How long before I try EF?

(Melissa Z) #1

Just started Keto about 2 weeks ago. It’s going well. No cheating, feeling satisfied, scale is going down. I’ve been doing IF and was wondering how long before you would recommend longer fasting?

(Cindy) #2

You’re probably not fat-adapted yet, so some will tell you that you should wait. I think you should try it when you feel like trying it, but also, for the right reasons. If you’re wanting to fast just to try to hurry along weight loss or something, probably not a good idea. If you’re not hungry and want to see what it would feel like to do a longer fast, then try it. But be ready to end it if you’re just not “feeling it.”

(Shane) #3

I was doing IF/EF first. And it was the effectiveness of that made me try keto, otherwise I would not have made the change. Even then it was mainly to bypass the first day or so of reducing my BG on an EF. I may have started my next EF a few hours ago. I’ll see how I feel about that tomorrow when I would normally have my first meal.

#4

I really want to be sure I’m burning fat so I’m waiting at least 8 weeks from my start. I’m thinking about joining the zornfast in March so I have company and support.

(Carl Keller) #5

I would just skip breakfast and lunch like you are doing normal IF and see how you feel at dinner time. Maybe one day you don’t feel particularly hungry and you can just go with it.

(Shane) #6

That’s pretty much what I just did. I didn’t feel like breakfast until 3pm yesterday, 2 hours later I ate everything in the fridge that would spoil (not actually that much) if I decided to do an EF. That was 24 hours ago and haven’t eaten since.
Wasn’t hungry earlier, so skipped breakfast. It’s now dinner time and I’m skipping that.
My BG was 4.2 (75) before which should mean my body is in fasting mode and I just stay on auto pilot now until I decide to start eating again. All you’ve got to lose by giving it a try is kilos.

(Windmill Tilter) #7

Great question! It really depends. If it’s for religious or cultural reasons, there is no reason you can’t start today. If you’d like to start a quarterly fasting schedule to get the benefits of autophagy, a good rule of thumb is 4-6 weeks of clean, strict keto. If it’s for the purposes of addressing type2 diabetes or another pressing health issue, 3-4 weeks is probably optimal. If you’re doing it primarily for weight-loss purposes, DonQ’s EF Periodization Formula is simple, elegant and surprisingly accurate:

             **DonQ's EF Periodization Formula**

Number of Weeks on Keto Prior to EF= 1/bodyfat%^2

Examples:

60% Bodyfat 1/.6 = 3 weeks
50% Bodyfat: 1/.5^2 = 4 weeks
40% Bodyfat: 1/.4^2 = 6 weeks
30% Bodyfat: 1/.3^2 = 11 weeks
25% Bodyfat: 1/.25^2= 16 weeks
20% Bodyfat: 1/.2^2= 25 weeks
10% Bodyfat: 1/.1^2= 100 weeks
5% Bodyfat = 1/.05^2= 400 weeks

#8

I’ve only been eating keto earnestly for about 3 weeks now and I started this week doing 24hr fasts because I woke up one day and didn’t feel hungry and decided what the heck? I did one Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I stopped eating at dinner the night before and didn’t eat again til dinner that day. Monday and Friday were easy-peasy, Wednesday I ate a bit a couple hours early because I wasn’t quite feeling it. So just listen to your body. You can always start one, if it isn’t going as well as you’d like, you can stop early and try again later. There are a lot of opinions but the consistent theme I see in here is that listening to your body is the best way to go :slight_smile:

(Melissa Z) #9

So, did it! I did my first EF. I made it 36 hours! I’m really proud of myself! I probably could have gone longer if I would have prepared by having electrolyte supplements on hand. I’m going to try and fast once a week and would eventually like to make it to 48 hours. I’m fascinated my autophagy and look forward to experiencing the benefits of fasting :grin: