My experience on a 7-day Fast
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Violet_Flux
Posts: 481 Member
I've been doing intermittent fasting for over a year, not out of any grand plan but it's just a natural fit for me. I was doing it before I knew it was a 'thing' and had a name. I've also done 36- or 42-hour "fasts", where I don't eat for a full day. Though they weren't true fasts, I always allowed myself a few hundred calories of fat/protein.
Earlier this month I got interested in trying an extended fast, so I read Dr Fung's book A Complete Guide to Fasting, and used that as my guide. My original plan was for a 3- or 4-day fast, but if I felt good, to keep it going as long as I could.
I started on Wednesday July 19th, with my last food logged at 17:40. The first day wasn't bad, I had a few instances of feeling 'hungry' but that was more due to routine. As in, 'this is the time I normally eat so why aren't I eating now?' kind of thing.
According to Fung's book, day 2 is usually the worst for hunger, but I didn't find it so. I suspect the people who really struggle on day 2 are not normally LCHF / keto, so that's when their stored glucose completely runs out and they're struggling with the switchover to burning fat. Anyhow, the second day wasn't much of a challenge for me, in terms of hunger.
I did experience very vivid dreams which led to slightly disrupted sleep - I could usualy fall asleep ok but had trouble staying asleep, and tended to wake up too early and be unable to get back to sleep.
I will also note, I maintained my normal excercise routine during the fast - one to two hours per day, every day, of cardio. Either walking or cycling, and usually a bit of both.
During the fast, I was still having coffee, with a splash of heavy cream, and I continued to use my zero-calorie sweetener despite Fung's recommendation against it. I also continued flavouring my water with Mio, against recommendations. I can't drink plain water, and felt that it was more important to be hydrated than to spoil the 'spirit of cleansing' or whatever. In my defence I never use as much of the flavour drops as they say - I just use enough to mask the taste of the dreck that comes out of my home's 100-year old pipes.
I also made up a big batch of bone broth, which I planned to use to supplement sodium and other micronutrients. I found that I couldn't force myself to drink that either. I've never liked soup or broth. On the third day, I ended up just making the bone broth into a big batch of low-carb BBQ sauce and stuffing it in the fridge. Though I did have a couple spoonfulls of the sauce - the spicey savoury kick was refreshing.
The next couple of days continued fairly uneventful - I had coffee, tea, and some Zevia soda when my stomach was gurgling. Through it all I never really felt seriously hungry, which was a nice surprise.
On the Monday night I did get some hunger pangs, but I was watching a bunch of cooking shows and realized it was probably just a reaction to the food on the TV. I drank some water and the feeling passed.
One of the things I had said all along was as long as I felt good I would continue fasting, and if I stopped feeling good I would stop the fast. Through the first 6 days, I felt good. No real hunger, no weakness, no lack of energy. In fact I was feeling so good the morning of day 6, that I was hoping to extend the fast untill Sunday July 30th.
On the afternoon of the 6th day (Tuesday) I had some work-stuff come up that added some stress. The stress seemed disproportionate though, like the work stuff wasn't that big a deal but I was over-stressed about it. That evening I got a case of the munchies, I kept wanting to eat. I wasn't hungry per-se but I had persistent food-thoughts, of meat, spice, salt. I drank water and it passed, but in retrospect that might have been a first sign.
That night I didn't sleep well, which I attributed to the stress. By the morning of Wednesday July 26th, day 7, I was tired and still stressed. I did my scheduled morning workout, an 8+ km walk, but towards the end I felt very tired and felt my energy waning. I chalked up the extra tiredness to the lack of sleep, but by mid-day I had determined that if I wasn't feeling better the next day, I would break my fast.
Wednesday afternoon after I had got the work stuff finally taken care of, I had a hot soak in a bubble-bath to try and relieve the stress. I followed that up with a cool shower. And that's when my body told me, in no uncertain terms, it was time to break the fast.
At the worst possible moment, I had such a dizzy spell I nearlly blacked out then and there in the shower. Tunnel vision, things going dark, flashes of light. I ended up laying a towel ontop of my bed and then just collapsing on that for about an hour, until the dizziness passed. Then I got up and broke my fast at 16:40 - one hour short of a full 7 days.
As Dr Fung suggests, I broke it with a small meal first; I used some olives and a bit of prosciuttino. Then an hour or so later I had a larger meal, some bacon-wrapped scallops. I had some pistachios a while later, and then felt I was full.
Today and tomorrow I will have slightly larger meals than normal, though I will stay on my keto and IF plans.
And I will add, I am feeling back to normal this morning - feeling good again, energetic, no tiredness or weakness.
I've been trying to determine what ultimately caused me to break the fast. Was it the added stress? Lack of sleep? Or was the added stress due to the fast? Was the lack of sleep due to stress, or due to the fast? Was it a combination of factors? Likely.
I may have been pushing myself too hard all week, by maintaining the same excercise routine. According to the Apple Health app, I was burning an average of about 3000 calories per day (basal + activity). According to my food diary, I was taking in say about 100 calories per day. According to calculations, I probably only had access to about 2800 calories per day from my fat reserves (see here: http://blog.2keto.com/why-fasting-is-easier-for-some-people/ ). So I was definitely pushing myself a little too close to the wire, if not past it.
Despite the abrupt and unplanned ending, I have to say overall I am pleased with the outcome.
I will definitely try this again in another month or so. I didn't think to do before- and after- weigh-ins, because weight-loss was not my primary goal for the extended fast. I typically weigh myself Sunday mornings, but my fast was Wednesday evening to Wednesday evening. Next time I'll try a Sunday to Sunday fast so I can gauge its effect on weight.
My interests this time around were other beneifts, namely helping fight insulin resistance, higher levels of human growth hormone, and increased autophagy. And the biggest one, was 'Can I actualy do this?' And the answer to that, is yes, I could!
Now, time to go make something to eat!
Earlier this month I got interested in trying an extended fast, so I read Dr Fung's book A Complete Guide to Fasting, and used that as my guide. My original plan was for a 3- or 4-day fast, but if I felt good, to keep it going as long as I could.
I started on Wednesday July 19th, with my last food logged at 17:40. The first day wasn't bad, I had a few instances of feeling 'hungry' but that was more due to routine. As in, 'this is the time I normally eat so why aren't I eating now?' kind of thing.
According to Fung's book, day 2 is usually the worst for hunger, but I didn't find it so. I suspect the people who really struggle on day 2 are not normally LCHF / keto, so that's when their stored glucose completely runs out and they're struggling with the switchover to burning fat. Anyhow, the second day wasn't much of a challenge for me, in terms of hunger.
I did experience very vivid dreams which led to slightly disrupted sleep - I could usualy fall asleep ok but had trouble staying asleep, and tended to wake up too early and be unable to get back to sleep.
I will also note, I maintained my normal excercise routine during the fast - one to two hours per day, every day, of cardio. Either walking or cycling, and usually a bit of both.
During the fast, I was still having coffee, with a splash of heavy cream, and I continued to use my zero-calorie sweetener despite Fung's recommendation against it. I also continued flavouring my water with Mio, against recommendations. I can't drink plain water, and felt that it was more important to be hydrated than to spoil the 'spirit of cleansing' or whatever. In my defence I never use as much of the flavour drops as they say - I just use enough to mask the taste of the dreck that comes out of my home's 100-year old pipes.
I also made up a big batch of bone broth, which I planned to use to supplement sodium and other micronutrients. I found that I couldn't force myself to drink that either. I've never liked soup or broth. On the third day, I ended up just making the bone broth into a big batch of low-carb BBQ sauce and stuffing it in the fridge. Though I did have a couple spoonfulls of the sauce - the spicey savoury kick was refreshing.
The next couple of days continued fairly uneventful - I had coffee, tea, and some Zevia soda when my stomach was gurgling. Through it all I never really felt seriously hungry, which was a nice surprise.
On the Monday night I did get some hunger pangs, but I was watching a bunch of cooking shows and realized it was probably just a reaction to the food on the TV. I drank some water and the feeling passed.
One of the things I had said all along was as long as I felt good I would continue fasting, and if I stopped feeling good I would stop the fast. Through the first 6 days, I felt good. No real hunger, no weakness, no lack of energy. In fact I was feeling so good the morning of day 6, that I was hoping to extend the fast untill Sunday July 30th.
On the afternoon of the 6th day (Tuesday) I had some work-stuff come up that added some stress. The stress seemed disproportionate though, like the work stuff wasn't that big a deal but I was over-stressed about it. That evening I got a case of the munchies, I kept wanting to eat. I wasn't hungry per-se but I had persistent food-thoughts, of meat, spice, salt. I drank water and it passed, but in retrospect that might have been a first sign.
That night I didn't sleep well, which I attributed to the stress. By the morning of Wednesday July 26th, day 7, I was tired and still stressed. I did my scheduled morning workout, an 8+ km walk, but towards the end I felt very tired and felt my energy waning. I chalked up the extra tiredness to the lack of sleep, but by mid-day I had determined that if I wasn't feeling better the next day, I would break my fast.
Wednesday afternoon after I had got the work stuff finally taken care of, I had a hot soak in a bubble-bath to try and relieve the stress. I followed that up with a cool shower. And that's when my body told me, in no uncertain terms, it was time to break the fast.
At the worst possible moment, I had such a dizzy spell I nearlly blacked out then and there in the shower. Tunnel vision, things going dark, flashes of light. I ended up laying a towel ontop of my bed and then just collapsing on that for about an hour, until the dizziness passed. Then I got up and broke my fast at 16:40 - one hour short of a full 7 days.
As Dr Fung suggests, I broke it with a small meal first; I used some olives and a bit of prosciuttino. Then an hour or so later I had a larger meal, some bacon-wrapped scallops. I had some pistachios a while later, and then felt I was full.
Today and tomorrow I will have slightly larger meals than normal, though I will stay on my keto and IF plans.
And I will add, I am feeling back to normal this morning - feeling good again, energetic, no tiredness or weakness.
I've been trying to determine what ultimately caused me to break the fast. Was it the added stress? Lack of sleep? Or was the added stress due to the fast? Was the lack of sleep due to stress, or due to the fast? Was it a combination of factors? Likely.
I may have been pushing myself too hard all week, by maintaining the same excercise routine. According to the Apple Health app, I was burning an average of about 3000 calories per day (basal + activity). According to my food diary, I was taking in say about 100 calories per day. According to calculations, I probably only had access to about 2800 calories per day from my fat reserves (see here: http://blog.2keto.com/why-fasting-is-easier-for-some-people/ ). So I was definitely pushing myself a little too close to the wire, if not past it.
Despite the abrupt and unplanned ending, I have to say overall I am pleased with the outcome.
I will definitely try this again in another month or so. I didn't think to do before- and after- weigh-ins, because weight-loss was not my primary goal for the extended fast. I typically weigh myself Sunday mornings, but my fast was Wednesday evening to Wednesday evening. Next time I'll try a Sunday to Sunday fast so I can gauge its effect on weight.
My interests this time around were other beneifts, namely helping fight insulin resistance, higher levels of human growth hormone, and increased autophagy. And the biggest one, was 'Can I actualy do this?' And the answer to that, is yes, I could!
Now, time to go make something to eat!
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Replies
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Awesome!! I want to try extended fasting for some of the same reasons you mention (autophagy and HGH). I just haven't tried it. I'm sort of struggling with how to realistically incorporate it into life with a husband and children and family meal times. Maybe sip broth?2
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@Steph_Maks, what a vivid, well-spun summary of your almost-week of fasting!
Q - Since you weren't gulping bone broth or BBQ sauce, did you find some other source of sodium?
Great reading. Thanks!4 -
@Cadori if you enjoy broth, then that's a great option. Make up a big batch of homemade bone broth, salt it up as you like it, and it's an excellent source of not just sodium but all sorts of important minerals and micronutrients.
@RalfLott I found some salt pills on Amazon - CMC Research Div. Sodium Chloride Tablets. 1 gram pure salt per tablet, or 394mg sodium.
I can't just eat salt, even salty water, it just nauseates me like crazy. The tablets are uncoated but I found if I put them in my mouth and immediately washed down with water, it wasn't too bad.
FWIW I was logging in my diary the whole time, so I did note every time I took the salt pills. My diary is public if anyone wants to go and snoop.
I also tried at one point to take some salt soaked in hot sauce, but that was nasty. Then I saw how much sodium was in the hot sauce and just took a spoonfull of that now a couple times. LOL. I can take hotsauce straight up, but salt turns my stomach.4 -
Interesting read, thank you for sharing your experience.1
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Good for you for making it to 7 days, that's quite an achievement! I have done 24 hrs once, but otherwise I'm pretty much 20/4 so far. Did it make a difference on the scale or measurements? Again, amazing!1
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Steph_Maks wrote: »@Cadori if you enjoy broth, then that's a great option. Make up a big batch of homemade bone broth, salt it up as you like it, and it's an excellent source of not just sodium but all sorts of important minerals and micronutrients.
@RalfLott I found some salt pills on Amazon - CMC Research Div. Sodium Chloride Tablets. 1 gram pure salt per tablet, or 394mg sodium.
I can't just eat salt, even salty water, it just nauseates me like crazy. The tablets are uncoated but I found if I put them in my mouth and immediately washed down with water, it wasn't too bad.
FWIW I was logging in my diary the whole time, so I did note every time I took the salt pills. My diary is public if anyone wants to go and snoop.
I also tried at one point to take some salt soaked in hot sauce, but that was nasty. Then I saw how much sodium was in the hot sauce and just took a spoonfull of that now a couple times. LOL. I can take hotsauce straight up, but salt turns my stomach.
Great write up Steph_Maks, I think you are a fat adapted person and your idea that you body couldn't pull enough fat daily is probably correct.
Glad you felt positive over all. And yes, always listen to your body, you can stop a fast, refeed, and go for it again anytime.
I love fasting, I am doing Fung's 36hr fast, refeed for a day protocol. So far, I am loving it.
Since I am at maintaining now, fasting for the HGH, autophagy. I have 3-5 macadamia nuts if I feel the hunger wave setting in, and then I continue with the fast. Not as much stored fat for the body to use these days.6 -
@Liadin123 would you believe, I didn't take before- and after- measurements nor did I check the scale. I weigh in once a week on Sunday morning, and the only measurement I've done is my waist, ever 2 months.
This past Sunday, after 3 1/2 days of fasting (and 3 1/2 days of my normal routine) I was down 4 pounds. We'll see what it looks like next Sunday, if I'm down further, level, or if I've bounced up a bit.
Next time I do a 7-day fast I will do it from Sunday to Sunday, and might even remember to take some measurements too, to track any changes.
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Congratulations on your fantastic achievement! Thanks so much for writing up your experience, it's accounts like yours that are so helpful in figuring out how I want to approach eating & fasting. Your experience is a valuable resource. I look forward to following your next fast!4
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Steph_Maks wrote: »@Cadori if you enjoy broth, then that's a great option. Make up a big batch of homemade bone broth, salt it up as you like it, and it's an excellent source of not just sodium but all sorts of important minerals and micronutrients.
@RalfLott I found some salt pills on Amazon - CMC Research Div. Sodium Chloride Tablets. 1 gram pure salt per tablet, or 394mg sodium.
I can't just eat salt, even salty water, it just nauseates me like crazy. The tablets are uncoated but I found if I put them in my mouth and immediately washed down with water, it wasn't too bad.
FWIW I was logging in my diary the whole time, so I did note every time I took the salt pills. My diary is public if anyone wants to go and snoop.
I also tried at one point to take some salt soaked in hot sauce, but that was nasty. Then I saw how much sodium was in the hot sauce and just took a spoonfull of that now a couple times. LOL. I can take hotsauce straight up, but salt turns my stomach.
Great write up Steph_Maks, I think you are a fat adapted person and your idea that you body couldn't pull enough fat daily is probably correct.
Glad you felt positive over all. And yes, always listen to your body, you can stop a fast, refeed, and go for it again anytime.
I love fasting, I am doing Fung's 36hr fast, refeed for a day protocol. So far, I am loving it.
Since I am at maintance levels now, I have 3-5 macadamia nuts if I feel the hunger wave setting in, and then I continue with the fast. Not as much stored fat for the body to use these days.1 -
Great writeup, thanks 0
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I have literally just finished a 72 hour fast, nothing but water and salt.4
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julescba04 wrote: »I have literally just finished a 72 hour fast, nothing but water and salt.
How did it go for you? How are you feeling afte the 72 hours?0 -
Aaaaagh I'm so upset and confused!
My weekly weigh-in this morning, I'm up 6 pounds?! That's 2 pounds heavier than before I even started the fast. What the heck is going on?
Could it be water? It has to be water I think? I haven't gone over my calorie goal at all, so I can't have eaten that much 'extra' food when I haven't eaten any extra. I haven't binged on carbs either.
Does the body panic after a fast and just pack on the weight again? Dr Fung's book never said anything about the weight coming back on even higher than before.
I wasn't specifically trying to lose weight but I sure as heck wasn't trying to gain weight!
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Don't panic @Steph_Maks, my experience has been that I don't lose much weight if any during a longer fast but I do lose inches. Last +50 hour fast I lost two hole sizes in my belt on my uniform but didn't average any weight loss even days later. Check the fit of your clothes.5
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Thanks @canadjineh! The ironic thing was I felt fantastic all weekend, just the unexpected gain on the scale really threw me. Cognative dissonance between feeling physically great while trying to figure out how a 6 lb gain was even possible.
I noticed last night that my legs were really swollen, so I'm positive it's all water. Trying to figure out now what caused me to bloat up like a balloon. Either something I ate had a lot of hidden sugar in it, or maybe it's just how my body reacts post-fast.
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@ Steph_Maks did the swelling go down yet? If it is water weight, which is most likely the case try some asparagus or other diuretic herbs/veggies might be a good idea.
I find that after a fast I put back on about half of what was lost, but that goes down within a few days. Perhaps the water will result in a weight woosh for you?0 -
My ankles aren't as swollen today but my weight is still higher than it was before I started the fast.
I've been doing some reading and apparently post-fast edema is not common but it does happen. Something about the body becoming more sensitive to salt during the fast, then when you start eating and taking in salt again, it causes the reaction. So I've cut back on my salt for now to see if that helps the bloating, or if it just gives me keto flu lol.
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Following to see if you get any relief & what works.0
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Before trying another fast you might want to listen to Dr. Phinney at the tail end of this video. Of particular interest might be his bit about protecting/increasing lean body mass during fasting which he says occurs only if you have both the acute caloric deficit and an acute sodium deficit (based on research he has seen). The bit I'm "interpreting" starts around 1 hour 16 minutes.
He never stated who he is disagreeing with academically but I'd guess it might be the guy who is writing all the books regarding fasting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0U006YZ2w&list=PL6yCjQ2mwbgWSSUpXu5s20Qvc30nLsxJ6&index=4
The video has been posted before. I know each time I watch various videos I hear different things that I missed before. I happened to watch it again this AM and noted the info on fasting due to the "fasting presence" currently in this forum. The other point that caught my interest this AM was his 7 Steps to Sustainability (at about 51-54 minutes).
@Steph_Maks2
