No, no, no, Theo. No fasting for you today 🙂 (damn, wish I had
access to emojis!) Will continue to exercise “my will” on the
real estate outcome for you. Location, location, location IS
the mantra of the real estate market. As fit as you and your
husband are, “feet first” is a very, very long way off for both
of you!
Essie, that is an invitation that the bearded one and I will
look forward to with much anticipation and delight 🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks Allie.

Essie, I may just join Allie and her bearded one as your houseguests if we lose out on our house. Yours sounds so beautiful, it would be a huge consolation, knowing that you have moved in and are opening Hotel Esnecca😋

Please don’t blame me, Luvtcook hasn’t given me permission to get off the naughty step yet after I was wondering if bone broth made from meat eaters was more effective than bone broth from vegetarians.

JGwen, your place is DEFINITELY permanently on the naughty step. My poor laptop may never recover, because you’ve made me splutter over it all over again😁😃😄😆 Tea this time, but still….Two dousings in one day?!!!😉

Just loving the debate about stock😁😀😂😄😃 Keep ’em coming girl😀

Oh fingers crossed for your real estate offer Theo. I downsized about a decade ago and found it very stressful. Also cash buyer, but the whole process was a nightmare. I wanted to stay in the same area, very competitive real estate market, took me 12 months of offers and bids in aunctions till in the end I found somewhere and simply asked the selling agent “how much do I need to offer to get it off the market”. It was a nightmare, dealing with real estate agents, building inspectors, lawyers etc.alone makes me stressed. I swore I would never do it again! Now of course I can see a time where house and garden maintenance in even this far more modest little house will become too tedious and I will want to move to a lovely modern townhouse. At least I won’t also be juggling a busy job.

Anyway back to fasting, I completed a 72 hour fast. It was fabulous. Lovely energy, felt quite peaceful and I can see that my tummy roll is shrinking. I could easily have continued but have a number of commitments that woukdn’t be fast friendly. I am now very confident that I won’t have a problem incorporating fasting inti long term health activitirs, Normal eating yesterday and this morning I’ve hit an important milestone, 18kg lost, yipee. 4 days of focussing on weight loss to go.

Blessedenough, how is your fast going, I’m very impressed you’ve armed yourself with a good amount of background reading before launching off. I needed to build up gradually to 3 days so all power to you.

Hi flick, I think I have decided fasting at this point isnt for me. I did really well got to 26hrs and was feeling great, not hungry. Then I decided to stop but over ate, probably by 500 cals and 100g carbs. I know the bsd works, I have to be careful not to get lax with it. However fasting tips me over the edge. Perhaps when I am further along my journey I will try again. It seems to work well for everyone on this thread and I am sold on the purported health benefits but not yet for me. Its not a loss just a stumble on my journey and an important lesson to learn. Dealing with hunger tomorrow will be a pain, but I shall get right back on that horse. Good luck everyone.

Good on you for giving it a crack.. I built up to longer fasts bit by bit and was quite hungry after the first 36 hour fast and I think ate over 900 calories the next day. Haven’t experienced that hunger again but our bodies are all so different. Finding that fasting is not for you at this stage, is no more than another interesting piece of information, completely value free! 🤗💪💪🌟🎉

back here…and so much in two days!!!
Flick…I would love to meet up in Canberra…but I’ll be on-site for the whole time without a car….if you feel like a day at the festival, my number is 0402 004 551! (we are performing 31st March and 2 April)….maybe you’ll be inspired to pick up the fiddle ;)…we have fabulous fiddle player in our band!!

Allie thanks as always for your thoughts. I should elaborate…I have been mostly vegetarian since my late teens (always a reluctant meat eater as a child…it ‘s a texture thing I think. These days I do eat fish for the omega 3s….it suits me …..and the best thing about being post menopausal is that I’m no longer iron deficient now that I’m not losing so much blood every month (so it was never due to diet!)

So back to my FMD. Day 5 today….final day. I’ve actually eaten less than the diet allows as very little hunger…BUT I have had some joint pain…seemed to move from headache to neck ache to hip ache to lower back. Otherwise totally fine (I do suspect its mostly caffeine withdrawal!)
I’ll get another blood test in the morning so will post when the results come in…

So tomorrow, back on “normal” BSD. I’ll do another FMD late this month and late April (I’m being a guinea pig for one of the researchers) Almost finished Pr Longo’s book and the stats esp for cardiovascular disease (my biggest genetic risk factor, plus high BP) and longevity are very impressive. He’s another fan of not eating frequently….though in his daily diet does recommend breakfast, which I can easily miss

Blessed enough, I think while fasting works for many, as Flick says, its not a necessity and many have achieved stellar results without it

Anyhow….off to work for me!! (working for myself is great for flexibility, but terrible for time management!!)

Hi EC, I’d love to catch up. I’ll look at the program and come out for one of the days.

I ‘ll be the nearky scrawny one clutching a bag of almonds and needing to pee in those dreadful portaloos!

Mary, the fasting does the same thing to my fussy GI. The first time around it was not enough motility…then on subsequent fasts, too much. Most recently I did 300 calories rather than nothing and that seemed to help.
Hoping you see the results you want for all your hard work.

LTC

Flick, those portoloo’s are a blight on the landscape! We used to regularly attend a concert series on
a beautiful estate on the Connecticut shore. Essentially an evening of classical music under the stars,
and we had the great good fortune to both see Joshua Bell (violin) and YoYo Ma (cello) perform. The
only downside were those odious “facilities”! I dreaded having to enclose myself within those 4 walls,
and I got into the habit of sending o/h in first to make sure that it was “fit for my use”. Pathetic, I know …
Fortunately, I’m married to a very tolerant man who is well used to my phobias and idiosyncrasies!

EC, wouldn’t it be fabulous to meet up with our Flick?! I hope that it works out for the two of you!

LTC, if my sometimes faulty memory is operational, you should be in P-burgh now? HOW is your
brother??? Check in when you can…I don’t like being out of touch with my friends, here 🙂 🙂 🙂

Enjoy the “Fast”, everyone!

Allie

Hi all,
Please can I have some advice from any Type 2 DM sufferers out there. I’ve been fasting twice a week beyond 16/8 for a couple of weeks and found that it is very effective for weight loss and for making me feel more in control.

I’ve been feeling slightly dizzy when I stand up once or twice, but it was fixed with salt. I am currently doing a 24 hour fast, planning to break it at 19.00 this evening with an evening meal, but I’ve just checked my blood sugar an it is 3.8 which is too low according to diabetes.co.uk. Ironically I don’t feel dizzy or bad in any way.
I’m Type 2, now diet managed since finding low carbs and loosing weight.
Should I break my fast to get my blood sugar up?

Hi VictoriaM, as you are diabetic and obviously able to check your numbers you know that 3.8 is very low. People, like me, who go on this diet and get used to the very low cal can go very low without having the same affects it used to give. If you are feeling at all dizzy, light-headed, numb lips, sweating etc you should be having something to eat. I used to stuff my face frantically with a cheese or jam sandwich when I didn’t know better. Now I have some yoghurt and prunes (for sweetness) and re-test after 15 mins, if it hasn’t gone up to a decent figure i.e. 4.5 then I eat something else like a slice of ham or piece of chicken. So, I am saying, yes, break your fast unless you want to go into full hypo. I personally would never dream of fasting – yes I am T2 as well.

Thanks sunshine-girl – time for a snack I think

Hi VictoriaM
Just read your post and as another person with T2 thought I’d add my experience. I’ve only done a couple of fasts while on BSD (although used to do the odd fast years ago). Most recently, I got to 28 hours (I was aiming for 36/42 hrs) but stopped as my bgls had dropped down to 4.2 (they’d gone up to 5.8/6.0). Although, they can often be at this level so they were OK, I just didn’t feel comfortable going through a second overnight without food in case they dropped again.
Since I was diagnosed in August, like you, I have had a couple of times when my bgls have been 3.8 or 3.9 (not when fasting) and although I felt fine, too, it was quite confronting to see them that low. Luckily, both times I was taking my pre-dinner bgl so just went ahead and ate.
I like Jason Fung’s work. A lot of what he says makes sense to me, and his theories about what’s going on with diabetes, and about fasting and insulin resistance etc are in tune with Roy Taylor’s (in fact I noticed he’s used some of Taylor’s work in his presentations). But, although he talks about it being OK for T2’s to fast without medical support if not on medication, and that the body will adjust the bgl levels naturally, I can’t find anywhere where he says specifically what to do if your bgl goes below a certain level, which is frustrating.
I can understand sunshine-girl deciding not to fast; I have decided to continue fasting – our medical situations are completely different – but, I do agree, as a T2, about stopping at a certain point. I will break the fast if my bgls go to 4/below 4, or, of course, if I get any of the symptoms sunshine-girl has outlined.
I know I keep banging on about Jason Fung’s new book, The Diabetes Code, which will be out next month, but I’m hoping that will have a few more answers about bgl levels and fasting.

I’d be interested to know what you make of it all and what you’ll do going forward.

Thanks Marie,
I decided to break my fast with some goats cheese and raw mushrooms – odd I know but I like it. It was a 22 hour fast in the end, so not too bad, and I will keep trying to fast, mainly to reset my weight and to try to reduce my insulin resistance on the way to managing my diabetes.

I’ll be a bit careful, I may have had this problem before and not noticed. This time it was just chance that I happened to check my bs close to the end of my fast. The odd time when I’ve felt dizzy before I’ve checked BS but been OK.

Amazon is saying that you can pre-order The Diabetes Code today and it will be delivered on 3rd April. I’ll block out 3rd of April to read it!!

Snap – that’s what I’ll be doing, too. x

Good morning, friends
Unfortunately I stopped my potential 5 day fast after 2 days due to feeling light headed. In fact, I was standing at the time and felt most odd for a minute or two. I don’t have T2 but I did wonder if my BP had dropped a bit low, particularly as I take medication. Something I’m hoping to come off eventually. Also, I stupidly chose a silly week, what with month end madness and awful weather conditions and disruptive travel. A stressful week and Fung says to choose a time when things are fairly calm! So I reverted to my usual 18/6 and 24 for the rest of the week. I will have another attempt either this week or next. It definitely helps me, gives my intestines a rest and my IBS type symptoms are hugely improved.
Wishing you all a lovely restful Sunday. 😁
Kxxxxx

quick hello as am SO tired…four young musicians from Dublin (plus their agent and sound engineer) followed by a female Irish singer staying and performing these last four days/nights

So my five days of FMD went well despite some aches and pains (only had 120 calorie tomato soup day five as appetite completely tamed)….but a houseful of eating and drinking Irish musos was not an ideal way to break a fast!!!
back on track (again!) tomorrow

Flick….if you do make it to NFF text me…would love to meet! 0402 004 551

and…the portaloos are a long ago thing of the past. The majority of venues in Exhibition Park are buildings with great facilities (as are the shower blocks)….so no probs there (I remember the old days of Maleny Folk Festival portaloos where we and all five kids got v sick after the festival….truly gruesome

Will catch up later this week after much sleep
catch all soon…go well
xxx

Hi EC, stopping by quickly as I pack to let you know I’ve bought a ticket for the Saturday and have your number in my phone. I’ll call when I get there. We’ll have to take a headless photo (not sure why headless seems to be the go here?) but there you go. How exciting! Also a house full of Irish musicians sounds like a wonderful riot. See you soon!

Have a wonderful time, EC and Flick! I would dearly love to see you both break with tradition and
send us a group photo that includes your all important faces 🙂 🙂 🙂

Me too 😀 A headless photo would be good, but one WITH heads would be sooo much better 😄
Have a great time and enjoy your meet up, EC and Flick xx

ha!!….photo may or may not occur…seems Flick is way ahead of me on the weight loss front (I (grrrrr ) actually seem to have regained the weight I lost on FMD….but then it was only 5 days….)
Too many family birthdays this week…youngest son, OH…..routine after weekend!!!

Bumping this thread because there’s a lot of good discussion in it about fasting practices and I think it’s a good place to focus some of the conversations that are currently free-ranging around the forum.

I’ll chime in that now that I’m in maintenance, I do 5:2 (water only on the fast days) two weeks a month, and an extended fast every three months. Only one time that I can recall did I split up the 2 fast days over the course of the week. My usual practice is to knock them out on a weekend because my OH can cook for himself much more easily than he can on weekdays. That leaves me free to have a cooking mini-vacation which I enjoy.

Hi Esnecca.I am some way off maintenance but I am sure fasting will be a part of my strategy when that time comes.
Fasting has become my friend. It makes me feel good and it has also restored my enjoyment for food. For years I thought constantly about food, mindlessly chomping my way throughout the day, disregarding meal times, never really knowing the sensation of hunger. Making the wrong choices, trying to ‘fill myself up’ but never feeling satisfied.
I now have respect for the foods that I choose to eat. I do not want to put crap into my body.I don’t yearn for bread, pasta , rice etc etc although fruit still has an appeal . I want my food to nourish me, I want it to be a joy, not a fear. I have cracked the addiction and it feels fantastic.
Fasting helped me to achieve that because it has given me back the control I had lost.I used to stuff myself out of fear of hunger striking but now I welcome the sensation. I am not starving myself.I am choosing not to eat for a period of time. I don’t watch the clock, desperately waiting for my fast to end but I anticipate the first meal with pleasure.
I will be fasting again from this evening ( Sunday) until Wednesday lunchtime . I have a supportive O/H who accepts and understands my focus and sees no ill effects. He knows it works for me.
I don’t discuss my fasting with work colleagues ( it would not be understood) and I haven’t spoken to my family who may also express concern. They will see me in April…I haven’t been back to the Uk for over a year. I will let you know how they react !
This is where all my many, many attempts to lose weight over the years have led me. I don’t regret that I only discovered BSD and fasting at age 60 rather than in my thirties after having my 2 sons because I needed that time to understand my behaviour and what was at the root of my over eating. I feel lighter, brighter than I have in years ! I have my new vibrant coppery red hair, my wacky earrings and my shrinking wardrobe and I am anticipating retirement in the knowledge that I am doing my best to be healthy ! That is what it is all about. Buns and pies just don’t do it for me anymore 😉
Hope you are having a good day . It’s a real pleasure for me to see you back on the forums and read your posts which I am sure will be an inspiration for many .

As one of the lawyers on here, I have to take issue with Wendleg’s clear and unequivocal representation that she has a “shrinking wardrobe”. On the contrary, all the evidence points to an expanding wardrobe in shrinking sizes. It’s OK Wendleg, we’ll pass over that just this once. I don’t think that fasting will be part of my life, but it’s obviously working for you and others!

Oh you bloody lawyers are so pedantic 😉 😉
Actually O/H despairs of me as seeing my ‘ vide dressing’ purchases this morning he is worrying he will have to build more wardrobe space. I basically need to spend a day de cluttering and sorting my size 20s and 22s so there is room for my “shrinking sizes” ! ( 16/14 even ?)
To actually be able to buy clothes this morning which were not baggy tunics was an absolute joy. Everything fits….wow !

Fasting is a tool which may or may not work, sixturkeys. We all have to find what helps us. What I am convinced about is the commitment I think is necessary for this to work long term . The phrase ‘having the right mind set’ is maybe over used but I do believe it is essential.
I am a stubborn bugger ! Sorry to swear ….;-)

Oh Wendleg definitely – I did not mean to detract from your message, or others’ and sorry if the levity was inapt, or inept. I am probably a bit envious in all honesty of you and others achieving this, because I am really not sure I could.

No worries sixturkeys !!! I was joking. I love your humour !!
No need to apologize .
Are you saying you are really sure you could not fast ? What makes you say that ? Just a few hours to start with ??

Sorry Wendleg another pedant joining in the conversation. 🙂 – To explain Sixturkeys before I dropped out the rat race I worked on safety critical software, usually avionic systems or power stations.
I am going for rounds of 2 or 3 x 36 to 42 hour fasts a week for the next 10 weeks. Depending on what fits in with my work load. Combined with one intensive weight training session a week. I will then get to see what the impact has been on body composition and other health markers thanks to being a volunteer on a project to monitor the impact of a weekly weight training program.
I am just 1 inch on my waist and hips to discard to get down to a size 16 for skirts which is the smallest dress size I have been all my adult life. – The width of my shoulders will limit me on dress sizes.

Because I don’t eat breakfast, I am eating in a 6 to 7 hour window as a rule. You are right JGwen re your other post that eating times can just be a habit, and food just marks a hiatus between finishing one job and starting another (or just the 2pm Archers episode being on…). I will aim to be more mindful of that at least.

I agree with y’all. Learning to distinguish between true hunger and that mildly empty feeling is one of the miracles
of the BSD lifestyle. I’ve actually come to welcome that feeling, and no longer ever think of eating until I am
completely “full”. I used to love 1/2 a jacketed potato, but I’m sure that it would feel like a brick in my stomach now.
Avoiding sweets for long enough, and tastes change. Spicy and sour become more interesting taste sensations.
Sugar has no nutritional value, and it’s glorious to be free of that addiction 🙂 🙂 🙂

I’m with y’all on having developed a whole new understanding of hunger thanks to the Fast800, IF and extended fasts. It’s one of the unintended consequences of WOE that I love the most, like my little toenails going from weird little chips to nice, even squares. 😀

wendleg, my parents only know about my 16:8 IF window. If I told them about my extended fasts, or even the 5:2 weeks, they would freak the hell out. I don’t care to debate the issue with them or anyone else, frankly. I spent two decades getting crap dietary advice from other people and it only got me fatter and sicker. My choices are mine to make, the results speak for themselves and they’re nobody’s business but my own.

Absolutely Esnecca. I am taking control of my health and that is most definitely my business and noone elses.. I am in the middle of another 65h fast ( from Sunday evening till Wednesday lunch time) and our food bill is also going down 😉
Well done JGwen.I wish I could join you in the weight training but the surgeon who performed my pelvic floor surgery woul not approve !!
Have a great week everyone !

How is your week going JGwen ? I completed another 65 hour fast this week which was again manageable so I am happy with that. My smoked salmon lunch tasted fantastic. I doubt I wll be doing so many extended fasts this month but I like testing myself . I have a trip to the Uk coming up at the end of April so I will slot in regular 36 or 42h fasting periods until then.There is no way I could surreptiously fast when being around my family !

Theodora (whom I dearly miss and hope is okay) used travel days to fast. I copied her and it was so liberating not to have to spend a moment negotiating with all the carb-laded food in airports, stations and airplanes. It also helped with jet lag. I was much better off than my family who had bogged themselves down with crap airplane pasta and train station sandwiches. I just said nothing appealed to me and since we were on the move, my parents didn’t even notice that I was fasting. I highly recommend it.

Essie, I dearly miss Theo, too! We had some great times on the Phoenix thread, didn’t we? Kazzi’s first order of
business when she lands in CT is to see me in possession of a smartphone, and then the 2 of you can ensure
that I know how to use it 🙂 Theo has been doing a great deal of traveling since the tragic loss of her magnificent
dog last March…2/10wk trips to south Africa, as well as a lengthy trip to NZ and Australia. But you have returned,
and we hope that she will too. Perhaps a Phoenix redux? I’d love that!

Yes, I was just watching a Jason Fung interview earlier and he was saying quite a few people report it helps with jet lag.

Awww – Essie and Allie, my 2 BSD besties. Bless you, I miss you too, and soooo pleased to see Essie back. Just happened to have internet access this evening so thought I’d log in.

I have indeed spent the last year travelling – and am actually in Dubai atm after another lengthy trip to Africa – but still hold good to fasting on travel days. I haven’t been able to weigh in the past couple of months and know that I’ve put on a few pounds (eaten and drunk far too much), but only a few, I hope. All my clothes still fit very comfortably and I know that any damage will be dealt with immediately upon my return to UK in April, with a few fasts, which I am actually looking forward to! What’s more, I’ve persuaded my bearded one to join me, though he’s only agreed to 800 for one day a week but it’s a start. He doesn’t really need to lose weight, but after this year’s excesses, I’ve persuaded him that it will be good for his health.

It is so good to hear from you all, and I really hope to be more active on the forum again soon. Essie, maybe we should revive our Phoenix thread if Allie is finally succumbing to a smart phone! We may actually get to see some pics of her amazing new outfits 😉

Love and best wishes to everyone on the forum, but particularly to the pair of you!👍😘

Theo! I’m so happy to hear that you are gallivanting around the world being awesome. You had plenty of wiggle room — I remember you kept losing like crazy even when you were actively trying to stop! — and I’m sure whatever minor gains you’ve accrued during the course of the gallivanting aren’t worth worrying about. Any phoenix worth her salt (mmm… salt…) know that it’s all about the fit of the clothes, am I right?

Allie, I am totally on board with Kazzi’s plan to drag you kicking and screaming into the smartphone era. Once the miracle has been accomplished, you will take your first official selfie and post it to the Phoenix thread. That will be a perfect way to raise the thread from the ashes. After all, its core theme is renewal (and hot boots). 😀

Here’s a little tip I discovered for stretching out a fast. One of the ferments I made at the end of the summer was a hot pepper medley. I grabbed all different colors and types of hot peppers at the farmers market, most of which I could not identify beyond the fact that the case was labelled “hot peppers.” I chopped them up, massaged salt into them and let them do their fermenting thing for a couple of months. The end result was a tangy heat bomb so delicious that my venerable father actually scoops it up on its own with chips like it was a salsa. I add it to foods to jazz them up, but he has a stomach of steel and loves extra hot food so he can take it.

Anyway, point of all this being, the brine of the fermented peppers is a hot sauce. I mean, it’s green, thickish and literally tastes like an extremely delicious, more complex and extra hot Tabasco sauce. One day in the middle of an extended fast I was considering making some broth because I was cold and had a tummy ache. I saw my pepper medley in the fridge and decided to get a probiotic boost as well as some heat. I spooned out a teaspoon of the brine and downed it. After I finished hooting and hollering and jumping up and down, not only did I feel the burn warming my insides for the next half hour, but I was downright bright-eyed. I have no way of calculating the calories in the brine, but I’m sure they were single-digits. A cup of broth is 20.

The moral of the story is if you’re feeling a little hungry, peaky or chilly during a fast, try knocking back a teaspoon of hot sauce.

Hi Esnecca. I am intrigued about the fermenting process. I haven’t tried any kimchi or other fermented products but I am interested. A friend recently gave me a kefir culture and I have been experimenting with that . I expect that would interrupt a fast though if I drank it on one of my fasting days ?

Kefir is fairly calorie-dense at 160 calories per cup, so you’d definitely be breaking the fast by drinking it. If I feel the need for something beyond water or black coffee, which is rare, I go for ferment brines which consist almost entirely of salt, water and probiotic bacteria. Some of the nutrients from the fermented vegetables leech in to the brine as well, but I have no way to calculate their calorie content. It’s low enough that I don’t worry about it. Dr. Fung supports bone broth fasts and that has anywhere from 20 to 50 calories a cup.

Home fermentation is easy. Kefir with its grains and straining is far more complicated than veg ferments which require 1) a vegetable, and 2) unprocessed sea salt. That’s it. Get a fermentation lid and you don’t even have to worry about burping it.

Thanks Esnecca. I have never fancied bone broth as I don’t eat much meat but I will look into the veg fermentation. My local health food store had fresh ‘ sève de bouleau’ or birch sap which is a seasonal cleansing detox so I am giving that a try for the hopefully beneficial mineral cocktail !

https://www.naturallivingideas.com/birch-water-benefits/

It has sugar in it so it’s off my list. My OH tried maple water recently which is similar in the sense that it derives from tree sap and said it tastes like slightly maple-flavored water.

Oh bugger, damn and botheration Esnecca ! I had read birch sap was low carb but I omitted to investigate sugar content so that is a wake up call for me. Thanks for the reminder . Sugar really is lurking everywhere ….

People have varying definitions of low carb and they very rarely mean what I mean by it so I always look up the nutritional stats. Birch water is definitely lower in sugar/carbs than the maple water my fella tried. It’s just not for me because I try to keep my sugar grams as rock-bottom as humanly possible with my only regular sources being vegetables, legumes, nuts and very, very rarely fruit. Beverages wouldn’t make the grade since I could so easily make sugarless choices.

Hi Wendleg, You wondered whether to start a new thread on Fasting. So thought I would bump this one up a bit!

Hi Birdy76 and Wendleg
I have been following your recent fastings, and have also been reading Dr Fung’s information.
He mentions that bone broth and coffee/tea with a smidgen of cream are ok on a 24hr + fast. Do you drink these during your fasts? And any other beverages that help you along the way? I’m interested in your experience as I think about doing a 24+ fast myself ( in a week or two!)
Thanks 🌺