How long can you fast for?

[Longnightmoon]

I am not hungry, which is great because I am overweight and spend a lot of time and energy trying to lose weight.

I don't know why I am not hungry, but have a bit of a cold, so might be that.

I haven't eaten since Tuesday night, so this will be the third day - plenty of water, tea, coffee.. I feel totally normal, just not hungry, and a slight cold.

Apart from body going into "starve mode" and storing more fat when I start eating again, is there anything else I need to consider? Or can I just take advantage of lack of hunger to lose more weight faster for a while.

I am out and about as normal, but won't attend the gym until I am eating again.

I know fasting is a thing, and some people fast the whole of lent, eating only on Sundays, I am thinking this is ok, if I feel fine, and I can carry on for the moment.

How long is it ok to not eat for? All information and experiences welcome. Thank you

You can fast for as long as you feel comfortable doing so.

You won't 'store fat' when you come off your fast. You will show an increase on scale weight because you will restore water and glycogen levels, which is normal, but fat loss remains.

https://www.buchinger-wilhelmi.com/en/fasting-how-long/

If you are interested in learning more about fasting for weight loss of just for health, take a look at Mindy Pelz on YouTube. She can be a bit over enthusiastic about it, but she explains the bodily processes quite well. She did a Diary of a CEO interview, so that might be a good place to start.
Keep an eye on water, and electrolytes (salt etc) as that is what can run down or out in a fast.
I think the longest fast was almost a year, but the guy was very big and under doctors care for the whole time, so not to be recommended for just anyone! I think most people who promote fasting say 72 hours is a good max to stick to, but only about once a month.
Do some research on your own, find sources that are reliable and don't trust randoms like me off the internet!

according to Michael Mosley it’s the way we should all eat, and have evolved to eat. Periods of feasting followed but periods of nothing. Our bodies are really efficient at switching energy source from glucose to stored fat. Read his book The Fast diet, it’s interesting.

some people fast the whole of lent, eating only on Sundays

Literally never heard of anyone doing this. Sounds like you view food as the enemy - but you need to take in nutrients to be healthy.

You would be much better off eating healthy foods - vegetables, fruit, pulses, nuts, seeds, fish & meat if you're not veggie, dairy to protect your bone health - and going back to the gym. If you have a history of disordered eating (which can mean many things) then please seek help.

Starvation mode is a myth. People who starve lose weight. You've lost your appetite because you are unwell.

starvation mode isn't a myth, I don't know why people have started saying that recently, people who are staving put on weight much faster when they do eat again.

I will be careful to start again slowly, so as to avoid that

You have never heard of people fasting throughout lent? Its 40 days, with a break on sundays. It gets watered down culturally to giving up something specific like sweets or bread or something , but traditionally, and in many communities, it is a total fast.

Muslims fast for Eid too, but that is done differently, as the fast includes no water, and is broken every morning, so it is actually about 40 little strict fasts rather than 1 long, less strict fast

Me personally about an hour then I start looking for a little snacky snack 😋

This. 100 %

Starvation mode is not a myth, why are people suddenly saying this? It is very well established scientific fact. Your body adjusts to your calorie intake, and if you have a lower calorie intake, your body uses far fewer calories, and stores more. This is very obvious if you look at the diets and body weights around the world - why does an American on a 3000 calorie a day diet maintain steady weight and an Indian the same size on 1500 calories a day also maintain a steady weight? Neither lose or gain, as both of their bodies have adjusted to the calorie intake they live with.

I would be very concerned about this lack of appetite (having known someone whose stomach cancer started with this symptom).

Covid suppresses the appetite, perhaps you have that. But I wouldn't be celebrating this current fast or encouraging other people to do the same.

And no, nobody fasts for a period as long as Lent only eating one day a week. That is patently untrue.

Starvation mode is a myth. My Dd suffered from anorexia in her teens and the doctors treating her confirmed it was a myth, how would you explain people like her otherwise?

Of course it is not patently untrue! It has happened for thousands of years! And still does happen. I certainly have known people who do it, it is not even particularly unusual. Its quite shocking that people don't know such basic facts about such a common culture

I don't know what you think needs explaining, people who eat less, use fewer calories. If you eat much less, your body adapts to using fewer and fewer calories, that doesn't mean people don't eventually starve to death, it just means you have one more level of defence against it.

Saying starvation mode doesn't exist because people can still starve is like saying immune systems don't exist because people still die of infections

Its quite shocking that people don't know such basic facts about such a common culture

Yes, I'm quite shocked that I did not know this "fact" as a well educated woman in my 60s. Of course I am aware that some Catholics reduce their eating according to specific rules during Lent, as do some Muslims during Ramadan (and doubtless similar in other cultures and religions around the world).

You are saying that it is common to eat nothing at all for 6 days in a row during Lent and approximately 35/36 days in total, however. I am saying that this is not common practice and I stand by it.

There is a difference between intermittent fasting (not eating for moderately long stretches) and fasting. I'm shocked you didn't know.

Saying it is not common practice is entirely different to saying it is unheard of.

It is 40 days in total. Lent is 40 days - not including Sundays

I grew up in church with links to lots of different churches/denominations, and have never heard of any Christians fasting properly for lent. Yes it’s a thousands of years old tradition and is talked about in the bible, but I wouldn’t say it’s a common part of Christian culture today in the UK. What denomination or country are you talking about?

The Easy Fast app is great for understanding what happens to your body during a fast. Put your start time in and it will show you what stage you’re in and the studies to back up what’s happening in your body. I’ve never heard of ‘starvation mode’ but there’s plenty of information there about blood sugar changes, ketosis, autophagy etc.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/easy-fast-intermittent-fasting/id6478773954

Starvation mode is a thing. The Biggest Loser phenomenon. Google it.

OP you need to be aware of refeeding syndrome if you’re going to do prolonged fasting. I don’t recommend long fasts for women (I’m a nutritional therapist) because it can play havoc with the thyroid.

It’s better to do time restricted eating or alternate day fasting but not every second day for weeks on end. Mix it up, have plenty of electrolytes during your fast and eat low carb to help keep the weight off that you lose.

Please can you provide a link(s) proving that people fully fast for 40 days?

During Eid, Muslims fast during daylight hours. They have a big evening meal each night, called iftar, and can eat before sunrise also.

I think Christian fasting over Lent is more about limiting food intake rather than complete fasting which would not be sustainable for 40 days.
Muslim fasting over Ramadan is only during daylight hours so they eat and drink when the sun sets in the evening and and before the sun sun rises in the morning .

This seriously takes the biscuit! What on earth do you think you will find on the internet that trumps 2 thousand years of culture and tradition. 😂research it yourself, I am sure you are capable of finding any information and references . But the idea that google somehow is the oracle for all world history and knowledge ever is more than a little misguided

Thank you for your help - what do you consider to be a long fast please? How long before it starts to potentially affect thyroid? I will look up the things you have mentioned

Apologies - I'm referring to those people trying to lose weight who claim they haven't lost weight because they are in starvation mode and actually haven't eaten enough. What's really going on is that they are deluded as to being in a calorie deficit. If you starve yourself, you will lose weight.

What happens when you start eating normally again is another matter.

Such a rude response OP. What that poster has stated is correct.

It is certainly not common culture for people to fast for the whole of Lent, i.e. to eat nothing at all for the whole period. Where is this place where it is commonplace?

Multi days fast 2-3 days or longer every week/two weeks or monthly even.

One 2-3 day fast max twice a year is ok. I think intermittent fasting 16:8 is great as long as it’s not every single days. 4-5 days a week with a bit more leniency at the weekends works for many of my clients.

One Meal a Day - works for men, hormonal chaos for women.