What to eat after a 3 day fast

smnovosad1

I have a medical condition that causes me to periodically go through a 3-5 day period when I don’t eat or sleep. I know this is nonideal, but I don’t have control over it. It only happens 3-4 times a year. My physician knows about it.
I just got over a 3 day episode and am back to my logging. I lost 2 pounds over the last 3 days, and I’m sure some is water weight but some is not, and I don’t want to lose tons of muscle if I can help it. I am 5’5”, currently 130 lbs with a goal of 125-128 so I don’t have a ton to lose.
Should I just not worry about it because it’s infrequent? Should I eat tons of protein? Should I eat at maintenance for awhile? Am I so weird that no one has any idea?
Thanks!

MichelleSilverleaf

Just get back on track best you can. Maybe a couple days at maintenance and then ease back into a deficit. If it's infrequent, it shouldn't affect you too much in the grand scheme of things. Are you doing any kind of lifting or such? That will go a long way to helping you preserve your muscle mass.

1houndgal

What does your dr suggest for you to eat as you break your three day fast? Since you have a medical condition, I would hesitate to give you advice here.

smnovosad1

Thanks. My doctor is not worried about my muscle mass, just my mental state. I’m actually pretty well controlled, believe it or not.

I don’t specifically lift; I do t25 with some light weights. I probably should “lift heavy”; I just do everything at home, not at a gym, so that complicates things. I have 4 busy kids.

lynn_glenmont

You're not going to lose "tons of muscle" in three to five days. Hopefully you're not exercising during a period of not eating and not sleeping, so I really wouldn't worry about trying to catch up on protein, since without resistance training and following a period of massive energy deficit, extra protein is not going to make a big difference in muscle retention (you're essentially trying to prop up a stool with one leg). As Michelle suggested, eat at maintenance for a couple of days and then go back to your routine.

I assume, since this has happened before, that you know how your body responds to food after a three to five day fast (for some people, that might be enough time that they have to ease back into eating to avoid nausea).

jennifer_417

I suggest slightly bland foods that might be easier on the stomach. Oatmeal, mashed potatoes, that kind of thing.