Dr. Boz 72 hr sardine challenge?

MacLowCarbing

I was wondering if anyone ever tried this and how it went? (see below* if you're not sure what the sardine challenge is).

I did it this weekend mainly to drop my blood sugar and decrease inflammation. My weekend results were:
- dropped 3 lbs
- fasting blood sugar stayed between 80-84 mg/dl the whole weekend
- ketones went up to 40 to 60 mg/dl according to pee stick
- My hip arthritis pain went away!!!
- I slept through the night better!!!
- some indigestion/gassiness

Not sure what caused the indigestion/gas but it might have been my metformin, which upon researching I learned symptoms of the drug can get worse when you go extremely low carb. I'm weaning off of it though so hopefully next time I can try it without the drug.

I didn't stay strictly on it, I used sardines in water (because the ones in olive oil also slipped in soy bean oil and other seed oils), I had lots of butter with them, I added seasonings, and I had my usual coffee with a bit of heavy cream once per day because it keeps me sane lol.

I'm curious to see if the reduction of arthritis inflammation and sleeping better was due to the challenge or just a coincidence that coincided with the challenge. I'm thinking of trying it again when the pains flare up or when I'm tossing & turning again to see.

I was just wondering if anyone else might have tried it and what were their results.

Thanks!
~Mac

Dr. Boz Sardine Challenge*:

The clock starts ticking with your first can of sardines; the 72 hrs is up with your last can of sardines. In between, you can eat as many or as few sardines as you like, as often or infrequently as you like. Let your hunger guide you.

In the strictest form, you only eat sardines in oil, water, salt & pepper, black coffee, or black tea (no sweeteners) for 72 hrs. However, Dr. Boz also says if you need to prepare your sardines with butter, mustard, hot sauce, seasonings, ACV, etc. to get them down you can do so. I also learned from someone that 75% sardines 25% mackerel works well as the nutrients are different and complement each other.

Why sardines? They're low calorie, low carb, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, low in omega-6, high in iron, calcium, potassium, selenium and many other minerals, good source of vitamin D, vitamin E, B12 and many other B vitamins. They are one of the most mercury-safe fish you can buy. They're also highly satiating so they keep you full, most people only need at most 4 or 5 cans per day to fill themselves.

Benefits of a 72 hr sardine challenge: weight loss; start/restart/boost your ketogenic state; reduces inflammation; reduction in hunger; highly nutritious meals.

rileysowner

I love sardines, and keeping a number of cans in the stuff I bring to work gives me a fall back when I don't have the ttime, energy, or ingredients to meal prep, however, when I saw the video by Dr. Boz about doing a sardine fast my immediate thought was "Nope." I don't find it difficult to stay in ketosis, although there are times that keeping my blood sugar lower would be nice, usually after I have a high carb meal (day), but getting back to eating Keto gets everything sorted in 2-3 days, not to mention my blood sugar doesn't really go that high, just higher than I like. If you can do it, go for it.

MacLowCarbing

rileysowner wrote: »

I love sardines, and keeping a number of cans in the stuff I bring to work gives me a fall back when I don't have the ttime, energy, or ingredients to meal prep, however, when I saw the video by Dr. Boz about doing a sardine fast my immediate thought was "Nope." I don't find it difficult to stay in ketosis, although there are times that keeping my blood sugar lower would be nice, usually after I have a high carb meal (day), but getting back to eating Keto gets everything sorted in 2-3 days, not to mention my blood sugar doesn't really go that high, just higher than I like. If you can do it, go for it.

Yeah, "nope" I think is a natural response to it, for most people. I do really like sardines, and I still need help controlling my sugar and inflammation as I've been weaning off the diabetes meds so I get ups and downs every time something changes until I adapt to it all over again. I was willing to try. I'm trying to find other people who tried it to compare results. But (Unsurprisingly lol) I can't find anyone else who has tried it. I'm not into social media like FB or Twitter or anything, I guess it would be easier to find people there but I doubt I'll sign up to those things just to ask about sardines.

JessiBelleW

What an interesting idea! I can’t face the thought of nothing but fish for 3 days, and I find oil-er fish can irritate my tummy a little bit. I had extreme acid reflux when younger (inherited from my Dad and nana) but it’s mostly under control now by eating better and losing weight but one portion of oily fish is my limit.

My nutritionist is all about a protein modified fast (so just three portions of protein on a fast day) and I do feel amazing after those days. I don’t think I’ll be running out to buy sardines though!

MacLowCarbing

JessiBelleW wrote: »

What an interesting idea! I can’t face the thought of nothing but fish for 3 days, and I find oil-er fish can irritate my tummy a little bit. I had extreme acid reflux when younger (inherited from my Dad and nana) but it’s mostly under control now by eating better and losing weight but one portion of oily fish is my limit.

My nutritionist is all about a protein modified fast (so just three portions of protein on a fast day) and I do feel amazing after those days. I don’t think I’ll be running out to buy sardines though!

Ha I knew sardines weren't popular but I was hoping to find someone to compare notes with.

Protein diet sounds like it would work pretty similarly though.