think… I will try the fat fast and ease into it more gently.

Is there concerns about slowing the metabolism by taking in fat? If you believe the 2-compartment idea of Jason Fung, then this should be a concern, right? Or is the insulinogenic response of pure fat really near zero, so that slowing the metabolism isn’t really something to worry about?

(German Ketonian) #10

Quick update: I feasted on fatty foods (6500+ kcals, 1 large meal, roughly 2 hour eating window) before now being 24 hours fasted without any hunger. On the contrary, I still feel sickly satisfied. Perhaps this meal has put me over the edge, finally! I plan to fast for another 48 hours at least.

(German Ketonian) #11

42 hours in and still ZERO hunger… Amazing!

(Alec) #12

See? Fasting is easy, and it gets easier. Hunger is the last of your problems. Just remember, first sign of not feeling great, end the fast, and start planning your next one! Don’t be a hero. Not necessary.
Cheers
Alec

(German Ketonian) #13

Thanks for the kind advice! I sincerely appreciate it! I am now 49 hours in and plan on eating my first small meal on hour 50 or so. Despite not being hungry, I think 50 hours is enough for now. I already dropped 3 pounds.

I plan on breaking the fast with light salad. Well, it’s not that light, consisting of lettuce and 115g cod liver (oil and organ) as dressing. This should give me 550kcals. I’ll have my big meal 3 hours thereafter. I hope my stomach stomachs it well so to speak.

(Alec) #14

You’ve got this well under control. Very good decision to stop at 50. Hunger is not a great reason to end a fast, it may just not happen! Take it easy, there is always the next fast! Mine’s tomorrow!

(German Ketonian) #15

I think that last fast of 50 hours did the trick. I had 3000+kcals and didn’t gain a gram of bodyweight. Currently again 20 hours fasted and no hunger at all. Seems like it’s like training a muscle. The resistance you feel gets less and you can increase the weight (or extending the fast/fast more often). Thanks for your support and advice in this everyone!

(German Ketonian) #16

Started my new 42 hour fast today. 18 hours in and hunger, weakness and lightheadedness creep in. I am very hydrated (roughly 5-6 liter per day) with saltwater and supplement potassium and magnesium. Any other advice?

(Alec) #17

Hunger? I wouldn’t worry. Barge through it.
Weakness? Depends on exactly what you mean. Are you about to pass out? If so, stop now.
Lightheadedness? I would stop right now. Fast another day.

(German Ketonian) #18

Weakness as in: My legs feel wobbly, as if I’ve went through leg exercises. I am also quite tired… light-headedness has subsided. Hunger has been quite strong for 3-4 hours.

(German Ketonian) #19

Pushed through all the way to hour 40 with water and black coffee only. I think I will break my fast soon, as I feel really tired. This morning around the hours 28-36, everthing was fine. No hunger or weakness. But now, I think my body wants fat.

(Alec) #20

Indulge it! :stuck_out_tongue: