Doing a Fung!

[Barry36]

As a long time sufferer of T2 I've often made the joke that "Every time I eat something my blood sugar goes up. Solution -- stop bloody eating!" Turns out I was more right than I realised.
I recently discovered the writings and video presentations of Dr Jason Fung and it's been an absolute revelation. I believe something similar happened a couple of thousand years ago to some bloke called Paul as he trudged towards Damascus.
If you haven't come across him yet I can't recommend him highly enough. In one bound he went straight to the top of my guru list. And that list features Dr Andreas Eenfeldt whose interview with the good doctor set me off searching.
Dr Fung's blog is IntensiveDietaryManagement.Com. And several of his rather lengthy video presentations are on Youtube under his name.
Since discovering LCHF less than a year ago I've been reading everything I can find on it and related matters from a dozen or more experts through books, blogs, websites, and especially this lovely forum.
I felt pulled first one way then another, as though I was walking down a narrow country lane, in the rain, with cars thrashing past in both directions, when suddenly the clouds parted, a ray of sunshine shone down just onto me, the road widened and a nice tarmac path appeared at the side of the road. Those clouds were parted by Dr Fung.
If you don't yet know about him I urge you to have a look.
If you are aware of him already have you tried his Intermittent Fasting method? If so, what happened?
(This is not the currently fashionable 5-2 thing which is actually Intermittent calorie reduction to 800 calories for a couple of unrelated days and is aimed simply at weight loss). This is actual fasting -- scary I know, but I just did the first one, a 39 hour fast (drinks only) from dinner on Monday evening to brunch on Wednesday. And it was a doddle! I felt great as he said I would and I shall certainly be doing it more in the future. By the way, the world record fast is 389 days, so no worries eh?
But old scaredy pants me would love to know if anyone else has tried it? If so, do tell!
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Winnie53]

Barry, a number of us are following Dr. Fung's blog posts about fasting, but I don't have enough information yet.

I'm curious. You list 9 medications. Have you discussed fasting with your doctor, particularly in regards to the medications you're taking?

Dr. Fung's patients are seen once a week during longer fasts, which is what I want to do.

I saw my doctor yesterday and asked if he could refer me to someone who could monitor me while doing a fast. This is so new to him, he didn't know. I don't take any medication, so I don't have that concern, but I want to do this safely.

All that said, I do share your enthusiasm and think this could be helpful for losing weight and lowering blood glucose levels.

 

[Indy51]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

There have been a number of posts about Dr Fung, his videos and blog around the forum. I've been on a 16 hour intermittent fasting regime for just over 2 months now. I've lost around 5 kgs and my BG has come down substantially, though I still spike BG if I eat over around 15gs of carbs in any meal. I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but would like to get from the top of the normal range down to mid or lower range of normal BMI.

I've been fasting from around 2-3pm each day until breakfast the next morning and eating only 2 meals per day. I've been surprised at how easy it has been to stick to without feeling at all deprived.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I did a 3 day fast this past December. It was pretty easy, but it did feel odd when normal meal times came and went without the usual ritual of eating, but I felt fine physically. My blood glucose levels flattened out during the 3 days. I don't know if it helped in the medium- or long-term as I think I had already pretty much gotten my insulin resistance way down before I did the fast.

I now skip either breakfast, lunch or both. Again, I'm not sure if it's helping, but my morning fasting levels are almost always in the 4's or 5's now days and my weight is pretty stable.

 

[Barry36]

Hi Winnie53, and thanks for replying.
I'm so enthusiastic about this I wanted to do a try out and see how I got on. (For some reason that no one's told me I've been N/A'd, I've asked admin why but no reply yet.)
As far as my doctor's concerned (who is luckily well on side with LCHF) I've had to wait two weeks for an appointment so it's not until 4th June.
I "took" my usual Lantus and of course no Humalog, and I checked a couple of times during the day and by the end of it was 4.5 so well pleased.
I also took my other meds as usual because they are all for something other than T2 so chancing it seemed to me to be logical. I've had a good innings and I've got to die from something so WTH! No apparent effect to BP or Pulse so it's a fingers crossed job.
I'll post again after I see the Doc.
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Barry36]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

There have been a number of posts about Dr Fung, his videos and blog around the forum. I've been on a 16 hour intermittent fasting regime for just over 2 months now. I've lost around 5 kgs and my BG has come down substantially, though I still spike BG if I eat over around 15gs of carbs in any meal. I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but would like to get from the top of the normal range down to mid or lower range of normal BMI.

I've been fasting from around 2-3pm each day until breakfast the next morning and eating only 2 meals per day. I've been surprised at how easy it has been to stick to without feeling at all deprived.

Hi Indy51, and thanks for replying.
I've been two mealing it, brunch and dinner, for a while now since testing myself on a don't-eat-'til-you're-hungry trial, and I found that get up about 8, brunch about 11 and dinner about 6, seemed to suit my body clock the most.
My 39 hour fast last Tuesday seemed to go OK so I'm risking another one today.
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Barry36]

I've been performing my own n=1 experiments and fasting has been something I've had a lot of positive results from.

I regularly fat fast for 16 - 18 hours. I've also performed several water only fasts one of which was over 36 hours.

Generally, fasting is not recommended for people with diabetes. For that reason I'm just going to highlight that it's been a positive experience for me. I felt comfortable experimenting on myself as I have type 2 diabetes that was well controlled (pre diabetic HbA1c) and have been taken off the medication I was on before fasting experiments began.

I also found it surprisingly easy to perform a water only fast.

I do find that if I eat any carbohydrate immediately after a fast I get a craving for more - especially if I start with low GI carbohydrate!

Hi Nomistheman, and thanks for replying.
I agree with how easy it seems and congrats on stopping meds, what joy!
It's a fascinating thing how simple and logical Dr Fung's approach is, and I'm fairly sure I'm on board for good or ill from now on.
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Barry36]

I did a 3 day fast this past December. It was pretty easy, but it did feel odd when normal meal times came and went without the usual ritual of eating, but I felt fine physically. My blood glucose levels flattened out during the 3 days. I don't know if it helped in the medium- or long-term as I think I had already pretty much gotten my insulin resistance way down before I did the fast.

I now skip either breakfast, lunch or both. Again, I'm not sure if it's helping, but my morning fasting levels are almost always in the 4's or 5's now days and my weight is pretty stable.

Hi Nocrbs4me, and thanks for replying.
I'd love to give up all meds, and when I do decide to leave this place that's how I'll do it! Only half joking.
Because I'm on so many meds for various reasons I'm simply carrying on until I see the Doc on 4th June, (2 weeks wait for the appointment, of course).
I feel sure I could do a longer fast than the 39 hour one's I'm trying at the moment, but trying to be sensible, I'll wait to see my lovely LCHF Doc; she's a slip of a young woman and powerlifts 87 kgs over her head!
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

Hi Nocrbs4me, and thanks for replying.
I'd love to give up all meds, and when I do decide to leave this place that's how I'll do it! Only half joking.
Because I'm on so many meds for various reasons I'm simply carrying on until I see the Doc on 4th June, (2 weeks wait for the appointment, of course).
I feel sure I could do a longer fast than the 39 hour one's I'm trying at the moment, but trying to be sensible, I'll wait to see my lovely LCHF Doc; she's a slip of a young woman and powerlifts 87 kgs over her head!
Regards.
Barry.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/ask-dr-jason-fung
You have probably seen that link, but he is answering questions now on the Diet doctors webpage. Many people here have tried his methods, and still many more on other forums. I am not diabetic myself, but I have lost over 37 kg using his methods pretty easily and I am also maintaining by using his principles.

 

[Larissima]

A question for diabetic fasters: how does it affect your liver dump, a.k.a. dawn phenomenon?

I have done some intermittent fasting in the past, for weight loss purposes, and the fasts were successful. However, since I started measuring my fasting BG, I have found that it increases in the morning, the longer I postpone my breakfast. Isn't it reasonable to asume that it would continue to rise until I eat? Or is there another physiological mechanism that I'm not aware of?

 

[Barry36]

A question for diabetic fasters: how does it affect your liver dump, a.k.a. dawn phenomenon?

I have done some intermittent fasting in the past, for weight loss purposes, and the fasts were successful. However, since I started measuring my fasting BG, I have found that it increases in the morning, the longer I postpone my breakfast. Isn't it reasonable to asume that it would continue to rise until I eat? Or is there another physiological mechanism that I'm not aware of?

Hi Larissima, thanks for liking!
As I understand it, the dawn phenomenon is natural and normal and disappears gradually during the day. In my own case it's previously been shifted by my humalog dose for breakfast, but while fasting of course I'm not using it so I'm not sure exactly what happens. I only measure my BS every four hours or so during the fast and it goes down a little each time so doesn't seem to be a problem.
I expect others with more knowledge than me will follow up on this, but I hope that helps a little bit.
Regards.
Barry.

 

[Barry36]

http://www.dietdoctor.com/ask-dr-jason-fung
You have probably seen that link, but he is answering questions now on the Diet doctors webpage. Many people here have tried his methods, and still many more on other forums. I am not diabetic myself, but I have lost over 37 kg using his methods pretty easily and I am also maintaining by using his principles.

Hello again sir.
Thanks for this - I follow Dr Eenfeldt and I've now become a member and read Dr Fung's current batch of replies. Isn't it marvellous how such a busy man can do that at such great length. I do believe he's the second coming!
Regards.
Barry.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

My liver dump happens after I get up and my BG rises until mid-morning. During the first day of the fast, there was not much difference. The second day it was less and the third day it was almost nonexistent. After I stopped the fast it came back.

 

[Winnie53]

Barry, relieved to hear you're being thoughtful about your medications while fasting and are going to check in with your doctor in a few weeks. How encouraging that your doctor is supportive of the LCHF diet. Sounds like you have a good one!

I'm slowly gathering information on fasting, but am also doing same on improving gut flora. So not sure which I'll focus on first. Am just now starting part III of the book, Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain - for Life (2015) by David Perlmutter, M.D., the author of Grain Brain. It's the first book our women's health group chose to read together. Fascinating subject. I'm learning a lot. When I finish the book, I'll start a new topic and report on some of the findings relevant to those of us with diabetes.

I hadn't thought about the morning liver dump. Glad to hear it lessens with each successive morning on the fast.

Thanks Barry for starting this topic. Going to head over to diet doctor to listen to the Jason Fung interview now.

 

[LucySW]

I was wondering about the liver dump too. I did a Fung-ette yesterday 9 to 9, and it felt marvellous! I wasn't hungry (had had a cream coffee which always fills me up), alert, great.

Just so long as we build up in stages, and monitor BG and other indicators, I think we shd be okay.

 

[Barry36]

Barry, relieved to hear you're being thoughtful about your medications while fasting and are going to check in with your doctor in a few weeks. How encouraging that your doctor is supportive of the LCHF diet. Sounds like you have a good one!

I'm slowly gathering information on fasting, but am also doing same on improving gut flora. So not sure which I'll focus on first. Am just now starting part III of the book, Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain - for Life (2015) by David Perlmutter, M.D., the author of Grain Brain. It's the first book our women's health group chose to read together. Fascinating subject. I'm learning a lot. When I finish the book, I'll start a new topic and report on some of the findings relevant to those of us with diabetes.

I hadn't thought about the morning liver dump. Glad to hear it lessens with each successive morning on the fast.

Thanks Barry for starting this topic. Going to head over to diet doctor to listen to the Jason Fung interview now.

Hi Winnie53, and thanks for replying.
.....
Regards.
Barry.

Edited to remove question about missing post which has now been resolved.

 

[Lamont D]

I am on a fasting day today!
I have now introduced a fasting day into my routine, once a week, if I do not work on that day.
The reason for this is I did not lose as much weight as I wanted to, between consultant visits.
This is my third Saturday fasting day.
I have no problems at all, and I found that my body feels better after it, it is like I give my pancreas, liver and kidneys a day off.

The longest is when I had my fasting stay in hospital, 72 hours, which turned into nearly 80 hours!
That experience has shown me that I don't have to eat. And I don't need food to get me through the day.

If you are intending to do a fasting make sure you test, even though you're not eating, as you may have liver dumps to counter eating. Drink plenty of water and don't do too much strenuous exercise, gentle long walks is fine as these will help your blood glucose levels slowly return to normal.

Have fun.

 

[Barry36]

I am on a fasting day today!
I have now introduced a fasting day into my routine, once a week, if I do not work on that day.
The reason for this is I did not lose as much weight as I wanted to, between consultant visits.
This is my third Saturday fasting day.
I have no problems at all, and I found that my body feels better after it, it is like I give my pancreas, liver and kidneys a day off.

The longest is when I had my fasting stay in hospital, 72 hours, which turned into nearly 80 hours!
That experience has shown me that I don't have to eat. And I don't need food to get me through the day.

If you are intending to do a fasting make sure you test, even though you're not eating, as you may have liver dumps to counter eating. Drink plenty of water and don't do too much strenuous exercise, gentle long walks is fine as these will help your blood glucose levels slowly return to normal.

Have fun.

Hi Nosher8355, and thanks for the advice.
I tried my second 40 hour fast yesterday but I had an attack of the runs in the middle of the night last night and I can tell you it's no fun stripping and changing the bed when you're still half asleep! I'm going to hang on for the time being 'til I can get to see my lovely Doc on Jun 4 in case it's something to do with my other meds.
Thanks again.
Barry.

 

[Lamont D]

My experiences have shown that there can be great benefits from fasting, but I'm weird!

 

[Miss_Dior]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

There have been a number of posts about Dr Fung, his videos and blog around the forum. I've been on a 16 hour intermittent fasting regime for just over 2 months now. I've lost around 5 kgs and my BG has come down substantially, though I still spike BG if I eat over around 15gs of carbs in any meal. I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but would like to get from the top of the normal range down to mid or lower range of normal BMI.

I've been fasting from around 2-3pm each day until breakfast the next morning and eating only 2 meals per day. I've been surprised at how easy it has been to stick to without feeling at all deprived.

Does your BG spike as a result of eating any kind of carbs? Mine spikes after eating grapes, but not starches. I'll test other fruits in the future. So far since I've had my meter I only ate grapes.