Trying IF

[Roggg]

Hey all,

I'm joining the IF club. I've been trying it on for size for almost 2 weeks to see how it feels and what I think. Last week I did time-restricted, varying between 18:6 all the way to OMAD. It felt like 20:4 was a sweet spot for getting maximal fasts with minimal discomfort. In general it seems relatively easy for me to delay eating until 3pm and stop by 7. I understand having an earlier eating window is more effective, but this is what works for me in my life.

This week I'm trying more aggressive forms of IF. Today I'm not eating ...this is planned as a 36 hour fast. I did a 36 hour fast a few days ago too, and I had mixed feelings about it. At times it took a lot of discipline. Oddly enough, at the end of it I was comfortable and feel like I could have extended it another 4-8 hours.

I did have something weird happen in my first 36 hour fast. In the evening of the non-eating day (about 26 hours in) my BP went pretty high and I felt a high level of anxiety or tension. Not sure if this was physiological, or if it was a psychological effect of feeling hungry and not being able to do anything about it. Anyone else have any similar experiences?

Anyway, my goal is restoring insulin sensitivity, getting off my meds (metformin/jardience), and hopefully fixing some other markers of metabolic syndrome that I have. I'm pretty impressed with what I will call the new wave in research in this area. I'm watching and reading as much as I can from Taylor, Fung, Lustig, Hallberg and anyone else who is at the front of this nutritional approach to metabolic health. But that's another post for another day.

Cheers.

 

[Goonergal]

Great stuff @Roggg sounds like you’ve got this!

Never experienced the anxiety/BP thing, but my first attempts at 24 hour and then 48 hour fasts ended as I felt distinctly odd. I don’t often go beyond a 20 hour fast these days and have only twice made it to 48 hours and agree that a 20/4 regime gives great benefits with little discomfort.

Do keep us updated on your journey with this.

 

[Lamont D]

Hi and well done on your first few attempts at IF.
My experience has shown me that probably an evening window of a few hours is the easiest for me because of my working life.
I have also done, 24, 36, 48 and because of a diagnostic test in hospital, I had a 72 hours fasting test, it lasted 80 hours overall!
The thing I noticed most distinctly about longer fasting is the really clear my brain gets. Also the longer I fast the less I want to eat. I actually feel better not eating! Weird ain't it?
Fasting has become a part of my treatment, it has helped me understand a great deal of how and why my body works the way it does!

Any symptoms you feel is your brain/body telling you, you need something or an imbalance in your hormonal response to whatever you are doing or eating/drinking/exercise.

 

[Roggg]

Thanks for the responses. FYI, it went well. No wonky blood pressure or anxiety. The first time around was probably just my brain messing with me because I'm not used to being uncomfortably hungry. I was less hungry this time around, but I won't lie...I started planning my breakfast around 6pm last night.

Fasting BG this morning was 4.6 which is awesome. Of course that's on the end of a 36 hour fast while still taking multiple diabetes meds, so it's too be expected. I'll test again tomorrow after a day of eating low carb with no calorie restrictions.

 

[Roggg]

Hmm...fasting BG bounced up this morning to 6.7 after a day of LCHF. Which is a big difference from the previous day after my 36 hour fast. Which means I still have a long way to go. No surprise there...

 

[Roggg]

FWIW, now that I have dipped my toe in, and tried a few forms, I have decided how to proceed. Here's my plan:

• LCHF but not necessarily keto always
• 36 hour fast(ie skip a day) 2x per week on non-consecutive days.
• "normal" eating the day after a 36 hour fast (12/12 with three proper meals)
• 20/4 the other three days.
• No more eating after 7 pm.

When I decide I don't want to lose any additional weight, I may need to make adjustments. TBH I am starting from a relatively low weight for me. I have lost several kilos in the last 2 weeks, so it might be soon. I am about 78 kilos now which is a BMI just above 25. I have never had a goal lower than about 76 kilos, although I may decide on a lower goal.

I have been taking all my normal meds so far, and my BG has been very good the last week. I have a blood test and appointment with GP in about 2 weeks so I'm going to stay on them until then, but I will let him know I plan to reduce them over the coming months if my levels stay stable.

 

[Roggg]

Week 3 was mostly 20:4. I didn't do any longer fasts than that, although I had intended to, so I did not really follow through on my plan. I think I needed a little more time to adapt to low-carb in order to reduce hunger. BG readings were all over the map...fasting levels as low as 4.4, and as high as 9.5. The 9.5 came the morning after I ate 2 cookies. That was a mistake, but was far more impactful than I would have thought.

Today I'm going to go 36 hours again. I expect it to be a little easier this time around now that I'm getting a bit used to it.