Is fasting really necessary?


(Jessica A) #1

I keep getting feeling this pressure to do IF in order to succeed with keto. That’s all in my head right? I suppose I’m just worried that if I choose not to fast my weight loss efforts will be in vain even while I stick to the fundamentals of ketogenic eating.

I definitely understand all the wonderful benefits of IF, but fasting for 12ish hours is not doing nothing either, right? I’m very hard pressed to give up my morning BPC (black coffee is still gross on my palate), and with how my schedule goes 8pm is a suitable cut off time.

Now that a whole month is gone, I’m feeling awesome and have lost 10 lbs, which is probably better than I think it is. So what I’m thinking is that I should keep doing what I’m doing because it’s obviously working. I feel so much more confident now that I am fat adapted. My hunger is SO much less than it was 2 weeks ago.

What do you think?


(TJ Borden) #2

Short answer: No, fasting is not necessary for Keto.

Less short answer: Although not necessary for keto, intermittent fasting is a great tool for helping to reverse insulin resistance. It can also help accelerate weight loss. You shouldn’t give into pressure. Fasting generally come naturally. My wife started keto about 3 months ago. Although she’s been nothing but supportive of my keto and fasting journey, she swore when she started that she would NEVER fast.

This week she fasted for about 30 hours. Not because she changed her mind, she just wasn’t hungry. She was so amazed, and were it not for seeing me do several multi day fasts, she would have been worried.

Fasting is a important keto adjunct tool for many. Unfortunately it ends up coming across as something everyone NEEDS to do, and it’s not.

Depending on your goals, you may find it valuable down the road as well, but no, it’s not a required element of keto.


(LeeAnn Brooks) #3

I don’t believe it’s necessary, but many find it useful for breaking stalls.

The other thing is it’s sort of a natural progression of Keto simply because the hunger signals start to become further and further spaced, so peoplejust find it better to only eat when hungry.


#4

KCKO. i wouldn’t worry about fasting. It may come naturally later, but you’re not wasting anything by fasting or not. To quote Dr Fung “if you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, don’t eat”.

–J from mobile


(Lisa F) #5

I see it as a tool in the toolbox to pull out if I need to change things up. First I went from LCHF to Keto and only recently added fasting after 3 years in and an 80 lb weight loss. I realized I was still struggling with insulin resistance and it seemed the right next step.

So definitely not necessary!


(Brian) #6

It’s not something to fret over, Jessica. You may naturally come to a time in your keto journey when you’re just not hungry. That might be a good opportunity to try out a short fast. But right now, you don’t need to feel even a tiny bit guilty for not fasting.
I fasted this morning. It wasn’t planned. I just got up this morning and wasn’t hungry. So I had a 24 hour fast, pretty much with zero effort. But all I did was listen to what my body said. I didn’t tell it not to be hungry. I just listened. I don’t fast all that often, no regular schedule or anything. I just go with the flow.


(Pete A) #7

You don’t have to fast ever. I don’t (except overnight and between meals), and at this point in time, I won’t.

Nothing comes between me and my next meal! :grinning:

Yes, all in your head…

Good luck!


#8

I gave up on fasting. It’s no fun and I tend to lose more weight when I’m eating regularly.


(Alec) #9

Jessica
Sounds like your current regime is working a treat. Why change it? Fasting is good if you want to step on the gas a bit, but as others have said, it doesn’t work for everyone.

I came to keto after doing IF for 6 months. I wish I had done keto first and fasting second. It would have been easier! But I didn’t know what I didn’t know!

KCKO, stick to what you know is working for you.
Cheers
Alec


(karen) #10

I’m thinking if you lost 10 pounds in a month without any kind of fast, you have hit on a formula that works for you. As long as it keeps working, why mess with success? KCKO.


(Cindy) #11

I don’t fast. The last time I tried, I ended up sick as a dog with a 104 degree fever. Every time I try I get sick. I think my immune system can’t handle it. I weigh 115 and keep my weight right there without fasting, just doing keto. I do try to change up my window of eating sometimes - eat my last meal a couple of hours earlier than usual one day, or eat breakfast a couple of hours later, so my overnight fasting hours are longer. But that’s all I do in the fasting department and it works for me.


(Alec) #12

I would not recommend fasting to anyone weighing 115lbs. You simply don’t need it.
Cheers
Alec


(Jessica A) #13

Thanks! This is what I’m starting wonder myself. Two weeks ago I was feeling much more confused and progress felt slow despite the very short time frame. Looking at transformation pictures on Insta is tough because often those pictures are several months of progress and something to potentially look forward to, but not immediate comparison.

Frankly I don’t know why I’m in such a rush to lose weight. I just bought two pairs of expensive pants lol :sweat_smile:

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. As helpful as the forum and FB groups are, sometimes it’s hard to make your own way when reading about what everyone else is doing :stuck_out_tongue:


(Cindy) #14

Thank you for that, Alec! I’ve been worried because I couldn’t make it work for me. But my body clearly doesn’t like it, so you must be right.


(Alec) #15

Jessica
I fundamentally believe this. I have said this before elsewhere: this WOE seems different to me than the other diets I have been on. This is not a diet. This is for life and it’s a way of life. Therefore there is no rush. We’ve got the rest of our lives to get it right.

And I am with you on the clothes… I have given up buying new clothes as I drop the weight, each time I buy some clothes they don’t fit within 2 months! I bought 2 pairs of tightish fitting trousers (pants to you!:rofl:), and now I have to donate them as they literally fall off me, and when I where them with a belt, I get continually told I need to buy some new clothes because they are so baggy! Oh, first world keto problems!! :laughing:

KCKO!
Cheers
Alec


(Urmi) #16

But if I don’t feel like going 24 or 36 (or more!!) hours without food, does that mean I’m not fat adapted?


(Empress of the Unexpected) #17

I cannot tell. I am ten months in and totally unable to skip a meal. Maybe, sometimes, but hungry in general.


(Robert C) #18

I do not know if you are fat adapted or not but if you cannot relatively easily skip breakfast every day for a week, probably not (unless you are already very thin).

24 and 36 hour fasts are for weight loss if you happen to want to go below where keto naturally plateaus for you. And, you might just go back up to the natural keto plateau weight without maintenance.

But, if an extended fast every other week or once a month gives you the look you want, why not? It is not only safe but provokes a lot of healthy responses from the body (and some would argue increases both health-span and life-span).


(Urmi) #19

I’m easily able to skip breakfast. I just completed my first 42hour fast yesterday. I’m all for it for the wonderful benefits, but I don’t want to feel pressure to fast in order for keto to work for me. I ate ~30 carbs/ day per my macro allotment for 3.5 weeks and didn’t shift any real weight. Learned on this forum over the weekend that I probably need to drop to 20g net carbs, which I’ve done since Sunday. Did that 42hr fast as well, and still no change. I’m trying to be patient.


(Robert C) #20

I think it is great that you are dropping carbs further. Good advice on net carbs I have heard is to count net carbs only on real food (broccoli, spinach etc.) and never from labels on manufactured foods (if they are really necessary - count their total carbs to avoid the label games and to penalize yourself for eating fake food).

I am not sure what you mean by “pressure” - I think it would all be internal pressure. Once you’ve plateaued on keto and cannot lose any more (after this carb drop and having measured blood ketones to ensure you are always well into ketosis) - you’ll be at some weight that is either acceptable to you, or not acceptable (which is where the internal pressure will come from).

Regular fasting to maintain yet-a-lower-desired-weight is one lever to pull but others include exercise (if it doesn’t mess other things up), dialing in sleep and lowering stress.