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.

Thank you!

@purplebagladylovesgin thanks, has anything surprised you, where you didn't spike when you'd expect to?

I really like the cheese muffins, will definitely make them again tomorrow. My only issue with them is I broke my fast 2.5 hours early to try one and both ground almonds and almond flour are expensive.

@StuntNun ha also neither she nor Bob age. Definitely no bum or face over 40 for those two

@Oneborneverydecade. I buy huge bags of ground almonds when on offer and probably get through 200g a week in total. It's not worked out too badly, it's about £7-10 extra a month as I use so little, but it is much more expensive that normal flour.

www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/ground-almonds-1kg.html

Things that have surprised me;
I can tolerate a small amount raw carrot grated into coleslaw, but not cooked at all. This surprised me as on the GI index they are low.

I was also surprised that Christmas cake without icing and marzipan was ok if I ate a small slice.

Orange juice even in smallest quantities spikes me, so do pears, bananas and grapes but the odd glass of G&T reduces my sugars

I can also tolerate a small samosa and very small quantities of wheat flour. But definitely not potatoes or sweet potatoes in any form. Oats and rice also spike me. Surprisingly swede is ok so I often have this mashed instead of potato.

It varies so much from person to person.

My journey comes from insulin resistance, others will be able to tolerate many more foods without spiking. Usually a good place to start is the Glycemic index.

Another thing that helps reduce spikes is healthy gut bacteria. I think this is vastly underestimated in the UK. I use Kefir or live yogurt, you need very little to maintain a good gut biome.

Another thing to reduce spikes is a teaspoon of cider vinegar before meals.

Vitamin C ( both together, ascorbate and ascorbic acid) and D improve the longer term stability.

I've discovered so much along the way.

@Oneborneverydecade 30 Day Shred is available free on Vimeo 😊

Ooh @catwithflowers I didn't know that thank you. I had the 30 Day Shred DVD years ago (can't find it anywhere now) and can testify that it's an absolute killer but really works. May attempt it again now I have no excuse!

Evening all

Today I fasted because I was busy and it suited me not to eat, didn't quite make the 24 hours but not because I couldn't have, more that DD has been a little down and I suggested takeaway to cheer her up and it came early!

Going to 16:8 tomorrow then maybe try another 24 hour fast! Hopefully will help me get fully back on track as I have definitely not been 100% this bootcamp.

Hope everyone is feeling good, I generally do on this woe and have started to get my energy levels of last bootcamp back- it's surprising how long it takes you to get back to it, even with just one week off!

Also Jillian Michaels is an evil woman!! (Who gets amazing results)

Evening guys,
Fasted the 24 hours no sweat. Low carb is miraculous. Broke with dinner of lamb shank and flgv and some Greek yogurt. Like @ZiggZagg going to do 16, 8 tomorrow then another 24 hours. I think the psychological barrier to break for me will be not eating for a whole day but not seeing a rush to get there. I actually feel so much more energised like this. Sweet, snowy, dreams all

I finished my longest fast so far at 8 this evening. 48 hours which sounds a lot but bear in mind I was asleep for quite a bit of it 😂. It was surprising easy but I have been doing 16:8 for quite a long time now. I felt fine throughout, exercised, went on some long dog walks and felt especially energised this morning.

I think I'll plan on doing a 48 hour fast once a month and stick to the 16:8 fairly low carb the rest of the time. This plan definitely works for me. I genuinely rarely feel hungry.

Jillian is evil but amazing. 😂 Day #5 of the Shred tomorrow.💪🏋️‍♀️

That's an amazing amount of information purplebagladylovesgin do you notice a big effect on your blood glucose levels from the extra level of control you have? I bought some ground almonds yesterday so I can try your cheese muffin recipe.

Well done on your nearly 24-hour fast ZiggZagg I know it seems different psychologically but physically 23 hours is just as good as 24 hours. Was your DD cheered up by her takeaway?

oscarandelliesdad well done on your fast too! It really is an eye opener when your blood glucose levels are stable and you don't need to eat all the time. Dr Jason Fung recommends alternating 16:8 with three 24-hour fasts per week.

And catwithflowers how did you find your 48-hour fast? That's a long time to fast and for me 48 hours is the hardest, I find it actually gets easier after 48 hours. I fast 16:8 most days and do one longer fast each month, as close to the first of the month as I can schedule. I don't like to plan my fasting length so I can be responsive to what my body is telling me so that longer fast can be anything from 36 to 92 hours.

Omg purplebagladylovesgin the cheese and almond muffins are divine! I cooked them in a silicone muffin tray so they came out easily and I just had one still warm from the oven with butter. I hope they have a similar effect on my blood glucose to you.

@StuntNun it was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Once I had got my head round the fact that I wouldn't eat for a full day and night, it was okay. I kept busy, did lots of walking and exercise, lots of water and had a fairly early night 😊

It's interesting what you say about Jason Fung recommending 16:8 followed by a 24 hour fast. That's very doable long term as you are still eating dinner with family in the evening.

Still haven't tried the muffins but have all the ingredients ready to make tomorrow morning. Glad to hear they get such positive feedback so thanks again Purplebag for the recipe!

I was going to add a 24 hour fast into the mix but I'm worried. Adjusting from 16:8 to 20:4 has left me a bit irritable and impatient at midday. I'm hoping it's just the transition.

I also have a Jillian M dvd knocking around somewhere, but nothing to play it on. And no Vimeo sadly

Yes cat that's what I struggle with when doing longer fasts (36 hours +) - not sitting with the family for evening meals. I know a few people who've had huge successes doing ADF (so eat one day, not the next and repeat) but I just find it too hard. I'm happy to have slower results if it means being able to eat every day!

@purplebagladylovesgin

Look!

Haven't eaten any of them yet, but they did overflow a bit, so I picked the overflow bits off and they taste gorgeous.

I reckon if I'd put a little bit less, I could have made 6. (I made the cheese ones).

BIWI they look amazing. Making first thing tomorrow morning 😍

Do you think those muffins would toast if they were left a day or so and weren't super fresh? Wondering if they would be a good base for say poached or scrambled eggs. I realise they wouldn't have the crunch of toasted bread but still .........

This is really interesting. I'm loosely doing low carb and fasting and have lost exactly 1 stone in just under 3 weeks. Obviously I expect it to slow now, but I'm starting to get stuck in a rut with meal ideas.

I dont eat meat, but eat some fish, and I don't eat eggs. Struggling a bit.

I notice that I dont get enough iron either which is a pain.

Crystalclair what sources of protein do you eat? Check out the Bootcamp vegetarian recipes threadd* for some ideas.

Thanks for this thread stuntnun

I fast daily, often OMAD in the evening with a couple of lunches thrown in too for variety.

I don't count calories or carbs, but I avoid processed carbs where possible and in find that the occasional time I have alot of carbs I feel horribly bloated and urgh afterwards, they really do bad things to me.

Today i had OMAD, steak with veg and onion rings (really my only carbs were the batter around the onion rings and it wasn't much - well under 40g). So fatty, soooooo tasty!

I do try to make sure I eat plenty of fat though as i don't want my metabolism to slow down because it senses long term inadequacy of energy intake, so whilst I don't actively count calories I'll often eat extra fat after my OMAD to make sure I'm more likely to be 1500+ calories (berries with double cream for example). I reckon on an evening meal being

Can I just insist that everyone makes the cheese muffins when you're not fasting of course!

Sorry stunt busy day today! Yes DD was suitably cheered up, we watch a few crappy teenager programs and she skipped off to her room smiling! I do worry about all these kids missing school and friends etc. positively DS who is 3 fell straight to sleep also so I had a few not mummy hours

Ingredients stocked for the muffins tomorrow, can’t wait! Do you think as a very occasional treat they might work with a spoon of cocoa powder?

Planning the muffins with soup at the weekend. Really looking forward to it.

Delicious dinner last night inspired by someone on here veg ideas. Sorry I’m not sure who suggested frying up veg an layering with cheese. But thank you. I had some mozzarella needing used up. Softened onion, garlic, aubergine, fennel, and red pepper in olive oil. Added a tin of tomatoes and herbs then layered in a baking dish with slices of mozzarella and topped with Parmesan. Then baked I. Oven for 15mins and served with buttered cabbage and sautéed garlic mushrooms. Delicious. Thanks.

Place marking. Will come back for this great thread.