Combining fasting with low carb 1

[StuntNun]

This thread is for people who want to combine fasting with a low carbohydrate way of eating such as Low Carb Bootcamp, keto, paleo or primal.

Disclaimer – I am not a health professional – I am relying on my own reading and experience. If you have a relevant health condition then consult your doctor before introducing fasting. For example, people with diabetes or high blood pressure often require medication adjustments if they cut carbs or start fasting. In many conditions, medications must be taken with food which may dictate one or more regular meals per day. If you have had an eating disorder, or tend to be obsessive or controlling about food, then fasting may not be appropriate for you. I’m happy to chat about any of these issues but this thread is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Why fast?

1. To lose weight
2. For the health benefits (e.g. reducing insulin resistance, triggering cellular repair, lowering inflammation, reducing blood pressure)
3. All of the above!

Types of fasting

1. Intermittent fasting (for example 16:8)
2. Fasting mimicking diet (such as 5:2)
3. Extended fasting (over 24 hours)

I will describe each of these over the next three posts. Most people start out with, or working towards, either 16:8 or 5:2. Before we get started, my top fasting tip is to make sure you have plenty of calorie-free drinks: water, black coffee or tea, green tea or herbal teas. You may need to drink more than usual because you aren’t getting any water from food during your fasting window.

@FusionChefGeoff - over here

I'm week/1 into working towards 3Ibs per week weight loss. For about 4 months now I've cut my meals to 2 per day. 16/8 fast which I love. Feels natural now. Here's the thing, I may be menopausal because the bloating & weight I've gained is odd. I was running about 10 miles a week but stopped & have only just got back into it. I've now cut out alcohol (was drinking 1 bottle wine a week). Here to be inspired & learn more.

Welcome, HopelesslyOptimistic! Have you achieved 3 lb per week over the past four months? Are you considering longer fasts or sticking with 16:8?

Doing another 48 hour fast (or a 60 hour one if I can make it through to bed time tonight). I'm 36 hours in

I'm also finding it helpful to get myself back into the habit of drinking water - as that's all I can have

Hello, I'm back on low carb/ 16/8!

Don't want to push myself too hard but aiming for an extended fast, maybe 48 hours from 1st July, should be in fat burning mode by then!

Hope everyone is doing ok?

I seem to have sprained my fasting muscle, I've been finding it really hard lately. I think stress and boredom play a part as well. I'm trying to stick to 16:8 this week then I'm going to do three meals on Sunday then an extended fast from Monday dinner a week today.

I'm 36 hours in currently. Is anyone else fasting this week?

Coming up to 68 hours but struggling a bit today. I drank some vegetable stock this morning to try and perk myself up but it seemed to make things worse rather than better. My DCs are having pizza for dinner so at least I won't be tempted by that.

That's a long fast

I might do one from after dinner on Sunday through to Wednesday morning - I'll see how I feel then.

I'm at 84 hours now Prettybird and feeling good. I'm aiming for 96 hours which is the longest I've ever fasted. I have a huge new varicose vein on my upper thigh and monthly extended fasting gets rid of them for a few weeks.

94 and three quarter hours and starting to get hungry!

Oh my god stunt you're amazing!!

Hope you really enjoyed that first meal!

It was only bone broth and then some scrambled eggs a bit later, but yes it was lovely. How are you getting on ZiggZagg?

Not too good really, a biscuit (10!) here and there and bowls of pasta! I wake up really motivated but then just gorge

I think I need to get right back into low carb then start fasting as by lunchtime I'm just grabbing what I can and it's usually shite

Sign up for the new Bootcamp @ZiggZagg https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/lowcarbbootcamp/4300488-Summer-Low-Carb-mini-Bootcamp-sign-up-thread

Hello all - I'd love to join you.

I started Fast800 10 days ago and then found out more about fasting so I'm aiming to do one or two 40 hour fasts a week, alongside my usual 16:8 eating window and then gradually reducing my eating window towards 20:4 on some days at least

I read in Gin Murphy that after a 40 hour fast I need to do 16:8 or longer and eat more calories so I'm doing 1200 on those days - and having just done the first one, wow what a treat it felt!

So playing around with it - 2 stone to lose, and keen to lose the first one fast and more relaxed about the second one - it can take as long as it wants!

Look forward to hearing your stories and learning lots as we go forward together

So far I'm loving the clarity of thought and energy I got on my first 40 hour fast - it was great!

Oh ... and I think I'm low-carbing

I don't count anything but don't eat grains much, just yogourt and some buckwheat most weeks, with occasional beans and legumes. But basically protein, loads of veggies, some nuts/seeds and some full fat dairy

It's been a bit quiet on here lately @loveyouradvice not sure why?! I do 16:8 to 18:6 most days and an extended fast one a month, I'll probably do my next one next week, I usually aim for 96 hours or thereabouts but don't always make that. Are you combining Fast800 with extended fasting or switching from one to the other?

96 hours is impressive!

I've just done my third 40 hour fast and have had wonderful clarity and energy.

I've been doing 16:8 for the last couple of years as a way of life and started Fast800 a couple of weeks ago, combining the two.

But having read so much more about fasting, I'm keen to experiment with it - especially as I have auto-immune issues and think it could really help my health.

So this week I've done 16:8/18:6 with 800 calories three days a week, alongside a Monday and Friday 40 hour fast, followed by 1200 calories in an 8 hour window, having read Gin Murphy.

I've liked this week so much that I'm going to do it again next week and probably do one or two 19:5/20:4.

I'm keen to lose 20lbs fast, in about 9 weeks and then happy to lose the last 7-14 pounds more slowly and really focus on my health.

I may well join you on a 96 hour fast in Sept/Oct - just got to get my fasting muscle into shape first!!

It does take a bit of practice but it sounds like you're well on the way. I have a few niggling health problems that extended fasting really helps with. I don't lose any weight doing it though - only temporarily then I gain it straight back again afterwards. I blame the menopause!

Oh .... I'm menopausal too, but hoping it won't stop me losing weight.

And apologies for repeating stuff I'd already said - bit shocked to see that, I blame the late hour.

I'd love to know more about how much difference longer fasts make to your symptoms... what I picked up from Gin Stephens is that auto-nagy starts between 24-36 hours depending on the individual and their diet... so I am guessing maximising the hours after 36 makes a difference??? Though I realise in my weight loss phase (ie now) she also said that metabolic rate was slowing again by 72 hours, so I think 36-44 hours is the sweet spot for weight loss?

Did you notice you were getting more improvements on your more recent fasts, or did you have them even on the early ones??

And do you by any chance know if I should be concerned that my ketones were 8, second to highest on the strips this morning? Somewhere said I should but I'm guessing diet induce and temporary it is actually a good thing?

When are you thinking of starting your 96 hours? Looking forward to cheering you on.

Loveyouradvice I've seen some great health improvements with extended fasting. The number one is to my skin with healing scars and my cellulite is completely gone. Fasting shrinks and flattens out my varicose veins but they're starting to come back again after a few weeks so it isn't permanent unlike the skin healing. I have osteoarthritis and I'm hoping that fasting will help with that however it's difficult to tell how well it's working due to the nature of the disease. If you're fasting for autophagy then 36-48 hours is plenty. I personally find the first couple of days of fasting really difficult then days 3 and 4 are easy. Day 5 is usually just seeing how long I can get to before I need to eat. I don't limit myself to a specific time, I see how I feel as I go on, so I will stop fasting earlier if I feel dizzy or sick. One time I only managed 24 hours and it was brutal but then my period started straight afterwards so I think it was just the wrong time to fast. Dr Mindy Pelz says you shouldn't fast in the week before your period starts - now I know why! Anyway it's easier for me to do a 5-day fast once a month than to do a 36-hour fast every week so that's what I do. I'm planning to start an extended fast after dinner today but I'll see how I go as there's a lot of disruption at home at the moment so I won't push it if I'm struggling.

Hello Stunt, thanks for this thread.

I've done various lengths of fast over the years, the longest being about 84 hours. Not exactly easy but not as bad as I thought it might be.

My weight has crept up over the last few months so last week I started back on low carb, chucking in a 40 hour fast and 20:4 TRE. It's pretty hard-core but I need to see quick results to keep me motivated.

So pleased to have lost 4k since last Sunday . I've got about 10k to go but feeling really happy to have got off to a good start.

Littlepearl Great to have someone hardcore on here ... I thought I was but I'm going a little gentler than you! 4kg since last Sunday is great... do you mind me asking how old you are and how much you are hoping to lose and how fast?

I was pretty chuffed with 4lbs but I'm menopausal so guessing that slows things...just hoping its 3lbs for each of the next two weeks and I am now doing 40 hours x 2 and 20:4 TRE x 3 this week. Fingers crossed!

Stunt look forward to hearing if you started Sunday night.... good luck if you did. Fascinated to hear days 3 and 4 are easier.... what do you find hard about days 1 and 2??? Really interesting how varied our bodies are... all I got was some stomach rumbling! But I had to keep remembering to eat salt as the first time I did it I did get dizzy, and I have low blood pressure

Yep I started after dinner yesterday so I'm officially 12 hours in. I'm going to see how I go as I don't know whether I'm in the right headspace for an extended fast this week. I'm supposed to be having a huge clutter clearout including the garage and loft so I might not feel up to a long fast. The first two days are harder because I feel hungry. Usually on days 3 and 4 the hungers is gone. By day 5 I'm bored of not eating and there's a psychological pressure to eat. I like to cook while I'm fasting. I miss eating more than I feel hungry so preparing food for others fills that gap.