This is a place for those of us using fasts of more than 24 hours either for fat burning or healing. It is a place where people can support each other as they fast or share information on research.

Please include me JGwenn. I have had to eat bread for last the 4 weeks for celiac test and it’s undone some of my weight loss as expected. I’m quite aenemic at the moment and have suffered with some level all my life. Also being tested for thyroid will know by Monday so I will wait till then to see when I can fast again as it has really worked for me this year, it was the longest time I have maintained a weight loss until the bread!!
Norma

Hi Dema,

I am sorry to hear about your struggle with anemia and thyroid issues I hope you get the result you want from the tests.

Hi JGwen.

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I need the support to keep going on my extended fasting, which I know I need to reverse IR.
I came across IF after discovering the BSD. Thankfully my blood sugar is back in the normal range (was prediabetic) but I know i have severe IR and that is what I need to focus on. I am finding that each subsequent fast does get easier, just like the book says. I just find it hard because I do a lot of cooking and baking at home for my husband and kids (we rarely eat out and I enjoy cooking) and sometimes I sabotage my own efforts with the smells…
Last week I was on day 4 of a 5 day fast and I cooked a liver dish- perfectly low carb but I wasn’t supposed to eat yet. I ate it for no other reason than I couldn’t control myself… I love the feeling of control that fasting gives me but I can’t say I’m always able to control myself- I suppose one of the reasons I became so overweight in the first place…
Anyway here I am, trying my best and hoping for some good losses this month whilst being aware that it is a very hectic month too. We might go visit the in-laws next week for the weekend. There is always a ton of food around there so that will be a challenge.
JGwen, keep sharing your knowledge of IF- you always amaze me with the info you have!
Norma, lets hope you lose the weight gained from the bread fast and get back to where you were in terms of weight and fasting!

Hi Happysnap,
I thought it was interesting how the views of a cardiologist who supports the work of Dr Fung has changed on IR. – In one of his podcasts he shares how when he started recommending fasting he was dismissive about the idea of needing to fast for more than 24 hours but through experience he now realises that there are people who need to do repeated 72h plus fasts to reverse IR.

I am certain that after a considerable period of eating low carb and discarding a lot of surplus weight I put back so much weight during covid because low carb even for a sustained period is not enough to reverse IR. So when the constant coughing of covid had left my throat so sore that I ate little but craved soft food so my daily meal would have been just a portion of soup, or a rice pudding or I confess particularly during the cough till vomiting months ice cream some of the weight quickly piled back on (my blood tests do show normal blood sugar levels so its all down to IR.)

There used to ba a theme on the Dr Fung facebook page where they set a weekly program for that week of fasts and everyone could join in chatting and supporting each other. That doesn’t happen any more (they have moved it to be one of the key benefits of their subscription service). Would you / others reading this thread like to join in something like that? As there are only a few of us, and we have different reasons for fasting we may be focusing on different lengths of fasts and different programs for refeeding, but it just helps to talk to others who understand what it feels like to fast.

Jgwen, sounds like an interesting idea. The question is how we would implement it? I am not on facebook or any social media. The only thing i use is email and the bsd forum. Is there a way we could make it work?

Just to update, I made myself a delicious roast chicken and cauliflower dinner last night, and I’m planning to fast from then until Friday afternoon. Drinking lots of water. I put up a big pot of broth this morning so that should see me through the next few days.
Weight this morning was 86.4kg, would love to hit 85 by next week.

I thought we could chat supporting each other through this thread on the forum. I am coming up to 42 hours on my current fast. – I noticed this morning that one of my skin tags has dropped, so the IR is improving.

I like the idea that I picked up from one of Megans posts that when working with people through the clinic they set a fasting program which aims to achieve targets within 6 months. – But then when I start with calculator working from target weight, half a lb of fat discarded per fasting day on average and 6 months, thats a lot of fasting and seems imposing. Maybe better for me to focus on a month at a time.

I am sure that the figure on average fat burned per fasting day must be different if IR to IS – When IR the time from start of fast to start of fat burning is obviously longer because of the time it takes Insulin to drop enough that your body starts to access your fat but I can’t find any research on the topic. – I do find TRE and falling into a longer fast comes naturally now, but I still have a mental block when it comes to facing months of extended fasts.

I did find an interesting (but sad) research project on healing via IF. – They proved during the refeeding day post a day of fasting wounds and burns heal more quickly in comparison to constant diet. But they confirmed this by inflicting wounds and burns on mice and monitoring how they healed so the research paper did n’t make comfortable reading. Now that has my mind puzzling on the optimum nutrition for refeeding days if focusing on healing.

JGwen, I’m so glad you got to visually see your IR starting to reverse!! i’m waiting for the day my skin tags will start dropping- hopefully soon…
I think its smart to take it one month at a time. Personally I find that focusing too far ahead makes me overwhelmed… I take it one week at a time.
I’m just discussing this WOE with a colleague who thinks i’m totally insane but it gives me pride- i’m proud for the choices i’m making. I’m proud to be aware of things that other people wouldn’t dream of- i’m proud of the knowledge I have, and the power this knowledge gives me.
Anyway so using the forum sounds like a good idea, i’m just not online all day every day… so be aware of that.

Hi everyone,
Interesting to read the info so far on this thread. I can’t wait for my skin tags to fall off. Some I’ve had since I was very young and others are more recent that I picked up during peri-menopause.
I kind of started my first fast by accident today. I didn’t have time for breakfast this morning (not that unusual and I skip it most of the time), but then I had an appointment with my vestibular physio over the lunch hour and didn’t want to eat before, and so then after the appointment I just decided to carry on and do at least 24 hours today. We’ll see how it goes. It’s nearly 3pm and I am feeling just a bit head-achy and definitely hungry, but otherwise fine. I was doing up to 42 hours previously, so I plan to build up to at least that and try for 3 a week.

I’m just starting back to BSD / Fast800 today JGwen but I’m keen to join in this thread once I’m ready. I used some extended fasts before and found i felt great for it. I dont think i can jump in to more than a 23 hour fast, and I’m going to give it 2 weeks Fast800 first, but there after I’m hoping i can get back to weekly 36-48 with perhaps a longer fast thrown in monthly…..

Hi WindyJulz,
I hope that your 2 weeks of Fast800 is going well. Two pieces of advice I have learned from the Dr Fung community are the benefits of fat fasts to help you get into the right place for a fast. The other trick is to time the start of your fast so that the point you struggle happens while you are asleep.

I did a 48 hour fast saturday to monday. I was going to aim for a 72 hour but I think my body had been clearing out some more virus remains over the sunday so by monday afternoon I was feeling a little dizzy and decided to end the fast with some fried tofu I have finally worked out how to get the nice texture with fried tofu so its become my go to meal.

Hi JGwen

Shame you didn’t manage to get to 72 hours but its always important to listen to your body!
I have never yet tried tofu, perhaps I should now!
Things are super hectic for me right now, lots going on. I am focusing on remaining low carb right now and hope to be in the right frame of mind for some more fasting next week…
Welcome windyjulz and arcticfox!

Totally agree re the fat fasting, after my 2 weeks steady Fast800 I will probably up the fats lower the carbs on the Tuesday adn Wednesday and fast Thursday, maybe friday. Back in the “old days” (2020 when i was smashing it) it worked really well to longer fast at the end of the week so hoping i can rediscover that mo-jo.

48hrs is a great fast JGwen, you probably scared any remaining virus off!
I also like the Dr Fung / Fasting Method community on facebook…. some good reading and inspiration on there….

Any thoughts about if there is any benefit to fasting through a Covid infection? I was exposed on Tues to someone who was infected. and I’m now hoarse and coughing a bit. Too early to tell if I’ve actually got it, but was just wondering if anyone here has seen any research on this. I’ve just been drinking ginger tea today so far and am not really hungry, so may see how I go.

The covid virus hides from our immune system by slowing down the process of autophagy. – fasting to increase autophagy enables your cells which have been infected by the virus to clear it out..

Hi Articfox.

I will post this link on a couple of the threads I know that you follow. I came across a podcast specifically on Lipedema and the lymph system by Dr Fungs team and thought you may find it useful. Its podcast 21 of the podcasts on the fasting method podcasts. At the bottom of the podcast there are some useful links to a conference specifically on resources for the The Lipedema Project. but unfortunately the link shared on the Dr fung facebook group is to spotify and it will not let me do a cut and paste of the links.

I have appreciated the nsv of fasting in the last week. On a couple of days which were long days with work it made life so much easier that I could just work through without having to break off for meals.

A couple of 48 hour fasts this week. I would like to do a longer fast but that means having an empty diary where I can spend some days lazing on the settee doing admin work rather than physical work. But then some research suggests that fasting combined with physical activity is better for building muscle than just fasting.

Thanks for the podcast info, JGwen. I had listened to it before, but wasn’t focusing on the fasting info. I listened to the beginning of it again and there definitely sounds like there will be some good advice. I will listen to the whole thing when I have a bit more time.
I hear you about the not stopping for meals when working. I put longer fasting on hold while I finish up the farming season, but today I didn’t want to stop for breakfast, so just kept going until 1:30 and am having a late lunch now. I was digging composted manure out of the bays and it was hard work, so I think I was able to power through better on fat burning mode than I would have if I had eaten.
Interestingly, these last few days I’ve been eating 3 meals a day and the pain in my legs was getting worse. I was attributing it to the hard work, but today with the fasting, my pain is a little better.

Keep going, JGwen. You are my hero and your positive updates keep me going!!
arcticfox, interesting that you’d feel worse pain when eating 3 meals a day- looks like it might be too much for our bodies to handle!!
I am back in the fasting zone now after a very hectic 2 week period hosting the in-laws, numerous appointments,etc. I am grateful that the next few month “should” be calm with nothing much scheduled other than daily life.
My current weight is 87.2 and my first goal is to get below 85, hopefully within a week or two.
I have put up a large pot of broth, although I find I need it less these days- I’m trying to get a cup of green tea in every day but I don’t like it all that much…
I am still struggling with a sugar addiction; it still seems to call my name (cakes, cookies, chocolate in particular) but I am determined to curb it.
Thank you for being here for me through my struggles, lets hope for good victories- both on the scale and off for all of us!!

I am glad you think it will be useful. Its a pity that spammers have been such a problem on this site that we can’t currently share links. I have replied a couple of times to the system asking for confirmation for authorisation but not updated yet.

I have been trying to find research comparing the effectiveness of 36 to 48 hour fasts combined with physical activity verses longer fasts where you spend time taking it easy with maybe just a gentle walk. In theory with regard to fat loss if you have fasted enough to be in ketosis and are then exercising your body is using your fat stores and you would be discaring weight at a faster rate than if you are taking it easy. But then there is the time of the start of each the fast to get into ketosis and autophagy which obviously doesn’t apply for if you are doing extended fasts so the two should balance each other out. But what is the effect on growth hormone and building muscle / clearing up loose skin of the two methods. I feel that I had so much work around to farm to catch up on that the shorter fasts make sense for now and then if we have a prolonged period of bad weather so I will be doing paperwork an extended fast will make sense.

I have not managed to find any research on the topic yet, but then the research on extended fasts usually is done in partnership with the clinics which sell staying with them while doing an extended fast so perhaps they would not be keen on the outcome of the comparison.

It would be interesting to hear about any research- if you find any…
I personally prefer longer fasts of 5-7 days than shorter fasts, because I hate the switching over mode… but yeah, it isn’t always possible!!

JGwen have you found any research papers on fasting and lukemia pls.
Norma

Hi Norma,

If you type into google Research Fasting and any medical condition you will find what research papers have been published on the topic. I am sorry I can’t help by doing that for you and then sorting through the results, but perhaps following the rabbit holes that can open up this way will lead you to any specific fine details you need.

In general most (but not all) cancer cells maximise growth when cells are being fed sugar, but not on fat based diet. There is also quite a lot of research indicating that fasting maximises the effectiveness of chemo

Thank you Jgwen I think by putting lukemia in it narrowed my search too much but I’ve found what I needed by being more general.
Norma

Hi fasters- how are you all doing?
I am currently 27 hours into my 70 hour fast- so far going great!
I lost 1.7kg last week, which i’m very pleased with.
Anyway, JGwen I have a question for you. I was reading Gary Taubes “The case for Keto” and I liked most of it. (I like this one best of all his books actually, perhaps because its very currant?) Anyway at the point where he mentions IF, he quotes both Jason Fung and Stephen Phinney/Jeff Volek. Whilst Jason Fung claims that extended fasting is safe, the other two don’t agree that fasts longer than 24 hours are safe, because of the risk of loss of lean muscle tissue. From my understanding, and I can’t remember if it was Jason Fung or someone else who explained it, I understood that the body won’t consume muscle when there is adequate fat stores to burn through first. I’m just wondering now if its something I should be concerned about?
JGwen, you seem to know everything there is to know about fasting, so please can you answer me??

Another thing i’m noticing when I’m fasting is that when I drink my broth, I get bad heartburn afterwards and I can’t for the life of me figure out why!
Can anyone explain??

Hi Happysnap,
I have read Phinney’s book and found it very interesting, but his focus area is endurance athletes. These are people who are already metabolically healthy, that are not IR and burn 100g of carbs a day as part of their training program. I also watched one talk by Phinney at a low carb event that he gave in 2018 and I thought that while he was correct on the potential issues he listed with fasting, there was a whole determination to look on the dark side and it was a very pointed attack at Dr Fung.

For example one of the points he makes is that if water fasting you will suffer from a deficiency in electrolytes. – But while I have encountered individuals in fasting forums who talk about doing dry fasts, every professional discussing fasting protocols always recommends taking salt during a fast. So the issue is addressed.

The other case he gave was for a drop in metabolism as a result of fasting. – He showed one piece of research that metabolic rate slows during a fast by up to 20% and then he referred to the research on the greatest loser about the long term drop in metabolic rate years after. . But the two are not the same situation. – The greatest losers were not controlling insulin levels, they were eating carbs, counting calories and applying intense exercise to maximise weight loss for months non-stop. Dr Fung uses that research to show why CICO doesn’t work.

I know of one research paper that may be helpful in working out the answer to this topic, but I don’t know if the block on sharing links has been listed yet. So I will submit this email and then try another reply with the link.

Thanks, JGwen. I’d be interested in the link- hopefully you’ll be able to share it.
I think that Dr Fung is the expert here, and so I trust what he’s saying!
Have you ever tried bulletproof coffee BTW? I was reading Dr Fung’s guide to IF yesterday and he says you can have one a day when fasting. i’m not much of a coffee drinker but i’m thinking it sounds nice, so I might try it…

Hi, is anyone else fasting today?
I am attempting to see how long I can go and am struggling at the moment. I decided to start this morning as I had to go into the office to help work on a project and get my flu jab, so it made sense to skip breakfast and save time by not preparing a lunch. I felt great at first, but then 1pm rolled around and now I’m starving hungry. Still feeling well, just really, really hungry. Probably doesn’t help that it has suddenly turned quite cold out (-5 C this morning compared to the 8-10 C we’ve been having recently). I’m going to make myself a cup of herbal tea and get back to work in the hopes that this distracts me from wanting to eat.
I was listening to Dr. Roy Taylor speak in a video yesterday and it inspired me to give this a go and try to reduce my insulin resistance by clearly any likely fat out of my liver. Of course he does that with shakes and non-starchy veg, but I’ve always found eating a little to be harder than not eating at all.

Well, I made it to 24 hours, but not beyond. I hope it still had some benefit. I guess it’s true that fasting is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. I had my tea and eventually a cup of broth to keep me going and it wasn’t even the hunger that got to me in the end, it was just being too cold. It was already down to 0 C by the time I finished evening farm chores and it was only 12 C in the house. I tried to sit and do some farm paperwork and I just couldn’t. So I made myself a hot dinner. I think I’ll have to try again on Friday when I’ve got the day off work, so I can be out in the sunshine doing farm work and keeping busy and warm that way.

Hi Arctifox,

Well done on getting to 24 hours!! That is a huge accomplishment and certainly nothing to sneeze at. My personal experience has been that fasting certainly does get easier each time you do it- no doubt about that. I understand from JGwen that longer fasts are necessary to reverse insulin resistance but you gotta start somewhere!! I’m sure you will find that each time you try it, it does get easier.

best of luck with your next attempt. (And yes I am currently fasting!!)

Sorry guys, got kicked off again for trying to share a link.

Hi Articfox,

I just got let back in again after 2 days in the sin bn for trying to share a link to a research paper. – I wanted to answer your question before I try another post with using spaces to try to get a link through the barrier.

When we fast there are a number of points where our body switches sources of fuel. How long it takes to reach those points is an individual issue it depends on what our eating patterns have been like prior to the fast, how IR we are. what stores of glucose we have.

I think it helps to think of each of these switch points like old railway tracks with a lever that forces rails to move to transfer the train onto a different track. When its not been used for a while the mechanism will be rusty and you have to use a lot of force to get the tracks to move, but with regular use it will be easy to operate.

The best trick I have heard for each of the struggle points is to start your fast at a time which means you are asleep or its easy to take steps to keep going. With feeling cold, that could be that you time the start of feeling cold with the evening and being able to curl up with a duvet over you on the settee, or that the point you feel cold will be in the middle of the night. It is surprisingly easy to sleep through the points in a fast that we find difficult to cope with while awake.

—————–

With regard to IR, the charts I have seen suggest that it takes us up to 50 hours for insulin to reach background levels. We need to spend time at that lower level, where our cells are not being constantly bombarded with insulin to heal insulin resistance. – One of the cardiologists who works with Dr Fung said in an interview that at the start of supporting people to fast he had presumed that there would never be a need for people to fast for more than 24 hours, but with experience he has encountered a number of people who had to do a program of 72 hour fasts to reverse IR.

There is a however to this, I have been trying to work out how much of a difference it makes if you are physically active or a couch potato during a fast I have not come across quantified comparisons yet, but – IR is linked to the presence of fat within muscle cells and ectopic fat within muscle. Exercise in a fasted state helps to burn up that fat once all glucose stores have been burned up so will help to restore insulin sensitivity in muscles without the longer fasts.

————–

By the way, one last trick for extending a fast, a hot drink made with just hot water and a pinch of pepper and maybe other spices if you wish is remarkably tasty.

Hi Happysnap,

Lets try doing this a different way. you obviously need to remove the extra spaces in the following text to get the link. This is a research paper about fasting in general. ncbi. nlm. nih.g ov/ pmc/articles/ PMC5783752/

The following is a paper on how healing works after a fast. – the key point is that during a fast the growth hormone levels increase and when you next eat the body uses that food for materials to build new healthy tissue.

ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/ articles/ PMC7069085/ #:~:text=Our%20study%20provided%20the%20first,with% 20diabetic% 20or% 20burn% 20wounds.

At a farming conference the other year I heard an interesting talk that was a ahhhhh moment. They were talking about diet for beef animals. They mentioned that in winter when the sugar levels in grass reduce, it only takes a few weeks for the “marbling” streaks of fat running through the joint which is prized by chefs to fade away so they add extra sugar and reduce the walking by beef cattle in winter to retain the streaks of fat within the muscle. Most of the scan systems used to check for body composition are not sensitive enough to be able to distinguish between pure muscle and fat within muscle. At the same time research suggests that it is the presence of fat between muscle cells which follows on from the muscle cells themselves being full of fat which is linked to IR.

During a fast your body will be breaking down damaged proteins. it will also be breaking down surplus skin and the extra blood vessels that supplied the extra fat and using these as materials for building new tissue so you would expect there to be some byproducts of breaking down cells when they run tests for muscle cells being broken down during fasting. – Also if you are IR then your background insulin level will be higher, so it will more time for your body to reach the level of insulin needed to switch to being able to access fat stores for energy during which time it will be using other body materials for fuel.

I don’t understand why Dr P. is so strongly anti Dr Fung, he cracks a joke in the start of his anti fasting talk about how he does not make any money from convincing people to fast and I wonder if that is the issue. If you look at the size of the Dr Fung clinic set up, with the number of councillors and people from around the world paying to be supported within the community there is going to be a high monthly income involved in that clinic. Dr Fung has also branched out into tea products. Each of the books by Dr Fung probably outsold those by Dr P. Perhaps it is simply tht Dr Fung is a new kid on the block in comparison to Dr P but more people follow his work.

Right, fingers crossed.

Thanks for the articles, JGwen. I am trying again today and aiming for at least 36 hours this time. I am motivated as someone took photos of us at work on Wednesday and I definitely didn’t like how I looked. Nothing like a bit of vanity to help you push through!
Anyway, it has been even colder than on Wednesday. It was -8.5 C when I got up this morning. The horses were good and kept their water trough open over night, but I need to get on this afternoon and clean out their heated tubs and get them up and running as it will be colder again the next two nights. We have had such a warm month, so this has been a bit of a shock to the system, I think.
I’m much less hungry today than I was on Wednesday, but I think it helps that I was doing some fairly heavy gardening this morning. Exercise always makes me less hungry, and my body seems to prefer running on fat when I’m exercising. I knew this from when I was once in a running group. We would start out and everybody else would be doing great and I would be struggling to get going, but that changed when we hit 35-40 min and I could almost feel myself switching over fuels and then I felt like I could go on forever just when everybody else started to fade.
Interesting about the muscle marbling. I’ve put on a ton of muscle in the last 3 years since I’ve been on the farm. In many ways I’m stronger than I’ve ever been in my life. I can pick up and carry a 50lb hay bale in each hand and walk a ways with them, which I’ve never been able to do before, and my physio has been pleased with the improvements in my glute strength because it has meant that my SI joints have been staying in place. But it would not surprise me if I have a lot of marbling.
Anyway, I was just on a short break to get some water. I’ve got a load of straw that will be coming in a few minutes and then my dad is coming to help me finish digging the potatoes I grew for him. So busy day and no time to eat anyway!

I made it to 40 hours this time! Not super hungry, but just starting to feel a little light-headed and I have some time to make a light brunch now. It’s been interesting. No headaches or anything, but also I didn’t get the metallic taste in my mouth that usually indicates I’m in ketosis. Too soon to notice any difference in clothing fit, obviously, but it’s weird because I do feel slightly slmmer around the waist and interestingly right at the top of my legs where my glutes meet my hamstrings.
Thanks for your encouragement, happysnap. I used to regularly fast to 36 hours and the longest I did was 42, I think. But it’s been a while since I’ve gone longer than 24 hours, so it will take a bit of practice for sure.

Thank you so, so much Jgwen! I’m sorry you were booted off for trying to post links- but thank goodness you’re back, and I managed to get the super helpful and informative links- I still need to study them properly!

Interesting info re the marbling of fat. Definitely makes the fasting seem more worthwhile! I lost almost a kilo last week (0.8 to be precise) and definitely feeling it which is interesting- my watch feels looser on my wrist, the waistband on my leggings is looser, and my shoes feel a bit looser! It’s interesting because I haven’t even lost 5kg yet but certainly feeling it, which is SO encouraging!!

I’ve just completed another 36 hour fast. I was hungry last night, but I think that may have been due to not consuming enough fluids during the day. I just went to bed and it was fine. So since last Wednesday, I have completed 24-40-36 hour fasts. I’m going to have a couple of eating days and then see where I want to go next.
NSV so far are that I’m sleeping more soundly and I have a decent amount of energy. Not noticing clothing fitting better yet though.

Arcticfox, you are doing so well!!

Keep doing it, and keep sharing how you are doing… You will be feeling it pretty soon!
I am currently 40 hours into my fast and hoping to get to 72. Made a huge pot of broth to help me get through it.

Thanks happysnap! How is your fast going now?
I’m 16 hours into my next fast. Hoping to do at least 40 again. It’s what would normally be lunch time, so my stomach is growling, but I’m just about to head out and do some farm chores instead of eating and hopefully it will pass. I’ve been a bit low on fluids again so will top up with a glass of water and a cup of herbal tea before going back to work.
Another NSV I think will be how much I will save on buying food this month. Although it might be hard to calculate as I did go shopping last night and stocked up on lots of healthy canned goods that were on sale. But those would last a long time normally, and even longer with the fasting!

Arcticfox, I never thought of saving money as an NSV but its very true!! I am definitely spending less on food for myself- although haven’t kept track of just how much!
Did you manage to get to 40 hours with your fast?
I managed to get to 72, and i’m very pleased that i’ve dropped another 1.5kg (sunday is my weigh-in day) so I’m very pleased with myself and the losses keep me motivated.

Best of luck, Arcticfox.
Thanks for being on the journey with me!

JGwen, hope everything is OK with you- haven’t heard from you in a little while!

Hi happysnap, I only made it to 34 hours with my last fast, and have had several false starts since then. Well done making it through your 72 hours and congrats on the loss.
I’ve been really hungry every time I start and it throws me off. I may try to mix it up and skip dinner tonight instead so that I’ll already be at 18 hours by morning. I had a decent lunch today so not hungry anyway, just thirsty, so herbal tea will be what I’ll be having tonight instead. If I have lunch tomorrow, that will be 24 hours, but if I’m feeling good by then I can just keep going. I think I need to do a better job prioritizing protein on my eating days.
I’ve been re-reading Dr. Bikman’s book for some inspiration. I came across a section on illness and inflammation that can promote insulin resistance. Very interesting. I had a chronic infection of Epstein-Barr virus from age 11 to 22. That might explain in part why I’ve struggled with my weight more than my immediate family members.
Anyway, even though I’ve been struggling with fasting the last week, I have noticed that I my stomach seems to have shrunk a bit as I get full quicker and can’t eat as much. So that’s a positive. Will let you know how I get on with mixing up the timing of my fasts.

I was super busy outside today, so I pushed through and made it to 30 hours. After a week of false starts, I’ll take that. Not sure how much I like the new timing. It was easier to make it past 24 hours, but I found I still really wanted dinner. Might try starting a bit earlier another day when I can have an early lunch/brunch.
I was exercising super hard in the garden today. Lots of pushing heavy wheelbarrow loads of compost and raking it onto the beds, and then I was pulling on a heavy tarp that had rainwater on top and trying to move it. Of course the wind came up whilst doing that. It is never windy here until I’m trying to move tarps or weed membrane. So it was really quite challenging and my arm muscles were burning. Of course the wind died down as soon as I finished. I hope the six hours of pretty steady physical effort used up my glycogen stores faster.
Anyway, I’m going to have an eating day tomorrow and then see if I can go again on Sunday.
Hope everyone else’s fasts are going well.

Hi Arcticfox

34 hours is great! And so is the 30 hours you managed!
Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t handle longer than that. I found personally that at some point in your IF journey, the longer fasts become easier. I’m sure if you stick to what you’re doing, you’ll also be able to get there.

I’ve had a really awful day yesterday. I’ve been kinda constipated all week last week and didn’t see much loss for this reason. And then yesterday I don’t know why, but I just blew it all. Ate whatever I could find and then felt- literally sick. I really don’t know what came over me!! But this morning I decided there’s no point continuing the madness, so I made myself a bulletproof coffee this morning (was really delicious!!) and now i’m back on the fasting bandwagon.

I guess it shows me i’m human but i’m really upset with myself!
Here’s to hoping we both have a good day today, and the rest of the week!!

Take care of yourself.

Hi Happysnap,
Don’t beat yourself up either for eating. I’m sure you haven’t blown it as you’ve been working so hard. I think sometimes our bodies just want the extra nourishment.
I’m definitely not beating myself up today as I have just finished a 41 hour fast! I felt good most of yesterday, but I was struggling a bit with energy while I was doing my gardening this morning. Packed it in and made myself a good breakfast with some eggs and veggies. I’ve had some fruit with yogurt as well since.
Some more NSVs to report: I was able to go much quicker up the stairs yesterday. My wrists seem smaller, which is always annoying as they are small enough already, but it is a sign that I’m losing something as I will always lose around my wrists first. I was wearing one of my larger pairs of jeans yesterday and they were falling down as they are larger around the waist than my other pairs.
Anyway, glad we’re in this together and can encourage each other on. Just think how much slimmer and healthier we’ll be by Christmas – we’ll have a big jump on the New Year!

I am 21 hours into another fast. It would be nice to do another 36 at least, but I am wavering. I am going to be very busy tomorrow morning, so probably wouldn’t have time to break my fast before 1pm unless I eat a very early breakfast, so I may end up breaking it tonight instead. I’ll see how I’m doing in an hour or so.

I’ve made it to 39 hours on my current fast and I feel really good. I have a few errands to run in town, so I’m just going to have some water and head out. We’ll see how hungry I am when I get back. Hope everyone else is doing well.

I made it to 43 hours on my weekend fast and then did 24 hours on Monday. I’m having an eating day today and then may do another 24 hours on Wednesday ahead of a special meal that will involve Indian takeaway, I believe.
Hope everyone is doing well with the fasting. I’ve been feeling much better with the fasting this last week, so may take the plunge in the next week or so and try going a full 48 hours. If I can do that 2x per week then I’m hoping to start making real progress with autophagy and fixing insulin resistance.

Arcticfox, you are doing so well!
I had a terrible week last week; it was like my body was just fighting me and wouldn’t give up until I’d consumed lots of carbs- it was so strange, until I got my period and I realized this is my hormones acting up and wreaking havoc on me! My periods are not that regular due to pcos but at least I now realize what I am dealing with…
anyway I am now back on track, doing LCHF today and fasting from tomorrow onwards.

You are amazingly energetic- keep it going!!

I hope everything is OK with JGwen- has anyone heard from her lately?

Great to hear your update, Happysnap! I was getting worried, especially with people getting booted off the forum. Glad that you’ve been able to get back on track as you’ve been doing so well. I haven’t heard from JGwen at all recently and I’m on 3 different threads right now. Hope she’s ok.
I am 36 hours in on my current fast. I haven’t gone this long since my 43 hour one last week. I’m going to try to see how long I can go today. Not sure I’ll make it to the full 48, but probably 42 for sure.
I was quite hungry last night and I was batch cooking some soup to have for the week. I was able to resist eating, so pleased with that. I had some broth to get me through, but that was it, and actually it hit the spot and I was able to carry on until bedtime.

Arctic, I get so mad about this. Every time I report some scammer I add a note to admin – why are you not catching these people when you are banning genuine and regular posters. Hopefully, they will sort themselves out or find the site no longer exists.