Home stretch! I’ve just selected my break fast diner 😅
Baked haloumi and summer vegetables salad 🤤🤤🤤

Cheering you on for the home stretch, Louise – you’re absolutely rocking it!!

Bet you enjoy that haloumi!! Elky

Thanks @elky, 9hrs to go!! Feeling great and no hunger. Amazballs!
My weight is having crazy drops, it will be interesting to see how much stick and how much was water loss that will be regain upon refeed.
-1.3 after day 1, and -0.7 after day 2.
I tried on my mini shorts to see if they could be brought to Bali and they fit like a glove!! They haven’t for so long! I’m glad I hang onto them 😍😍💃

Oh Louise, congratulations – it’s so good when the test is clothes, because scales have their weird moments but clothes tell the truth. When does your holiday start?

We’re going next Saturday. I have to devise a game plan for this holiday. I think I’ll have alcohol (wine and spirits) and stay away from all the other carbs + skip breakfast.
Hopefully that should limit any gain. I’m not too worried though, it’s only 1 week and with this new WOE any gain will be gone the following week. 😎

3 days fast now complete. My dinner was delicious and close to 650 kcal 🤣 so much lovely halloumi 🤤🤤🤤
Here are my results so far, I’ll see in the next few days how much of the discard sticks. The scale hadn’t moved for a while pre fast, so I’m thinking some of the discard was water retention/whoosh from previous days.
Fast 2
D1 -1,300gr
D2 -700gr
D3 – 200gr (after refeeding)

I’ve just started my 3rd 72 hours fast. And this one is a lot more exciting because hubby decided to join in 💃🕺
The 2.1kg lost during my last fast didn’t return! I’m very please with that as I was expecting a little come back. Good surprise.
Let’s see what this fast will bring.

I’m checking in again for my 3rd week of 4:3. The fast this week has been going well although it felt more difficult with hubby on board 😂 I guess because we talked about fasting a lot, so my brain was thinking about it a lot more than the first times I did it on my own.
I found that for a fast to go quickly it’s better not to think about it.
Anyway, today is our final day and we will be breaking our fast at diner tonight with cauliflower rice and meatballs 🤤🤤
So far I have lost 1.1kg this week which is so encouraging and again, much more rapide than any other “diet”/WOE I have tried before.
And the best thing is that I don’t feel deprived whatsoever. Loving it!!

Third 72 hours fast now complete. Boom! I’m a bad ass! 💪💪🤪
It felt longer than the other two, I’ll see if I keep this is up or if I move to a 3x36hrs fast

Louise you are definitely bad ass, and I am fasting today and tomorrow and hoping to take it through till Sunday.🤞🤞. I would really love the scales to say 14 stone by the time we go away. Have a fab time in Bali and like you I am not going to worry about food but I will stay away from french bread and pastries!! I would rather have a couple of G&T’s 😂😂🤗. I am now down nearly 4 stone! I never thought I would do it but I have! I only have 1 stone and 8lbs to go until I am at the weight I wanted to get to🤗. If I don’t look drawn I will go further if I can. But I am going to weight until I get to 12-9 and see how I look. Birdy💞🦜😘

4 stone! FOUR STONE! That’s amazing birdy!! Well done 🙂 can you imagine carrying 4 extra stones every where now? Your body is so strong and you must feel so energised.
I know what you mean about not looking too drawn – I need to lose an extra 6lbs and I’ll be back to my pregnancies weight which was my happy medium weight.
However I found out that I have a very high fat percentage and should probably try and lose more. But if I do, I don’t think I’ll recognise me in the mirror?! Anyway, let’s see how we go 🤣
Good on you for staying off French bread and pastries, most of them are average at best, I only eat those that come out of VERY good bakeries and you need to be a local and to have tried them all to know which one are the good ones 🤣🤣🤣

Hi Louise I am sure 6T will be happy with your congratulations but it is me Birdy that you were replying too😂😂😂. I really can’t imagine Carrying 4 extra stone around and I don’t want to ever again I have discarded it and I will NOT put it back on again❤️❤️. Birdy 🦜💞

I got confused between you two birds but you’ll find I have quickly rectify it 😉😋
Of course you will never put if back, I meant that as a reminder of how far you’ve come. I’ve lost 12kg/26lbs which happens to be my youngest weight. Every time I pick him up I groan cause he’s so heavy. And now it hit me that I use to carry that much extra weight every single minute of the day 😱😱

posted by BikeyGuy
on 28 Aug 2019 at 11:05
Reply • Report post •
Wendleg – “I started doing OMAD very early and tried longer fasts which I found I enjoyed and fasting is now a natural part of my woe”
I’m about to start a second 24hr fast and would like a pointer or two if anyone’s up for answering.
The first didn’t cause me any problems. How many should you have under your belt (sorry!) before you progress on to longer ones, do you gradually increase or simply fast until it gets uncomfortable – ie, your body says what the hell are you doing, feed me quick!
Also, is it only water you take or are 6 calories per mug of fruit tea (say 8 or 9 a day) allowed? Only water won’t bother me, but given a choice I’d prefer fruit tea.
Ta!

Hi Bikeyguy !
I can only comment on my experience . This is what happened with me. I have a job (teaching!) which gives me very early starts and long lunch breaks of 1 hour 40 minutes. I can’t eat breakfast at 6am so it was natural not to eat then and I gradually found that I did not need to eat at lunchtime as I was not hungry and also very busy marking, preparing etc . So OMAD was natural. That means a fasting window of 24 hours

My reading led me to understand that it is not good to do OMAD too frequently as the body perceives this as calorie restriction so I eat lunch and dinner on Wednesday and Fridays when I have free afternoons.

So yes, those OMAD days are very manageable. I enjoy my meals and do not fear hunger which eases anyway .

I tried a few extended fasts because I just wanted to try them …so 36 hours and 48 hours occasionally. I think that was around 2 months in ( I began in September).I had been reading about the health benefits of fasting/autophagy so it wasn’t an emergency weight discard strategy .

I must say Bikeyguy that I have NEVER found fasting to be uncomfortable and at the first sign of feeling unwell I would certainly not have continued. On fasting days I drink water ( with added Himalyan salt) or green tea but I don’t like flavoured teas. I doubt though that drinking fruit teas would have an impact or break a fast. There is a lot of mention of
people drinking bone broth or pickle juice but I have never fancied that !

I think you just have to try whatever feels comfortable for you and there are no hard and fast rules about when you should try extended fasts. But definitely stop at the first sign of nausea, weakness etc

Can I please reiterate that fasting does NOT have to be part of this WOE. Lots of people find it difficult or unnecessary and that’s ok too so for any new members reading this , please don’t feel any pressure !!

I am going to copy and paste this on the Fasting thread so we don’ t get too focused on fasting and put people off on this weekly thread !!!
We can continue the discussion on the other thread

The fasting thread had been a little quiet lately so I’m pleased to see some movements 😊
Join me in my fast @bikeyguy I still have 2+ days to go. How about you @elky? Are you gearing up to a fast soon?
As I type this my tummy is grumbling hard but I’m in bed and don’t feel hunger. Day 1 done and dusted.

Hi Bikeyguy,
My experience is that I started off cutting out the main sources of carbs, then worked on reducing carb intake before moving on to fasting.
I have done a few 36 to 48 hour fasts. My experience was I found it easy to stick to water or coffee and cream in a morning and afternoon. The difficult time was in an evening. Fasting was a useful tool to help highlight how often I was eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger. –

For example I realised that it had become a habit from years of working in an office and not being allowed away from your desk unless you were heading to the coffee machine or snack machine that when I am struggling to find the right phrases or tone for a letter or article I tend to head to the kitchen. – I realised that just giving myself the freedom to pace, which is what I really needed to do as part of the thought process I didn’t need to carry on into the kitchen for a coffee or nibbles.

Also I associated the end of the day and having me time with sitting watching TV and having my evening meal. – It took time to break free of that habit.

I haven’t been fasting for the last few months. _ I have a physically active lifestyle and live miles away from the shops. I find when I get in from a day of physical activity I am physically hungry. Dr Bikman referred in a podcast to being in ketosis as being in nutritional fasting state and that fits well with me. – By focusing on being in ketosis for extended periods over the last few months I am seeing a difference in my IR which I think will be the key to long term maintenance.

I think that Dr Fung focuses on EF because of the type of patient he works with, people who are diabetic, physically inactive, from a cultural heritage which eats a high carb diet.

I may need to add in more fasts to trigger autophagy further on in my journey, but at this time of year I want to go with being physically active so I have a substantial calorie deficit, but am in ketosis, so my body can access my fat stores so it doesn’t trigger a change in base metabolic rate.

@bikeyguy that’s one other massive advantage of extended fasting, it increases your based body metabolic rate.
It’s especially good for people that I’ve been yo yoing for years, or people who have been doing extensive low calorie restricting diet.
Dr Jason Fung has a podcast called the IDM podcast where people on his fasting regimen tell their stories, it’s very highlighting.
I have found fasting really good for breaking plateau too but I think any sort of change in ones routine would have that effect.
Personally I lose around ~1.5-2kg each week that I incorporate a 3 days fast which is a massive loss for me. I don’t have much left to lose and on other diet I would be happy to lose 0.5-0.7 per week.
34 hours down into my current 84 hours and I wake up with such a clear mind. I feel great.

Home stretch for me. Less than 24 hours to go and can report 1kg gone!! Another kilo and I’m at my initial goal 😮😮😮
My app is telling me that my insulin level is now at is the lowest and that I’m working on jmproving insulin sensitivity the longer I go on this fast.
Very uplifting 😊

Hi LouiseK – I am with you on your last 24 hours. I had a dentist appointment early afternoon today so I ate breakfast, but not lunch as I was worried about getting dizzy. They were very accommodating as it turns out and made sure I was okay all the way through. Made for a very long appointment though. Then after I was supposed to go for dinner with my sister, but ended up getting in an argument with her so I just left. It took me almost 3 hours to get home in all the traffic, so I’ve decided just to keep going until tomorrow morning and see how I am. Also my teeth are clean and gums a bit sensitive, so don’t feel like eating anyway, even though I am quite hungry. Drinking salty water for now.

Yeah, I’m super happy to have a fasting buddy @articfox! Im so impressed that you managed to turn some potentially upsetting situations into a positive spin and potential for a nice 24hrs fast. Go you!
Gee you faced some pretty terrible traffic today. 3 hours stuck in a car…! Hope the argument with your sister wasn’t too bad and you can have a make up dinner soon.
I am arguing with my older brother too at the moment. Still ongoing haha.

I’m at 24 hours now, and still feeling good in spite of some tummy rumbles. I think I’ll keep going for a bit longer. My gums are still pretty sensitive, so I think it will be good for them to lay off the food for a bit too to give them a chance to heal.
It was terrible traffic LouiseK, but unfortunately pretty normal for that time of day. It was one reason why I had arranged to stay in town for dinner. I think I got home at the same time as I would have if I had stayed! It took me 2.5 hours to get in there in the morning too, so 5.5 hours sitting in the car plus the 2 hours in the dentist chair means I’m feeling pretty stiff and sore today. I’m going to get out for a walk shortly.
There is no way I will make it to 84 hours – the longest I’ve ever gone is 42, but if I make it to 30 I will be happy with that.

Good job @arcticfox! What will you break your fast with? I’m about to break mine too. 😀
Hope your walk was good. I am about to go on one too to chase Cherri Blossoms trees, they are so pretty!
I have lost 1.8kg (4lbs?) so, very pleased!
I think 30hrs fast are much more manageable articfox, I would do them 3 times a week if I was working full time and could do them Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Maybe I’ll try that soon instead of 3 days fast and see if results are good.

I broke my fast at 29.5 hours as I was ravenous and couldn’t concentrate as I couldn’t stop thinking about food. I broke it with my usual high fibre, high iron breakfast gruel concoction. It is hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, inulin, baobab fruit powder, chia seeds, flax seed, oat bran and cinnamon, covered in almond milk and left to sit. It has over 6mg iron, 18g fibre, and only 5g net carbs! I was still a bit hungry after so also had some cheese and raw cauliflower and that seems to have done the trick. I’ve lost 1.4kg, so quite pleased with that. My walk was a 1.5hr easy hike in the woods. Very refreshing and I think I burned close to 600 calories, so that could be why I was so hungry! Enjoy your cherry blossoms, that is such a nice time of year when they are blooming.

I’m back on the fasting train! If anyone is keen to do part or all of the journey with me please join onboard 🚊🚅🚃
My journey will last a further 66 hours so plenty of time!! 😁
@articfox your breakfast concoction sounds very interesting, I might give it a go one day. Did the whole 1.4kg loss stuck? It’s an awesome result!

My train is a bit lonely this week but I’m about to get to the station in 24 hours. I love those 3 days fast, it’s like a hard reset for my week. I’m already thinking about how I will integrate fasting into my maintenance.
Can’t keep doing 3 days fasting every week so maybe I’ll do one every month or every trimester? And maybe keep a 36 hours fast in my weekly schedule on top of the 16:8. Anyway I’ll have a chance to experiment with what works and what doesn’t 😉

Hello fellow fasters!
Im onto my 3rd day of my 6th extended fast. I am/was considering extending this one for another day as I feel awesome and have the opportunity to go a little longer. No family or social engagements.
However I have noticed an increased hair loss lately so would this be a sign to stop?
Im not calorie counting on my non fast days and eat lots of proteins and nutriment dense food.
Only have another 2 kgs to lose so I could either push hard for another 2 weeks or take the more scenic route and reduce stress on my body 🤨
More scenic route would be 5:2 with 2x 36 hours water fast…
Decision decision!

Louise – I think temporary hair loss is a reported side effect of fasting, but from what I’ve read it will usually correct itself I believe. If you feel otherwise well, I doubt it’s a reason to stop this fast Maybe change up your routine for a week and then have another week with the longer fast, for a bit of variety?

I’m continuing with my 3 x 40ish per week and find this routine works well for me. The week after next, my days at work will be different for a couple of weeks as my husband is away, so I’m thinking instead of doing two weeks of my normal 3 x 40ish, I might do a single 88 each week instead, potentially stretching the one in the first week to a maximum of 120 if I feel good (and if the kids aren’t driving me mad!). Technically it’ll probably end up being be less fasting per week than my usual weeks, but I’m hoping the change up will keep my body from getting too set in its ways!

I ended my fast at 76 hours this time. Freaked out a little and wanted to get some supplements for hair and nails in, so had some food.
I’ll be interested to know how different you found the extended fasts vs several 40 hours one.
I found that extended fast get me deeper in ketosis but I’m not convinced this relates to bigger losses.
I will do the opposite – I’m about to try alternate fasting days while my husband and kids are away and I work more hours. I’ll be so busy that fasting will be easy and I won’t have to cook for anyone at night or won’t have anyone eating under my nose. 3 weeks to get to goal weight! 🙏

I would like to try fasting but I’m a little wary of doing one on a workday when I need to be alert and not distracted by hunger or nausea. I’m also in the process of recovering from binge eating so don’t know if doing even a 24 fast is unwise. Then again it may be empowering if I manage it!

Hi Strongcurves !
Just to reassure you …my introduction to fasting began with skipping breakfast. No problem as l leave for work very early. I quickly transitioned to having no lunch as I was busy and the initial hunger pangs were very manageable. So that meant a 24 hour fast until I ate in the evening.I never had any nausea. Yes, you will feel hungry but it honestly does not last long and I actually welcomed feeling the sensation of hunger which I had never really recognised during my over eating phases.
I certainly need to be alert managing classes of young teenagers and fasting has never hindered that.On the contrary I never get that post lunch slump ( from the high carb days) or fatigue at all. I am pretty energetic these days !
I would say give it a go…see how you feel without putting undue pressure on yourself .You don’t need to be too ambitious starting out. Make sure you drink lots, adding salt to your water helps too. I agree..it is empowering and will allow you to take back a bit of control.
All the very best to you xx

Thanks Wendleg, I think I’ll probably start out skipping breakfast 😊 I prefer to just get up and go in the mornings so it might not be that hard!

Go for it Strongcurves ! Rooting for you !

Hope your attempt at fasting goes well Strongcurves! I know you wondered if it will be good as you are coming off some binge eating — actually it is a PERFECT way to stop/end and recover from a binge episode.
Don’t worry if you don’t get to a long fast at first — like everything BSD, you will get better and better with practice. I had to “learn” how to fast because it was so weird for me at first.
Let us know how you get on!

I agree with Californiagirl, for me fasting is a great way to get back on track after a period of feasting. It’s a controversial subject though, I’ve been told off before 😅
I would give it a go and see if it works for you or if it doesn’t. There isn’t much risk to give it a go!

Hey fellow fasters, just touching base and sharing that I’m about to complete my longest fast to date, 7 days!
I have to pinch me to believe I’ve done it. It was so surprisingly easy, especially past D4, hunger was just gone…
I’m making the most of the time that I have on my own as my whole family is away. I don’t need to cook for anyone and no one is eating around me in the house so that makes it the perfect time to experience with longer fast. And added bonus I don’t have to cook or clean the kitchen or buy fresh food 😄😄😄
The weigh loss has been super impressive and I’ve taken undies photo before my fast and taking new one every day and my belly is disappearing before my eyes. Very happy!!

Well done Louise. Was it a water only fast? Or with some bone broth? Black coffee?
I must say I doubt I would want to fast that long, but have read about it in Fung’s book. Perhaps as a once a year thing – if I can find a week with no social engagements and gatherings! I content myself with 16:8 and sometimes 20:4
Glad you can see the impact on your tum! 😊🎈

Nice one Louise! Glad you’re seeing results. I think longer fasts are great for shaking things up and kick-starting your body again.

I normally fast on my working days, but they’re different this week and next as my husband’s away from Thursday to Tuesday, so have taken the advantage to do a longer one this week too; 5 or 6 days depending on how I feel, then drop back into eating for 3 or 4 days and into a 3 day / 90hr at the end of next week before I go back to ADF the week after.

I feel so much better when I’m fasting – calmer, more peaceful. Glad you’ve enjoyed this longer one.

@beegirl yes I experience that sense of calm and tranquility too. Fasting really agrees with me 😊
Let me know how you travel with your 5-6 days fast. I’m on day 6 and have dropped 4kg (8lbs?!)
That was on the back of a little more carb/wine loaded wkd than usual though, so the net loss isn’t that much of that make sense 😅

@merrymelba mainly water and black coffee yes although on day 2 I think, I added one tsp of MCT oil to my coffee. 👌

I’ve lost 10lbs! In one week! Woop woop woop 😄
My final goal is in sight, 2lbs more to lose and I will have reached it. Then officially in maintenance 💪

That’s incredible, Louise Kanga! I’m gobsmacked you can fast for so long and you could lose so much weight – never really heard of it before.

I’ve been not sticking to the bsd as my daughter has been visiting. I started off well, but not so much ended well. Is fasting something you’d recommend to try after going awkwardly off track?

Thanks!

I’m the first to be gobsmacked @heiding! 🙂 3 months ago I wouldn’t believe I could go 24hrs without food – I had tried and failed miserably…
For me, fasting is a great tool and something I will use in the future to balance out the feasting period. This is a very good cultural fit for me as this is how my people eat. Decadent dinners and lunch with lots of wine on the week-end and then very small salads and soup during the week lol I much prefer fasting though as it brings me energy and clarity. So yes, in a sense, I found that fasting is great after an off track period.
I would recommend reading the Fasting Guide from Dr Jason Fung. It’s an easy read and tells you everything there is to know about fasting.
Personally, I don’t think I will do another 7 days fast anytime soon, I think Dr Fung recommends maybe once a year (or maybe twice? I’ll have to check). It was very easy to fit into my life lately and that’s the key to successful fasting :it must fit around your life and not the other way around.

That’s the best eating style! When I was at my fittest and slimmest a couple of years ago, that is what I did. Problem was I also smoked and boozed – not doing those now 🙂 time to fix the other bits!

Thanks for the advice – I have ordered the book of eBay and looking forward to giving it a go. I’d love to experience some clarity, I feel like I’ve been sick on and off for a month just with stupid headaches, maybe this is just what I need! 🙂

Louise – well done on the 10lb loss, that’s brill. How much of that has stuck after re-feeding?

I started my 5 day on Sunday night, but didn’t weigh until my usual WI on Tuesday. I’ll be finishing Friday evening and having dinner, so will probably have a hop on the scales on Saturday morning to see how it’s gone and will let you know. Will then have to see how much of it sticks until official WI on Tuesday! I’m enjoying it though, but can’t decide what to have for dinner tomorrow when I break – so many options! I’m not stalled, but feel like the scales could do with encouragement to move a bit more, so hopefully the different fasting pattern this week and next will kick things into action before I drop back into ADF.

9.5lbs stuck!! And that was with a nice refeed of pulled lamb shoulder and roasted cauliflower with caramelised onions 🤤🤤🤤
All that food was more than 0.5 lbs so I’m happy with gaining .5

Good luck with your 5 days, I found it really good to reset and focus on my health.
I did a clean at the dentist and a complete blood work with my doctor. It was like a mini check up ☺️
Will follow your journey and cheer on the side line

Louise, that’s a brill result, well done!

So, ended my 5 day fast last night as planned. It’s difficult to know what impact it’s had as I started last Sunday night but only weighed on Tuesday morning. I did eat last night too, so this morning’s hop on the scales showed a loss of around 3.6lb, which I’m happy with. We’ll see what my official result on Tuesday is – although I’m not fasting on Monday, which I usually do, so Tuesday won’t be a true comparison to last week either!

Regardless, I enjoyed it. Wasn’t remotely hungry and could have carried on quite happily, but need to break to fit my planned feed days before dropping into an 88hr at the end of next week. Then I can drop back into my normal ADF and I’ll be back in my routine again, thank heavens!

May do a monthly 5 day fast, since this one was so nice – will see how I feel towards the end of October.

Just popping in to add a quick note – one thing that is noticeable after my 5 day fast is that either my capacity for food has massively reduced or my satiety triggers are on hyper alert!

I could understand that on Friday night when I started eating, or even at Saturday lunch, but half my dinner tonight has gone in the bin and I feel like I ate one of the sofa cushions after about half an omelette 😂

Too true @beegirl, I love this effect of fasting on hunger and satiety. It does curb our appetite a lot! I also find that I appreciate food even more, the flavour, the texture, everything.

I’m just listening to a recent Bikman podcast — he again is reiterating that fasting too long can be very dangerous, if not life threatening, as it disrupts the potassium state in your body. IF you decide to do multiple day fasting, WHEN you start to eat again, after a multiple day fast, eat LOW-CARB for several days to avoid heart damage.
As an alternative, time restricted eating (18-24 hours between meals) has NO downside and is highly beneficial.
You do NOT NEED to fast for days and days to experience the insulin-lowering properties of time restricted eating.
No one is posting anymore, so I don’t want to leave us all thinking multiple day fasting is good/appropriate.

@californiagirl thanks for sharing, do you have a link to that podcast? I think what Bikman is alluding to is the refeeding syndrome. It’s a serious condition and Fung addresses it too.
Fung says that fasts under 5 days long won’t risk that issue. Also that refeeding syndrome is mostly seen in underweight or malnourished people. More info here:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/fasting-and-re-feeding-syndrome?fbclid=IwAR3FKChEoprcQYpRjqp6ndeBG27pd2uJTRV-SAoggE15T0BZk8MRO3SNjaM
NB not sure what you mean by no one posting in this thread anymore there’s been regular posts for the past week? Maybe you meant to post in another thread?

Nope, meant to post here on this thread. Almost everyone is gone.
Yes, Fung addresses this — I just wanted to make sure others were knowledgeable about this issue. You are well-informed and don’t need this.