I'm confused about what people consider to be "fasting"

(Sarah ) #1

I’ve kinda wrapped my head around the use of the term “fasting” to mean a few hours of not eating, but I’m really confused by people who say they’re fasting but still list out the things they’ve been eating and drinking (things that clearly contain digestible nutrients, and plenty of calories, ie not water, or flavored water like coffee or tea.) I was at the store the other day and a couple of people were looking through the flavored, heavily sweetened creamers (organic, all natural though) and discussing which to use for their fasting periods.

Totally confused. Please don’t refer me to Jason Fung or whoever. I want to hear from real life regular people, especially those who have incorporated some type of fasting into their lifestyle.

(Allie) #2

It means different things to different people, and there are different ways of doing it depending on goals.

(Renee Slaughter) #3

I fast regularly. I do drink a fatty coffee hwc and butter. The idea of a fatty coffee for me is to start my day. This coffee does not raise insulin. I do not use sugar or sweeteners. Depending on your goals this is acceptable. Some fast with black coffee. Some fast with water only. I’m still fairly new to extended fasting and I am not completely fat adapted yet. I have lost fat despite my 200 calorie coffee. Water only fast are in my future. No hard and fast rules. Fasting is flexible.

(Bunny) #4

It is in the way of thinking about this:

‘If I don’t eat anything at all then I will get X-result?’

‘If I eat something while fasting I will get Y-result?’

‘If I spike a little insulin (e.g. consuming protein stimulates glucagon production and uptake into the liver even when fasting further stimulating autophagy) then, oooh that’s bad?..etc. Not taking into account hepatic insulin clearing speeds, GTF and omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratios?

Nutritional Considerations (…and other possible trace minerals, elements & vitamin defeciencies?):

  1. Body Fat?

  2. Muscle Mass?

  3. Weight?

You have to really understand the physiological processes to understand what is actually occurring!

Simply being in Ketosis is already a fasting homeostatic metabolic state; meaning the body is already in differential stages of autophagy with the benefits of losing weight etc…

i.e. The Dead Horse Syndrome

That is why I see Extended Fasting EF as a waste of time unless for genuine medical reasons.

…and see Intermittent Fasting IF (2, 3 or 4 days max) as reasonable or slowly cutting out meals over a period of time from three (3) meal to two (2) meals to one (1) a day preferably dinner to get into ketosis then back to three or two meals over a period of time once metabolic fitness improves!

That’s just my opinion from extensively researching the subject and fasting myself with EF and IF!

(Karl) #5

To me, it’s a period where you don’t consume calories. We’ve been fasting as a species (both intentionally and unintentionally) for as long as we’ve roamed the earth.

But yeah, it gets really confusing when people say “X breaks a fast” or “Y doesn’t break a fast.” I think for the context of Keto/Nutrition/Diet in general, fasting really kind of means “A period where you restrict calories to the point where certain physiological stuff happens.” I know it’s vague, but I guess it kind of has to be since the physiological changes that happen with fasting aren’t really well understood by science (yet).

Ultimately all we really know at a high level is that starving mice in a lab live longer than the fed ones. Fung’s pointed out that certain other good stuff happens with fasting - and that’s great - but the “why” hasn’t really been explained by science. “Autophagy” is the term most people use when they describe the physiological changes that fasting induces - but science hasn’t been able to explain how fasting gets you from point A (not eating) to point B (autophagy) - just that it happens.

(matt ) #6

Also keep in mind that some thin people cannot fast without supplementing with dietary fat. They call it a fat fast.

(Robert Hollinger) #7

also fat fasting helps for people that either are not fat adapted or just not used to fasting yet. Megan Ramos says try to keep the fat calories (also total calories) to under 300. obviously that will be different for different people and that wasn’t stated in terms of a percentage of resting metabolic rate, but a general guideline. She also recommended that if you are doing IF and not a 3+ day EF to try to stick to zero calories during your fasting window.

I was doing BPC for most of my EFs at least in the first couple of days but the last time around I went to just HWC cutting way back on the calories. That EF turned into 22/2 IF days because I started feeling really bad by the end of the day.

(Garry (Canada)) #8

To me, the term “fast/fasting” is minimum 14 straight hours without any nutrient intake.
If the normal person has dinner at 6pm and breakfast the next morning at 6am, that is not fasting.
Anyways…that what it means to me.

(Sarah ) #9

That been my assumption too. I’m surprised that the consensus I’m seeing in keto world, is very different.

(Liz ) #11

Some folks use fats and broth as crutches to get through fasting periods while they work up to water fasting. Not everyone jumps into water fasting immediately (raises hand).

(Robert Hollinger) #12

also remember that many do religious fasts that are sun up to sun down. that’s usually much less than 14 hours.

(Rob) #13

Fasting glossary:

The first 2 are timing categories, the others are types…

  1. Intermittent Fast - 16-24 hrs (dry/water/coffee) combined with 2MAD or OMAD

  2. Extended fast - 24hr+ using any of 1-4 strategies

  3. Dry fast - nothing, not even water (18-24hr) 2-3 days ultra-max

  4. Water Fast - water and electrolytes (anything up to 40 days from experience here)

  5. Fat Fast - supplementing with fat to keep ticking over (usually for leaner fasters) could be one BPC or more fat

  6. XYZ fast - where you just eat XYZ food e.g. just bacon or just eggs etc. (3-30 days)

  7. Accidental Fast - skipping meals because you are not hungry and finding you are fasting (IF or EF) without intention

  8. Religious Fast - could be IF or EF depending on relevant mythologies

  9. Fake fast - where you just tell people you are fasting to avoid eating some carbage

  10. Imaginary Fast - what a carb burner thinks they’ve done after three hours without food

  11. Fast Fast - doing any of the above but only while running or driving

  12. Slow Fast - doing any of the above while doing a movie slow-mo walk or run (a la Reservoir Dogs or Baywatch)

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Stuck at a Plateau
#14

I am scared to even drink (unsweetened) flavored water when I fast, but I understand why other people consume small amounts of low glycemic items during fasting.

(Justin Cain Hoffman ) #15

LMAO Cap’n!!!:joy::joy::joy:

(Paula Green) #16

Excellent round up of the different fasts.

numbers 9 onwards put a smile on my face this morning - thank you

(bulkbiker) #17

number 8 made me laugh out loud… excellent…