Tell me about fasting, IF

mlinton_mesapark

Hi folks,

I'm holding off on seriously experimenting with fasting, even though I feel like I could skip a meal without turning into a raging beast, because I'm still nursing my 11-month-old. I don't want to suddenly tank my supply on him, even though he gets most of his nutrition from other foods now.

Still, I'm interested in trying out fasting at some point, and figure I'd better get an education on it now, and not dive in unprepared like I did with Keto. Update on that: I've been sliding back into the Keto range, being much more vigilant about electrolytes, and feeling much better! Even had the "Keto breath" I've heard about today, and made it through a challenging workout with energy to spare.

But I digress... Can you point me to some good reading, videos, etc, about fasting? What newbie pitfalls would I need to watch out for?

Many thanks!

kirkor

Keto will have already somewhat prepared you for IF. Your blood sugar should be more stable and you'll avoid the shaky/grumpy feeling that a lot of SAD eaters get when skipping meals.
Easiest way to try it out IMO is just to skip breakfast and have a late lunch. Have black coffee or tea, diet soda if you're ok with that, and also just water can help. Staying productive and/or busy can help ... it can suck if you're just sitting around the house waiting 'til it's "time" to eat.
Possible pitfalls:
- thinking IF is magic for fat loss and that it can make up for eating too much during your feeding windows
- trying to out-fast a bad diet and crash fasting ... can lead to binge/starve cycles
- give yourself at least 3 weeks of any given IF protocol (14:10, ADF, 5:2, ESE, etc) to see how it works for you
- for some people, IF never clicks ... I do wonder if they've given different protocols a far enough shake, but still, you may find it isn't a good fit for your lifestyle and/or physiology

wabmester

Kirkor nailed it. Especially about doing keto first and watching out for the post-fast binge.

Keto is simulated fasting. As hunger wanes, you'll naturally do IF. I typically eat dinner, skip breakfast, and go for a fasted run. It's a huge ketone booster.

To get all the health benefits, you probably need to do an extended fast. Take a look at the work of Valter Longo at USC. He's tried to make it easier by developing a "fasting mimicking diet" that gives you most of the benefits of an extended fast.

KnitOrMiss

Question - after I fast past 8 hours, I end up with all solid waste normal stuff becoming straight liquid for the next several hours. Does anyone know if this is a facet of the IF or because I don't have a gallbladder? That used to happen to me before if I went too long without eating, but until I pushed past 8-10 hours with no food, I haven't had it happen since switching to this WOE.

mlinton_mesapark

Thanks @kirkor and @wabmester! I'll keep those tips in mind, and check out Valter Longo.

wabmester

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Question - after I fast past 8 hours, I end up with all solid waste normal stuff becoming straight liquid for the next several hours. Does anyone know if this is a facet of the IF or because I don't have a gallbladder? That used to happen to me before if I went too long without eating, but until I pushed past 8-10 hours with no food, I haven't had it happen since switching to this WOE.

It hasn't happened to me (and FWIW it's been about 16 hours since my last meal). Could be gallbladder related, I suppose. If you're constantly dumping bile into your stomach without any food in there, I imagine that might do it.

AngInCanada

Personally I wouldn't tinker with IF till you are done nursing. It may not affect your milk supply if you consume the same calories but it could. I got the flu once when my son was 15 months and nursing and my supply tanked. Took a week or so to get it back up and then he weaned shortly after.

jennybird99

I do IF most days. I find no problems with hunger, and sometimes cruise past 16 hours into 18 or 20. But I stay super hydrated ( water, sparkling water and green tea.) while still nursing? That would make me hesitate a little bit. But milk production isn't hurt by your usual night-time fast. It's worth looking into before trying.

CoconuttyMummy

Im new to all this, as you know, but lately ive been IFing from 8pm to at least 12noon (often much later), with 1 BPC around 10am. Apparently the fat in the BPC doesnt take your body out of fasting mode, but obviously gives you more energy and satiety than consuming nothing at all. After a shaky start im really starting to like this way of IFing. My hunger is way down, as are my daily calories.

KETOGENICGURL

CoConutty….Apparently the fat in the BPC doesnt take your body out of fasting mode, but obviously gives you more energy and satiety than consuming nothing at all. After a shaky start

What do you mean shaky start? not eating the right foods? or going too long in IF? SOME women do not do well on IF >16 hour fast because it triggers 'starvation' warnings and the body shuts down on losing ANY fat stores at all. We are all different. For me I have been doing a 3+ month IF/ LC combo. ( LC since Feb 1) I have 12-16 hrs of no calories, enjoy my butter coffee.. AND MCT OIL..it gives quick energy at same time the butter in coffee gives long term hunger satiety. so maybe ADD MCT oil to your day ( I dont put it in my coffee.. just have 1 tbl straight)

Stuff is spend..got a qt for $20 at HFS…the flavor is so much better than straight coconut oil from the jar….but others find it much cheaper than I can.

greenautumn17

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Question - after I fast past 8 hours, I end up with all solid waste normal stuff becoming straight liquid for the next several hours. Does anyone know if this is a facet of the IF or because I don't have a gallbladder? That used to happen to me before if I went too long without eating, but until I pushed past 8-10 hours with no food, I haven't had it happen since switching to this WOE.

It happens for me after 24 hours - never had a problem with less than that. However, it passes quickly. That's why I schedule my fasts to end when I know I will be home for a while! I read somewhere that it gets better with each successive fast.

I just finished a 47 hour fast last night, and I feel amazing! I wanted to keep going. And despite reports to the contrary, I do not gorge after a fast, either. I ate a normal meal, followed by some berries and cream. I have noticed that I appreciate the taste of food so much more after a fast, too.

DittoDan

One of these days I'm gonna write a "How To" manual on Fasting.... I only have blogged about it...

Dan the Man from Michigan
My Blog: Intermittent Water Fasting & Keto
Features of a successful therapeutic fast of 382 days' duration
Blog #9 Fasting, Diabetic ~ Glucose/Sugar Levels

Thaeda

I have tried IF 14 hour fast, 10 hour "feed". I am still navigating getting over the mental hurdle of "wow I haven't eaten yet today so now I can eat my face off" when it is time to eat-- some days I do ok-- some not. I stop eating by 10pm and do not eat again until after 12 noon. Not sure if dong IF will be a long term thing for me or not. I might find it works better as far as weight loss if I did a whole day (24 hour fast) once or twice per week? I am not ready to commit to that yet, though.

DAM5412

My usual is to eat dinner (anywhere between 5-7 pm most nights) and then have BPC in the morning and not "eat" anything until 10 - 11 am the next day. Some consider this a fast, but lately I've been playing with the idea of a 'true' fast...and am currently in hour 18 of only water and black coffee. I feel amazing, really- but don't know if it's the fast or just being close to keto adaption. I'm not hungry, but I am thinking of food....kinda like what @Thaeda says above, thinking of what I should eat.

Last week I had oral surgery with sedation. I didn't eat from 9 pm until almost 5 pm the next day. Besides the obvious mouth pain, I felt really great and it started me thinking of IF. I had one meal that day and that was it.

I'm not yet sure when I'll eat today, but since I've already done a 3 mile walk and will be taking the kids to the park later today, I know it should be something well before then so I can play with them without getting nauseous (just in case).

I've recently read on here that IF during the early Keto phases can cause stress, and I've been having a really hard sleeping the past few days. I just have to watch this I guess and see how I feel.

I will attempt a 24 hour fast sometime soon, but want to time it right with work and family activities (probably will help out after the July 4th weekend). Appreciate all the insight I've gained here, learning what has worked for others.

Sk8Kate

So if I only have BPC for breakfast & don't eat until 1 or 2 pm have I been doing IF & just didn't know it?

greenautumn17

Sk8Kate wrote: »

So if I only have BPC for breakfast & don't eat until 1 or 2 pm have I been doing IF & just didn't know it?

According to some definitions, yes.