Big fatigue on 6 day water fast

[Fuggs]

Hi all

I have a very dysfunctional system with insulin running very high despite metformin
I'm on strict carnivor omad, but my blood sugar stays high. I suspect it's not probably insulin driven but my liver trying to get rid of years of accumulated bad eating and just dumping the sugar into the bloodstream.
In an effort to resolve this I've been on a Six-Day waterfast.

My blood glucose was around 17 mmol last, Sunday and this morning it is gone down to 3.9 but I have been utterly fatigued all week.

Unfortunately this means I'm going to have to terminate this fast this morning, refeed in with a cup of bone broth and a single egg omelette with butter, and then a slightly larger egg meal tonight.
I am concerned that my blood sugar has dropped so low. I don't have the shakes or anything like that, but I'm just absolutely fatigued and everything is such an effort.

My ketone level is nice around about 20 which indicates I'm well in the fat burning zone but I can't handle the fatigue and insomnia.
The upside is my body inflammation has dropped and my fibromyalgia has gone as is the nagging neck pain.

Has anyone else come across this situation? is
it something you can work through or something that you just get used to on successive fasts. I've done several 24/36 hour fast this year.
thanks guys appreciate your help

 

[HSSS]

3.9 isn’t “so low”. It’s not a level that is automatically going to cause symptoms. Lots of non diabetic and well controlled type 2 not on medication do just fine for short periods at that level. your liver will bring it back up before it becomes dangerous in most situations. It is however a big difference from where you were. Were you expecting false hypos?

Ketones at 20 are pretty excessive. I’m glad you have called a halt. It might be what’s making you feel so awful Please continue to monitor and if it doesn’t drop once you’ve eaten please seek help. Fat burning adaption takes weeks of being in ketosis not days

 

[nutribolt]

I finished a 6 day fasting on Thursday and my BG was 3.9 and Ketone level was 3.... I do think 20 is way too high.

I would recommend not to jump into longer fasting suddenly but instead build up slowly... start with alternate day fasting for a month and throw in 2 and 3 day fasts every now and then for next month, build stamina just like we do when lifting weights... Once you are comfortable with 3, increase to 4 and so on...

I also recommend that the first solid you eat after fasting to be about 30-40gms of cheese as it somehow (atleast in my case) helps in soothing the gut.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[AloeSvea]

I personally do not find it bizarre to have fatigue on a longish water only fast. If you think about what is happening in your body, and for insulin resistant type twos it is arguably really good things - the fact that you don't have a lot of energy is understandable - fat burning or nae. That's what I think anyway, and from my own experience with fasting.

Individual responses to fasting is like the differences to all the metabolic functions, including to exercise and to medications - there is enormous variations amongst people with diabetes, and the normal population too I gather.

But saying that - there are things that can really help iron out those individual and negative differences when fasting - switching over to bone broth, (electrolytes - those pesky things), salt (ditto). Maybe having some herb tea, and trying different ones. And journaling your response to see what is happening to you individually in response to the small changes. They might not give you much more energy, but they very well make you feel a whole lot better.

 

[HSSS]

My ketone level is nice around about 20

please let us know you’re ok and ketone levels have normalised below 5 even if you maintain keto eating