Jentacular Juramentum July (IF Challenge) Check-In!
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I have not done my low cal fasting this week. Usually I'm ravenous week before shark, so could be it. It's always been very irregular. So don't know. I suspect there's a bit of mental justification going on too. My primary goal right now is to recomp. Meaning, being able to keep up my exercise regime of 1-2 hrs/day is what I want. Maybe I should just suck it up and accept 2 days with low/weak performance. I'll test some more and figure it out.
On the bright side, last weeks fasts did curb my appetite this week. So the intake is down from eating NET 2-2,5k/day on many days to around 1200-1500/day. No change in scales from start, but I started carrying (2kg) 4,4 lbs on my walks, which promptly led to doms:)
I'm very impressed by all of your efforts so far, keep it going!
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jennybird99 wrote: »I also have to go look up if a hard boiled egg breaks the fast...
I would say yes, due to the protein (6 g).
Today I accidentally broke the fast half an hour early, because I'd been up for so long and busy that it didn't occur to me that it wouldn't be time yet. :P I will probably just shorten my feeding to 7.5 hours today so tomorrow isn't off kilter, but it is getting late so I'd better cook something if I plan to eat. But I'm not hungry!
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Thanks, @glossbones. If I DONT count the hard-boiled egg I had at 1:45 am leaving work, I fasted for 24 hours. If I do count it, then I broke my fast at 6pm tonight, ish, which was 16 hours.
I only ate once today ( yesterday now) a small steak with sautéed spinach and blue cheese. I'm not hungry, I can eat again tomorrow (uh...today now, but after I sleep, so in my mind...) after 11am. Likely I'll wait until 1pm.
I had a beer and pizza and crusty bread fueled Friday. I didn't even log it properly, just did quick added calories. But I started again with proper eating Saturday, though I didn't fast properly. So I'm not concerned about my calories being too low Sunday. I'm probably still not back in ketosis, though the urine strips show trace. I am struggling to keep a good attitude, but still haven't weighed myself in s while. I am worried I won't have lost anything, and that I'll be bummed enough to throw my hands up in despair.
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Trying out my first day of fasting till the end of the work day. I'm hoping this is easier than eating my lunch at noon then trying to cook quickly when I get home to get the rest of my food in by 8 pm. I had bpc this am and will have coffee, water, tea, till I get home around 5:30 pm.
Can someone explain to me why some people say BPC is ok when fasting and why others say it is not, this is confusing to me? I thought because it was no carb, or protein that it did not initiate an insulin response thus making it ok.0 -
On yesterday morning I had quite a whoosh. It added up to over 2lb over the past 2 days.. Yippee. But...
Last night, I had a dessert. So it's temporarily back again. I made a cho chip cookie cake for my oldest son's b-day. Delicious. Didn't weigh today. I know there will be water weight. No guilt, but no excuses were entertained. I started fasting at 9pm and will break my fast around noon, as per my new usual. Strictly Keto of course. I'll squeeze in a HIIT workout sometime today. Slightly less cranky at the end of my fasting window. Partially because I'm seeing results I guess. And it is very nice to be able to have the snack just before 8pm so I'm nice and full. Delayed gratification is a good idea. And in this instance it is good for me. Strengthening that resistance muscle.
It's also good to be reminded what real hunger feels like. 0 -
I haven't had time to check in, so here goes.
Sticktuitiveness: I've been sticking with 16:8 pretty well, having BPC each morning, breaking my fast at noon, and trying to have my last meal before 8pm. Some days, especially on weekends, I have eaten later than 8:00 at night, so a few days I've had a larger eating window.
Progress: On July 1 I weighed in at 203 lbs, and today I weighed in at 199 lbs. I've been bouncing around between 197.8 and 200 for a few days now. I feel fantastic, and I'm back in my favorite size 16 slacks from Lane Bryant that I've been hanging on to for years! Happy dance!
Hiccups: Last night my hubby's impulsivity led our family to a Mexican restaurant in town (see how I blame hubby there?
), where I happily consumed a few chips with salsa and two flour tortillas with vegetarian queso. It was delicious, and I do not feel guilty for it. I'm back on track this morning with BPC, and since we went out to eat last night and I did not have any leftovers, I did not bring lunch today--which means I either need to buy something or fast until I get home. I'm seriously considering fasting until I get home, but it's only 8:30am, so we shall see how I feel at noon.
Triumphs: My second youngest, Gabriela, turned 2 on Sunday. We had pizza and cupcakes (we will have her "real" party later this summer, after we move and when my oldest daughter is here), and I had neither. I wasn't even tempted to lick my fingers when I accidentally got frosting on them. I made myself a pepperoni pizza with almond flour crust, cracked open a Diet Coke, and enjoyed my secret triumph. Another secret triumph is that I shared my pizza with father-in-law and his wife, and FIL actually liked it! (He's NOT a low-carber.)
On we go!0 -
Okay @Mami1976D kicks off our week two check-in! Great job, awesome scale drop along with the bonus NSVs!
What else does everyone have to say for week two?0 -
Doing well here. I switched to a longer bpc fast a couple days a week, I did the first yesterday, from Sunday at ten pm till Monday at 5:45 pm. Today I found myself much hungrier by about ten o'clock. I will probably do another one like that on Thursday, it wasn't too hard but could definitely feel that my hunger was increased today from it.0
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Trying another 48 as of 9pm tonight. Fingers crossed!0
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auntstephie321 wrote: »Trying out my first day of fasting till the end of the work day. I'm hoping this is easier than eating my lunch at noon then trying to cook quickly when I get home to get the rest of my food in by 8 pm. I had bpc this am and will have coffee, water, tea, till I get home around 5:30 pm.
Can someone explain to me why some people say BPC is ok when fasting and why others say it is not, this is confusing to me? I thought because it was no carb, or protein that it did not initiate an insulin response thus making it ok.
You choose to listen to whatever source of info you want to. However, there is NO such thing as BPC fasting, IMO. Those two words don't belong together, because they mean two opposite things. Caloric intake and non-caloric intake. BPC is a handy tool to ween off eating solid foods. But it's still a DRINKABLE meal, with substantial calories. Fat is still somewhat insulinogenic, albeit lower than P and CHO. According to Fung, dairy is more insulinogenic, I don't know how HWC rates on that scale.
I'm not quite sure what your confusion is about. If you eat or drink anything with calories, that will suspend body from burning from STORED fat until those calories are metabolized. The lower insulin level is probably making it less likely those calories are stored in adipose tissue COMPARED to a diet high in CHO. But, the calories has to go somewhere...they aren't just vanishing. Maybe triglycerides go up with BPC? I don't know.
Moreover, BPC is very dense in calories, but is very poor in nutrients...compared to a real meal with chewable foods. I understand it's great to curb "hunger", but for people who already are on the margins (like me) BPC takes quite a bit of my calorie budget, without really giving anything in return. My BPC was quite modest, 1 ts of CO and a medium splash of cream, trends went wrong way first week. Tried 3 weeks, abandoned. YMMV.
Look, don't overthink it. If BPC is the only way you can do IF and you still get results, go for it. But the trade off is that you're not really fasting anymore = less hours in fat burning from stored resources. So adjust expectations accordingly. If it's hard without, try ween off gradually.
I highly recommend reading Brad Pilon's book "Eat, Stop, Eat" if anything concerning fasting is still hazy.
IMO, weight loss is a series of choices executed every day in a rather consistent manner. If one method or practice doesn't work for you. Move on.
Edit: TL;DR If someone is "stalling", drinking lots of BPC is a suspect variable, IMO.0 -
As mentioned here early on (maybe in the first post), BPC does not lend itself to a caloric fast. The idea is to sneak through the day without waking up your insulin. we are not trying to restrict calories, just move the bulk of our intake to a smaller window of time.
For those concerned about the calories in BPC, you can opt to just drink water, or you can add broth. I suggest homemade bone broth for nutrients and to avoid the preservatives in commercial broths. Again, not a zero calorie item, but more nutrient dense.0 -
@foamroller my confusion is from months ago when in a keto forum I referred to my morning drink with protein powder added as bpc. I was corrected and told that putting protein in my bpc makes it not bpc anymore as the purpose of it is to keep you in a "fasted state" longer as it doesn't not in most people trigger an insulin response.
when this challenge started the options included "bpc fasting", naturally I gravitated towards that as I was already drinking it on my work days as its the easiest fastest thing for me to put together and keeps me full till lunch. I simply removed the addition of the protein powder.
I guess what I'm wondering is, am I getting any benefit by not adding the protein powder? I've done some searching on fasting and being in a "fasted state" and what I've found says that your body accesses stored fat easier because your insulin levels are low, if my insulin levels are still low even though I ingested calories, will my body still easily access stored fat? I presume my body burns the 240 calories from my bpc rather quickly and would then start working on any stored fat. Am I wrong to assume that?
I haven't had any struggles with stalls since going low carb in March and am nearly at my goal weight. I joined the challenge thinking it might be a good way for my body to burn off extra fat. It also easily fits in my caloric goals for the day as I'm not eating at a large deficit anymore.
Thanks for you input.0 -
I've only done 4 out of 7 fast days this week, and I've been more relaxed about when I started and ended my fasts, so some have been 16 hours, some have been 18, I'm trying not to overcomplicate things. If I'd checked in yesterday I would have said that it's been a bad week, I've got a head cold, I was all bloated, TOM was late and my weight was up. But today I feel much better, TOM finally turned up (only 5 days late!), the bloating is all gone and my head is clearing, and I'm down 0.6kg since last Wednesday :-).
My son's 12th birthday was yesterday and I managed to get through the family cake-eating session without folding. My lovely husband threw the last slice of cake in the bin so I wouldn't be tempted to sneak a bit when everyone went home. I really love that man!
As far as my fast goes, I've managed to stick to almost zero calories in my fasting periods, I've just had a splash of milk in my morning coffee every day. I found these little cheese cubes which are great if I need a small nibble around 11 o'clock and only have 14 calories so I don't feel like I'm eating enough to break my fast. I'm thinking I might try a couple of 24hr fasts next week but I will need to plan these carefully for days when I'm not planning to exercise.0 -
I have continued to do the 16:8 fasting with BPC in the morning. I'm up 1.2 lbs from last week, but had to abandon another pair of pants that had gotten too baggy. Assuming the gain was in muscle as I've been doing a lot body weight training plus yoga. Calories have been over my goal each day, and I've enjoyed every last one of them! 0
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Yes, you reduce the insulin response slightly and calories.auntstephie321 wrote: »(...)
I guess what I'm wondering is, am I getting any benefit by not adding the protein powder?(...) if my insulin levels are still low even though I ingested calories, will my body still easily access stored fat?
No, by drinking calories in bpc, you effectively stop burning from stored fat. You give it easy energy and keep it too busy to «eat from within».presume my body burns the 240 calories from my bpc rather quickly and would then start working on any stored fat. Am I wrong to assume that?
I can't give you an answer on this. You need to enter a metabolic chamber and run a test. If you're very curious, I think it's a commercial product.
Even in keto, you still need a caloric deficit that your body hormonally perceives as a deficit, to lose weight. The number the calc spits out may differ from the number your body think is enough. People can still gain weight on keto with high enough intake.
I think it's very easy to misunderstand how the body works. If you are confused in future and don't know what to believe, the best thing is to try find alternative high quality sources that can corroborate or disqualify info. Understanding the mechanisms of how things work, also gives an instant *kitten* radar about some claims that are sprouted on the net.
However, I'm not a doc or health care professional. I'm just a layman who wants to repair why I got fat. So I won't have to yo-yo. What I say is only based on my current knowledge on the topic. Take it for what it's worth
If you want to add me and creep my diary, that's ok. I'd like to have more friends in recomp.
Edit: added some words bolded.0 -
Just checking in! I am up .2 in weight, but not worried. I think last time I checked in I was up 1 pound or so, so this is actually a loss putting me closer to where I was when I started the IF. No problems, no concerns. I did lose some more "boobage"...so I guess my only concern is financial...the new bras are expensive
I am kind of surprised that we are halfway through the July Challenge, it seems like time is flying by this month.0 -
I have another question. On the days that I wait to eat until noon on my lunch break, should I go for my walk first and then eat, or eat then walk, or does it not make a difference?0
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I am up 2 lbs and am on the downside of my TOM, so it could be more than that. Not going to even pretend this gain has anything to do with IF.0
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auntstephie321 wrote: »I have another question. On the days that I wait to eat until noon on my lunch break, should I go for my walk first and then eat, or eat then walk, or does it not make a difference?
I have read that because of HGH being higher in the fasted state, finishing a fast with exercise builds muscle better. I am not sure if that applies to the shorter fasts of less than a day, though. So, I would exercise before breaking the fast.0 -
Reached the 24 hour point where I start to feel that I could do this for more than one more day!greenautumn17 wrote: »Trying another 48 as of 9pm tonight. Fingers crossed!
I will say I missed my BPC this morning ... I felt so tired at work today. (I don't drink coffee without the add-ins) But now I feel quite energized! I might just aim for 72.
24 hours (or more) to go!
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Wow I didn't realize you guys were all over here. Somehow I don't notice the posts at the top of the LCD page, and kept waiting for the weekly posts. I have been posting updates on my own page though.
I love IF and had been out of practice. I am doing freestyle which is now morphing into eating one meal per day, so a 23 hour daily fast and 1 hr eating window basically. I did do a 48 hour fast last weekend, which was wonderful. Lots of energy and tons of energy. I am able to get through the whole workday while fasting or work out in the garden for extended periods of time. Just BPC for breakfast and tons of water through the day.
On Sunday I broke my fast at 48 hours due to the start of a headache. Instead of reaching for the Advil, I reached for leftover porkchop and 4 more cups of water, while BBQ'ing T-Bone steaks. It's too bad that I got the headache though, since I really wasn't hungry enough to eat, but figured I should.
I'm loving the disappearance of hunger and increased energy. I think this is a very doable routine for me for the rest of the month, but kind of radical compared to what I had originally planned. I am now aiming for 7 meals weekly ( as long as I feel good). 2 meals on Mondays since it is always busy at work, 1 meal daily at supper, while skipping Saturday altogether. When I do eat, I eat until I can't eat another bite, which is what I am thinking is keeping me not wanting to eat more often.
The scale is down 6 pounds in 2 weeks, but I am not counting that as legitimate weight loss, since the scale had gone up mysteriously last month after a very quick 8 pound loss during my ZC trial. I'm now within a hair of that low weight again, and looking for more losses.0 -
Thanks @greenautumn17 I kinda thought that half way through my walk on lunch that I should've waited to eat till after.
I'm going to do another longer fast tomorrow since I'm feeling pretty good I might try it without my bpc in the morning. It'll go from ten tonight till around six tomorrow night with only coffee tea and water.
I just started noticing some muscle definition so the fat must really be melting away, now too build up those muscles.0 -
Hello all. I am 26 hours into my 2-day water only fast and doing well. I am up two lbs from last Thursday but down 2 from my carb-fest weekend. I plan to break the fast Friday morning. As usual, no hunger.
I appreciate the input from other water fasters about adding sodium as necessary. I did not know about this. I have not felt the need but will keep it in mind.
I meet with my nutritionist tomorrow (today) - she is likely going to freak about my way of eating and then I will stop seeing her. I have lost more than 10 lbs in a month and feel so much better eating this way.0 -
Unintentionly broke the fast early this morning. That's the bad news. Good news is that it's the first unintentional "goof" since I began. The others I figured I was going to do, did them, then moved on.
I'm reconsidering the BPC. I enjoy it. A lot. I make it through a fast fairly easily without it, but reading the discussion by @CoconuttyMommy (who I'm probably misspelling) on one of the posts, I think I'll go back to just water and green tea. It tended to push me past 16 hours without hunger.
I might try an actual 24 (28 actually) hour fast until Friday morning. I work tonight from 5 until 2am, so I am dubious but hopeful. I can only try. I've done 23 hours, but I think I had a BPC. Plus, this will be after only 4oz of tuna salad & a bite of sauerkraut at 4ish, having not eaten since 8pm the evening earlier. Wish me luck!!
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I think I'm going to extend today's fast to 6pm and make it a 24 hour fast. Yesterday I had a 'not hungry' day and ate a steak and some fridge raiders all day. I didn't eat anything later in the day because karate training took me past the end of my feeding window. Despite that I don't really feel hungry right now, I could have broken my fast 2 hours ago but I don't feel the need just now. I'm going to have a cup of chicken broth for lunch and head out of the office for a nice long walk. I'm in the office until 6 tonight so once I get past lunchtime I will have no options to get out for food.0
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218.4 today. Not the 217 I was hoping for, but better than 220!0
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Complete a 60-hour water fast this morning (2 days + sleep and medication time). Broke it with chicken broth. I had some raw, natural pistachios a few hours later because I was running around crazy and they were all I had at hand. I had some more chicken broth with more chicken later. I lost the rest of the weight gain from last week's pasta fest and a little more.
This is really helping me feel better.0 -
I ended my weekly fast yesterday after 46 hours when I had a close unexpected encounter with an Indian buffet, and felt I deserved it. Really wasn't that hungry and could have gone longer. It's really amazing, that I feel most hungry at the 24 hour mark. When I wake up the next morning at the 36 hour mark, hunger is gone & energy is high. I will confess that I start both mornings of the "fast" with BPC, I may try eliminating that next time. The main thing I've learned is to take salt, especially the 2nd day, otherwise headaches start. I find that by having this weekly fast, I'm so far avoiding plateaus this month.0
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I went into this with unrealistically high expectations, trying to do 16:8 every day. I did it for almost a week, but it just isn't something I can commit to right now. I'm too new at this, I think. With a few more months behind me, I might revisit the idea of doing IF on a regular basis, particularly if I hit another stall.
However, I did a "corrective" ad hoc fast of about 18 hours this week, from midnight, when I had an unplanned midnight snack, and 6pm. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and it was both a good learning experience and an effective reset for my weight loss. I've been better about staying under my calorie limit since, and both weight and inches are moving in the right direction again. Yay!
I'll still check in at least once more before the end of the challenge to report whether I've fasted again and how things are going.
More power to all of you who have stuck with this, with impressively long fasts! I hope it's doing wonderful things for your body.0 -
I feel like some folks are feeling the need to "excuse" your BPC based on recent conversations. Remember it's a totally valid way to extend your fast! Don't apologize!
Newcomers to LCHF are definitely going to find consistent fasting a challenge. Do what you can, keep an eye on your electrolytes, and just make sure if you over-compensate for hunger when you do eat, that you make LCHF-compliant choices. This is only an experiment. There is no failure, only data to examine.0
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