Does anyone do intermittent fasting with LCHF?

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Replies

  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
    I naturally fell into a 16:8 IF pattern when I started LCHF and then transitioned into keto. Over the past two months I have decided to be more intentional in fasting and have incorporated longer fasts into my routine. I read that the 18 hours fasting is ideal for health benefits, but I am also working on weight issues, so the longer fasts just make sense for me.

    I am currently in hour 38 of an intended 40 hour fast. But may actually go longer. While IF (under 24 hrs), I only drink black coffee and tea, lots of water. When I do a longer fast, I will have a small piece of cheese, a few nuts or some HWC in a coffee if I'm starting to feel off. And last night around 8 pm I had two cups of broth. I've done from zero calories up to about 200 calories spread over 1.5 - 2 days. I listen to my body and even to the point where if I am feeling very hungry, and water and activity (usually just a 15 minute walks) doesn't squelch it, I will eat. That's the point, in my opinion, to fuel our brain and body- so if they tell me to eat, that's what I do.

    I know, prior to keto, I could never get through 16 hours without eating, and if I did go a long stretch I would binge on anything and everything, and that meal would almost certainly discount the calorie reduction during the fast.

    @Sabine_Stroehm I commented on your other post about Jason Fong's book, I strongly recommend it to anyone considering IF/Fasting. It really helped me.

    For those, like @baconslave who struggle with black (non sweet) coffee, try a couple of dashes of salt in it. For me, that was key. It cuts the bitterness. The first sip is always still a little rough, but after that I really enjoy it.
  • ChoiceNotChance
    ChoiceNotChance Posts: 644 Member
    I do it most days. It's really not difficult . I make sure to stay really hydrated. Luckily, I love my coffee black, so that's a no-Brainer for me.

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited April 2016
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    RalfLott wrote: »
    When I first went Keto, I was using cream in my coffee with artificial sweetener, which kinda made the fasting null...

    Just curious - did you discover this via experimentation or education?

    I know I read it in The Bulletproof Diet and I'm pretty sure I have seen it or heard it mentioned by Jason Fung as well.
    It has to do with initiating digestion. The MCT and butter don't require digestion in the way that cream does and since artificial sweeteners actually do so often create at least some insulin, I think that's the thought behind their interference.
    Here's a paragraph from the book where he mentions it.
  • SueMizzou2
    SueMizzou2 Posts: 9 Member
    Your input is appreciated. I'll take a look at Dr Fong's article to educate myself
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I think LCHF and IF are very complementary. It's really a great combo for evening out the ups and down of digestion, hunger, cravings, etc. And with the potential life extension and neuroprotective benefits of both, man, it's like a secret weapon!
  • jaketwin123
    jaketwin123 Posts: 55 Member
    well m new to all this and been on LCHF for just over 4 weeks,in ketosis for last 2 weeks,never liked breakfast but thought i had to on LCHF but the last 2 weeks havent and have gone back to my normal pattern breakfast coffee/cream,dont have breakfast and dont eat till 6pm ish main meal and snack till about 10pm ish (i may a snack in the day but hardly)

    lost 1stone 1lb in 34 days and reading this im fasting i think,lol,who knew
  • ClaireBearOz
    ClaireBearOz Posts: 64 Member

    I've been reading up on all of this and trying to decide whether to try a 16:8 or a 14:10. So much conflicting information about women and fasting. And given that I'm menopausal, an adrenal upheaval wouldn't be a good idea, so I'm leaning toward trying a 14:10

    Yes, I agree there is a lot of differing info on this. So maybe it's relevant to say I'm post- menopausal. However, there is quite a lot of information on this topic at the healthfulpursuits blog/YouTube -example posted by someone else above. She had all sorts of upset hormones due to weird dieting and documents her return to normality through lo carb high fat and IF. Shows her test results. Worth a look. I don't have a direct link but look through her videos.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member

    It has to do with initiating digestion. The MCT and butter don't require digestion in the way that cream does and since artificial sweeteners actually do so often create at least some insulin, I think that's the thought behind their interference.
    Here's a paragraph from the book where he mentions it.

    Intetesting. Thanks!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member

    I've been reading up on all of this and trying to decide whether to try a 16:8 or a 14:10. So much conflicting information about women and fasting. And given that I'm menopausal, an adrenal upheaval wouldn't be a good idea, so I'm leaning toward trying a 14:10

    Yes, I agree there is a lot of differing info on this. So maybe it's relevant to say I'm post- menopausal. However, there is quite a lot of information on this topic at the healthfulpursuits blog/YouTube -example posted by someone else above. She had all sorts of upset hormones due to weird dieting and documents her return to normality through lo carb high fat and IF. Shows her test results. Worth a look. I don't have a direct link but look through her videos.
    I'll have a look, thanks. Glad to hear there are post-menopausal women doing IF. This gives me hope.

    I'm giving it a try. I've done 3 days 2 at 14:10 and yesterday a 16:8.

  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
    Post menopausal here too. I have fallen into IF on days that I work. Will have coffee with butter on those days until my first meal around 3pm on those days. I use hwc in my coffee, otherwise, when not particularly fasting. No specific issues seen when doing this.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I drink around 8 cups of tea with Almond milk in the mornings and don't eat till around 1pm. Each cup of tea is around 10 calories. Will doing this break my fast? I have read as long as you stay under 50 calories then you are still fasting. Not sure how true this is??
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
    I do IF unintentionally. I quit eating around 9pm, and skip breakfast on days I work out. I always have coffee right after. Something about the combo of exercise and coffee kills my appetite, so I often don't eat until 1 - 2pm. This puts me on an unintentional 16:8 cycle at least 3x per week.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    edited April 2016
    I drink around 8 cups of tea with Almond milk in the mornings and don't eat till around 1pm. Each cup of tea is around 10 calories. Will doing this break my fast? I have read as long as you stay under 50 calories then you are still fasting. Not sure how true this is??

    How much almond milk per cup? Is it unsweetened? The 50 calorie thing is a basic rule of thumb, and ya I think with the amount you're drinking you might be pushing it. With something like coconut oil or butter you'd be avoiding the insulin spike so some fasting benefits would be preserved, but I don't think that'd be the case with the almond milk.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    I drink around 8 cups of tea with Almond milk in the mornings and don't eat till around 1pm. Each cup of tea is around 10 calories. Will doing this break my fast? I have read as long as you stay under 50 calories then you are still fasting. Not sure how true this is??

    How much almond milk per cup? Is it unsweetened? The 50 calorie thing is a basic rule of thumb, and ya I think with the amount you're drinking you might be pushing it. With something like coconut oil or butter you'd be avoiding the insulin spike so some fasting benefits would be preserved, but I don't think that'd be the case with the almond milk.

    Probably around 70ish ml per cup. 500ml which = 80 calories all up
  • ClaireBearOz
    ClaireBearOz Posts: 64 Member
    Here's what Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple says about morning fasting (and coffee):

    "Coffee is actually beneficial for fat-burning, especially during a fast. One study found that an infusion of epinephrine – a hormone which coffee increases – during “starvation” enhanced its lipolytic and thermogenic effects. In other words, fat-burning and metabolism up-regulated in response to epinephrine (more so than usual). Epinephrine also lowers appetite, which can be extremely helpful for people trying to stave off hunger during a fast. Tea, and anything non-caloric, is also fine.

    Adding a pure fat source won’t “take you out” of the fasted state, and it may take the edge off the hunger, but it will reduce the body fat you burn by a bit."
    (Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-questions-answers/#ixzz44oPAyrGt)

    I agree with a previous poster - morning exercise and coffee make it easier for me to not eat till after midday - which is what I normally aim for. But we are all different.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Thanks Claire, I so wish I liked coffee, because I get a nice energy boost from it and it does curve my appetite, but I just hate it :(
  • tinaisstillwell
    tinaisstillwell Posts: 58 Member
    I've been doing IF with LC/HF very successfully for about 2 months. In the morning I have a bulletproof coffee-coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil and a little heavy cream. I blend until frothy. I don't eat food until 1 or later sometimes. Then I'll have a low carb dinner. My goal to start was 18/6, but sometimes it's as much as 22/2. It depends on my schedule. The crazy thing is that I rarely get hungry. If I do get hungry I'll drink a cup of chicken broth, and that holds me.
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    I do daily eating window. Usually hardcore black coffee in the morning. I maintained easily with this for a year. But I've started having lunch with my colleagues at noon...and I'm gaining now. Meh.

    Ofc, it's about macros, calories and lower volume of exercise too. But in my experience, fasting is a great tool to keep everything else in check!

    I'm less hungry when I fast. Go figure :/
  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member
    I've only been at this for a couple of weeks, but I'm starting to experiment with having a "bullet proof tea" for breakfast, just an iced tea with 2T of heavy cream. But they say you really shouldn't do IF until you're fat adapted, and I don't feel that I am yet.