Fasting

[Andy928]

Does anyone fast for a day or more during the week to help with remission for type 2 diabetes? If you have, did this help? And how often per week and for how long? Thanks

 

[TheSecretCarbAddict]

Like with diets. fasting approach will be individual to you. You need to test and see what works for you. I generally do18:6 intermittent fasting where I eat my food between 12:30 and 18:30. Two meals, with lunch being the largest meal of the day. Sometimes I do one meal a day giving me a 24h fasts. And sometimes I combine my intermittent fasting with alternate fasting - start with 18:6 intermittent fast and add an extra full day of fasting right after it giving we 18 + 24 = 42 hour fast. I find that fasting helps me stabilise my blood glucose levels now that I'm off almost all diabetes medication and just taking Metformin.

Check out Dr Jason Fung and his work on fasting. I found his book 'Life in the Fasting Line' to be the most pragmatic and accessible (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY7KY7R/), if you want to get all the science behind it, check out his The Diabetes Code (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0795BLS8D/). But there are probably quite a few articles and YouTube videos out there to get you started.

Your profile doesn't state what medications you are on. With some starting low carb diet or getting into fasting can push you into hypos quite quickly, so best to check in with your doctor before you make any radical lifestyle changes.

 

[Andy928]

Thanks @TheSecretCarbAddict, yours sounds extremely well measured and controlled, but also almost too complicated… interested in what people actually do day to day who are onset type 2 or recently diagnosed… just the basics, but thanks for your feedback, cheers

 

[TheSecretCarbAddict]

@Andy928 - I need a clear structure or I don't stick to it. As I said everyone needs to find their own approach. One of the basic starting principles would be to leave at least 4-5 hours between your meals and remove any snacking in-between (that's your fasting) and see where you go from there.

Edit: Just add a little 'why. You are trying to alleviate insulin resistance and by fasting you are giving your body time to process macro nutrients you consume as food. Dr Fung talks about this in his books, but I would also check out YouTube videos by Dr Ben Bikman if you want to find out more on insulin resistance.

 

[Andy928]

Yep interested, if people fast for an entire day or two days… I tried for a full day, but agree doctor should approve if unsure… just wondering what people have tried?

 

[Art Of Flowers]

If you are interested in intermittent fasting check out Jason Fung … https://www.youtube.com/@drjasonfung

 

[ianf0ster]

An alternative approach is the one I used. I started out by going Low Carb and only introduced fasting when I had already got to the point where I was able to use my own body fat as fuel instead of eating extra calories.
At this point I was no longer hungry in the mornings, so started skipping breakfast. Later I found I could easily go to one meal per day.
But there are 3 dietary ways to T2D remission and many combinations of them, so pick what is sustainable for you. Then it may change in time as your body adapts.

Almost all of my journey to remission was done purely by eating Low Carb (don't count calories - just carbs). The fasting came along when some would say I was already in remission (but I use the strictest measure of remission) and have been in remission for over 4yrs so far.

 

[Outlier]

My fasting - or time-restricted eating - happened almost by accident. I found I wasn't hungry in the mornings, so my first meal came later and later until it was only a small amount about 4 hours before the evening meal, which has always been at 6pm. Sometimes I don't eat at all until that meal. Sometimes I'm hungry earlier, so I eat something, just enough to stop the hunger. I find I am too hungry to go longer than a day without food, but others can. Listening to one's body day by day is the key to intermittent fasting.

 

[KennyA]

I don't and never have set out to fast for a particular time. It just happens that I don't eat, because I'm not hungry. That often means I don't eat for around 18-20 hours, sometimes 24. So I eat when and as often as I want to, but the gap between meals is usually quite long.

On most days I won't eat anything until 1.30 or 2pm and then it will be cheese, ham, olives, that sort of thing. Substantial evening meal around 7 or 7.30.

 

[Melgar]

We tend to eat even when we are not hungry. Well I do. So it makes sense it’s beneficial for the body. It makes perfect sense not to eat when you don’t feel hungry. Unfortunately, I‘m leery of fasting as I can go very low as I’m so active. probably because my glycogen reserves drop.