NOV 2021 IF/EF Chat Thread (All Welcome)

(Jane) #88

Not fasting today but here to cheer you on!

#89

In the end, yesterday was 22/2, well it’s not bad… :smiley: I barely had meat and my first meal ended up at 1000 kcal and my body just can’t accept that. So I went up to 1900 again… Finished at 11:45pm so no wonder I was borderline hungry at noon already, for some reason my body is like that. But it was nothing serious or troublesome and it went away. Then I baked pizza or something similar, I don’t consider it real pizza, I can’t do that. just baked thin bread dough with stuff on it. I made a tiny Vegemite one and a tiny fish one, both for my SO of course. Then I sat at the table looking at non-edible things while he ate them and some exotic candy as well.
It was at 3:30pm when I really felt the need to eat but I made everything I wanted to eat first and even made a shot. And when I reached that point, my hunger just went away again. So it’s 5:20pm now and I feel satiated. The food is on the table and the cats are outside for its safety (they are outside cats but they are inside a lot when it’s cold outside. they behave very well, they don’t even have a litter box but they don’t need it).

I don’t know what will happen but it’s almost sure I will have my OMAD meal at some point. Not yet.

Oh. Did I promise I won’t write about food next time I come here or that was the monthly thread? Sorry I forgot and I don’t want to delete this comment now.

I feel a bit off. I always feel a bit less alive when I am still fasting after 5-6pm. Though I had a bad week, maybe it’s not the lack of eating in the usual early dinner time…? I don’t know. I know eating would solve this but I really, really don’t feel like to eat now. But maybe I should at the first sign of serious hunger, after all…? I am uncertain as I am not used to not eating when I feel I should, I usually do it way earlier. And I didn’t force anything, I just cooked and skipped lunch as I know I should… And my state changed. But this off feeling is probably a warning sign… I think I will eat soon. Carnivore-ish OMAD is still a good thing in my books!

(Robert) #90

Nice going and good to hear! Could it be that magnesium and potassium supplementation during an EF is making it harder to go the distance? Just wondering because I haven’t supplemented with anything except a little salt and water this time, and I am finding it much easier…

#91

Can’t really say that any of the supplementation bothered me in any way, outside of the helping with the cramping? Especially with not making things harder for me to go longer. Thankfully, since I started, I’ve never really had any issues with Fasting, and it has always come quite easy for me. But truth be told, I was also doing IF/EF for many years before switching to this WOE… I just didn’t know that I was. Even when eating a SAD I just wouldn’t be hungry most times and forego eating, sometimes days. But when I did eat, it was of course the wrong types of foods. So I think this really helped me with the switch since I started Fasting naturally just 7 weeks into this WOE. I simply skipped meals when not hungry, and it is something I’ve mentioned here many times. I don’t hardly ever get hungry anymore? Sure, I get an urge or desire to eat something nice here and there, (Since I like a good meal) but never the ‘Man, I’m really hungry’ feel. I haven’t had that since starting Keto back in early 2018. It’s surely a good thing I know, but I do miss that feeling to a degree. Some took that to mean I miss carbs and that’s not the case.

So yep, if I Fast for 3 or more days, I will sometimes start getting those leg/calf/foot cramping. (But not always thankfully) Nowadays, I just take some large granular SeaSalt, and this usually does the trick. I find they are easier to take with water, and you don’t have that strong salt taste. Plus I like using it in my foods too. … But I also set a 5 day limit on Fasting for myself, way back before I did any Fast beyond a few days. Though I’m not saying I won’t ever do a longer one, just never felt the need to do one beyond that? Can’t really say why, just thought it was a nice round number (120 hrs.) but did do a lot of reading and research for my first year and half into this WOE, and that wasn’t only about the type of Keto foods themselves, but research on Fasting also. And I think my decision to limit it to 5 days, could have been influenced by my findings? Just don’t recall ever seeing any information that suggested Fasting beyond this point to be more beneficial, and to be honest, I do start missing a nice meal for the most part.

So, again, SeaSalt is all I’m using these days myself, and that’s only if I start getting any cramping after a few days. I don’t take anything normally, and for the record, I myself only do Water Only Fast. It’s just how I started and stuck with it. So I’m not getting any additional sodium, or anything else from say broth as some do while they Fast. … Just mentioning it, since I only consume water for Fasting, since that for me seems to reap the most benefits from the Fast itself. (That’s just my opinion & what works for me)

:slight_smile: :+1:

#92

Hi All! It’s been a while but today is day 1 of an EF - hope to go for at least 5 days.
I have neglected the keto way of life for the last year and obviously don’t feel my best. Lowish energy, bloated, retaining water, etc. hope this fast will kick me back on the Keto path :slight_smile:

Currently only 20hrs in so nothing to report yet :wink:

Happy fasting !

(Robin) #93

Get it, girl!

(Butter Withaspoon) #94

How did you go? Did it feel familiar?

#95

Day 2 at the moment… don’t feel miserable yet :sweat_smile:…

#96

It’s the morning of day 3.

Lost about 3kg so far - obviously mostly water weight but stupidly enough still motivating to me. In my mind I’m very skinny now, but all my pants are still uncomfortable tight :joy:

Physically, I feel fine so far, not even hungry… but the mind is trying to convince me that eating would be a great idea. Trying to stay strong.

Happy fasting !

(Robin) #97

hang in there!

#98

Currently 91 hours in… boredom is definitely here :joy:

The scale showed 4.5kg lost this morning. I’m surprised the scale keeps going down but not complaining.

Did some shopping for breaking my fast tomorrow - it will be slow cooked chicken finsihed under the grill and a simple salad

#99

Wow! You do so well!

Meanwhile I am unable to go back to OMAD but it’s like weekends, my SO is at home and it’s harder to fast that way, it doesn’t matter if I am borderline satiated, I easily eat even then.

But as time passes, I do it better. I lasted until 3pm yesterday, today… We will see. It’s not even 2pm and I made food for me already but I am still fine (no wonder after so many quite seriously overeating days though it’s not that simple in my life).

It would be superb to be able to skip days. My average energy intake is too huge and I can’t bring it down easily and even if I can, it’s very short term. 0 cal days would help with it and my body would be in peace, it’s useful sometimes. Oh well. I am not there yet.
Even my curiosity isn’t enough. I wonder what my super stable weight could do. I doubt I would lose much in a few days, that’s not my style and the fat-loss couldn’t be more than 1 kg anyway as my energy need is that small (as it’s quite common). But it would be interesting to see, I like numbers sometimes.

I don’t even dare to go to the annual wild goose seeing (it’s annual for the town, I only was once there but it was fun) without food tomorrow as we will be back late. I probably would survive quite well but I don’t trust myself without packed food when I get hungry. Maybe I could keep it carnivore but only using items I like to eat in tiny amounts (processed stuff). So I bring my food, just to be safe. But I do my best not to touch it, eating a big meal while walking/standing in the cold isn’t my thing.

I am sorry I talk about food again but of course. Fasting is just some time between meals, rarely interesting to me (blissful while I am perfectly satiated, healing when I am too satiated but not an active thing I could write about), only EF attempts are a tad different but I rarely am good enough to do that. Oh, Mondays, they are for EF attempts if I can bring myself to that.

So I have modest goals again. Mostly OMAD and maybe some 24-26 hours fasts. And the Monday thing.

#100

I ate nothing today. I was away looking at 64000 migrating geese on a not too far away big pond, I got a horrible headache that made me even nauseous and I never got hungry anyway. So I just skipped this day and had no problem with it, food didn’t even cross my mind, I really didn’t need it.

Why can’t I have this normally? Oh well.

(Robin) #101

Cuz you would die :vulcan_salute:

#102

I don’t mean I wouldn’t eat ALL the time :smiley:

Well I am probably near to 36 hours (I don’t remember when I ate last time just that it was a few bites at night… It still happens especially when my woe isn’t near perfect to begin with), still zero urge to eat, well my insides still feel a bit tender. Very subtle but motivating enough not to eat anything without proper hunger.
I am basically quite fine :slight_smile: And now that I know my body can handle this, I wanna do EF even more :smiley: Just here and there, a short one and not even every week! (Though that would be nice, fasting Mondays…)

(Robin) #103

I am interested in how you’ll end up feeling about the EF and what benefits or challenges you experience. It intrigues me, but so far I have no desire to try it. I guess I‘ll wait until I feel something isn’t working. Since I’m at my goal weight and seem to be able to just coast along on auto pilot these past few months, I don’t feel the need to add or subtract anything. But if I ever attempt an EF, I’ll be better informed.

#104

Due to my very late eating on Friday, I barely did more than 36 hours but it’s something! I could only eat a smallish meal (and I did a lot to eat much, I was satiated after a few bites but that wouldn’t last long so I ignore such things), no idea if I need to have more later but I am quite fine for now.

EF was always a normal, originally automatic thing in my life, it just happened super rarely.
When I went low-carb, I never had such a thing but I still could do it occasionally if I was determined. It’s not easy to get that amount of determination so I often used the help of group fasts. Once a dentist visit triggered EF… But these were all close to 48 hours. I only had a longer one when I was very, very, very determined and lasted 120 hours. Way before long-carb so it was easier to start and somehow I got momentum or something? I imagine I am still similar. I know it’s harder around 24 hours and 48 hours for me but afterwards I am probably disconnected enough from eating and it gets easier for a while? But as I only did it once and I had a special state of mind and not much memories about it, it’s a very weak hypothesis. But as time passes, I really get farther from my normal ways so unless my body throws a temper tantrum or my mind gets paranoid regarding protein and metabolism, it should get easier for a while. I never want to go far, 48-72 hours sound perfect as long as my body can do it without problems.

Now I like this 0 kcal one day, low-cal the next, it surely would be useful for me. I want fat-loss, autophagy and whatever good comes from fasting. I always enjoy not eating as long as I don’t feel a need to eat. I can imagine that doing some short EF multiple times a month would help a lot with my troublesome “eating without any need” too. Even if I like fasting while I feel okay, sometimes I get other urges that I should ignore. I got better at it, sometimes I plan a meal (like today) and I just don’t want it so I postpone eating. It feels good to say no to an already kind of decided meal, I was very bad at that in the past. Even if I didn’t want it when happened, I already planned it so I did it. Just like finishing my plate, no matter if I want that (it always was very easy for me so nothing forceful, merely needless. and I typically ate multiple plates of food so it wasn’t a huge difference. I had times with 6 small bowls of food as the first course). I changed the latter (clearing my plate) years ago, it was interesting. I still have bad compulsions (i.e. they aren’t only irresistible but they trigger something clearly not right) but they require some unusual rare circumstances. I listen to the wishes of my body better now. I listened when it wanted something, not so much when it doesn’t wanted something I set my mind on…

Sometimes I wonder how someone like me can fast :smiley: But it’s simple, I often want fasting, all parts of mine at the same time, I have no other options.

(Robin) #105

“Even if I didn’t want it when happened, I already planned it so I did it.”

@Shinita you just described my previous marriages! :grimacing:

(KCKO, KCFO) #106

The monthly fasting thread is posted, come along with us the 3rd Wed. of each month.

(Bob M) #107

Well, I made about 36 hours, with a workout (body weight, to failure, about 1 hour, 25 minutes) at 5:45 am.

I may have to (re)consider a TKD, as after “carb loading” over the Thanksgiving holiday, even with 32 hours or so fasting, I hit the highest number of repetitions I have recorded for a lot of my exercises. That says to me that my muscles were “fully loaded” with glycogen.

This has happened to me in the past, too, after coming off a week of vacation. I eat higher carb and come back and set new “records” for body weight lifts.

I wonder if this is transient or if it would be better to eat some carbs after exercise to help with that glycogen loading?

May try another 36 hour fast tomorrow. We’ll see, as this tends to be really difficult to fast so soon after this type of exercise for me.