Anyone up for supporting each other with 36 hour fasts?

[Peae]

As a midlife / perimenopausal woman these worked brilliantly for me in the summer and I managed to lose my first stone. I'm completely convinced by the health benefits and would like to get back in to them, but can't break through the struggle at the 21hr-ish mark. OMAD is no problem, I just want to hit the 36-hour fast.

Would anyone like to buddy up for some mutual encouragement?

Well I'm barely 18.5 hours in and have a banging headache & feeling really sluggish. Have just had a walk and come back to a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of salt and splash of orange juice (no electrolytes & turns out my son drank the last coconut water 🙄) and hoping that does the trick and will be having a black coffee to wake me up in an hour or so.

I used to do 16:8 so thought it wouldn't be until tonight that I struggle but it's been a good year since I last did it regularly plus have been totally overindulging this past month so my body's probably gone into shock 😬😆.
I'll keep going but off to yoga at 7pm so might have to have something before then if I'm still feeling fuzzy headed. Still, will be my longest ever and reminded me I don't need a vast breakfast & mid morning snack to function.

Well done everyone. I'm 19 hours in. I agree with others, I think this eve might be when it will feel more difficult. When I did a couple of these before Christmas, I did some housework/kept busy and then went to bed earlier than usual.

Make sure you all listen to your body. I'm sure it will be fine to gradually build up to 36 hours (especially if you've never done 24 hours).

Can I ask - those of you who are more experienced with fasting - did you see sustainable, long term weight loss when it averaged out over fasting and eating days?

I'm a 'healthy' weight/BMI and only need to lose a few pounds, but I'm short/small framed and calorie restricting over the last year hasn't worked. I'm trying this approach partly for the health benefits of fasting but also to try a different approach to losing these few pounds.

I can get to 20 hrs quite easily but after that it definitely gets harder !

I would say as long as I was eating pretty healthily when not fasting I noticed a steady slow weight loss. I have done TRE for a long time now with occasional longer fasts thrown in and the times when I was doing it most consistently definitely helped with weight loss.

My problems are that I have an underactive thyroid which seems to make it harder to lose weight, and I have a tendency to eat unhealthy snacks more than I should. My meals are usually pretty balanced and we eat a lot of plants, but I have a sweet tooth and poor impulse control!

I have found regular fasting helps with overall discipline. I also feel better when I'm not stuffing myself.

Unfortunately we had a big family bereavement last year and that threw me off in terms of longer fasts. I need to be in the right head space to go more than 24 hours and I just couldn't get there last year. But this new year feels as though I've turned a bit of a corner, which I'm really happy about.

FWIW, I think fasting is a far better solution for weight control than calorie counting - but I know everyone's different and we have to find what suits us best.

Good luck!

Well done @Sunflowers84 I too have managed to get to 20 hours & still going despite my earlier slump. I'm actually not hungry & no tummy rumbles (which says a lot bout how much I've been eating 😬) so it's more about habit and energy levels now - hopefully yoga and an early night will see me through.

@LittlePearl 100% agree with you here: I have found regular fasting helps with overall discipline. I also feel better when I'm not stuffing myself.

I was so much healthier when I fasted regularly - just didn't want to undo all the good work by eating rubbish and of course then felt better which makes you want to keep going. Not to say I didn't have the odd blip but that's where fasting worked for me as I know if I have a big weekend, I can pretty much reset with a Sunday/Monday fast. Feeling inspired to keep going😎

@Sunflowers84 in short yes there was sustainable weight loss and more importantly it kickstarted weight loss when nothing was budging including 18 hrs fasts. But as long as I ate mostly whole foods, low sugar, healthy fats rest of the time and stuck to mealtimes rather than continuous snacking. every time you eat you raise insulin so it's important to eat everything in one go then have a break until the next meal to allow for insulin to drop. Fasting is all about the insulin and not about calories really.

Megan Ramos (Fung's peer) says that on average you lose about 0.5 lb of fat for every 36hr fast. That's on average. The weight loss can be higher as also contains water. I would expect that this varies a bit depending on how much you have to lose, how fat adapted you are and used to fasting.

@fastingaway @Sunflowers84 @lechatnoir @LittlePearl well done you lot. Keep going! 💪

How's it going @Jollyjoy and @Eddielizzard

Well done @Whyherewego . I have also stopped, cashing in my 30 hour fast. Also, day 6 of no sugar.

Smelly breath - I have periods of my job when I have to talk closely with people, so I'm already a bit conscious about my breath. I keep toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash at work to stay fresh. (Saying that, I'm not low carb, so probably don't really hit too much ketosis).

@fastingaway thank you for that 0.5lb statistic. That's really helpful in terms of
realistic expectations.

Hope I haven't missed anyone or anything.

Still going on the 36 hour one - it’s not been too bad at all - just been drinking black tea and had a black coffee in the morning. I’ve been fairly busy working and then have been taking down Christmas decorations so haven’t really been thinking about eating. It’s been good to have a post Christmas re-set, but looking forward to finishing tomorrow with a good breakfast. 😀

Well done on no sugar @Peae , that's brilliant.

Thank you for the replies re:weight loss.

I'm at 23 hours. I felt hungry around an hour ago but had a herbal tea and feel ok (but cold!) now. I'm definitely planning on trying to have an early night. Hope everyone else is doing ok.

@Peae - well done on still not having sugar. How are you finding it? Any particular challenges or benefits you've noticed yet?

Well done @Sunflowers84 and @HelenEilidh (sorry I missed you earlier).

@Sunflowers84 haven't missed sugar much at all, which is really surprising because I normally rely on it a lot. I've mostly missed it when I would have eaten by habit, e.g. on the way back from hairdressers last week or on a Saturday afternoon at home. I think I'll mostly miss it when I need comfort, which I haven't really needed this month yet. I'm at hospital for some tests tomorrow, so fingers crossed for no bad news.
I do hope it makes a difference with the weight loss, at this age it comes off so slowly.
Thank you so much for asking

Well done @Peae on the fast and the no sugar. And I hope tomorrow's hospital appointment goes well.

@Sunflowers84 @HelenEilidh and anybody else doing the overnight hope the fast is manageable.

I'm just over 24hrs now and have come to bed for an early night.

I had lunch today then got inspired by you all so am just 8hrs in. I haven't fasted properly in ages but it feels familiar and I feel great, like this is exactly what I need to reignite overall discipline like pp said. Unlike another pp, I love the feeling of going to bed on an empty stomach, feels so wholesome and clean to me. I've been out at a meditation class so going to go home and straight to bed. Tomorrow morning should be fine as I don't usually eat breakfast and have things to keep me busy.

You're all doing fab, it's the keeping going when you really don't feel like it that's so inspiring and beneficial.

Made it past to 24 hours but broken fast as I was feeling really lightheaded again. Enjoyed a small portion of chicken, rice & steamed broccoli plus some Greek yogurt with blueberries. Very happy I did this and hoping 16:8 will feel like a breeze in comparison

I'm in again after the excesses of Christmas. Kitchen closed at 5pm tonight so I'll see if I can get to 7.30pm tomorrow and beyond maybe depending on how I am feeling.
Nice to have a bit of support on here.

Just completed the 36 hour one - it wasn’t too bad at all. I slept well, right through the night. I had a nice breakfast of fruit, muesli and coffee this morning.

Well done everyone. I slept well and interestingly DH told me I didn't snore which I often do if I roll onto my back. This morning I feel slightly queasy with a furry mouth. Having a cup of tea with some milk as it's my usual. It was harder for me than expected when I got in the house as I'd made some food that I'd forgotten I'd left cooling to put in freezer when I got home. It smelled amazing and made me think how normally I'd have to have some because it was appealing, rather than any particular hunger as I wasn't feeling it that strongly. Very useful for breaking that 'I have to have it' response.

Finished, now at 39 hours but as I (almost) never eat breakfast I'm going to hang on until I feel hungry before breaking my fast.

Well done @HelenEilidh

@Jollyjoy @Sunflowers84 @fastingaway how are you this morning?

Sorry @Jollyjoy cross posted with you. Well done on resisting yesterday!

Well done, everyone. I'm currently at just over 38 hours and trying to decide whether to eat something soon or just wait for lunch?

What's everyone eating as their first meal?

I almost never eat breakfast either @LittlePearl which is just as well as at all other times of day I could eat for England.
Nearly 18 hours for me now ( though I am having tea with a little milk which I always do) and not hungry thought at 10pm only five hours in I felt a bit peckish but ignored it.
Good luck all.

I've inadvertently ended up at almost 39 hours. Overnight went well and I wasn't hungry at all this morning. Made myself a cup of tea with milk this morning but only had a few sips as have been in meetings all morning. Going to go and eat something now although I could fast longer as have gym at lunchtime. Some of the festive bloat definitely moved on the scales this morning.

I'm at 41 hours. I've not eaten yet, but feel like I should eat now (even though not really hungry) as I might not get another opportunity to eat until 6pm.

Wow you're all so inspiring! Well done! 👏

Gosh @fastingaway and @Sunflowers84 that is very impressive. I am currently having a cold fruit tea as I don't like it hot but really enjoy a cereal bowl of it where the bag has been left in while it cools down.
Over 20 hours for me now and I will see how I am doing at the 26 hour point and decide from there.