JUNE 2021 IF/EF Chat Thread (All Welcome)


(Jane) #1

Starting a new thread for June since I am beginning a 36-hr fast after supper.

KCFO


MAY 2021 IF/EF Chat Thread (All Welcome)
#2

Thanks, Jane. I actually just started a new Fast today after a large OMAD earlier. I even forgot it was June already! :slight_smile:

Just over 4 hrs. presently, but I’m also planning on taking this one a bit too, pending no unforeseen circumstances arise of course. … Happy Fasting Folks. :+1:


(Laurie) #3

Still doing mostly okay on 2 meals a day (intermittent fasting 18/6). However, with traveling and the aftermath of traveling, I’ve sometimes been having a third meal. That’s not too surprising; I often feel like having a third meal when I feel slightly tired or run down. I’m not sure whether it’s “stress eating” or legitimate hunger. Oh well, it’s way better than the way I used to eat!


(KCKO, KCFO) #4

Thanks Janie. I was looking to see if we needed one.

Happy Fasting.


(Jane) #5

18 hrs in and feeling fine and not particularly hungry. Had a wave of hunger mid-morning that I took care of with some pink rock salt.


#6

Things got better in the last days, sometimes I almost pull out an OMAD day :smiley: I still have some bites outside but a carnivore meal is sometimes too tiny for me. Why 2 extra bites matter, I don’t know but it does.

My new plan is skipping lunch if possible (or making it super light and low-fat? if that is something I can pull off). It can’t happen every day and it’s fine but I simply can’t afford all the fat coming with even my carnivore TMAD nowadays, I actually plan to lose fat at some point… That’s why I went keto quite a few years to begin with… And stayed for other things, not like keto gave me much before carnivore but fat adaptation was cool…

Of course eating whatever and whenever I want is basic, I won’t go against that. I merely have good circumstances now (my SO working late on some days, I simply don’t eat until 6:30pm then, it was easy today) and I can guide/train myself a little bit… Determination helps too, always did.

Longer fasts don’t seem a good idea, maybe a bit later. I don’t often get hungry (without eating first) but I do feel I need frequent feeding.
But it would be really nice to do some 40-48 hour fast in this month already…


(Jane) #7

22 hrs in and passed last “meal time” which is when I usually have a wave or two of hunger.

Was an easy fast this time. Now just need to go another couple of hours, sleep and then will break in the morning with my regular coffee with stevia, cream and a tsp of butter. Will wait until lunch to actually eat. So for the strictest here - 36 hr fast, for the less rule-bound a 40 hr fast :wink:


#8

Currently at 47 hrs. - Still unsure if I will be eating tonight? Told the Wife if I decide to, I’ll let her know when I get home from work. Would put me around 52 hrs. if I do, or I’ll just wait until tomorrow night?

EDIT: to add, I broke at 51 hrs.


(James Hare) #9

I just started keto about 3 or 4weeks ago and i swear im already fat adapted . I only eat once a day for the past 2 days and don’t feel any hunger at all. But im worried cuz I’m a diabetic and how long should i go before i HAVE TO eat,…oh and i don’t know how to post on here only reply


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #10

If you don’t eat, at some point, you will start to experience hunger pangs. Your body has no desire to starve to death, and I am pretty sure that you will get hungry long before you start to look like an inmate of a Nazi concentration camp. How much excess fat do you need to shed? If it is a lot, you may well not feel hungry for some time.

The current Guiness record for fasting is 382 days. The patient was a Glaswegian by the name of Angus Barbieri, who was grossly overweight at the beginning of his fast. (On admission, he weighed 207 kg/456 lb.) After an initial period in hospital, his doctors wanted him to start eating again, and he persuaded them to allow him to continue fasting, on condition that he report in weekly for blood tests, and that he take a daily vitamin and electrolyte supplement. You can read about Mr. Barbieri’s case on Wikipedia, or in the case report, published by W. K. Stewart, M.D., and Laura W. Fleming, B.Sc., in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (March 1973), under the title, “Features of a successful therapeutic fast of 382 days’ duration.”


(Erika Mills) #11

I am starting a 4 day right now!


(James Hare) #12

I think I weigh around 350, no scale thanks by the way


#13

Not being that familiar with Diabetes overall, I can’t say much on that subject, and wouldn’t want to speculate. - I would suggest maybe speaking with a Doctor who is well versed with Keto and Fasting to provide insight on any possible risk that comes with being a Diabetic and performing Fasting. Or maybe some of the other users on here that might also be Diabetic could share their knowledge on it?

But as far as Fasting itself goes, yes, it’s possible you could be fat adapted. It’s different for everyone. Or you could be like me, and simply be used to not eating many meals even before I went Keto. I think this helped me quite a bit since I was already used to not eating many meals, but being fat adapted & switching over to this WOE also helped since it helps take the hunger away even more. But I found it quite easy because of this, and personally think Fasting shouldn’t be a struggle or something you have to push to make it happen. So it should feel more natural to do so, and definitely listen to your body.

(Disclaimer:) This is only my personal opinion on the subject and is in no way the only way to Fast. A lot of folks do Fasting ‘their’ way. Some take in supplements to help them whilst Fasting, like broth, or drink Coffee with Cream, etc. (These to me are still Fasting, but more like Fasting variations. Again, just my opinion) … But for me, I personally like to water Fast. I see this as true Fasting since any caloric intake can break a Fast, and this is just the way I like to do it. I think if I want to Fast, I want to reap all of the benefits I can from the Fasting, such as autophagy. So this means taking in only water for me.

I actually started Extended Fasting myself, not 5 weeks in, when I was simply not hungry & chose not to eat till the next day. I was already doing OMAD most the time, so skipping additional melas felt natural and not forced at all. And I’ve been fortunate in that it’s never been an issue or struggle for me to Fast. I hardly ever get hungry, most times will simply break my Fast just because I start missing eating a nice meal. I found myself doing 3+ days before I was two months into this WOE, and seem to be able to do this any time I wanted. But I did also set a self-imposed limit of 5 days (120 hrs.) even before I started doing Extended Fasting. There is no rhyme or reason for this, other than I just didn’t feel I would have the need to extend beyond this. Plus, I really don’t like Fasting on weekends, since it allows more time to work on new recipes, and make nice meals. So most of my 5 day Fast start after Sunday dinner and runs through the weekdays, which I find works well for me. I would rather not eat during work days too.

Lastly, I don’t like to put limits or have targeted timeframes for Fasting these days. Sure, when I started years ago I would decide ok, I will do a 2, 3, 4 or 5 day, etc. Hit the mark I was shooting for & then eat. - But nowadays, I just Fast when I feel like it, and break it in the same manner. (To me, this helps keep the system guessing, which I personally feel is a big part of Keto.) Be it the number of meals, times of eating, etc. I don’t like to do anything that resembles a schedule. You would be surprised just how easy you body will adjust to a scheduled function. So whether you’re Fasting or simply doing OMAD, TMAD, etc. … the one thing you don’t want to do, is snack. (Be it solid or liquid form) Any caloric intake spikes insulin, and this is what we try to avoid, especially if you’re shooting for Autophagy and maximize any weight loss. But ALWAYS listen to your body. It knows way more than we do. :+1:


#14

I fasted easier before fat adaptation, actually, I don’t know why. I had days when I didn’t felt any desire to eat. I never have them now. But I can wait when hungry sometimes unlike before. So I get hungry every day unlike in the past but when I am already hungry and just hungry, without weakness or something, it’s easier to tolerate it? Or just rarely? I am uncertain as I typically immediately eat when I experience the slightest hunger but often don’t wait for that.

But I looked into the window last week and saw myself scantily clad… Now I am a bit more determined to do longer fasts :slight_smile: I really plan to eat only when I can’t avoid it. And focus on anything else but food… My food addiction should get smaller anyway.

And I really do my best on Mondays when it’s easiest to fast after the weekend (especially if I happened to eat more than a few carbs, not like I plan to do that in the future but it happens now and then) and my SO doesn’t even come home for lunch so not eating lunch is normal.
I don’t even drink coffee before noon now :slight_smile: Actually, I don’t want to do that at noon either but let’s be realistic and I had a headache today and I try coffee before pills. I hate pills. Not like coffee works well nowadays…
Of course, I drink my coffee black before my first meal (or after the last if I do that, I probably won’t). I had times when I didn’t care about my super tiny extra but I always liked proper fasts. If drinking black coffee (and maybe… let’s call it unsweetened lemonade but I call it simply lemonade, it’s elderberry flower season and that’s so great in it :D) is proper fast, it is to me, it’s almost zero calorie, good enough.

Let’s hope I will have a nice time with smallish eating windows :slight_smile: That’s the plan and it sounds realistic but I said that so many times already…
Hopefully I can do OMAD here and there but I am back on carnivore(-ish) again and it’s horrible for OMAD and I am glad if I manage TMAD! The less carbs and the more satiating food I eat, the harder OMAD becomes though my body can adapt a bit eventually… I think I said goodbye to my 6 meals days already, that was horrible and only happened on carnivore.

Now I go and try to forget about food until 7-8pm or something… Except I will cook and bake but only for a little while and that helps with fasting anyway.


(Bob M) #15

Do you track your blood sugar level? Are you taking drugs, such as insulin or metformin?

In general, if you feel good, you probably are. But if you feel shaky or unwell, it’s best to eat or get more advice from someone familiar with your drug regimen. If you are taking anything, you’d likely have to reduce them, but I could tell you how to do that.

OMAD can be a blessing or a curse. Many people really like it and settle on it. If you can do that, it’s definitely a viable option.

I find I eat too late at night to do OMAD. It’s hard to eat all my calories at 7:30-8pm, then go to sleep an hour later. If I could eat at say 5pm, that would help.

@Digital_Dave has some good ideas about keeping the body guessing.

I have found that, over time, it’s become harder for me to fast a long time. (Of course, the pandemic hasn’t helped, either.) 4+ years ago, a 4.5 day fast was easy. Now, I’m challenged by 36 hours. But I hope to complete one of those this week, and sometime before my kids are out of school, I’d like to get in a 4.5 day fast. Only did 1 or 2 of those last year.


#16

Tiny thing but I am still more successful than usual…

I actually did OMAD yesterday, yay!
Now I am at 23 hours and I am a bit hungry since an hour… I was very satiated until then, I still can do these quick changes though it’s nothing like before fat adaptation.
I have no appetite so of course I don’t eat but hunger always wins in the end :smiley: But not yet.
It was ages ago I did 24 hours last time!
But I still start to get really hungry… I cooked, baked and picked raspberries today, they help with fasting but only until hunger…

Mmm, hunger. I wanted to observe it. I always chase it away immediately, it’s a bit interesting now to see how it evolves. Ah, the usual. Weakness and dizziness.
I am not sure I will reach 24 hours. But maybe I am too tired to go downstairs yet…

I feel like a child.


(Bob M) #17

How did it go?

I’m attempting 36 hours, with exercise at around 32 hours. We’ll see how it goes. About 15 hours or so now.


(Bob M) #18

Made it 37 hours, with a workout around the 32 hour point.

Does anyone else drink a lot – I mean a LOT – of water when eating the next day after fasting? I’ve had an amazing amount of water today, and that happens every day after fasting. Not sure what’s up with that.


#19

Can’t really say that true for myself, but I actually drink tons everyday. Mostly water and Tea, but also Almond Milk and Zevia’s. So can’t really say it changes after Fasting. … Whenever I work outdoors in the garden or working in the yard, I can consume quite a bit during and afterwards.


(Bob M) #20

Dave, you wouldn’t happen to be a “sweater” (as I am), would you? For instance, when I was going to the gym, I sweat so much I had to take a towel with me. Even for my at-home gym sessions, I use a towel. I sweat so much when riding my bike that I caused the steel frame of my bike to rust.

I think this is why I have to partake of salt, magnesium, potassium, pickle juice, etc. Or I can get cramps.