Weekly fasting schedule


(Amy s) #1

I did my first 5 day fast (water coffee and broth)last week. It went well enough I’m considering doing it weekly…
fasting from after dinner Sunday to breaking it at dinner on Friday weekly and eat keto on the weekend. Anyone else do regular fasting like this. I don’t want to further damage my metabolism but it was so easy and convenient and I felt good throughout


#2

Hang on, are you saying you will fast 5 days each week, consistently every week?


(Guardian of the bacon) #3

I mean really? Why bother eating on the weekend? I jest That is way too aggressive IMHO.
I’ve set up a protocol for myself that I consider quite aggressive. Not nearly as restrictive as your planning. I would seek medical supervision for a fasting schedule that aggressive.

M,W,F OMAD One Meal A Day
Tu, Th No food
Sa, Su 16/8 intermittent
5 day fast Monday-Friday every 4 - 6 weeks.


(Sondra Rose) #4

I think this is great as long as you feel good and emphasize nutrient-dense animal foods on your eating days. Make sure you get enough electrolytes, too!

ETA: I am assuming you have plenty of body fat to burn and are not having any hormonal issues from the fasting.


#5

I couldn’t do it. And i fast a lot. Right now I am doing a fat fast 3 or 4 days a week and 16/8 the other days. Working nicely for weight loss and glucose control.


(Kathy Meyer) #6

I’ve been doing 3-4 day fasts almost every week, and plan on continuing to do that through most of this year. I have lost a lot of weight, and have quite a bit more, and am hoping that the autophagy that comes from fasting will help to have less loose skin – plus the potential of disease prevention. The weight loss is slowing down now that I’ve passed the half-way mark, and this is really the only way I’m losing weight at this point.


(Richard Morris) #7

You have to become an expert in you … but I think that would be a bad idea. We need weeks of normal feeding to recover from an extended fast like that. That is a significant stress signal to the body, you need it to follow that up with a period of feasting so it knows to relax and allow energy to be diverted to processes that are optional to immediate survival, but important for longevity.

I get that a 5 day fast was easy. It is surprisingly easy for fat adapted people. But I think the shortest reasonable turnaround between them should be measured in weeks not days.


(Tessy M.) #8

In one of your podcasts you discussed the benefit of fasting up to 60 hours. Do you have that science readily available to share?


#9

Amy,

I consider myself a pretty gonzo faster. In fact, I did a 33 day fast that started last November. And another 7 day fast in January. And when I’m not full day fasting, I do IF where I eat once a day meal.

And, I have to admit, when I read your post, a red flag went up. I’m concerned.

It is my strong suggestion you do this sort of fast schedule with medical supervision.

Or ease up on doing the five days consistently every week. Do it like once per month, with IF daily eating in between. This will help keep your hormones in check (not create a stressor or cortisol elevation…because your body will experience high frequency of extended fasting events).

Please, please be careful. Consult a doctor.


#10

I would like to try something like this. Maybe once a month to see how it feels.


(Barbara Greenwood) #11

In the Complete Guide to Fasting, they say a 7 day fast should not be repeated more often than once a month. By extension, a 5 day fast, no more often than one week in three.

OTOH, a 36 hour fast (one full day of no food) you can do 3 times a week, every week, until you reach a normal weight.


(Amy s) #12

Thank you everyone! I do so appreciate this group!! I have just started reading Dr Fung’s book on fasting so although I’ve been keto for awhile fasting is a new concept I’ve only just started to explore (after a 5 month stall in weight loss) and Yes I’ve still got plenty of body fat to lose.

I’m just flooed at how easy fasting is and the energy levels I have even after days of fasting. I’m hopeful that means my body is fueling on "that crispy creme I ate a decade ago " :grin:


(Amy s) #13

Thank you for sharing. I’m taking note of that schedule


(Thomi M) #14

I plan a 72 hour fast each week. M Tu W fasting, regular keto the remaining days, no IF. That is one of the protocols I understood from the book, tho I may have misunderstood.


(Barbara Greenwood) #15

There’s no 72-hour protocol in the appendix - there are 24, 36 and 42- hour protocols (where you skip 2, 3 or 4 meals respectively, repeated 3 times per week with normal eating in between. And there’s a 7-14 day protocol.

Not to say you shouldn’t do 72 hours each week… just that it’s not Dr Fung’s protocol. And if 24 hours 3x per week is OK, then 72 hours once a week should be too - you have the same amount of eating time in the week in which to get your nutrients.

ISTR though that he avoids fasts of 2-6 days because, for most people, the 2nd or 3rd days are the hardest. You have just pushed through those, and then you start eating again. Whereas, get to day 4 and it is apparently plain sailing - as the OP said. I can’t comment from personal experience as I’ve never tried longer than 42 hours.


(Thomi M) #16

Thank you. Hmm. Where did I read/hear that, then, I wonder? I remember it being tied in somehow with GABA peaking around 72 hours. Research has pointed me toward more GABA, as it has been linked to benefiting mental health and migraine Dx. I am going to have to backtrack in my reading and figure this out.


(Barbara Greenwood) #17

I’m forever reading things then forgetting where I saw them. Makes it a bit difficult to cite sources.

OTOH, I’m just some random woman on the internet, not a certified professional giving advice. Buyer beware, do your own research etc.


(Barbara Greenwood) #18

I’ve just had a quick skip through the chapters which talk about fast duration and frequency, and there is an anecdote from someone called Evelyn C who says she fasts for 3.5 days then eats for 3.5 days each week - her version of alternative Day fasting, but in larger blocks. So maybe that’s what you saw - it’s in chapter 14.


(Amy s) #19

It was an interview with Dr Fung that I heard him say he didn’t recommend a 2 day fast because that is an unpleasant duration in which you don’t get to the smooth sailing part.


(Jennifer) #21

I wonder if that was in context of new fasters? Don’t want them to get discouraged with the crappy couple days. Especially if they are still on carbs before starting.

I am on day 7 of my first long term fast. I was already in ketosis before I started so the first couple days were easy.