Taking on an extended fast (10-14 Days)

fasting
(Zack F) #1

Tomorrow Monday 3/6 will be me last day of caloric intake until the end of my fast that begins on Tuesday 3/7.

To date my longest fast during this past December. I went six and a half days. The second day was the worst with headaches and some GI “aggravation.” Things progressed from there until I decided to break the fast with some regrets. On day four I was feeling so good I thought I’d keep rolling until day ten. However, there were some holiday festivities coming up and decided to end the fast sonner. Since then even with long periods of non-ketosis I’ve had blood sugar and A1C numbers that are better than I’ve ever tested when eating those same foods before. At least during the times I tested, my GKI (Seyfried’s index) was <1 only one day of the fast despite being in ketosis for three and a half days. I also lost nineteen pounds and kept all but fifteen off and that’s with eating a bunch of crap since then. That fast was a major win for me.

I wasn’t in ketosis when I entered the last fast. This next one will be different. Right now the lowest I’ve tested blood ketones at dawn the past week is .3 MMOL and it has been as high as .7. It’s always higher at night for me so I usually just test in the morning…let alone the cost of the pricey strips. :angry:

My goals are:

Improved body composition
Increased insulin sensitivity
The therapeutic benefits of autophagy. I’m shooting for a <1 GKI for at least 5 days.
Mental clarity
GTD!!! (since I won’t be eating :slight_smile: )
Hopefully folks will notice and ask what I’m doing so can share this stuff with them.

Finally another goal is at a daily update of my progress. I’ll post before and after photos at the end of the fast. Wish me luck!!! :

#2

Keep us updated!

(Zack F) #3

Day 0 (tomorrow begins the fast)

Breakfast was 5 scrambled eggs with a slice of cheddar. 1/3 lb of bacon
I might have a BPTL (bullet proof tea lite) for a snack made with one tbsp of butter and mct oil instead of two ( or more :wink: )
Dinner will pork ribs, broccoli and asparagus with butter and cheese

Today’s Stats:

Height 6’2"/188 cm Weight 270.2 lbs/122.6 kg

Fasting BGC 94 / 5.2
I didn’t do blood ketones today because I discovered I only have two strips left when I thought I had five. Any I had a new order place that I’m expecting on Thursday. So I’m saving my last two for Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Later today I will work out using Doug McGuff’'s “Big Five” protocol.

That’s it! We’re off to the races tomorrow.

(Zack F) #4

Day 1 Here we go!

Weight 271.4 lbs / 123.1 kg
BG 94 mg / 5.2 mmol
BP 138/86

Woke up refreshed. Water tastes good. Having a cup of black coffee.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #5

Good luck! It sounds like you have prepared yourself for this and as you know the biggest challenge is the mental thing - just push through it!

I am also doing an extended fast and you can follow along at A really extended fast going for 40-46 days!

I look forward to your updates!

(Zack F) #6

Thanks. I enjoy your detailed accounts of your fast as well.

(Michelle) #7

Great! I’ll bookmark this thread too in order to keep up with your progress. Good luck!

(Zack F) #8

Day 1 Evening Reflections

BG 81 mg / 4.5 mmol @7:45pm

Today went fairly smooth. I had a mild headache come on early in the afternoon during a meeting. Since I don’t get them very often I figured it was too much of a coincidence to not be related to the fast. With no Ketoade mix I took two small salt packets from the cafeteria and mixed them in water. Chug-a-lug and my headache was gone in twenty minutes.

As I mentioned in another thread I have a sit/stand desk. I almost always stand at my own desk unless I’m meeting with someone there. Overall I probably stood 5.5 of 8.5 hours at work today. Two to four hours of my day is in meetings so that’s about average. I never felt fatigued.

Tonight I’ve had some ketoade and feel good over all. Ready for day two.

(Zack F) #9

Day 2 A pleasant surprise

Weight 269.8
BG 89 mg / 4.9 mmol
Ketones 1.2 mmol
GKI 4.1
BP 135/91

I took some mild hunger to bed last night. Not big deal at all. Slept very well about 6.5 hours. I feel refreshed, had a normal BM and drank about 16 oz of water. Now I’m enjoying a cup of black coffee as I type this. This is different than Day 2 of my fast last fall. I was dragging big time. In my unscientific opinion that can be attributed to entering the fast in ketosis this time around. There is one more ketone test strip in the cabinet with high hopes of twenty more showing up in the mailbox tomorrow. I’ll then take two readings on some days.

Unless something necessitates breaking the fast sooner, my end date is set to March 19th due to dinner plans with an old friend on the 20th.

(Zack F) #10

Day 2 Evening Reflections

BG 81 mg / 4.5 mmol @ 8pm
Ketones 1.2 / mmol

GKI 3.75

One more brief word about this morning. I only had 1/3 of the coffee I normally do. It wasn’t a deliberate deprivation, I just didn’t feel like another cup. That’s rare. Usually I have two cups along with my BPC. I had some after lunch but it was just to take a break from sipping water for several hours.

Ketone strips came a day earlier hence the second reading tonight. The hunger was more present at about 2pm which is my usual lunch(ish) time but it was a cinch to manage. Ketoade knocked the edge off in short time. Soon after came some watery stools but nothing violently urgent. Better out than in.

My family was out when I got off work tonight so I went for nice walk on a beautiful evening. No drowsiness and I’ve been up since 6:30 am. Energy has been steady while I saw many of my colleagues yawn at sometime during a meeting. After i thought about it and did the math I figure I’ll probably only do a morning ketone reading until next week because I want to conserve the strips for later in the fast.

(Zack F) #11

Day 3 First 50 paces, no pain :slight_smile:

Weight 267.2 lbs / 121.2 kg
BG 81 mg / 4.5 mmol
Ketones 1.9 mmol
GKI 2.4
BP 138/88

This morning sleep soundly all through the night but was a little groggy when my alarm when off. I’m committed to turning in earlier tonight. My wife said my snoring is much softer. She’s been sleeping better which is great. We’re also expecting so she needs it all the more. As I said in the title, I walked with no pain first thing. Usually my first steps in the morning are painful. During my last fast I don’t remember that kind of relief. I’m forty-three now and so it’s been over a decade since I haven’t hurt when I first walked in the morning.

(Zack F) #12

Day 3 Evening Reflections

BG 71 mg / 3.9 mmol
Ketones 3.0 mmol ( Just couldn’t resist measuring tonight. I’m just going to order more strips.)
GKI 1.3

Lot’s of energy through the day. Because my schedule was a little different at work I almost forgot to take a lunch break. I’m a salaried employee and don’t have to take one and so there is no reminder. A low meeting load today allowed me to stay on my feet close to seven hours. No hunger this afternoon. Some mild diarrhea. Again, I don’t care… better out than in. I’m delighted to see the GKI number drop.

A colleague asked about my fast and thinks it’s pretty cool. He’s gone 24 hrs before. I went against Fung’s advice about not telling people because I’m confident of my ability to keep fasting. Roll on…:slight_smile:

(Zack F) #13

Day 4 It’s Fun

Weight 266.0 lbs / 120.7 kg
BG 72 mg / 4.0 mmol
Ketones 3.4 mmol
GKI 1.2
BP 132/95

Only had six hours of sleep last night but am well rested. Again, my wife is grateful for my quieter sleep. I don’t know how long it has been since my weight has been this low. Last summer the highest I weighed was 297 lbs though I was probably heavier at one time. Coffee the past couple of days had been much more of an enjoyment and not a “necessity.” There might not be an evening update as I won’t be home until late tonight. We’ll see.

(Zack F) #14

Day 4 Evening Reflections

BG 69 mg / 3.8 mmol
Ketones 3.6 mmol
GKI 1.06

Closing in on the GKI goal. I felt great throughout the day with much energy. I watched my colleagues eat pizza. Of course it looked good but I was cool. I did my family grocery shopping right after work. No big deal either. Things look good eat but as corny as it sounds, my eyes are on the prize.

(Zack F) #15

Day 5 Easier

Weight 264.2 lbs / 119.3 kg
BG 72 mg / 4.0 mmol
Ketones 3.2 mmol
GKI 1.25
BP 127/90

Woke up after a refreshing night’s sleep. Eager to get out of bed and face the day. Usually I want to just lay there for a while. Today I’m mentally focused and ready to go immediately.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #16

You mentioned Fung’s advice to not tell people you’re fasting, that is great unless you are sitting with them at a meal! I usually simply say “I am doing a fast to improve my health.”

If they ask a question it is usually about the ‘necessary’ carbs: I have become better at concise answers!

(Zack F) #17

I know what you mean. Sometimes you’re forced. I don’t proactively mention fasting though. I forgot mention though I want the subject to come up in the right way. People can see how energetic I am even though I haven’t ate since Monday.

(Zack F) #18

Day 5 Evening Reflections

BG 68 mg / 3.8 mmol
Ketones 4.8 mmol
GKI 0.79 BOOYAH!

Sufficed to say, the cognitive benefits have become more clear. I’m having more fluid speech, working memory, focus on top of the physical stuff I’ve enjoy this week. I’m not “Limitless” and certainly won’t fluent in a foreign language in two days. However, the difference is striking. After church tomorrow we have a potlock that I’ll be drinking iced tea at. Hopefully some interest conversations will come from it.

(Zack F) #19

Day 6 Approaching a Threshold!
261.0 lbs / 118.4 kg
BG 69 mg / 3.8 mmol
Ketones 4.4 mmol
GKI 0.86 mmol
BP 135/95

My longest fast was six and half days. So tomorrow mid-day I will be upon a new experience. Exciting! My normal work hours are Tuesday through Saturday. Saturdays are my “Friday.” I had some deadlines to hit and so I was up working at home until after midnight. I felt well…energetically tired while working. With the time change (American folks) I only got about five and half hours of sleep but doing fine. Not ideal, but much better than pulling this off on SAD diet. Tonight I will sleep as much as needed.

(Zack F) #20

Day 6 Evening Reflections

BG 68 mg / 3.8 mmol
Ketones 4.9 mmol
GKI 0.78

First off the potluck was no big deal. I did confide to a friend that I hadn’t ate since Monday. He just said wow, I don’t know if I could do that. Anyway, today made for some interesting comparisons. As I mentioned before i didn’t get but five and half hours of sleep and it was easy for me to tell that I wasn’t at 100%. If i was only at 80% today, it’s better than 100% of me on SAD getting eight hours of sleep. During Sunday School and later the sermon I was able to focus on what was being said much better than normal. (This parallels my experience at work with the verbal fluidity, focus when I was giving an hour long presentation to a class of new hires yesterday. I wish I knew this in college twenty years ago. I’ve even noticed better focus watching TV.) Since I wasn’t eating, I was freer to move around the room and visit with folks.

My Sunday afternoon experience was the antithesis of normal. On SAD, half the time I nap at least 90 minutes. Today I yawned once then got up and fixed a glass of water. I was fine. Ketogenic eating and fasting exposes a person to whole new way of going through the world. Especially those in a SAD insulin resistant stupor. Most just accept it as normal.

Tomorrow I am going to do my WOW (Work out the Week). I’m really curious as to what that will do to BG and ketones.