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?

Thanks for the kind words, they’ve helped today. Haven’t broken my fast, I suspect it won’t actually make me feel any better if I comfort / binge eat so I’m going to keep on track if I possibly can.

Also at 19 hours and also feeling tired! And cold!

@Peae Hope you're doing ok. I know you weren't feeling too good last time you posted.

Sorry to hear about your difficult day @LittlePearl

Well done other fellow fasters today (those who have finished for today, are part way through or have just started). Hope you're all doing ok.

I'm at 21 hours and just having a herbal tea.

I find it becomes about the textures and tastes rather than hunger per se sometimes when breaking a fast and also just before I start a fast. Not sure if that makes sense. So something hot, cold, crunchy, tangy, spicy, fresh and so forth.

@fastingaway So true. I have not thought about it that way. For me at least, crunch and texture adds interest and strong tastes help to zap the hunger and make me feel fuller.

Other weird things I add to my food are cucumber, woodear fungus (dark and crunchy with almost zero calories), jellyfish and soy sauce, shredded seaweed, sesame oil and spicy oils. The Chinese and Japanese supermarkets are great for this. Alternatively, add shredded braised cabbage and cheesy grilled peppers or courgettes to cottage cheese with a dash of Maggie liquid seasoning.

I can eat a big bowl (or pick at it throughout the day) without counting calories. It is also vaguely healthy, colourful and full of fibre.

All this is prepared in advance. Eating just involves putting it together when feeling peckish.

I am a snacker with probably an oral fixation, so it works for me outside of fasting times.

I am starting my next 36 hour fast this evening, so enjoying my snacks while I can.

I am also preparing my foods in advance so I don't need to cook whilst I am fasting. A sure way to unintentionally fall off the wagon.

Just passed 36 hours, but will keep going until midday now. Hope others have gone for as long as they planned and enjoyed breakfast!

36 hours here too. Just made myself a cup of tea (which I know breaks the fast or the autophagy part) but will hold out from eating for another 1-2 hours

Well done. I'm nearly at 38 hours. I started to make myself some porridge earlier, but realised I wasn't actually hungry! Feeling a bit peckish now, but feels a strange time to know what to eat, so going to make a coffee and hopefully wait until lunch.

Well done to @fastingaway @LittlePearl . Hope @CranberryJanuary made it across the line. I am fasting with @FlakeyLurker but only 12 hours in. It is gonna be a long day.

I realise my autophagy is a bit sh_te because I have been drinking coffee throughout my fasts.

Hi all, please can I join?

I did a 36 hour fast about6 months ago and loved the way it made me feel but haven't been able to make it a regular thing. I'm now doing 16:8 or 18:6 most days but would love to stretch this out to 36 hours once a week.

I listened to the podcast someone recommended above about eh common pitfalls and am trying to take head! The thing that stuck with me particularly was not jumping straight in, so I'm hoping to do a couple of one meal days first and then gpu for 36 hours. I have also dipped into the Mindy Perez book which suggests not doing long fasts before your period so am going to get that out of the way first before I go for 36 hours.

My main motivation is weightless so I am watching what I eat outside of fasting too. I have dabbled in Fast800 so using a lot of those principles. The main thing for me is not giving up after 3 weeks, but trying to make it all more of a long term way of doing things which is what has motivated me to join your thread!

Sorry for the essay, well done to all the fasters today, and enjoy breaking your fast to those coming to the end of theirs.

Welcome @WhenWillItAllGetBetter. Taking it slow and building the fasting muscle definitely is the way to go - I think there is more chance of sustaining it that way. Those podcasts are very good - and I am also working my way through those. They do a monthly Q&A with Jason Fung that I am finding quite informative.

Welcome @WhenWillItAllGetBetter

Your approach sounds very sensible, I know that the times I have run into difficulty and given up completely have been when I have been too ambitious in terms of what I can achieve.

Well done everyone breaking their fast today, and keep going @blueshoes and @FlakeyLurker !

Welcome @WhenWillItAllGetBetter

Hope those who are fasting today are doing ok.

I broke my fast at just over 38 hours today.

I'm hoping to do a regular 36 hour fast every Sun eve until Tues morning. Then also on the weeks that it works with family etc, doing another 36 hour fast from Wed eve until Fri morning (but sometimes it might be 24 hours with dinner on a Thursday). That's my plan anyway. But I will be flexible based on how I'm feeling and also family plans.

Hello All, thank you to @LittlePearl and @Sunflowers84 who checked on me. My bug developed in to some pretty awful vertigo, and I had to avoid screens for a bit. Went to 16:8 for a few days and didn't worry about my steps. Still sugar-free(!) although Saturday was tough.

Welcome newcomers and well done fasters.

I'm going to focus on two plant-based meals in an 6-ish hour window and aiming for a 30-hour fast starting early on Sundays.

My latest tip, picked up from a couple of places (Nerd Fitness and Coach Viva, I think) is to come up with an Emergency meal / Plan B / Fall Back meal. This is probably self-explanatory, and it's to replace my current Emergency meal / Plan B / Fall Back meal of takeaway.
Current thinking is frozen jacket potato and tuna mayo, but very interested in anyone else's Emergency meal / Plan B / Fall Back meal ideas.

Glad you’re back @Peae though sorry to hear about the vertigo. I get it myself periodically and it’s horrible, and very disabling while it lasts.

I don’t have a regular fall back meal as such, but I do a lot of batch cooking so there’s usually something I can grab at short notice.

We try to eat 30 plants a week (probably do more some weeks) so plan the week’s meals in advance, which doesn’t mean I don’t slip up sometimes but helps me to eat fairly healthily when I’m not fasting.

@Peae is an Emergency meal / Plan B / Fall Back meal some staples you can reach for in your store cupboard or fridge if you have no time to shop but need a healthy meal?

Eggs, done any method, are great. You can eat them with mayo, throw leftover bits of vegetables like tomato, peppers, spinach in there. Grate cheese over it.

I have cous cous in my store cupboard. Easy to cook - add 1.6x of boiling water from the kettle to said cous cous in a bowl for 8 mins. Stir in chopped mint (or any leftover herbs) and cubed goats' cheese (or any cheese) to it. Add any salad leaves or grilled veg. Pomegranate seeds go very well with this salad, but that is pretty niche.😂

I also like to sprinkle nuts, like roasted and lightly crushed nuts and seeds for crunch and texture. Flax seeds are getting good press for cholesterol lowering properties. I roast peanuts and pumpkin seeds and keep a bottle of it aside to sprinkle. By crushing the peanuts, you can get a satisfying crunch with a lower calorie load.

Was going for 36 hours but unfortunately broke my fast at 20 hours for an hour. Dh had cooked tempura vegetables for dinner. Eating it fresh and hot was too delicious to pass. I am back on my fast with a view to ending tomorrow around lunch time, maybe an hour later at 37 hours, not that it cancels out my indulgence.

@Peae hope you are feeling better. Vertigo can be awful. Very impressed with your discipline despite these challenges. Wish you a speedy recovery. I am not sure what our backup meals are - if no leftovers and I can't delegate to OH 😄 then sometimes a takeaway too. Which is terrible and you've prompted me to think about a few quick meal ideas. By the way do you make your jacket potatoes and then freeze them or buy them frozen? There are some studies showing that cooked potatoes that are frozen and then reheated have lower starch levels which don't impact insulin levels as much.

Well done on the fast @Sunflowers84 I managed to break mine at lunchtime although did have a cup of tea in the morning so strictly broke it then after 36 hours. I've had two very big meals today with one of those being a dinner at Wagamama. Had planned to do another 36 and fast today/tomorrow as I have a full day at the office on Thursday but ideally I would have fasted on Thursday. So I'm just going to see how much I can fast tomorrow and if I need to break it earlier at lunch or dinner I will do.

I also just want to say thank you @Peae for starting this thread and to everybody for sharing. I am finding the companionship and support here really helpful and am learning from all of you.

Thank you @fastingaway . I agree 100% - so cool to be part of this thread and support!

Emergency meal of jacket potatoes and tuna mayo eaten. I do like frozen jackets because of the glucose benefits you mentioned. I used to be a bit sniffy about buying frozen jackets, but having tried some inherited ones, I'm not averse to buying McCains now!

Current goal is I have 16 days until my holiday, so I really want to dig deep and stay committed for those 16 days. TRE, hopefully some 30-hour fasts and no sugar. Also, after last weekend, no bread. (I ate all the bread).

Hi all, lovely to read of lots of impressive self control going on!

I'm interested about the tea breaking the fast - I thought some see it that way and some think a few calories from milk is ok, but does it mean autophagy won't happen? What will happen instead?! And is black tea/coffee/herbal ok?

I'm just enjoying a hot chocolate before I start fasting until Friday morning. Have done a couple of 16:8 days this week, and the rest with no discipline whatsoever! Anyone else doing tomorrow?

Yes, @Jollyjoy I'm fasting tomorrow. Hoping to do 36 hours from now until Friday morning.

@Jollyjoy yeah, I think that things like diet coke or a splash of milk in your tea are controversial.

Some say, if that's what you need to get you through, then do it. (I think that this is more about calorie-restriction).

Others say absolutely not and you've ruined any benefits from fasting (e.g. autophagy as you say), and ultimately making it harder for yourself.

Good luck @Sunflowers84 and @Jollyjoy with your fast tomorrow!

How did yours go @fastingaway ?

Thanks, I should read a bit more about it, but I've been more than happy to manage a long fast with tea with milk, I might build up to none though by having less tomorrow and more herbal tea. I hate Diet Coke/anything with sweeteners so less of a dilemma there.

Are you going somewhere lovely on holiday @Peae? Hope it's a smooth one for you tomorrow @Sunflowers84.

I've been having 2 or 3 coffees/teas with a small amount of milk on my fasting days. I'm now wondering if I shouldn't?

@Jollyjoy I'll check-in again later in the day. Is anyone else fasting with us today?

@Peae Are you still sugar free? Very impressive!

Yes I'm in two minds about it @Sunflowers84, I did read a bit and think it's absolutely fine to do it but it may impact your body going into autophagy. Although I just read about a study where people had honey in their tea during a fast and still were in ketosis when tested so it doesn't seem conclusive from my limited armchair googling.

I got up and made hot water with some lemon juice in but then doubted would that also break a fast, google seems to say unlikely but again not so clear!