JANUARY 2019 IF/EF Chat ALL WELCOME

(Bob M) #81

I saw one question and answer session where Dr. Fung said that getting cold was caused by not feasting enough on the eating days. I find that hard to believe, as I eat ad libitum (all I want) on feasting days. Now, I don’t eat more than I want, but I eat until I’m full.

I’ve seen others suggest that getting cold is good, others suggesting it’s a decrease in metabolic rate (which I assume is bad), and others who just power through it.

Unfortunately, I don’t get the same response every time. I was able to fast 4.5 days just a month or so ago, without too much trouble. And this time, I couldn’t, and part of the reason is my getting cold. Now, the weather where I am has turned much colder, so maybe that affects it.

#82

I’m trying out fasting - eating breakfast around 7am, then skipping lunch and only eating dinner around 6-7pm. Has anyone else tried this pattern? Is it worthwhile or do I need to fast for longer?

(Doug) #83

4 days in the bag, yeah baby.

(Allie) #84

Definitely does for me. Fasting is so much easier in summer. Last year everyone around me was complaining about the heat and I felt just fine :joy:

(Doug) #85

The heat thing again - woke up this morning at 0500, hot, like slightly feverish. Especially my feet - couldn’t stand to have them under the covers nor touching each other. The room was 67 F or 19 C. This was 4.5 days fasted - Dr. Fung says the average metabolism increases by 13% after 4 days of fasting, due to more norepinephrine being secreted. I believe it - there was definitely something going on.

Just tested my blood sugar. 90 mg/dl or 5.0 mmol/L. Not as low as one would hope for, at 3 in the afternoon and after fasting for almost 5 days, but I’ll take it.

#86

Going through some very stressful things recently that had a noticeable negative effect on my blood sugar (no change in eating habits or any other typical variables so I put it down to cortisol). I’m using EF as a tool to try and keep blood sugar low and stable while all this is happening and to keep me somewhat calm.

44 hours in on this round and it really is working. Current blood sugar at 8am after being up three hours is 69. In the past few days I’ve calmed down a lot from where I was earlier in the week (although I can’t attribute that entirely to fasting, it could also just be me mentally aligning with what’s going on).

(Central Florida Bob ) #87

Haven’t posted on one of these threads since October, I think, because I had been doing alternate day fasts from the end of June until early November and knocked off for a couple of reasons.

First: it seemed like it was no longer working. I couldn’t tell if I was losing weight but that could partly be because I had extended my cycling to longer rides and I’m pretty sure I was building muscle. I can certainly tell my rides are getting faster, which says I’m getting stronger, and I can see musculature in my legs that was long gone, but 6 pounds of muscle? 8 pounds?

Second: the diarrhea problem. Always on the day I was ending my fast (I’d end at 42-ish hours). Some days were downright unpleasant. Not to mention very painful. Not to mention … never mind. I won’t mention that. No matter what sort of electrolyte cocktail I came up with, I never fully escaped that.

Long story shortened, I’m at hour 66 of a planned 112-114 hour fast (from dinner Sunday night until brunch on Friday). This is now the longest I’ve ever fasted. Having some herbal tea and I feel fine. Just got back from my every-other-day 13 mile bike ride and I feel fine while riding.

I didn’t eat carbs over the holidays. The big day dinners were good and low carb. I had a slice of low carb cheesecake once and made a mug cake once. Also made a mug muffin for a sandwich once. No fat bombs, no keto cookies or anything like that. Yet I seemed to steadily gain weight, and like @goldwingnut said, I ain’t going back!

When I was sure I was losing (and I had broken a stall that lasted over a year) but before I started riding farther and harder, I got down to 197. Last week it was 207, although the Tanita bodyfat scale said my %BF was down. An extra 2% is about an extra 4 pounds, so the best I can say is that I went from 197 to 203 - a gain of 6 pounds. It’s time to start fasting or something to stop that weight gain.

I’m searching for a way to get back to losing and since ADF seemed to stop working, I either try that again to see if taking a two month break solves things, or try different length fasts. Any suggestions?

(John) #88

I’ve only done a few 1-day fasts since I started. Seems to be averaging about 1 per month. Couple of 24s, a 30, and a 36. Other than the 36, none of them were really planned in advance - just had busy days with no time for meals.

I guess it’s time for my fast of the month today. I haven’t had breakfast or lunch so if I skip dinner that’ll be 36. No real reason to - my weight loss has been good recently. But it seems to help keep the “willpower muscle” firm and toned every once in a while.

(John) #89

36-hour fast completed. Kinda tired and have a slight headache. Had some [spoiler]almond milk[/spoiler] and [spoiler]a few walnuts[/spoiler] with my morning coffee and will make some [spoiler]breakfast[/spoiler] shortly.

(Jane) #90

Disturbing to hear long term ketoers starting to gain weight even though still eating LCHF.

I hope the longer EF “resets” you weight setpoint and you can get back to a stable weight that you are happy with.

(Jane) #91

11 hours into a short 36-hr fast. Will break it tomorrow with some [spoiler]spicy Thai food[/spoiler]. Drinking my black salted coffee.

#92

@Janie I agree. That disturbs me too.

I’m actually UP a little from my all time low, and I don’t like it…not one bit.

Maintenance is just pretty hard, I guess.

I’m just over 80 hours into an Extended Fast, and for the first time in months, I haven’t needed to augment my fasting caloric requirements with healthy fats.

See, I generally do what I call a “Dirty Fast” which for me, adds a little [spoiler]CREAM in my coffee[/spoiler], about 3 times a day. But this one has been Water Only.

I’ve had difficulty getting beyond a couple of days on a Water Only fast since I hit my goal weight of 185 14 months ago. I’m now 173, but had hit 163 in a deeply fasted state.

I’d like to stay under 170. I used to weigh 333. (Yikes!)

(Central Florida Bob ) #93

@Janie, @goldwingnut - it disturbs me, too! I wasn’t trying for maintenance, it just seemed to barge into my life and impose itself on me.

@goldwingnut, I’m in the last day of my 5 day fast. I have coffee with HWC, two mugs in the morning. On my alternate day fasts, I always used to take about half a tablespoon of butter once a day with my daily prescriptions to prevent stomach upset. This time I’ve been having a mug of chicken bullion with that butter. The label says there’s 5 calories in the bullion - the butter adds many times that - 50 calories?

(Jane) #94

15 hours in on a 36-hr fast.

BG: 88
BK: 2.0
GKI: 2.44

(Jane) #95

This morning my husband said he would handle dinner. I said I would do the dishes.

We are both water fasting today :rofl:

(Jane) #96

19 1/2 hours in. Changing the sconce lights down our stairway to the basement to keep busy.

BG: 89
BK: 2.6
GKI: 1.9

Glad to see my GKI under 2. I can’t get it under 1 unless I do multiple days of fasting. Maybe next week when I am in Ft Worth.

(Jane) #97

Almost 24 hours in and headed to bed in a bit.

BG: 68 :star_struck:
BK: 2.7
GKI: 1.4

Hopefully getting some good autophagy started now.

KCFO

(Jay Henry) #98

What’s the easiest way to step from 16:8 to an EF?

I have been doing 16:8 & 18:6 now for 2 weeks fairly easy though find myself fairly hungry at lunch time.

Does anyone have any tips on how to have a crack at a 36 or 42 hour EF?

My primary goal is weight loss (wanting to loose around 25kg / 55lb)

(Jane) #99

How long have you been doing keto?

The easiest way to 36-hr fast is skip a day of eating. If you break your fast in the morning of the next day then you’ve done a 36-hr fast. If you can make it to lunch then 42 hours.

You have enough fat on board that it shouldn’t be a problem once far-adapted. Then it’s just a mental game. And being able to ignore MILD hunger pangs.

(Jay Henry) #100

I started keto the same time as IF (2 weeks ago)