Hi everyone,
Hope you’re all having terrific Tuesdays 🙂
I’ve been following the Fast800 for three weeks and decided to try a longer fast of 24 hours. It’s been remarkably easy and only have 4 hours left. I thought it was going to be crazy hard. Of course, I slept from 9:30pm-7am so that covered a lot of hours – hahahahah!
I’m just curious…..what do you all drink when you fast? And how much do you drink? I just can’t look at another glass of water, even with lemons, limes, cukes, etc….in it. I’ve had some hot tea (no milk or Splenda) and some chicken broth (which I have a feeling broke all the rules of fasting).
I searched and couldn’t find posts specific to longer fasts although I’m sure they’re in here somewhere.
Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙂
Lisa

Strictly speaking a fasting drink is water – but we have to do whatever makes it work for us!
I actually use almond milk in my coffee.
Another option is bulletproof coffee; I did it last week but over-indulged and had a stall week. Google it for more information, there’s a lot of discussion.
Hope you find a drink that suits you because water does lose its appeal!

Lisa, are you familiar with Jason Fung? He has some excellent books on extended fasting, and you can prevue his
work on you tube. It’s very impressive!

Allie

Thank you both. I’ll google both bulletproof coffee and Jason Fung. So, so , so much to learn and absorb and put into practice! This is just all so exciting!
🙂 Lisa

Hi again,
Allie, thank you so, so much for pointing me in Jason Fung’s direction. I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to him and just keep on learning! I was thrilled to read that he advocates both drinking bone broth and putting a bit of cream in tea/coffee during fasts. Having those two things added to extensive water intake will make fasting even easier. In a few days or so I may try for the 36 hours, waiting till breakfast the next day to break the fast.
Thank you once again!
Lisa

I’m on an extended fast, which has taken me by surprise. I intended to do a 36 hour- ie evening meal on Friday to breakfast today, Sunday, but felt energised and not at all hungry so carried on fasting to dinner time but still not feeling hungry so going for 72 hours.
I’ve had so much energy today I haven’t been able to sit still! I went to the local Sunday market and bought a huge bag of cherries and don’t even know if they taste nice; I’ve decided to make them into a compote and freeze. My 3lb wedge of Jarlsberg will be eaten 😄
So many bargains I couldn’t resist, and I’m on a bit of a high to be honest.
So, what I wanted to say to all you lovely people, is that I found it amazingly easy. The last time I felt like this was when I was at university and was pretty casual about eating. If only I’d identified then what was going on I’d have saved myself years of yo-yo dieting.
So if anyone is thinking of dipping their toe in the extended fast pool I can only say it wasn’t hard.
As for outcomes, I’m hoping it’s going to shake me out of my current stall. I’ll let you know.
Maggie

Hi Maggie,
Well done on your achievement, could you share any hints on how you achieved this. Did you have coffee with cream, or bone broth, or just water?
My bathroom scales have been reading in the same 2kg range for the last month, but I have been loosing inches from my waist and hips. Looking in the mirror I can see an underlying shape below the fat and but I am worried about loose skin. So I have been trying to weigh up the option of fasting mimicking diet, against fasting. I don’t struggle with 20:4 as an eating pattern, but somehow the idea of not eating at all for 36 hours seems much harder.

Hi JGwen
I got to it by increments, 16/8 20/4 then a full 24 between evening meals. Then I decided to go for it, partly to shake things up and also because the metabolism rises in the 48 hour of fasting, so I’d have that to bring back.
Also, the autophagy was a big attraction. The idea that it can spring clean your brain is so exciting. Have you come across this site https://draxe.com/benefits-of-autophagy/
He suggests that autophagy possibly may be achieved through ketosis, without extended fasting.
The first day was a bit of a challenge at first but today really has been a breeze and there is no feeling of hunger.
I was nearly all water (I got an infuser bottle so the water tastes pleasantly of raspberries!) though first thing was coffee with almond milk.
I found a video earlier (sorry, didn’t bookmark it) where coffees with thick cream, butter and MCT oil were tested for glucose and ketone reactions. None spiked glucose noticeably but MCT oil (I’m taking that as coconut) significantly raised the ketones. Conclusion was that none broke a fast, though MCT definitely helped.,
I know this will sound like a fevered imagination, but this afternoon I noticed a blister on my arm which I must have got from brushing up against a plant. Now it’s almost gone. Very strange. Perhaps it’s autophagy army at work.
Jason Fung is quite clear that none of his patients who were fasting had any issue with loose skin, which does make fasting very attractive.
Maybe I find it comparatively easy because I’ve never been a big eater, though what I ate was absolutely the worst food. But I think your body will tell you when you’re ready to make the leap. Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
Maggie

Maggie, Josh Axe is well known here in terms of alternative medicine on my side of the pond…Are you familiar
with his new publication, “Eat Dirt”? He attributes all illness, as Hippocrates did, to aberrations in the gut. He
divides this into 5 prototypes, and these classifications can be found on you tube. I’ve been using his product,
collagen bone broth, for awhile now. One of things that is most interesting is his description of prebiotics as
“the fertilizer” that nourishes the probiotics that balances gut health. In each category, he lists whole foods
that are top of each lists! Kefir and kimchi do find their way into my diet on a daily basis, along with unpasteurized
sauerkraut. He’s very passionate on “leaky gut”! Keep up the research!

Allie

Thanks for that information. What I have read about autophagy is that the regulator is Mtor, and that its protein levels in the diet which control levels of Mtor. – The doctor who received the Nobel award for his work on autophagy recommends a fast mimicking diet, for 4 days sessions which is a 800 calories but is a mixture of fat and carbs. –
I saw a question and answer session recently recorded with Jason Fung where he said that there is no definitive answer on when autophagy starts but he thinks its most effective in the 24 to 36 hour period. –
I have been thinking about trying to change my diet to spend part of the week eating low carb/high fibre veg and oils with low protein. So lots of stir frys, salads and veg cooked in butter. On the other hand, perhaps learning to fast is an important step in breaking free from the mental issues about food / comfort eating. I am comfortable about getting out and about in a morning without eating breakfast and not having lunch but there is still a step to get over of the end of the working day = having a meal.

What I don’t get with all the research into carbs or protein per day is what effect physical activity has on the levels. – Is the research done on people in office based work, what levels of daily exercise were they following? I am sure it must make a difference.

Hi Allie, I know its a slight diversion, but its not just the mixture of bacteria in the gut which has an impact on body regulation. – I have seen an interesting article today that the mixture of bacteria in the birth canal is responsible for premature birth in about 50% of cases.

Thanks for that JGwen; yes, there are a lot of variables that will affect our outcomes. I hadn’t come across the fasting mimicking programme, and it does look like a plan! I think I’ll stick with what I’m doing, but fascinated to hear how you get on with it if you choose to try it.
Allie – thanks for the heads up on Dr Axe, what a resource.
Maggie

Finished at 72 hours yesterday evening. Very low on energy after being on rocket fuel the previous day, and it felt like the natural time.
Total weight loss over the three days was 2lbs, which was a fair reward I think!
It really wasn’t hard and the big change has been round my middle where there’s been a noticeable reduction in my muffin top which is brilliant. I’m a real apple, very short waisted and don’t have much of a natural waist – l know I’ll have to go way down my healthy weight range to have any shape as any fat goes straight to my middle. I’ve got some scales coming today that measure tons of things but mostly I bought them because I really need to know my body fat % as that’s more important than weight. I know they won’t be accurate but I’ll get an overall picture.
Hopefully I’ve got a boost in my BMR as promised by Dr Fung 😚 The other thing is that I’ve stayed in ketosis despite having a meal which is rather pleasing.
I think I’ll make it a weekly thing. On Jason Fung and Megan Ramos FB page there are weekly fasts of different patterns https://m.facebook.com/groups/821976751327602?view=permalink&id=858638184328125 so l might tag along there and see what best suits me.
I hope there’s something helpful for someone in all of that.
Maggie