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Dawn of the intermittent faster!

Three day fast completed! I was increasingly hungry and salivating like Pavlov's dogs when I went shopping after work, the expectation of food was very powerful - but up until then I'd barely even thought of it. I had two packs of pork scratchings on the way home, but didn't really need the second one. I also had five roasted almonds.

I'm not able to eat much now - I've had a chicken thigh and then a hard boiled egg, and coffee with cream. I'll have some greek yoghurt with cream and ground flax in a bit, and have a 16:8 day tomorrow. I may fall off the low carb wagon a little this week, because it's half term, but I've still got my eyes on the prize.
 
Well done you excellent work. Your 16:8 day tomorrow will feel like a feast.
 
I've been a little off the rails this week as it's half term and I'm deliberately not stressing about sticking to strictly low carb.

I've just had some great news though... I had just completed a three day fast when I saw my Dr last Friday, and he was a little concerned about animal fats in LCHF. He also wanted me to do HbA1c which I did on Monday and rang for the results today. The receptionist said "Oh!" when she looked up the results and said that the Dr had put the comment "Excellent results" on it.

I am now at pre-diabetic levels! And my cholesterol and lipids are fine. Ok, I'm still on three medications for diabetes and a statin, and two blood pressure meds... but this is a very clear indication that LCHF/intermittent fasting works, and works very quickly, even in someone like me who lapses sometimes.

I'll see the DN in April and talk about coming off some meds, provided everything goes to plan between now and then.

Next week I'll get back to low carb, with a 16:8 on Monday. If it feels right I'll do either 24 hour fasts with 16:8 alternately all week, or maybe go for another 3 day fast Weds/Thurs/Fri. It's also a good sign that I am actually looking forward to getting back to it after this week.
 
Excellent news well done.
If you’re interested I’m planning my first 48 hour fast next week. Not as long as the one you’re planning next week but a first for me. I’ve done loads of fasts from dinnerto dinner ie 23 hour fasts including one month where did it everyday. I find it harder now I’m much thinner! I’ll be interested to see how I get on missing a dinner on Wednesday! I’m planning early meal on Tuesday and then nothing till dinner Thursday. I’m at lower level of my ideal weight so a bit nervous about more weight loss but want to give it a go for autophagy andjust to see if I can do It!
Good luck with yours whatever you decide to do.
 
@shelley262 @jpscloud

How about we start a thread about fasting similar to the What we ate today thread?

After the success of this week's fast I'm planning a five day fast for the week after next.
 
Chook said:
@shelley262 @jpscloud

How about we start a thread about fasting similar to the What we ate today thread?

After the success of this week's fast I'm planning a five day fast for the week after next.
Click to expand...
sounds like a good idea - think it could be any of us to start it and then people could join in as they are planning a fast and support others ? If you wanted to give it a launch do go ahead and I will then add my planned dates to it too. Maybe something along the lines of planning a fast and wonder if anyone wants to join in type of heading?? Note when @bulkbiker has done a group fasting thread previously the people joining in have tended to put stats on whilst doing the fast - not sure i will have a lot to report on such a comparatively short one but happy to add any data re bgs and weight loss etc. what do you think? Sure others too like @Goonergal will be happy to join in too.
 

Great idea!!

Could you start it off as I think you have a better idea of how it could be of most use to everyone and the best sort of things people can include in their posts to be supported and supportive.
 
Chook said:
Great idea!!

Could you start it off as I think you have a better idea of how it could be of most use to everyone and the best sort of things people can include in their posts to be supported and supportive.
Click to expand...
Will try and give it a go later ie this evening as I have busy time tommorow and have to go up to mums inyorks on Sunday until Tuesday when I will be starting my fast so will need to do before. can but see what will happen!
 
Aw, thank you very much. Ive got visitors staying and my time is not my own today.
 
I would love to join you but am already underweight. I had a hip replacement a couple of weeks ago and while in hospital went down to 6 and a half stones; I am now back up to my usual 7 stones as I have been eating catbs to get the weight back on. I usually only eat breakfast and lunch but could try the odd fasying day so long as I didn't lose any weight.
 
I'm going to post a bit of an update here - things are definitely going well, but I'm stuck in the muddle of how strict to make my way of eating (or aim for anyway). I am tending to ramble on with myself trying to work through it and I don't want to hijack other people's threads.

For the past fortnight I've been OMAD with a few 16:8s but lapsing a little with carbs at weekends (still 16:8 though). I struggled with OMAD before but now it seems really comfortable. I've had lovely even moods, nice steady blood sugars weekdays with a few spikes at weekends, and steady but very slow weight loss - I'm now at 257 lbs. Not complaining at all, fast weight loss is historically disastrous for me.

I'm dithering a bit now, because I can clearly see that IF with keto is the most effective way to get and stay healthy. However, I just can't (yet) escape my carb addiction and my mind plays all sorts of games trying to get me to give myself permission to lapse.

It's Easter hols, so two weeks of less structure and high temptations... I do feel reasonably confident that I can manage without a complete relapse but I am afraid to give myself permission to lapse. Or should I shrug, say I've done really well and accept a longer term goal for eliminating lapses? I still can't make my mind up how to feel!

I've decided I will use artificial sweeteners (trying to keep to erythritol mostly) and have a go at keto breads to see if this helps me stay clear of a lapse into eating sugar. If I have to lapse I'll try to make the lower carb versions of everything.

I'm not going to see this as a success or failure thing, just as an experiment. If my overall intake of carbs is reduced and sugar spikes are less dramatic, I think that's probably a win for a holiday. Just for reference, Christmas involved lapses eating entire boxes of pure sugar. An expensive brand of bittermints were on offer, I don't really need to say more.

I feel slightly ashamed that I can't just get off the fence and go full time keto, because I know that is where I feel fantastic. Maybe I can get there eventually. Things certainly seem to be gradually improving and now I can (dimly) see a future where sugar doesn't have me as its slave.

Later I'm going to have a brunch of sausagemeat burgers (home made) with peeled softboiled eggs and a heavily buttered keto bread or pancake (off to look for a good recipe now).

Dinner is going to be home made lamb burgers - can you tell I've just bought a burger press?
 

I know this is a long way back and I am still reading your amazing journey.
I've been an IF for 3.5 years, but never done 24 hours.

This particular post shouted at me as I had a horrible day on Weds after having blood tests done.
We don't eat until midday but at 11am OH was wanting food (he'd had a fasting bloods done).
He fancied Croissants. We live in France and only ever eat croissants when we have visitors.
He talked about 2 or 3 croissants and I bought 4 (one for me) and 4 Pain au Chocolats.
Got home, warmed them and then had a Croissant with butter and jam and 2 (yes 2) Pain au Chocolat.
This is way out of my comfort zone and I am soon feeling the effects of the sugar on my metabolism.
I spent the next 4+ hours feeling pretty unwell and I think I have been put off for life
Which is a shame as they were rather nice ones.

Okay, off to continue reading. Bravo!

Oh, forgot to say. Reading your posts reminded me of how much more energy I had when I started. Was surprised at how much we could get done before midday.
 
jpscloud said:
have a go at keto breads to see if this helps me stay clear of a lapse into eating sugar.
Click to expand...
Are you a bread addict type because if you are I'd stay well away from any bready type things.. they caused all sorts of problems with knowing when to stop for me even keto versions.. but bread was always my poison..
 
I never feel any effects when my glucose is high, be better if I did really as it can go up well into the teens if I am out all day and am unable to low carb.
 

Hi Kathy thanks! It's just a few months really but it feels longer somehow, maybe because I'm analysing and recording a lot. That seems to really help me, along with the amazing encouragement you all give here.

If you like my posts, you'll love @bulkbiker 's - have a read of his blog for a much more dedicated approach to extended fasting. He's my hero!

I haven't yet managed longer than 4 days, but I'll have a go next term. I'm a grown up by the way - in my mid 50s, though you'll hear me talking about school holidays - just wanted to clarify in case anyone thought I was a teenager! I'm amazed that I actually fasted at all, given my past helplessness around food. I think my modest success with it shows that it's what my body really needs, along with low carb. Now I'm almost never having more than two meals a day, but some snacking gets in there during weekends and holidays.
 
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bulkbiker said:
Are you a bread addict type because if you are I'd stay well away from any bready type things.. they caused all sorts of problems with knowing when to stop for me even keto versions.. but bread was always my poison..
Click to expand...

Yes! I can be very bread addicty at times. So far, none of the keto breads or mug cakes have hit that addict bliss point though. I haven't done much experimenting, but mostly things taste nice but not bliss point nice, if you see what I mean. Good enough to stop me diving off the cliff edge, though... I hope!

I bought some vital wheat gluten and will have a try with that - now that might be something that goes up the addict brain flagpole, we'll have to see. The good thing about a lot of these recipes is that it doesn't make a large amount, so if I scoff the lot it's still not as bad as troughing my way through a loaf or packet of crumpets.
 
Chook said:
@shelley262 @jpscloud

How about we start a thread about fasting similar to the What we ate today thread?

After the success of this week's fast I'm planning a five day fast for the week after next.
Click to expand...

Five day fast? That's off........makes me wince just thinking about it!!!!! Is that really possible? Or am I being a Muppet and taking the word fast too literally?
 
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