Extended fasting, anyone?

[Bearyhumcrack]

I like to fast for 48-72 hours most weeks. Works well for me and then I minimise carbs the rest of the time (weekends not so much).

I'm almost at the end of my longest ever fast of 156hours (14 to go) and I've lost about 10lb. Based on my last long fast, I expect 3-4lb of that to go back on once I have refed but half a stone or so should be in the bin!

Curious if there's anyone else on here who's a faster?

This 'fasting' is just a more acceptable term for starving yourself.

I've a mind to report this thread

Why don't you read a little about the evidence around fasting
It's pretty widely acknowledged in medicine
Or go ahead and report 🤷‍♀️

There is indeed. Equally there's a lot of evidence that competitive starving is dangerous.

This is not competitive starving
Your remarks are ill informed and insulting
Do as you please but I won't be responding to such ludicrous and offensive comments from now

I'm hoping that even though I don't appear to be passing ketones I'll be benefiting from some autophagy response
My mood is really good today as is my concentration

This study has not been peer reviewed which is essential if you're going to take such an extreme measure.

Oooh
It might be a sign of metabolic adaptation- apparently
Must read more

Yeah I know the article is just an article and not a robust study
It's just a useful introduction
Anyway, I'm not trying to convince you. I am enjoying this way of eating
I have no interest in your opinion of my choices but thanks anyway

At least speak to a doctor or a dietitian as their opinion is one you should care about. Making sure your body has the nutrients it needs to function is something I'm sure you want.

Gosh. I never thought of speaking to a doctor but given that I spend my entire working day with other clinicians I'll bear it in mind

The absolute problem is that threads like this are anonymous so while some posters may have got medical advice, be doing it in a healthy way and it is not detrimental to health there are so many people out there who have eating disorders. You can imagine how someone who has an anorexia diagnosis may read this thread with the claims of how healthy it is not to eat for days.

We have no way of knowing which posters are healthy doing it properly or which are posting due to poor mental health. Of course all will claim it's healthy.

If this was a route I would choose I would only discuss it with people in real life (who I know well and can discuss Mh implications).

Feel free to not join the conversation

@summersanchez How are you doing? I'm about where you were yesterday, about 21 hours now and aiming to eat tomorrow at dinner time. Feeling good, need to drink some more water I think. Have noticed my joints hurting far less. I have a knee injury that has prevented me from running and the pain usually wakes me up at night but slept through last night which is very very unusual for me!

tattychicken that's great news about your joints
I'm ok thanks
Struggled a little more this time than last week but so much easier than I expected. Physically I feel really good and i definitely feel calm
I'm wondering when to break my fast. Maybe tomorrow morning with some porridge? I'll play it by ear
Plenty of water, which I like to drink warm and black coffees, herbal teas plus a tiny pinch of sea salt have helped
Thanks for the company.

Very excited as I'm about to break my fast with some oat milk in my tea
Ketones now visible, which is interesting because that's later than I'd expected- so clearly it takes a while for my body to burn fat
I'm mainly in this for the autophagy and renewal benefits due to family history but genuinely feel really good this morning
I'd like to try a longer fast but starting to feel a little distracted by thoughts of food and I promised myself I'd only do this if I'm feeling good

tatty can't wait to hear how you're getting on

Handful of nuts and fruit
Tempted to make toast but that's a bit heavy carbs for first thing

Are you adding electrolytes to your water? You’ll be low on magnesium and other minerals.

I'm breaking this morning too! At 36 hours. Have a tough day at work ahead and thought it best to have some fuel!
Will look at electrolytes, thanks for the tip. Any recommendations?

Good choice to break this morning
I don't know which electrolytes are the best
There's a British Indian surgeon who talks about fasting and he says that multivitamins including D, magnesium and a pinch of Himalayan sea salt are beneficial

Absolutely. Makes a huge difference even on 16:8 days.

I use the 40,000 volts liquid from Amazon.

Thank you for that tip onceagain*
I'll buy those now

Yes I take magnesium daily

Agree!