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?

I've managed to fast yesterday and just broken at 36 hours with some nuts and tea (am at work). But have a big lunch event today and a late dinner too so will be a long eating window.

As far as I understand having anything with calories and things such as sweeteners breaks autophagy (the cell generation stuff) But a splash of milk doesn't often break ketosis which is what is needed for weight loss. Best of luck to all fasting today.

I'm in all day team meeting and they've brought out the biscuits and flapjacks 😩

Oh noooo @fastingaway, how have you fared against the might of the flapjack?!

I decided to avoid tea with milk and see how I got on, it's been fine with nettle tea and water actually. Bit of a caffeine headache I think but feel fine. About to make dinner for the kids, definitely the advice to be organised and have foods ready to support the fast, is one I need to take heed of. Swimming lessons in a bit and hopefully an early night.

Hope all is well for you @Sunflowers84.

Well done for fasting yesterday @fastingaway How's your 'feasting' day going?

@Jollyjoy Have you managed to make dinner without eating any?!

I've just had a decaf tea with milk (but not had any milk until now). I had a black coffee this morning and then hot water/herbal teas.

I'm not feeling hungry at the moment, but feeling like I 'want' to eat something (does that make sense?!). I'm determined to keep going though!

I need to finish my online food order this evening. I'm a bit out of inspiration. Has anyone had any particularly nice lunches or dinners this week?

@Jollyjoy we're going to Greece for some winter sun. And yes, I'm still sugar-free. Funnily enough it's getting harder not easier 😩.

Well done on your 36 hours @fastingaway ! What hour are you up to @Sunflowers84 ?

Not sure if any of these are inspiring, but we've had stir fry, carrot and lentil soup and a veggie curry this week, all from scratch.

That's brilliant @Peae, on the sugar and the holiday! Would you believe I actually went sugar free for 2 years at one point? Was before kids, seems hard to imagine now. It was straightforward once it was normal life though, if that helps, I forget how long it was painful for!

Yes I made dinner and it was ok but struggling now at 24hours, a bit hungry but mainly with a headache, not sure if it's caffeine as I have managed to do without my usual tea, or just the fasting. I can't be dehydrated as I've been chugging liquids all day. Just in and had some more salt to see if that helps. Will just get kids to bed and go to sleep myself. Earlier on I felt great, unusually alert and energetic actually.

I'm maybe a bit late @Sunflowers84 but yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed shakshuka for lunch - eggs poached in a garlicky tomato sauce with beans and spinach. Dd had seen my leftovers and asked for that for dinner tonight so I didn't feel deprived making it since I'd just had it yest! Also a few days ago had toasted sourdough spread with humous, topped with roasted veg and halloumi. Mmm I should stop thinking about food!

Those sound like great meals @Jollyjoy. If you can get to bed you will feel so much better in the morning.

Well done on the fasting so far @Sunflowers84. Of the two fasts this week one I found easier and one was much harder. I can't work out what the difference is. Will see if I can pick up a pattern over the next few weeks.

@Peae a winter Greece holiday sounds amazing. A perfect antidote to this time of year - also has some amazing food there.

I might have succumbed to a few flapjacks. And having dinner now. Tomorrow will be a 16:8 or 18:6 at most.

After the weekend of eating out and bread, and then a meal out on Tuesday, my weight has returned to its old favourite, 12st 11lb.

Any advice for finally getting below 12st 10? I have a meal out on Saturday (Thai again) so thinking of making that an OMAD. Sunday I’m out for brunch. Apart from that, the rest of January is looking fairly flexible. I’d love to get below 12st 10 for the start of Feb.

Well done @fastingaway and I hope you enjoyed the flapjacks. While none of us want to undo the hard work put in during the fasting hours, it's nice to have some treats too. That's one of the reason I think fasting works for me, I know I can relax at other times.

Hope your fasting has gone ok today @Jollyjoy and @Sunflowers84 Re inspiration for meals, we're enjoying recipes from two of the Roasting Tin series books that we got at Christmas - The Green Roasting Tin and The Quick Roasting Tin. OH made a tasty leek, green lentil and feta gratin the other day that was delicious. Another regular midweek meal in our house (not from a recipe book) is roasted veg with quinoa and salmon / halloumi.

On the subject of milk in tea and coffee, I swore I'd never drink coffee or tea without a splash of milk and reckoned that if that was the only way I could get through a fast, so be it. Then I got Gin Stephen's book Fast Feast Repeat and thought I'd give it a try. Now I never drink milk in tea and coffee, I'm totally accustomed to drink them black and actually prefer it. Funny how your tastes can change.

@Peae I feel your pain! My weight seems pretty stuck at the moment too. I'm trying to keep to a fairly short eating window and the weekly 36 hour fast and see what happens. Someone I know lost loads of weight (and has kept it off) on OMAD and though I'm not sure I want to do that all the time I'm hoping that two or three times a week will move the dial in the right direction. Good luck!

Thanks for the meal ideas, everyone. Really helpful.

Thank you also to those who shared more thoughts and experiences on milk in tea/coffee.

I'm just coming up to 34 hours.

Did the headache improve @Jollyjoy?

I've got no advice re:weight loss I'm afraid.

@Peae I'm not sure what age you are but I've been a bit quiet on this thread because I'm actually trying something a bit different which is based on a podcast I heard with Stacey sims on Hubermann.
Basically her thing is that from around 40s women need to fuel with protein before and after exercise. And also eating in the morning is important.. So have a small protein shake or something in the morning.
Honestly it's making a difference for me and I'm exercising better and I feel better and I've not weighed myself yet but I'm shifting a little of the post Xmas fat.
I then do the fast on my rest days but can only manage around 24 hrs as a result

I'm done at 36. Man that was so hard compared to my last two, I'm not sure why, the caffeine and no milk is the only difference. The headache did improve slightly with a bit of salt but felt so tired and weak in the evening, had a pretty broken sleep, and felt rubbish getting up. Better now after eating.

Agreed @LittlePearl, being able to eat pretty normally on other days or during short windows is what attracts me to fasting - I think my diet is pretty healthy generally but we need the treats sometimes.

That's really interesting @Whyherewego , definitely feels a change in how weight is lost/gained in 40s. For me when I avoid eating in the evening seems to make the biggest difference, we get in bad habits of late night snacks but when I'm firm on that I start to lose a bit and my stomach is flatter.

@Jollyjoy well done on completing the fast - especially when it feels quite tough. I think if you were withdrawing caffeine at the same time this would cause headaches as you transition. I have also read that you need to keep taking the salts through the day every 2-3 hrs as opposed to when you start feeling unwell. sparkling water seems to be helping me quite a bit - maybe due to mineral content. Glad you felt better after eating.

@Sunflowers84 how are you doing with the fast?

@Peae I sympathise on the weight - in a similar situation. What worked before doesn't work as well since perimenopause. Which is why I am trying the 2 x 36hour fasts. On the fasting method they do say sometimes 3 x 36 is the gold standard for weight loss. I am not really there yet and will keep going with the 2 and do some 16/8 or 18/6 the other days and focus on good food. I think you need to experiment, take things slowly and change it up occasionally and see what works. Some people don't need to fast that much to lose.

OMADs are good but rather than having the meal at the same time every day best way is to do it as lunch one day, dinner the next. I think you are doing something like this with the 30 hour fasts.

Thanks @fastingaway , you're probably right, I didn't really intentionally drop the caffeine but I really don't like black tea or coffee so ended up doing it in effort to do without the milk. Today I've had one coffee only so I may take the opportunity now it's arisen to reduce the caffeine altogether!

I did have salt in the morning twice but hadn't for several hours by time I felt bad so that's one to watch for, thanks.

Ended up skipping lunch today as just didn't feel hungry at that point, ready for dinner now tho! Happy weekends to everyone.

@LittlePearl I was enjoying OMAD, and losing weight, but I read that it can really damage your metabolism (Ramos & Fung) so stopped :( Hopefully doing 30-hour fasts once or twice a week (which is ultimately the odd OMAD) will get things moving.

@Whyherewego I have seen Stacy Simms name popping up all over the place recently. I should look in to her work, but it seems to contradict Megan Ramos' work (which seems very evidence-based). I'd be interested to hear if you've had any fat loss since Christmas following her advice. I don't really exercise before eating, apart from a 40-minute brisk walking commute some days.

Congratulations @Sunflowers84 and @Jollyjoy with your fasting success!

@fastingaway Yes, it was the "gold standard" stuff that inspired this thread. How's your weightloss gone with 36s? I think I'm going to try 2x 30 hours per week and work up. Also, we're looking at joining a gym which should mean I have something different to do in the evening and can try to shift my biggest meal earlier in the day (this works really well for me on a weekend).

A NSV I had was avoiding sugar on the way home after a) it being Friyay and b) an awful, sugar-triggering event at work about an hour before I left. Luckily I had 15 minutes before I passed a sugar shop and that was enough time to engage my upper brain and overcome my reptilian brain.

I weigh every day so see fluctuations a fair bit but the trend seems downward. Early days - I have done 4 x 36s since the new year and I think I've lost just over 1kg so about 0.5 pound per fast I think. It can increase and I am ok losing weight slowly as long as it's going in the right direction. I think it's in line with what the research shows

What was your trend in weight loss when you were doing the 36s before @Peae. Keen to hear how others have found it in terms of weight loss or even NSVs (non scale victories).

@Peae i know it's all confusing as I also thought fasting was good so I'm experimenting to be honest. Stacy Sims also seems very evidence based too !
The fact is my performance is improving with the extra protein so I'm going to stick it with for a while.
Also very interesting about the OMAD!

@fastingaway i think it was about 1/2lb - 1lb per week, fairly consistent.

I'm afraid I’ve had a little cry tonight. Trying on holiday clothes and caught my side profile in the mirror. Felt ridiculous with my beach ball belly and other parts I won’t put in writing.

It all feels a bit lonely and futile tonight, when the world and his dog seem to be on the injections. I really thought the weight would drop off if I gave up sugar, but here I am, still the top end of 12st.

Sorry ☹️☹️.

oh @Peae I feel you, its so bloody disheartening when you are doing everything right and the weight just won't shift. I don't have any answers but just a handhold tonight

@Peae I get it. Sorry you've had a wobble this evening. Its's ok to do so - we are all human. But hopefully you know through all this you are doing your body a lot of good. Baby steps - handhold here with you too.

@Peae I am so sorry you are feeling low. Please don't be disheartened. You are doing the right things by taking it slow with fasting.

Thank you I really was at a low point last night.
But your messages helped and I remembered that it's not just about weight loss. It's about reducing the chance of dementia and diabetes and cancer and strokes...
Also, having checked my graph this morning, the overall trend is downwards.

I am looking back at the last few days and learning that I really can't get away with days of bread and two meals out a week. This doesn't make me as sad as it once would. I really do want to be one of the successful women (when it comes to weight-loss).

Next deliberation is whether to return to the gym, or get back on the horse with home workouts 🤔. I think this weekend will probably end with joining a new gym.

Attagirl @Peae pick yourself up and carry on doing the good work!
I'd really enourage you to consider the protein element in your diet, it does genuinely make me feel more full. And especially if you are exercising in the gym!

It's rather long but on youtube you can at least fast forward to relevant sections