What is the longest fast that you've completed?

(carole) #261

I went on a 7 day vegetable juice only fast Using my ninga juicer and straining out the pulp and that was easy. I lost 8 pounds and have kept it off. A few months later I went on a 3 day water fast but on the third day my blood sugar went down to 50, my blood pressure went down to 52/103 and I had a low pulse of 47 so, I quit immediately and it took a day to get back to normal. I am never doing a water fast again. Juice works fine for me.

#262

@cbrock Low blood sugars are not necessarily a problem in the context of keto and fasting, but the low BP is unusual (unless you were coming from HC? if you go from high carb to fasting, it can put your system in a tailspin as it desperately searches for glucose and slows things down to make up for the missing energy).

[Not that you should water fast if you donā€™t want to. You definitely shouldnā€™t! I just want to make sure that newbies reading this have full info.]

(carole) #263

Im so sorry i accidentally reversed the numbers in the BP OMG it was 103/52ā€¦big mistake sorry my bad
Ill do better proof reading from now on

(Betty) #264

The longest fast I have completed was a 66-hour fast August 2018. I fasted bc I wanted to clear my system of overindulgences after overeating in keto and slipping out of keto. It felt ok! I listened to my body and at 66 hrs, felt like I was ready to stop. I am currently at hour 46 of an EF and starvvvving. Iā€™m going to have some salted bone broth to try and push through. Iā€™ve eaten poorly for 20 years and Iā€™m desperate to clear out access gunk in my body and organs. Iā€™m also hoping my current fast will get to my goal of 90 hours.

(Carpe salata!) #265

Good luck with your fast Lizzie. My longest was 5 days ~120hrs and I had to stop because of social commitments. I only did water fasts - do what works best for you.

Day 3 is better than day 1 or day 2 :slight_smile:

(Betty) #266

Thanks, Peter!

Wow, 120 hours is amazing!! :slight_smile: Yes, social commitments can get in the way. Itā€™s tough especially when youā€™re feeling ā€œin the zoneā€ and donā€™t want to stop healing your body. But itā€™s ok, we can always fast again.

(Muhammad Nasim) #267

Currently on day 48 of fast. I take each day as it comes. Have broth, electrolytes and multivitamins etc. Iā€™ll get my target weight in around another 90 days probably. No plans to break the current fast unless sth changes.

(carole) #268

I am trying a water fast againā€¦I have a history of diabetes 2 and stopped taking metformin a year ago with approval from my doctor and started a vegan diet. Iā€™ve recently decided a vegan diet is not working that well because Iā€™m hungry most of the time so I have for the last few months started working coconut oil and salmon and other oily fish in my diet, I am very active and practice yoga. I am 69 5ā€™6" and weigh 126.
A month ago on the 3rd day of my water fast I was so dizzy i could not walk without wall support and felt like I was going to pass outā€¦I stopped the fast. I read about water fasting for a few weeks before i tried it, watched water fasting documentaries on Amazon Prime and was aware the third day would be hard, butā€¦I was in no way prepared for how I felt. Iā€™m in my 2nd day now and feel okā€¦am I over reacting?

#269

Generally dizzy means an electrolyte problem, but at your height and weight, you donā€™t have a whole lot of excess energy in reserve for your fasts, so you might need to either do shorter fasts or supplement with some fat (which probably interferes with autophagy*, though really no one knows for sure).

I have a rule for myself that if I get dizzy for more than a few seconds when I stand up (or if itā€™s particularly intense), I stop the fast immediately. Iā€™ve since been much better about getting more salt throughout the day when Iā€™m fasting so it hasnā€™t really been an issue.

*there seems to be an increase in autophagy even in fast mimicking diets, so I would think that fat fasting would be somewhere on the spectrum as well, though probably not as effective as water fasting

(Muhammad Nasim) #270

For electrolytes I take 1.5 litresof water with 1tsp of rock salt, half tsp of ā€œno saltā€, 4 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbdp apple cider vinegar. I used to get the dizziness but not anymore with the electrolytes. I got this recipe off the chap who does the ā€œsnake juice dietā€.

(Alex ) #271

Iā€™ve done 3.5 days water fasting before, purely as a bit of a challenge,and drinking LOADS of water.

I really enjoyed the rapid reduction of stomach size, but just didnā€™t like zombie-esque feeling I was having trying to do normal stuff like, walking to the shop, housework, and generally standing up.

Never tried it with electrolytesā€¦ Iā€™d be interested to see how that feltā€¦

#272

Electrolytes make a huge difference for me. I did a few water fasts without paying much attention to salt, and on the fourth day of one of them I remember being so wasted I could barely rouse myself off the sofa into bed (I also had a hot yoga class on days 2 and 4, which probably contributed to electrolyte depletion). Now Iā€™m more careful about salt and Iā€™m fine through my fasts.

(Tyeba ) #273

Been doing keto again since Jan 2018 and have incorporated fasting in my routine. I do keto OMAD regularly now, thatā€™s my new normal. My longest fast was 5 days, water, black coffee and salt water only. Felt like a million bucks! I have lost around 80lbs so far. I like fasting but it can be socially awkward at times.

(Tyeba ) #274

Adding some Himalayan salts, or any salt really, in your water will make a huge difference in how you feel. You also need to keep your potassium & salt in balance. If you arenā€™t consumeing any salt your body wonā€™t hold on to much water and you wonā€™t feel good.
Club soda has sodium and potassium in it and no calories or sweetners. This was my secret to being able to continue to being active and have tons of energy during my fasts. Best of luck on your next fast!

(Aaron West) #275

me too (Today is day 8.) I never made it past day 3 before (3.5 day fast a year ago). However, this fast has included some cheats; besides my blender mixture (supplements, green powders, etc), I have been taking a tablespoon or two a day of fats and sea salt, because I was getting dizzy and weak often and I though some coconut oil or butter would help. And yesterday I had too much butter; maybe 1/4th pound. (Not really a fast anymore?) I think I should drop them and go to pure water, soon (perhaps continuing with sea salt.) Still, I think a little cheating by adding fat (staying in ketosis) is better than quitting a fast altogether, if you are aiming for your first extended fast. Hunger hasnā€™t been an issue, after the first 3 days, but weakness, dizziness when standing up, and tachycardia have been issues at times.

#276

About 30 years ago I did a 30 day fast, way pre-keto.

It wasnā€™t hard, I kind of enjoyed it and was obviously experiencing autophagy.

I did it for a detox not for weight loss. I was staying in Ojai on holiday and a Russian doctor got to me.

Fasting has always been easy for me, I like the clarity it gives me. I just have to not do too much of it!

#277

More soā€¦ the thyroid problem is preventing you from reaping the benefits of a good fasting program. I would suggest the thyroid problem needs cardinal attention first so that once neutralized, you can go on and enjoy fasting benefits.

#278

more than anything I feel a great congratulations on your efforts is very much in order. I would propose you plan a much longer fast and with Godā€™s help it may finally shrink the Tumor to oblivion. I would invite you to also listen to the lectures of Dr. Thomas Seyfried on youtube in the hope that this will assist your journeyā€¦ Dr. Dom Dā€™Agostino is also doing great work using fasting, hyperbaric oxygen and the press pulse protocols using glutamine inhibitors to fight of and destroy cancer. This is for your information. God Bless Always.

#279

You are absolutely rightā€¦ so I tried adding low dose T3 and low dose naltrexone and nothing budged one little bit. My A1c is 5.8, my cholesterol is normalā€¦and Iā€™ve reduced blood pressure medsā€¦ but no weight loss. Sooooo, If this is the best it gets Iā€™m so okay with itā£ļø Iā€™ll keep my 16/8 IF with an occasional OMAD and be happy.