How Low Should you Go?


(Cathy Schroder) #1

How low is too low for blood glucose levels when fasting? I am about 64 hours into what was going to be a three and a half day fast that I have been thinking about extending by one day. My blood glucose is moving between 3 and 3.4 (54 and 61.2), but in previous days has dropped lower in the afternoon/evening periods. I have had a little salt but feel a little lightheaded – nothing too extreme. At what point should I be concerned that my glucose level is too low?

My fasting insulin when tested about a fortnight ago was 5.6 (Australian measurement). A DEXA scan taken five days ago shows I have 34.6% body fat.


(Cathy Schroder) #2

I decided to end the fast as I wasn’t feeling the best. I ate 20g carbs, 50g of fat and 25 g protein. I have monitored my BGL and it peaked at 4.7 about 70 minutes after eating, and is dropping back towards the high threes now. Obviously the fast did me good as I normally level out at the low fives. Better luck next time!


#3

I cannot comment on the specifics of your bgl, but my humble advice in fasting regimens is go slow. Start with IF, skipping one meal a day, and then two. Then do 24 h, and then 48 h, 3 day, 4 day…and so on…with a week or two or three break in between. Learn how your body reacts, and give it time to adapt to going through durations of no food, just water/coffee/tea.

This strategy worked for me. I cannot say it is a strategy for everyone on earth…just sharing what worked for me. Hope you discover what works for you.


(Cathy Schroder) #4

Thanks. I have actually been intermittently fasting for some time. I’ve done several 24 hour fasts and a couple of days before. That’s why I was surprised that I couldn’t manage this. I’ll try again soon and if I get the same result I might need to add in some fat perhaps. C’est la vie.


(Athena Elliston) #5

I love this advice! Doing my first 24-48 hour fast after IF for a couple months.


(Cathy Schroder) #6

Good luck!


(Kathy Meyer) #7

I asked this question before as mine went into the 50’s when I was fasting.

The lows are dangerous for those who are taking insulin or other diabetic medications. I’m assuming that’s not you.

I’m not diabetic, and apparently it’s not dangerous, and can’t really go so low that you would pass out. I did up my salt intake, however, just to prevent any symptoms.


(Cathy Schroder) #8

Thanks Kathy

My GP said he was happy for it to get low and I didn’t worry too much until I saw it hit 3.0 (54) late morning. I was worried because on the previous two fasting days it dropped significantly in the afternoon and I was concerned that it would get below 50. I decided to end the fast as I was starting to feel a bit shaky, but I will try again in a week or so, but this time I will experiment with adding electrolytes as I suspect this may be the problem rather than my glucose. I certainly drank plenty (about 4 litres a day), so dehydration wasn’t an issue, and I am a former type 2 diabetic with no medication. If the electrolytes don’t help next time I will have a third try and supplement with fat. I’m determined to conquer this!


(Stephanie Hanson) #9

I was successful with a 7 day fast in June and then struggled with doing EF for awhile. Today I’m in my 4th day and doing fine. I suspect there are just so many variables that effect our bodies and minds that EF responds to.


(Marc Blythe) #10

I’ve seen 3.3 (60) BGL, which is low for me and had me worried, but I had 2.7 ketones at the same time, maybe you add the BGL and the ketones together ? :+1:


(Kim Geller) #11

I was listening to a Fung podcast today, and Dr. Fung addressed this. He said he was more concerned about symptoms, as opposed to bgl’s, and pointed out that some folks could have really low bgl’s and be asymptomatic. So the takeaway was…if you feel good, keep going.


(Cathy Schroder) #12

Thanks Kim. I stopped the fast a couple of hours after writing this because I started to feel pretty weak. Up until that point I felt amazing. I’m looking forward to having another try at some point!


(Bacon for the Win) #13

I know I’m late to the party here…but this thread popped up for me today. I’ve been asymptomatic at 50 - 55, and I’ve also been symptomatic at 55. I’ve learned not to treat the numbers but to look to them for confirmation of how I’m feeling. Last week I was 44. It was 5 or 6AM and I was at work. Physically I felt fine, but then I noticed I was having trouble making coherent sentences. I had nothing with me and I absolutely refuse to eat hospital garbage food. I was fine and went home and ate breakfast after fasting for 41 hours.