Noob wants to do a long fast

#1

So I want to do a long fast and I was wondering is it just black coffee and water ? What constitutes a fast. All I have had today was coffee and more coffee, but I’m assuming since there was swerve and cream I’m not fasting . If I could handle black coffee I’m certain I could fast for days lol. Thanks

(John) #2

Water, tea (black, green, herbal), flavored sparkling waters, black coffee. I don’t do really long fasts (24 to 48 hours is my range), but those are my go-tos. I love black coffee, both regular and decaf, so maybe that makes it easier.

But really you just don’t eat, but otherwise go about your normal daily routine. Fasting is just not eating. It’s not a thing you do, it’s a thing you don’t do.

(Allie) #3

Salt.
Water.
Black coffee.

(Christiana) #4

Your goals will determine what constitutes a fast. If you are fasting to lower insulin/ lose weight then drinking coffee, water, some broth, and even a little cream in your coffee would be ok (although, I would seriously minimize and even consider not including the cream). If your goal is autophagy in order to combat or even prevent diseases like cancer and alzheimers, I would consider just doing a water fast.

#5

Regarding autophagy how long of a fast would I need in order to aquire it?

(Christy) #6

3-5 days.

#7

Whoa lol

(Christy) #8

Yeah. Start with something more simple. Find your groove.

(Alec) #9

What’s your goal for your long fast? Why do you want to do it?

If you are not yet fat adapted, doing an extended fast is not recommended. Better method is start with short fasts, and then build up slowly.

#10

Well I can do intermittent fasting but and probably a 24 hour one even though I haven’t tried yet, but I would like to achieve the autophagy.

(Alec) #11

Do you have a therapeutic reason for wanting autophagy, or is it simply you fancy it for general health benefits? If you have a specific therapeutic reason for doing it, I say go for it right now. If not, I would build up more slowly.

(Christy) #12

There’s absolutely no way I’d start with an autophagy fast, especially this early! But I suppose you know your body & limits better than I do.

#13

Just general health benefits. When starting do you start morning of?

(Alec) #14

You can start any time you like. But of course, if you don’t eat in the morning you really started the previous day at the time of your last meal.

I have done 36-42 hour fasts 2 days per week for 18 months now (with a short break a few months ago). This means not eating at all for a day. Last meal evening day 1, no eating day 2, I sometimes have breakfast day 3 (36 hr fast), but if I don’t and I go through to lunch day 3, that becomes a 42 hr fast.

In the early stages, these were mildly challenging as I was not fat adapted, and did not understand keto at all. But after some time (meaning I became fat adapted) they became enjoyable and easy. Now I do not feel right if I do not do my fasts.

There is some disagreement on the length of time you need to fast to get to autophagy. Some (like above) say you need to go 3-5 days. Others say if you start already carb starved (ie you are eating keto), you can get to autophagy after about 24hrs fasting. Do we know? No we don’t. As far as I know we don’t have a test to know whether we are in autophagy or not (happy to be corrected by anyone).

Good luck on your journey. If you have no specific therapeutic need for autophagy, I recommend start with some IF (just eat in a 2-8hrs window each day), then do some 36-42hr fasts like mine, and once you are ok with doing those easy, then go for a longer one. My experience on longer fasts is that they start ok, you do it a bit hard day2, then after that it is easier and easier. I get to a point when I am not sure when to stop, as my hunger has just shrivelled to zero. My usual end is whenever I planned to end the fast. I have decided that is the best policy.

One very important fasting rule I would STRONGLY recommend: if you feel off in any way during a fast, stop, eat, feel better, and then try again another day. You should NOT push through feeling bad on a fast. This is just unwise: your body is telling you it doesn’t like it.

#15

Is it hard to do long fasts when you work a high stress job? Curious cuz I can see myself getting irritable lol…

(Alec) #16

That, right there, is a fantastic question! There are 2 answers (no, not yes and no! :joy::joy:):

  1. If you are an emotional eater (like me), then fasts are harder to do when you are stressed. I stopped my fasts when I got stressed a few months ago as I just wanted/needed to eat when I got stressed. It is not impossible, but I just wanted to eat, and I did.

  2. If you are not an emotional eater, then my opinion is that it should not make much difference. You may find that the extra time you have due to fasting might help you be more productive, thus helping your job?

Cheers
Alec

#17

Well never thought or considered if I’m an emotional eater or not I might be. It’s more like I get irritable from not eating, or maybe it’s the caffeine I don’t know…but it’s weird it’s like I’m not on a carb diet or consuming sugar but I still feel like my blood sugar drops or something when I don’t eat, maybe it’s in my head ha

(Alec) #18

This sounds more like carb withdrawal to me. Or simply (if you are not fat adapted) your body telling you to eat. This is why long fasts are not recommended if you are not yet fat adapted.

#19

I’ve been in ketosis for almost three months how long does it take? I been feeling like I’m not fat adapted also

(Alec) #20

You said you were a noob!!! That’s not a noob!! :joy::joy::joy:

You are probably quite fat adapted if you know you’ve been in ketosis for 3 months. If so, then maybe your edginess is lack of electrolytes?

I drink a lot of electrolytes when I fast.