My first 24hr fast

(Tony Campbell) #1

Hi all,
Been keto for 6 weeks now and decided to do a 24hr fast, which went well. At the end of the fast, which was 7:30 pm yesterday, I took my blood glucose and seen that it was 5.9
Is this normal? I’d assumed that BG would go down during a fast. I did take a tbsp of MCT oil in the morning, but apart from that, just black coffee or water.

(Carl Keller) #2

It’s normal for blood glucose levels to vary according your body’s perceived needs. This happens via gluconeogenesis and is what keeps us from going hypoglycemic when we are not getting glucose directly in our diet. Coristol, the stress hormone, can also affect our blood glucose levels.

Also consider that in the US, the US Federal Drug Administration allows home glucose monitors to have a variance of 15% in results. So realize they are not perfect.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #3

What was it before your fast? It does vary depending on your needs, as @CarlKeller said. However, its also good to know what it was before your fast and at points during it, to really see how it was reacting. (Just my 2 cents)

(Tony Campbell) #4

Ah, cool, having read this, there is no panic. Most likely fasting, plus working would cause a rise in cortisol.
Thanks for the info! :+1:

(Tony Campbell) #5

The last BG prior to fasting that I recorded, was 5.2, but heyho, I’ll just carry on regardless. :grinning:

(Jane Srygley) #6

Question: Wouldn’t a typical BG reading be 59, not 5.9? I see 5.2 from @Mtb also… My meter always says things like 84, 61, 73, etc…

(Tony Campbell) #7

That’s because mine reads in mmol, if you times mine by 18, it then compares to yours.

(Tony Campbell) #8

Just a quick update on my recent 24hr fast. I had been thinking about doing one, purely because I was in a post induction plateu (or at least, weight loss had stalled). Great news for me is, When I weighed yesterday morning, I had lost approx a pound (sorry, i’m mentally converting from kg) and this morning, the same again! So, nice…hopefully broken that plateu. It was kind of an accident…at least, I hadn’t really planned it, it just happened due to getting to lunchtime, getting out a salad I’d prepared with salami and blue cheese, mayo etc etc, and realising that I just wasn’t hungry! I basically had decided it was lunchtime out of pure habit. Anyhoo…I fasted through till when I had last eaten the day before and et voila! a 24hr (ish) fast. I’m pretty pleased, so much so, that I’m doing the same today. Breakfast was a 15ml glug of MCT oil, followed by a black coffee and thats it. I wont eat again from last nights meal at 7:30, till tonight again. I am slightly hungry this morning (minor stomach rumbles), but I’m sure that water and coffee, with the occassional pinch of salt will get me through till supper time!!
Hoping that the weight loss will continue.