Fasting - 16/8 or 24/0?
cooked2
Posts: 4 Member
Am I right in assuming that to get BACK into ketosis, a 24 hour fast is the best and that 16/8 ketosis is for maintenance of ketosis? (or for those that can't imagine 24 hours without food? - no offence intended)
Doing 24 hours occasionally seems easier to me than doing 16/8 for long periods.
Doing 24 hours occasionally seems easier to me than doing 16/8 for long periods.
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16/8 isn't as hard as it seems, especially once fat adapted. I stop eating between 7-8pm, skip breakfast the following morning, and have lunch circa 11-12 (unless I'm not hungry, then I'll hold off a bit). If I find I'm hungry before my window, I'll first distract myself and see if that helps. If it's real hunger, then I will break the fast early. Even 14 hours fasting has benefits.4
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Eating <20 grams of carbs gets you into ketosis. Not the fasting time etc. It is what you put into your body that determines if you go keto. If you are fat adapted, you might be able to handle more than 20, but at some point you will go out again.
Most people drift into and out of it regularly.
I personally just mix up fasting protocols, some days 14/10, 16/8, 18/6 20/4 or one meal a day. I IF about 5 days a week, then do 36-48 hrs. fasts weekly. I've been in maintenance for well over a year now.2 -
CarolynRSB wrote: »16/8 isn't as hard as it seems, especially once fat adapted. I stop eating between 7-8pm, skip breakfast the following morning, and have lunch circa 11-12 (unless I'm not hungry, then I'll hold off a bit). If I find I'm hungry before my window, I'll first distract myself and see if that helps. If it's real hunger, then I will break the fast early. Even 14 hours fasting has benefits.
You know, when I first tried IF after being on keto for a while, it was horrible. I was only eating between 10am and 6pm. I was rushing to try and hit my macros, this being back before I knew protein was my goal, carbs my limit, and fat to satiety.. and it was miserable. I felt like I was unable to eat long enough to stretch the food out. There was also the problem of the mental games, being unable to eat after 6pm.
It just didn't work for me.
Fast forward 130 or more days later, and I do IF daily. Not on purpose most days, just fat adapted. The fat adaptation really makes all the difference. Most days I might eat at 12-1pm. I usually get lunch at around 2-3pm, and dinner between 6-8pm. I am hesitant to tell myself I am doing IF, even though I am certainly now hitting the fasting times with ease, because part of my battle is mental. But it's pretty dang nice. I did a 22.5 hour fast the other day, had a great big dinner, and then did 35 miles on the bike. Keto and fat adaptation are a thing that you really have to experience to get.
Figuring out hunger vs cravings, especially later at night when they hit, is tricky. Most nights I've come off a good workout, and then eaten dinner, and I have to juggle whether or not I am hungry or bored.
Anyway, goodluck OP! If you're looking into longer fasts, I assume you're going for autophagy and not just fasting ketosis.2 -
CentaurusSoter wrote: »I did a 22.5 hour fast the other day, had a great big dinner, and then did 35 miles on the bike.
Wow!!
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I really think it all depends on your mentality. I use to do alternate day fasting and really didnt find it that bad. Its like you know when you wake up on fasting days you cant eat that day, and have a strong mindframe on it. With 16:8 which i was doing a few months ago, I found I was constantly watching the clock waiting and counting down to when I could eat again, or had to stop. Now..that ive been off track for a while..i dont know which one would be easier for me to start doing again having kids and family suppers but also being up early for work/the gym before work i find when up at 5 by 10am I am starvingggg!1
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Did a 40 hour ending at 3 pm today... it just helps my guts recover from being glutened - still having bad stomach and intestinal issues over a month now every time I eat anything. Didn't seem to be a problem, but some days I'm just hungry all the time - no obvious reason.2
