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Dawn of the intermittent faster!

jpscloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,160
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I love dawn, and I get to see a fair few as I have an hour's journey to work starting around 6.30am. So optimistically I'm thinking of my first fast the dawn of a new me.

I've never been able to stay with any kind of diet, but a new medication (dulaglutide) changed my appetite sufficiently for me to overcome my binge eating urges and I can also control what I eat much more successfully now. Over the past few weeks I've tentatively begun eating to the meter (with lots of lapses, I am pretty fallible still), low carbing with much more success than I would ever have thought possible, and today I completed my first 24 hour fast!

It was easy. I just can't say it was anything but quite enjoyable. My "breakfast" of chicken thighs and brussels sprouts with lots of butter is cooking now, and I'm enjoying a half glass of red wine while I wait. So that's breakfast actually but still I'm having frozen dark cherrries with live unsweetened yoghurt for dessert.

I had some hunger pangs around 11am when it was break time at work but I had a black coffee - and usually I'm with bulkbiker on this one, I hate it without cream or milk, but really enjoyed it. I think that was because it was my break time treat, maybe. I drank a litre or so of water throughout the day and another black coffee at lunchtime. I had plenty of energy, but one or two yawny sessions where I felt a bit tired, but those passed.

Judged by my past attempts at anything, this was a roaring success. I'm going to play it by ear and try to do every other day, but not get stressed if I can't do it. I've sent for a ketone monitor, because I really would like to know if I get into fat burning at all. Does anyone know if being in ketosis also means the right environment for IR reduction?

I'll try to post as I go, I'd like to get a few weeks of alternate fasting days under my belt before trying a longer one.
 
Thanks Arab Horse! Wow, I have had some fancy meals in my lifetime, but I can honestly say none of them were as good as the one I've just eaten! Some very interesting (and surprising to me) observations from today:

Hunger pangs were nowhere near as terrible as I thought they would be.
I usually need painkillers late morning or early afternoon, but didn't even think about them today.
I haven't felt resentful or deprived at all.
I haven't felt that failure was looming over me.
I began to feel full just at the end of my meal - this is a big deal because satiety is something I simply don't usually experience, hence the constant eating.
I haven't craved carbs, even when I could smell them as others were having toast etc.
Two colleagues went out of their way to tell me I was looking really good at the moment and ask what I've been doing! I'm a fat old bat, and wouldn't make much of an oil painting, but the compliments were genuine and so much appreciated.
Having "breakfast" hasn't triggered a binge or the urge to graze.
 
@jpscloud Absolutely brilliant results and well done for giving it a go. I'm proud of you! and even better I 'm proud for you because you are the one that's done it.
 
"Two colleagues went out of their way to tell me I was looking really good at the moment and ask what I've been doing! I'm a fat old bat, and wouldn't make much of an oil painting, but the compliments were genuine."

That made me smile; I am a "skinny old bat". I was normal weight before diagnosis but when I cut the carbs I lost one and three quarter stones fairly quickly and am now classed as verging on critically under weight. I didn't mind losing half a stone but the rest is too much and I can't eat carbs to put it back on.
 
Thanks so much for those kind comments - I'm also thanking Jason Fung for helping me make sense of how I can attempt to reduce my insulin resistance. I'm eating normally today but avoiding snacks and staying low carb. After yesterday I thought I might struggle with the urge to overeat today but I'm happy to say it's not so
 

You may find "Bodybuilding" at a gym along with lots of protein helps.
 
I didn't do so well today - I had intended to have another 24 hour fast, but caved in at lunchtime (it was still a 17 hour fast). I had a tub of olives in oil, 2 mini babybel cheeses and some walnuts. Not too bad, but then in the evening (just now) I went for one of the ready meals I have still in the freezer - it's not very bad, chicken breast with baby new potatoes and green beans, but of course more carbs than I really wanted to have.

Following that some of the leftover chocolate from Christmas called my name and I had a small amount. I also have some 100% dark chocolate which would have been better but this was a lapse, and in the great scheme of things, not the worst by any means. I'm going to skip breakfast every day now, that seems absolutely fine - well, better than that really, I feel much better not having breakfast.

I'm slowly getting rid of the carby stuff that might trigger a lapse but there is quite a lot so I'm doing it in stages, giving things away at work where they might be wanted. I'm struggling a bit with the idea that I'm giving away poison, but I suppose it's not poison to everyone, just me with my insulin resistance.
 
ringi said:
You may find "Bodybuilding" at a gym along with lots of protein helps.
Click to expand...
Ah, bit old for that!!!! Doing the horses keeps me fit.


We have all been there and, on occasions still are. The important thing is not to accept defeat and get back on the diet.
 
I couldn’t fast on glucose. It was hell

Your 17 hour fast is great.

I’m a regular 16/8 but like to mix it up.
 
I did another fast yesterday and managed 27 hours. I did start to feel a bit hollow towards the end and had three crumpets after my evening meal - I'd been thinking about them all day after mentioning them in my blog. A little bit of food obsessing went on! However, I was full after a smaller meal than I would eat in the past, and three crumpets didn't lead to a binge of any kind, so I feel it was a success. I didn't food obsess at all during the first 24 hour fast, so hoping this isn't going to be typical.
 
I did another 24 hour fast today and it went well, but I'm very hungry tonight and have had a larger portion of pork loin chops than I would like - found it hard to stop eating. Had frozen dark cherries and live unsweetened yoghurt for dessert but the cherries tasted a little like they might have artificial sweetener added. There isn't anything about other ingredients on the package, so I hope not. I'm trying to steer clear of sugar free sweeteners (although I miss the odd sugar free sweet!) while I see how I can do on IF/low carbing.

I do feel full now and will do 16:8 tomorrow, then try for another 24 hour fast on Weds.
 
16:8 today, olives in oil, walnuts and pistachios, 3 babybel cheeses for lunch, sausages, bacon and eggs for dinner, live unsweetened yoghurt with cream and half a teaspoon of ground flaxseed for dessert. Gave the cherries and the red wine a miss today!

My ketosis meter came yesterday, and I tested before dinner after a 24 hour fast, it was 0.4 so almost in ketosis. BGs are steady between 4.5 and 6.9 mmol at all times now.

My DN said at my last review that I could try stopping metformin if I wanted to, but I was worried about messing with the equation that was working for me since starting dulaglutide. Since low-carbing is going so well and sugars are so steady, though, I am going to try stopping metformin for a few days to see what happens.

I'm not craving carbs at all, and feel really full after dinner tonight. I'm now in ketosis, with readings through the day of 0.6 and 0.7. I think this is mild ketosis, but not yet optimal? I am not feeling any side effects, I feel physically good and my mood is good too. It's great to know I'm burning some of that pudge.
 
To be honest if you are registering ketones you are in ketosis so don't fret about the values.
 
bulkbiker said:
To be honest if you are registering ketones you are in ketosis so don't fret about the values.
Click to expand...

Thanks... this is all really positive. Hope things continue to be this easy!
 
Fasted again today, about 23 hours. I did have cream in my coffee (2 cups) as it was a busy, stressy day at work and I wanted some comfort - it worked and I didn't turn to eating.

My weight is dropping quite fast this week but I'm aware that's probably water weight. Dinner was lamb loin steak with mashed sprouts with a heap of butter, then live unsweetened yoghurt with ground flax and cream. I had a few teaspoonsful of peanut butter and half a glass of red wine as well. Feeling very satisfied now. If I'd gone all day without food and gorged on carbs at dinner time, I wouldn't be satisfied and I'd be back looking for sugar shortly after my meal.

I didn't take metformin today, and sugars have been steady between 5 and 6.5 mmol. Ketones 0.6 and 0.7, I tested last night at bedtime and had 1.4 at that time.

I'll try 16:8 again tomorrow.
 

I lost 8-10 lbs per week in 20 grams of carbs or less.

My ketones routinely ran .3, .4, .5

The highest I’ve ever seen was 1.2 at the 40 hour mark of a fast. Mostly I’m 0.4

My wife, no need to lose weight, runs over 2.1 routinely.
 



Very exciting!
 
16:8 today, a few walnuts at 11am, cheese omelette with spinach leaves, a few pistachios, 1 babybel cheese for lunch, lamb steak, sprouts mashed with butter, live unsweetened yoghurt with teaspoon of ground flax for dinner. Must work on protein (meat) portions, still too large. My fear of hunger is really diminished now, I know the pangs will pass and can be made better with coffee.

Sugars still steady between 5 and 6, no metformin now, ketones 0.6 and 0.7. MySugr has been highlighting ketones above 0.5 as amber or red, even though I added type 2 during setup. I suppose it can't differentiate, which is a pity. Still useful to be able to record them though.

I feel very comfortable with this now, but weekends are still a work in progress. I will swerve the carbs I fell for last week, hopefully. Got some pork ribs to roast, eat the meat and use the bones for bone broth, haven't time to do it today so bought some T Finest beef stock with the fewest carbs in (0.7 per portion (quarter pack), and I don't expect to have more than 2 portions). It has sugar on the ingredient list (why on earth???!!!) but quite low down and with the level of carbs listed I hope not significant. I'll try it during tomorrow's 24 hour fast and see how I get on. If it kicks me out of ketosis I'll know it was a mistake! Hope to be making my own bone broth hereafter though.

Anyone have good bone broth recipes or is it really just bones and water with seasonings? On the IDM website it lists vegetables but doesn't elaborate. Since low carbing veg means above ground veg, maybe celery - how about leeks?
 
Hi to make stock more tasty but not too carby I add things like the peelings from celeriac, the green ends of spring onions ( I use spring onions in place of more carby relatives), green bits of leeks, celery and celery leaves - whatever I have around. I also use a lot of seasonings to improve flavours - things like onion and garlic granules, herbs, celery salt, pepper. I tend to mainly do chicken stocks and broth using roast chicken carcasses but also roast other bones sometimes. I also cook long and slow in my slow cooker and cool before taking bones and veg out. I’ve also cooked them in my instant pot an electric pressure cooker which gives intense flavour more quickly. My stocks never taste the same! Have fun experimenting.
 
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