How does bone broth or fat fast differ from low calorie diet?

(Sandra) #1

Hi All,

Was hoping someone would be able to help me with this question that has been on my mind about fasting and having either bone broth or some fat intake.

From reading and watching Dr. Fung on fasting I understand that fasting is different to low calorie diets because total fasting allows the body to rest and for autophagy to happen. Whereas low calorie diets cause our body to think we are in starvation mode and lower our metabolism.

So when we have bone broth or fats during fasting, why doesn’t the body have the same reaction as low calorie diets? Is it because having bone broth and fats reacts differently than eating other foods?

Would love to understand this more. Thanks in advance!

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #2

Because people are fat adapted.

(Carl Keller) #3

Hello Sandybabii.

You can prevent going into starvation mode by being fat adapted. This means that your body knows how to use your body fat for fuel when in the absence of food. This can go on for days at a time and your metabolism can even increase during the fasting process. It sounds crazy but it’s been measured in studies and I like to think, when put this into a caveman concept, that this is your body’s way of motivating you to go hunt something down so you can eat. We probably would not have survived for 200,000 years if every time we went a few days without food, we started feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

Getting fat adapted requires us to keep carbs low while eating mostly fat with moderate protein. The more we do this, the better our bodies become at using fat for fuel. A month or two into this way of eating, most people’s bodies become good at doing this. That’s when they can do these extended fasts without suffering metabolic slowdown.

#4

As mentioned above, fat adaptation.

On top of that, people on low-calorie diets tend to eat frequent meals throughout the deal to satisfy their hunger, usually three meals and two or three snacks. This keeps insulin elevated, never allowing the body to access its fat stores, so the body reacts by sending more hunger signals and when that isn’t satisfied, it goes into metabolic slowdown to conserve energy.

(Sandra) #5

Oh I see, so because the body has adapted to using ketones. So other than the calories from broth or fat, it will make up for the rest by using ketones.

Thanks everyone for clarifying this for me :grin:

(Robert C) #6

A fat fast isn’t so well defined in terms of calories so, I’ll leave that alone.

A bone broth fast (less than 100 calories a day of bone broth) is simply too low of a calorie count for your body to try to adapt to.

You do not have to be fat adapted to do a bone broth fast (but it will probably help as you might start burning body fat quicker).

There are Youtube videos about “what breaks a fast” but they never get to this issue. What is the amount of calories (and also probably depends a little on macro breakdown) that tempts the body away from its fasting adaptations (increase HGH, burn body fat etc.) and toward metabolic slowdown (just another adaptation)?

Of course, it will be different for a 5-foot-nothing female and a 6-foot-4 male but, it seems like there would be a formula. People have ruined their metabolism going from 2500 to 2000 to1500 and then down to 1200. But, a 6-foot large male dropping to just 300 calories per day - probably will only have fasting adaptations.

In fact, I think anyone could eat 100 calories of just about anything (even candy) and still have only fasting adaptation (of course they would be missing the salts from the bone broth - very important for EF).

(Sandra) #7

Thanks for the response, that helps me understand.

if I added Nutraorganics collagen powder to my broth would that be ok? it’s 200kj per serving.
Protein - 11.8g
Fat - 0g
Carb - 0g
Sodium - 60mg
Vit C - 30mg
Silica - 98.2mg
Zinc - 1.95mg

Would the broth already have enough of the nutrients that I don’t really need the collagen powder anyway?

Thanks!

(Robert C) #8

I am not a doctor or anything but, bone broth is used by a lot of people because it already has everything you need for fasting (unless you want autophagy - then you would only want the electrolytes).

So, I would think bone broth would be enough (if it is real - not just a flavor cube mixed up in water).