Monk Fast / 36 hour Fast

Cass21

Member
Messages
6
Please help me.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 9 years ago. I have struggled to lose weight, but have "controlled" sugars by inconsistently following 16:8 fasting protocol.

In November I did my first 36 hour fast. And I'm currently averaging one 36 hour fast every two weeks.

My questions:
  • I want to start ADF. If you follow ADF, how successful are you at sticking to it?
  • How long did it take for you to see real drops in your hbc1a numbers? And did you see an increase at first?
  • How long did it take for the weight to come off, or have you not had any weight loss?
  • Would one weekly 36 hour fast be just as beneficial as ADF?
Thank you in advance. There's so much information in these forums it's hard to work through.
Thanks
 
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Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,466
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @Cass21

I can’t help with your exact question as I haven’t done regular long fasts, but intermittent fasting and particularly regular OMAD was a game changer for me. Not so much for blood glucose control as I’d already got into ‘normal’ territory by the time I got into fasting, but it really kick started major weight loss.

Key to sticking to ANY fasting regime is making sure you eat enough and get sufficient nutrients to feel satiated so that your hunger naturally starts to regulate itself. For me, what I eat is just as important as how often I eat and fatty cuts of meat are what I find to be most satiating. Having said that, when I first started with OMAD, I was on holiday and managed just fine with half a rotisserie chicken and veg/salad many days. These things tend to change over time.

I’ll tag @bulkbiker as he’s done far more longer fasts than me and might have some useful thoughts.

Finally, if you’re on Twitter, you might want to follow Dr Jay Wrigley (@hormonedietdoc).
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Please help me.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 9 years ago. I have struggled to lose weight, but have "controlled" sugars by inconsistently following 16:8 fasting protocol.

In November I did my first 36 hour fast. And I'm currently averaging one 36 hour fast every two weeks.

My questions:
  • I want to start ADF. If you follow ADF, how successful are you at sticking to it?
  • How long did it take for you to see real drops in your hbc1a numbers? And did you see an increase at first?
  • How long did it take for the weight to come off, or have you not had any weight loss?
  • Would one weekly 36 hour fast be just as beneficial as ADF?
Thank you in advance. There's so much information in these forums it's hard to work through.
Thanks

Thanks for the tag @Goonergal

I did a brief spell of ADF but found it pretty hard to stick too as I find the 40-50 hour fasted period the hardest to get through so didn't want to prolong the agony! You of course might find it easier.

I have kick started weight loss, after stalling for some months, by doing extended fasts usually 7 days. I do my own no solids fasting with cream in coffee/tea and maybe some bone broth (chicken stock with some added butter). I haven't done one of those for a few years now. As I've regained a few pounds (well more than a few) I might need to do one this year but will wait until post my birthday next week.

I maintained and achieved a 100 pound weight loss with intermittent fasting and eating mainly meat in my two meals a day (started out with lunch and dinner then moved to late afternoon small meal with dinner).

In your shoes I might try and extending my fasting periods so may try a 48 hour then a 72 and see if that helps .
By doing that you can see when your "period of weakness" is. Once you have got past that the following days become far easier.
 

Cass21

Member
Messages
6
Hi @Cass21

I can’t help with your exact question as I haven’t done regular long fasts, but intermittent fasting and particularly regular OMAD was a game changer for me. Not so much for blood glucose control as I’d already got into ‘normal’ territory by the time I got into fasting, but it really kick started major weight loss.

Key to sticking to ANY fasting regime is making sure you eat enough and get sufficient nutrients to feel satiated so that your hunger naturally starts to regulate itself. For me, what I eat is just as important as how often I eat and fatty cuts of meat are what I find to be most satiating. Having said that, when I first started with OMAD, I was on holiday and managed just fine with half a rotisserie chicken and veg/salad many days. These things tend to change over time.

I’ll tag @bulkbiker as he’s done far more longer fasts than me and might have some useful thoughts.

Finally, if you’re on Twitter, you might want to follow Dr Jay Wrigley (@hormonedietdoc).
Thank you.
 

Cass21

Member
Messages
6
Thanks for the tag @Goonergal

I did a brief spell of ADF but found it pretty hard to stick too as I find the 40-50 hour fasted period the hardest to get through so didn't want to prolong the agony! You of course might find it easier.

I have kick started weight loss, after stalling for some months, by doing extended fasts usually 7 days. I do my own no solids fasting with cream in coffee/tea and maybe some bone broth (chicken stock with some added butter). I haven't done one of those for a few years now. As I've regained a few pounds (well more than a few) I might need to do one this year but will wait until post my birthday next week.

I maintained and achieved a 100 pound weight loss with intermittent fasting and eating mainly meat in my two meals a day (started out with lunch and dinner then moved to late afternoon small meal with dinner).

In your shoes I might try and extending my fasting periods so may try a 48 hour then a 72 and see if that helps .
By doing that you can see when your "period of weakness" is. Once you have got past that the following days become far easier.
Thank you so much for your advice.
 
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Roggg

Well-Known Member
Messages
286
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I've done ADF, weekly long fasts as well as Time Restricted Eating anywhere from 16:8 to OMAD. IMO keto diet is the single biggest adjustment that can help with blood sugar and weight. Eating keto also helps manage hunger when fasting as being fat adapted means your body can use body fat more easily during fasting periods.

Keto aside, ADF for me is pretty hard. 20:4 and OMAD are not much harder than 16:8. Weekly long fasts are hard when done without keto, but with keto are much easier, although the first few times I felt a strong desire to eat that was more about habit than actual hunger.

These are my experiences. Hope this helps, and good luck.
 
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Cass21

Member
Messages
6
I've done ADF, weekly long fasts as well as Time Restricted Eating anywhere from 16:8 to OMAD. IMO keto diet is the single biggest adjustment that can help with blood sugar and weight. Eating keto also helps manage hunger when fasting as being fat adapted means your body can use body fat more easily during fasting periods.

Keto aside, ADF for me is pretty hard. 20:4 and OMAD are not much harder than 16:8. Weekly long fasts are hard when done without keto, but with keto are much easier, although the first few times I felt a strong desire to eat that was more about habit than actual hunger.

These are my experiences. Hope this helps, and good luck.
Thank you so much for your comments.
 

AloeSvea

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,051
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I rightly took it that 'ADF' was not the Australian Defence Force! So I looked it up - Alternate Day Fasting, if that helps anyone else who is reading this and is about to look the acronym up...

Interesting reading about ADFs above, as I have been thinking about doing this, or 2MAD (two meals a day...). I'm about to get a new HBA1c after not having one since a whole bunch of biiiiiigggg lockdowns, and I don't do well being socially isolated. (I live in the country, stranded in the middle of the ocean.) (But very very covid-freely.) My blood glucose seems to be currently shot, and more drastic non-eating periods are bound to be called for.

Trouble for me is, and I am not alone, is I find it very hard to live a normal life working, doing mental work, and doing physical work on my property, without eating for energy. Would ADF work? I wonder. For leading a normal life. I can give it a try, but my guess is the 2MAD would work better for that but would maybe not lower my insulin and glucose enough. Sigh. I will be getting that probable horrible new number very soon, so i will come back in here and give my feedback on the ADF, or the 2MAD.

1MAD would be better for lowering insulin, and getting my body to use up fat stores, but I have to eat breakfast in order to get my liver to stop shoving out bucket loads of glucose with the wonky Dawn Phenomenon, and I can't imagine eating enough in the morning to last a whole day of work. (I would gladly skip breakfast if my DP wasn't shot.)

Anyway. I wondered if my wonderings combined with my own shot body might help others in the same boat considering fasting and different kinds of fasting. (Hunger never goes away for me. And my guess that afflicts many people.) And combining it with work.
 

Cass21

Member
Messages
6
I rightly took it that 'ADF' was not the Australian Defence Force! So I looked it up - Alternate Day Fasting, if that helps anyone else who is reading this and is about to look the acronym up...

Interesting reading about ADFs above, as I have been thinking about doing this, or 2MAD (two meals a day...). I'm about to get a new HBA1c after not having one since a whole bunch of biiiiiigggg lockdowns, and I don't do well being socially isolated. (I live in the country, stranded in the middle of the ocean.) (But very very covid-freely.) My blood glucose seems to be currently shot, and more drastic non-eating periods are bound to be called for.

Trouble for me is, and I am not alone, is I find it very hard to live a normal life working, doing mental work, and doing physical work on my property, without eating for energy. Would ADF work? I wonder. For leading a normal life. I can give it a try, but my guess is the 2MAD would work better for that but would maybe not lower my insulin and glucose enough. Sigh. I will be getting that probable horrible new number very soon, so i will come back in here and give my feedback on the ADF, or the 2MAD.

1MAD would be better for lowering insulin, and getting my body to use up fat stores, but I have to eat breakfast in order to get my liver to stop shoving out bucket loads of glucose with the wonky Dawn Phenomenon, and I can't imagine eating enough in the morning to last a whole day of work. (I would gladly skip breakfast if my DP wasn't shot.)

Anyway. I wondered if my wonderings combined with my own shot body might help others in the same boat considering fasting and different kinds of fasting. (Hunger never goes away for me. And my guess that afflicts many people.) And combining it with work.
Yes please post your results. I think that whatever option you choose will have benefits as long you are consistent.
 

AloeSvea

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,051
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Thanks @Cass21. So far, and I have experimented a lot, the only regime that gets really good results on more dramatically lowering my insulin, and my BG, and my waist measurement (my worsening BG signifier is my waist, ie the dreaded belly fat, which I check on with a tape measure for my waist/height ratio) is the longer fast, and as long as I can stand. I put this down to very sick fat cells. (This is another way of looking at severely insulin resistant folk.)

I have had insulin resistance (IR) off and on since I was in my mid 20s, and I am now fast approaching 60. I count myself as one of the 15% of T2D folks with severe insulin resistance, and my own experience is this is pretty hard to budge. Fat cells take a long time to die and be replaced (10 years) to put it into perspective. By the time you are an adult you have your lifelong number of fat cells - it's just the state of health of them that changes after that. My understanding is, it is also where those fat cells are - for example - in the liver and in the pancreas...

Most T2D folks are either mildly obesity related diabetic, or have mild age related diabetes, according to the Swedes (nearly 65% of those with T2D), and those, from what I can see, are the obvious swift success stories for overcoming IR and T2D. (They use the word 'mild' - it's not mine!)