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?

Unfortunately it's not happened today. Family plans unexpectedly changed, so I ended up needing to eat lunch (it was a situation where it would have been strange/rude for me not to eat and I'm also really keen for children to not see me skipping lots of meals). I will also need to eat dinner later.

I feel a bit frustrated as I was really motivated, but maybe I was being too ambitious to try to do this when we are still very much in 'Christmas mode' with work/family etc.

I'm really keen to do weekly 36 hour fasts from the new year (at least 1 but maybe 2 a week). Is anyone else planning on making this regular or having a plan/schedule? I'm wondering if any of us will be able to be in sync with each other?

As I’m prioritising quitting sugar and caffeine in January I’m going to aim for 30-hour fasts. Would love to tie-in with 36ers, but can see how that might not be helpful. I have a schedule ready at home which I can share later (still away at a hotel).

Yes, please do share your schedule.

What are you cutting out re:sugar? Are you including things like bread or just sweet things? How about fruit? Are you going cold turkey on both sugar and caffeine at the same time?

@TennisToday I found it easier to go through the fast if my last meal has lowest carbs and no sugar/alcohol. In terms of breaking the fast i once broke a 36hr fast with toast and felt really ill after - something to do with my blood sugar. I now break it with an avocado and then wait 30 mins before eating anything else.

Other things to help a fast is taking salt (Himalayan pink salt or Celtic salt) through the day and magnesium glycinate at night. I find both these help me with feeling good through a fast. It's to compensate for electrolyte loss due to not eating.

www.thefastingmethod.com/quick-guide-public/

There are lots of useful short articles here about preparing for fasting, schedules, breaking fast etc

@Sunflowers84 great questions for me to think about. With sugar I mean chocolate, biscuits, cake and any liquid sugars. I just go cold turkey when I quit sugar, with a bit of extra fruit if I struggle. I tend not to, and carrots, tomatoes etc very quickly taste sweet. I don’t avoid bread because it’s not something I eat much of.

Caffeine is a whole other ball game. Going cold turkey makes me want to rip off my head. So January will be a slow weaning. Currently got myself down to three drinks a day.

Here's the 30-hour protocol from Fung & Ramos @Sunflowers84 and anyone else interested. I'm doing this as a way of building up to 36ers again.

@Sunflowers84 It didn’t go well, I did 24 hours and then fell into a cheese binge! Damn it!

Is there a real benefit from fasting for so long that you can’t get from a 12-18 hour fast?

I find it is easier psychologically to stick to a fast if I tell myself that for one entire day, I go cold turkey on food.

If you start the fast at about 8 pm in the evening, the first few hours are easy because you have just eaten dinner. Then you go to sleep. The next day, nil by mouth re: food. By the time you wake up the following day at 8 am, 36 hours has passed. You are then done and dusted.

I lost one pound in my 36 hour fast.

@Birdscratch its recommended by Megan Ramos as the best protocol for (peri)menopausal women in terms of fat loss and type 2 diabetes. https://www.firstforwomen.com/weight-loss/diets/intermittent-fasting-for-menopause

I believe it’s benefiting from the fat-burning and autophagy time “zones” without too much stress on the body and diminishing returns of the longer fasts.

Yes, I’d like to do a weekly fast (36 - 40 hours, ideally). If it’s possible to sync with others on the thread that would be great but I realise it might be tricky.

In the past I’ve tried to do the same day each week but not religiously - if I need to swap the day some weeks so be it.

I’m thinking one day next week to get things rolling (w/b 5 Jan).

Just checked my calendar and I plan to fast from 8pm on Sunday night until late morning on Tuesday (I rarely eat breakfast so it makes sense to hang on until lunch).

if that works for others I would be delighted to have your company 🙂

@LittlePearl I’m up for a fastalong

@LittlePearl and @Fabulouslyunfabulous I'll join you on Sun eve/Mon.

Monday’s my first day back at work after two weeks 😬😬. Can’t decide whether that makes a fast easier or harder.

I’m going to consider a 30-hr fast today, but if I end up eating or drinking tonight, so be it.

I'm starting mine on Monday !

I'll definitely start next week but not sure yet whether Monday or Tuesday. I'm in the office on Monday and Wednesday so was thinking if Tuesday and Thursday fast may be easier

Excellent!

I think doing it at the same time as others is going to make me feel more resolve and determination.

Although I’m committed to a fasting lifestyle in principle and am convinced about the health benefits I won’t pretend I find it easy. I genuinely think this will help.

I know I'll find it easier once I get back in to the swing of things but currently at hour 6 and struggling! Mainly due to wanting to eat to comfort myself, but I clocked the impulse to go and buy some chocolate and thought to myself that I am choosing not to do that today.

I have a holiday at the start of February and that's a good motivation. As are some health concerns. Tomorrow I'll weigh myself and see where I am after our all-inclusive hotel stay 😬.

can I join your Sunday pm/Tuesday am fast please - I'll be starting 8pm too.

I used to follow a 2 day a week 16/8 and it worked brilliantly for me for years but slipped during lockdown with the family all at home and now with got a good stone to lose 🙄. I've managed to get my running habit back in the last few months with the couch to 5km with some fab support on here so it would be great to do the same with this. I may well go back to my twice weekly 16/8 but for now a 36 hour kickstart sounds ideal.

I WFH with lots of boredom/habit eating so slightly dreading it and no idea how I'll get on 😬

@lechatnoir welcome! If you do 16:8 twice a week, what are you doing on the other days?

on non fast days I generally ate pretty healthy but certainly wasn't dieting or particularly conscious of it like I am now - I didn't count/track of worry if I wanted a pudding when out. It was a much more ordered way of eating for me whereas now I feel I'm permanently on a diet eating fat free, counting calories etc but never getting anywhere! I was usually pretty strict on my fast days loading up on water and eat lighter high protein low carb meals so lots of fish, leafy veg, broths & soups, eggs, nuts and olive oil etc.

My diet now is unrecognisable (& I'd argue my looks would attest to this sadly) so really need this overhaul.

Oooh, interesting. So is your intention to combine fasting with calorie-counting? And what do you mean you ate lighter high protein low carb meals on your fasting days? Do you mean you had two days a week when you'd eat "sensibly" (for want of a better word) in an 8-hour window?

It is interesting but, for me, I think that any benefits from fasting for that long would be undone because it would lead to me bingeing.