Starting a fast - need advice

(Scott) #1

I am going to start a 3 day fast if I can . Never done one. I am a month in and down 20lbs but list 15 the first week. I never go over 20gcsrbs usually about 15. Haven’t lost any weight the last week but going to start at gym . 51 and 6’2and now 300lbs. Besides putting salt in water how do I get nutrients during fast . And after fast how many cdlsries should I be having a day
Thanks

(Chris) #2

How do you get nutrients? Don’t, you’re fasting.

How many calories should you be having a day? None, you are fasting.

Please, try a day before you jump into 3 days. There’s no need to rush things. You didn’t become 300 pounds over 3 days, so please don’t rush (sacrificing your health and safety) just for the carrot on a stick of fast fat loss. You’ve got to work on keeping your healthy new diet consistent far more importantly than skipping a few meals. Please do feel free to ask follow-up questions.

If you want to know any more about the person answering this question, I’ve done keto on and off for 8 years. The past 18 months, I’ve been strict carnivore (zero plants). I have done more than 40 - multiple day fasts up to 10 days, and have lost 100 pounds in total from a weight of 235-ish.

Knowing what I know now, I don’t regret all the fasting, but I would have done it differently. All of my weight loss was from intermittent fasting, extended fasting over multiple days benefited my fat loss very little in comparison. Strict adherence to eating proper nutrient dense foods is the way to go, my friend. Have a big fat steak once a day and fill up properly, and repeat that 30 or so times in a row and you’ll be surprised how the belly tends to melt.

(Scott) #3

Thanks , the calories was after the fasting . I want to try the fasting bad I have never done anything like that before . Think it’s a mental thing and want to see if I can do it

(Chris) #4

Gotcha.

So, refeeding should be pretty straightforward. Have a few eggs, or some cheese, a small steak perhaps. Some are extra-wary and go for bone broth first.

Usually it’s easier to have a smaller meal first just to dip your toes in, and then later that day have something dinner-sized. Calories-wise I’d just eat fatty animal foods until full but not bursting. Hope that helps.

(Carl Keller) #5

Hi Scott.

Not sure how long you’ve been keto but I would recommend not trying extended fasts until you become fat-adapted. That might take a month or two but it will ensure you don’t sacrifice your metabolism and that your weight loss will be in a healthy manner.

Also, from personal experience, fasting for more than 1-2 days gets easier with practice. I became pretty good at eating one meal a day (OMAD) before I tried a 2 day fast and worked my way up to a 3 day fast.

Dr. Jason Fung says we don’t really need to worry about supplements or mineral deficiencies in fasts that are less than 2-3 days and that only if you are experiencing negative reactions like headaches, dizziness or cramps should you consider taking sodium or magnesium supplements. Personally, I rather err on the side of caution and include salt with fasting because I really hate being woken up in the middle of the night with a cramp in my leg.

Let your hunger be your guide. Eat to satiety and try not to confuse how amazing food tastes after a long period of abstinence, with actual hunger. After my first 72 hour fast, I had a ribeye and broccoli and it was truly the most amazing and delicious food I ever ate.

Also some people find that their digestive systems are a bit rusty processing the food we eat after a long fast and it might be wise to go easy at first. Maybe a warm cup of bone broth while you prepare a modest meal will get the digestive engine properly warmed up.

(Windmill Tilter) #6

Definitely take it easy on the extended fasting until you’re totally fat adapted. That can take 6 weeks or 6 months, depending on the person. There is no need to rush into a 3 day fast. You are capable of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good way to start out.

Start with intermittent fasting 8:16. Then try OMAD (one meal a day, 24 hr fast). Next try a bit of alternate daily fasting (42hr fasts) once or twice a week. When the 42hr fasts are effortless, try for longer. When I say effortless, what I mean is you sometimes forget whether or not you are fasting, and have to check your calendar or food diary. I do a lot of 3 day fasts now, but I worked up to it. They’re not necessary for fat loss, but I enjoy them.

The first rule of keto is: be attentive and kind to your body, and your body will be kind to you. You’re body is holding all of the cards in this game: metabolic rate, satiety hormones, hunger hormones, gene expression. If you try to force it to do something it doesn’t want to do, you will lose every.single.time. Be kind and ask it nicely! :smile:

(Scott) #7

Thanks for all the advice . Will wait at least another month