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Dawn of the intermittent faster!

Traceymac23 said:
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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Hi Traceymac23 yes, as @bulkbiker says (and has done many times) week long fasts are not only possible but very good for many of us. From the reading I've done (The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code and The Complete Guide to Fasting) 3 week fasts are a way for people like me (morbidly obese and very ill with metabolic disease) to get healthy. Six months ago I'd have said you were mad if you'd told me that! The world record for fasting, and I may be wrong but I think it was water and bone broth only, was over a year by a man who originally weighed about 400lbs.

Fasting is necessary for me - lucky for me it feels right and I kind of enjoy it. It is important to check with your Dr (mine thought I was a bit mad, but he's impressed with the results and happy for me to continue) and make sure your medications are suitably adjusted if necessary if you're trying an extended fast.
 
I recently did a five day water only fast (although I did have black coffee. I found the last 24 hours very difficult but the rest was okay.
 
I'm eating more often than I should so I can't claim this two weeks will be about fasting, really. It's an interlude in my new way of eating, but there have been some really good (seemingly) permanent changes. I now don't think about food all the time, that's incredible. I feel more secure, that feeling that I can never eat enough or have enough food around in cupboards and fridge and freezer has diminished as well. The day isn't all about food any more. Well, some days this two weeks might be but there we are, it's still relatively early days yet.
 
I saw the DN yesterday, she was pleased with my control and has suggested withdrawing Januvia. I'll give that a go after the holidays. She was polite with me over my enthusing about fasting and low carb/keto, but seemed uninterested overall - while we were talking she was busy printing out some information sheets for me. They included one that said a healthy diet included starch (next to a picture of a slice of bread) and referred the reader to the Eatwell Plate.

On my cholesterol results (improved on a diet of high natural/animal fats) she said rather coolly "Yes, you've proved us all wrong." while clearly thinking it's a lucky fluke.

Oh well. I think I need to be off medication before they will listen, but lapsing frequently isn't going to help that project. I'm also still afraid of falling off the wagon or worse going back into denial. I'm still taking the long view, that I will make improvements as I go and not worry too much about immediacy of BG control without meds. Hopefully stopping Januvia will help me focus a little more on staying on track.

I've been off the rails this week, having some carbs that I would normally try not to include in my diet, and using artificial sweeteners. I think the use of artificial sweeteners might help overall, as I haven't gone all out on a binge with carbs so far. I have gained a couple of pounds already though, probably from taking too many opportunities to eat.
 
jpscloud said:
I saw the DN yesterday, she was pleased with my control and has suggested withdrawing Januvia. I'll give that a go after the holidays. She was polite with me over my enthusing about fasting and low carb/keto, but seemed uninterested overall - while we were talking she was busy printing out some information sheets for me. They included one that said a healthy diet included starch (next to a picture of a slice of bread) and referred the reader to the Eatwell Plate.

On my cholesterol results (improved on a diet of high natural/animal fats) she said rather coolly "Yes, you've proved us all wrong." while clearly thinking it's a lucky fluke.

Oh well. I think I need to be off medication before they will listen, but lapsing frequently isn't going to help that project. I'm also still afraid of falling off the wagon or worse going back into denial. I'm still taking the long view, that I will make improvements as I go and not worry too much about immediacy of BG control without meds. Hopefully stopping Januvia will help me focus a little more on staying on track.

I've been off the rails this week, having some carbs that I would normally try not to include in my diet, and using artificial sweeteners. I think the use of artificial sweeteners might help overall, as I haven't gone all out on a binge with carbs so far. I have gained a couple of pounds already though, probably from taking too many opportunities to eat.
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Hugs for your session with dn and the eatwell plate. Great that you are keeping some control despite holidays. I do use erythritol in baking and also sugar free jelly - for me just a little bit hits the spot but do know it’s not a method that works for everyone. Hope rest of your time off work goes well and I’m sure you’ll get fully back in charge of your eating and weight loss when you get back to normal routine. I find it much easier to fast when busy working or rushing around.
 
shelley262 said:
Hugs for your session with dn and the eatwell plate. Great that you are keeping some control despite holidays. I do use erythritol in baking and also sugar free jelly - for me just a little bit hits the spot but do know it’s not a method that works for everyone. Hope rest of your time off work goes well and I’m sure you’ll get fully back in charge of your eating and weight loss when you get back to normal routine. I find it much easier to fast when busy working or rushing around.
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Yes me too, the structure of the working day helps me a lot with fasting. I have kept to not having breakfast, but in the holidays I usually have a brunch around midday then dinner later. Kept it keto today, and sugars are 4.8 after dinner! I'm fairly active too, with a reasonable sized garden to mow (long cut, then go over on medium cut, and maybe a short cut if weather stays dry!), also mum's lawns front and back... busy with my and mum's appointments etc. so it's not been as bad as it could be.

I have realised how much better I am now at planning and making food ahead of time, like slow cooked mushrooms that I love with every meal at home. Previously during holidays it was fast food or ready meals, and even if they were good quality I'm sure they were full of rubbish, beige food and junk, at any time (and all the time on many days). My freezer is now full of frozen fresh meats, slow cooked mushrooms and some vegetables.
 
shelley262 said:
Hugs for your session with dn and the eatwell plate. Great that you are keeping some control despite holidays. I do use erythritol in baking and also sugar free jelly - for me just a little bit hits the spot but do know it’s not a method that works for everyone. Hope rest of your time off work goes well and I’m sure you’ll get fully back in charge of your eating and weight loss when you get back to normal routine. I find it much easier to fast when busy working or rushing around.
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I've got some powdered erythritol and used it to make a keto mug cake with ground almonds, butter, cocoa, egg whites and baking powder. It is really nice and has completely stopped me jonesing for cake. I made some erythritol buttercream with melted montezuma 100% but the erythritol was a bit overwhelming in that, I probably used too much.
 
jpscloud said:
I've got some powdered erythritol and used it to make a keto mug cake with ground almonds, butter, cocoa, egg whites and baking powder. It is really nice and has completely stopped me jonesing for cake. I made some erythritol buttercream with melted montezuma 100% but the erythritol was a bit overwhelming in that, I probably used too much.
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A few stevia drops works well in icings like that less overpowering I find you can mix full fat soft cheese with a flavouring like lemon or chocolate and sweeten to taste with stevia. Another option for a milder sweetness is using powdered inulin or monkfruit and eyrthritol which balances out the' coolness' of Eyrithritol.
 
bulkbiker said:
They're almost animal so I have them sometimes but never slow cooked? Method please?
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Throw a large blob of butter and four cloves of garlic in the slow cooker, clean the mushrooms as necessary, break in half if huge, otherwise throw in whole. Fill up the slow cooker, stir as they start to reduce and lose water. Leave on low for 6 hours or overnight, less if you like... I like my mushrooms very well cooked, so they're tender.

I freeze them flat in a plastic bag, along with any butter residue after they've cooled, then take out a portion as I need them. I couldn't live without these now!

The mushroom stock left behind is delicious - I use it in stews.
 
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shelley262 said:
A few stevia drops works well in icings like that less overpowering I find you can mix full fat soft cheese with a flavouring like lemon or chocolate and sweeten to taste with stevia. Another option for a milder sweetness is using powdered inulin or monkfruit and eyrthritol which balances out the' coolness' of Eyrithritol.
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Ah thanks! I have some full fat cream cheese, but no stevia. I'll try sweetening it with the erythritol as I've spent enough money on my food experiments already! I did notice the coolness in the "buttercream" but not in the keto mug cake.
 
Well, I have been using artificial sweeteners for the past few weeks and do feel that it has helped me to avoid sugar lapses to some extent. I haven't yet noticed any side effects so will continue to use them for now.

Weight wise I haven't had a gain despite being fairly badly off the rails over the 2 week holiday, although I was also very active compared to the Christmas holiday when I did have a significant gain. I also managed a few good low carb days and 1 24 hour fast. During peak sugar consumption my highs were around 10 mol but I noticed this dropped quite quickly and fasting bg remained under 7.

So last week I had a couple of 24 hour fasts but found I was still too easily tempted to overeat and slipped off low carb a bit as well, mostly due to not being very well organised but motivation was a factor as well, I think.

I feel healthier and happier even with some lapses and even those are sometimes replaced by low carb alternatives. I feel as though I'm winning the longer term battle now.

With motivation in mind, I'm hoping to go for an extended fast this week. I do find I'm wasting perishable food quite a bit as my planning could be improved, but that's something I can work on.

I've dropped januvia on my dn's advice, I've been off that for a week now and bg is steady between 4.5 and 6.5 unless I lapse and eat something high carb.

Overall I feel that I'm making good progress towards better health but still feel wary of being so prone to loss of control.
 
Fast day 1 (will fast as long as I can this time, I don't want to jinx it by setting a limit):

Coffee with cream x 3
Lemon and Ginger tea
Water

Fasting BG 6.2 (4.8 pm)
Ketones 0.6 pm
BP 118/69 pm
Weight 262 lbs
 
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Fasting day 2

FBG 5.1 (4.5 pm)
Ketones 0.6
BP not taken
Weight 259 lbs

Very happy mood, and it wasn't too difficult to miss dinner although I did think about food more at the time.

I had some hunger pangs but they soon went. I like to think of those as my body complaining about having to switch from burning glucose to burning fat. Probably not very accurate but it helps me deal with them and there is some truth to it!
 
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Just a two day fast again this time - I would really like to have made this a five day fast but it wasn't to be this time. I was craving... wait for it... iceberg lettuce! I used to be a bit sniffy about it, but for some reason it's a real treat now.

So now I'm tucking in to iceberg lettuce with pate, almost hard boiled eggs, beetroot steeped in cider vinegar, cucumber and coleslaw. I'm very encouraged that I'm not feeling greedy or desperate for carbs this time.

Edit: Good news - a two day fast does reset my appetite, I am so full now.
 
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Trying for another 2 day fast, ending Friday afternoon.

Last night I felt hungry but I think that's because my body weight has dropped a little lower - I'm now 257lbs and have my beady eye on 252 for next week.

I managed to stick to low carb for the whole day but had some crisps last thing - FBG was 6.1 this morning which tells me what I already knew - crisps are not really on the menu.

My weight will go above and below of course but if I'm around that 18 st mark for the next few weeks I'll start to feel more confident about the long term.

I'm a bit less confident about my diabetes management, or more specifically my insulin sensitivity. I am still a sugar addict, still dealing with frequent lapses, although I think I'm moderating those better these days - I think the steady weight loss, however slow, is evidence of that.

Using artificial sweeteners and low carb bread/cake alternatives could be a mistake - the metabolic effects might be worse than actual sugar. However here the continued weight loss is taking priority and I can stop eating artificially sweetened things, and low carb bread/cake alternatives, but not sugar, bread or cake of the usual kind. I have no off switch at all for those.

Fasting is still an amazing tool for me, I think it well be part of my life for good now.
 
Well, I regained around 10lbs during the bank holiday weekend! I know why - I binged on bread and sugar for three days. I also ate almost constantly through each day.

Without overthinking it too much, this might be my body set weight trying to reassert itself as Jason Fung discusses - all diets work, but only in the short term. After six months to a year's weight loss a person usually begins to regain.

In the past this would happen to me after just a month or two, and I'd regain all the weight lost plus a good deal more.

Then I would lament the impossibility of getting healthy and give up altogether, falling back on extremely unhealthy comfort cycles.

It could also be something to do with stopping Januvia, which I think suppresses appetite and slows gastric emptying slightly - I had thought that effect had long ago worn off, though, and believe trulicity is much more effective in that role.

I'm back on OMAD this week, but still finding I am hungry with a much increased appetite. I'm getting the fat content and keeping carbs as low as I can, having eggs, pate, lettuce, cucumber dressed with olive oil and cider vinegar and 10% fat Greek yoghurt with ground flax last night. I found myself back in the kitchen looking for something else almost immediately, and didn't feel full at all although the same meal made me feel stuffed before.

I suppose it could be that the sugar overload has kicked my addiction back into top gear, but it was never far away at any time. I know I kind of planned that bender over the weekend, it was definitely me giving myself permission.

I think the best thing for me now would be an extended fast but I'm prevaricating. I'm going to spend some more time on diet doctor now and try to pull myself out of this flat spin.
 
Aha! Woke this morning to 7mmol and was puzzled until I felt the glands at the sides of my neck all sore and swollen.

I suppose last weekend could be either cause or symptom of this coming on. The sugar overload might have fed an infection, or I might have gone astray because my system was feeling challenged.

I have noticed since (mostly) reducing carbs and fasting, colds don't seem to get a hold of me like they used to but well see where this goes!
 
Not wishing to derail but is anyone else surprised by this?

Ted Naiman endorsing a snack bar 'made' by Walter Longo specially formulated to eat while fasting?

Why not just fast? I don't get it.
 
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