Starting my first 36 hr fast


(Cindy) #1

Yesterday, I ate one meal, but since I wanted to start fasting after dinner today, I had 2 meals today (homemade tuna salad on greens, then some steak and veggies for dinner, splurged with some roasted pecans after dinner). My current plan is to fast until 9am on Tuesday, but depending on how it’s going, I might go a bit longer.

I’m used to waiting until late afternoon or later to eat…my difficult time will be late evening. I tend to want to snack at night. That’s gotten better with keto, but I still usually have something after dinner…so will just have to stay busy until bed time.


(Carolyn) #2

Good luck to you Cindy. I have yet to do longer than an18 hour IF. Your Sunday evening to Tuesday morning schedule seems very good. I will try it along with you. Good luck to me too lol :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
I will check in sometime tomorrow evening for motivation :crossed_fingers::facepunch:


(Cindy) #3

Sounds like a plan! I’ve been able to go 20 hrs without any trouble…so just need to get through about 8pm-midnight tomorrow.


#4

Cindy, 36 hours is a piece of cake, so to speak. Getting past hours 22-26 may be the most difficult. With a 9 p.m. start most of the last 12 hours of the 36 will pass while asleep. I bet when you reach hour 36 hours you will feel good enough to string it out to 40 hours.

I started a new 36 to 48 fast today (Sunday) at 6:30 p.m. I am getting to where I like to start out the week this way and then see how it all goes.

Last week I started on a Sunday and wound up doing 4 days.

Here’s another fasting tidbit: the late morning fast starts don’t work for me. Saturday morning I began a fast at 10:30 a.m. with a lots of eggs and bacon. It didn’t work for me because I was so hungry Saturday night which I didn’t think would happen. I did make it for 30 hours but the lure of chicken and sausage gumbo easily ended that fast. So I ate 35-40 total carbs and then started back on this current fast at 6:30 pm. Timing is everything in fasting. Your late start may be smarter than my early Saturday start.

I’m going to stick to early-mid evening starts.


(Cindy) #5

Yeah, I figure, worst case scenario, I get to 9pm tomorrow and say “I need to eat!” But I have work that can keep me busy and I can go to bed early. :wink:


#6

If you don’t already drink it now, tomorrow get yourself some sparkling (carbonated) water and drink a bottle or two over ice during the evening. It fills me up and the soda-like taste satisfies some cravings. A few drops of lemon juice (not too much) helps as well.

I like the Pellegrino brand in the green bottles.

Also, try to watch an absorbing movie that captures your attention and makes you think about the plot. Some people like laugh-at-loud comedies that keep them engaged.

More important, set your mind to it. The hunger waves can be powerful but the mind is stronger.

Get one 36-40 done and you will know you can do it and what it takes. The scale will reward you.

Keto is great and makes me feel great. But it is EF that takes my weight off.


(John) #7

That’s me too. I tend to try to drown it with herbal teas or black decaf coffee. Gives me something with flavor with no calories.


(Cary) #8

Did my first 36 hr fast about a month ago. No problems at all, never got hungry. The following week did a 41 hr fast and only broke it because I was cooking and had friends over. Broke it with Filet Mignon and Grilled shrimp so it was worth it lol. Last week did a 72 hr fast with no problems, again didn’t ever really get hungry. Drank water, coffee and unsweet tea. For me it’s really more mental than anything because you think you should be eating. Good luck you got this!


#9

Mental is the most important thing in fasting then comes distraction, to me. When I get hungry during a fast I drink carbonated water and if the hunger goes away then I know it was just me wanting to eat rather than my body commanding me to eat.

I break most fasts for social reasons or because my body signals me with some shivering accompanied by a precipitous drop in BG. I rarely just get flat out hungry.


(Cindy) #10

Carolyn, how are you doing today? :slight_smile:


(Cindy) #11

@GentleBen, you’re not joking about the mental thing. LOL I’m fine with usually just eating a late dinner…sometimes not until 8pm. So why, today, did I wake up thinking about food? :wink: I wasn’t hungry and rarely eat breakfast. It was simply because I told myself that I’m fasting today…so then everything is about food.

Still doing ok with the fasting itself though. Have had water today…that’s it. Probably going to go get some pickle juice in a minute. It’s weird, I was always scolded for wanting to drink pickle juice when I was a kid…so now it’s like a guilty pleasure or something.


#12

I don’t think we ever get over thinking about food. It is our Western culture. Craving certain items and even obsessing over dishes is part of life.

I bet even our ancient ancestor while in the midst of a week-long fast on the hunt was obsessed with the thoughts of sinking his teeth into a chunk of bloody deer liver.

Keto, low carb and fasting will not — in my opinion — eliminate our thoughts about food and its associated tastes and satisfaction. They may reduce them but not eliminate those wonts.

Indeed, eating SAD and carbs surely did not eliminate your thinking about food. It increased it.

Again, this is when the mental toughness comes in. We old Marines always hold onto the adage of “adapt and overcome”. Do what it takes to belay those thoughts for now. They will return so be ready to battle them again.


(Cindy) #13

Our culture does revolve around food an excessive amount. All celebrations, holiday, etc, even going to a movie.

I’ll be fine for the rest of the evening. Have a bit of a headache (NOT keto or fasting related) so that helps with not eating, too.


(Cindy) #14

38 hrs and counting. :smiley: I knew this morning would be easier since I’m not a morning eater. Right now, I’m not “intentionally” extending the fast, as in, I don’t have a time goal. Just waiting until I actually feel like fixing something to eat.


(Cindy) #15

So I ended it at 40.5 hrs. I probably could have extended it to dinner time, but I wanted to make this an “easy” fast so I’d want to do it again.


(Debbie) #16

I did a 72 hour fast about one month into keto eating. I lost 6 ponds, but over the next week of normal keto eating it all came back:(


(Cindy) #17

Just another reason why I don’t weigh. I was doing it because I wanted to see what it’d be like, but also because, according to Dr. Fung, it’s a healthy thing to do.


(Carolyn) #18

Hi Cindy. I am dong very well. Thank you for your support. I don’t get onto Facebook as often as I should. Checking this message first before going to blog. How was your 36 hour fast attempt?
Mine fast was fantastic. I was very busy all of the Monday out and about with my daughter shopping (thanks Christmas!) and only had a few coffees in the daytime. My first with 1 teaspoon of hwc. Early afternoon black with a sprinkle of salt (was Starbucks light brew - good tasting black coffee helps)
That evening during the “crisis hours” I drank a 32 oz of Pho Broth - it had 1g ea of carb and protein per cup which had me cooncerned, but that’s all I had in the house. At around 8pm one more instant espresso with a sprinkle of cinnamon and salt. I was awake until midnight full of energy (or caffeine) but felt great. I took blood readings just before bed. 3.5 KETONES and 3.1 glucose. Woweee. NEVER had such levels before. Tuesday morning my grandchildren arrived at 6am For my school bus duties. Felt great. Had black coffee only. They keep me very busy too.
Still not hungry by 1:30 pm but decided to stop. So my first longer fast experience was Sunday night to Tuesday afternoon 1:30. I could have gone on longer but decided to prepare my arsenal for the next time (homemade broth!). I will start my next fast again Sunday night.


(Carolyn) #19

Hahaaaa! Looks like we had about the same time in. I think ending at Tuesday afternoon “breakfast” is where I will stay for a few weeks to get my metabolism boosted. I have to work on the “feasting” to make the “famine” even more effective. I just downloaded an app to log and track glucose and ketone readings.
We can do this. Let the fasting games begin!