All About Fasting

[Fluffy]

Has anyone in the forum dealt with an eating disorder, such as binge eating and successfully tried fasting?

I am asking because I am trying to understand the difference between starving and fasting as both trigger hungry signals and can make one not feel great, for fasting that's usually when one is new to the practice and getting into it (from the research I have done, please correct me if I am wrong)

I guess I am confused because as I do The Work, I am coming home to the idea how important to is to listen to our body's signals as someone who has spent most of her life in her head and overthinking, not paying attention to what the body needs.

I know there is a ton of well documented research on the benefits of fasting but I am having trouble reconciling the benefits while ignoring our bodies cue for hungry

I'd really like to get to a point of fasting for 3 days but I right now am un able to make a full 24 hours as I get so sick and low energy and then end up eating so much which seems like binge eating

Is my body not ready to fast do you think?

Edit: I realized I already posted something like this recently. I clearly need to re-read this thread more thoroughly. I can't delete the post so I made an edit

I’ve done a lot of fasting that I wasn’t mentally prepared for. I think it caused, or at least contributed to some deranged eating habits and relationship with food, though I always have had a tendency to want to overeat (sweets, never steak). At one point I was having one meal every 2nd day, excluding only wheat products. I became obsessed with being extra lean and would hate myself if I ate out of that sequence.

I wrote elsewhere that I overcome the majority of my deranged eating habits by letting myself eat whatever I wanted and as much of it as I wanted. I came to a point where I didn’t want for a thing much anymore because I’d satisfied all the cravings I’d missed out on and was actually getting enough nutrition which fixed my mental health.

I see this post was from March. Have you tried again since?

 

[Fluffy]

A short article on the benefits of dry fasting. The author has a lot of content, including certain protocols for addressing long covid and autoimmune conditions.

His claim is that a 1 day dry fast (no food and no water) results in the same amount of autophagy as a 3 day water fast.

The Science behind how a 1-day Dry Fast is equivalent to a 3-day Water Fast in Raw Autophagic Power

LC3 is a protein that is critical to autophagy. We can use this information to see how much autophagy is happening at a given time.

www.dryfastingclub.com

While the study shows autophagy does significantly increase after 1 day of both calorie restriction and dehydration, I think his analysis is missing something.

View attachment 100764

Dry fast autophagy jumps to something like 2.8 after just 1 day, then tapers off. Hey says it's 3.0 in his video, but it's not at that level to my eye. He's inflating the numbers a bit.

It also appears he doesn't know basic math? Day 1 of a water fast = 1.5. Day 2 of water fast = 1.5. So the cumulative Day 2 water fast LC3-II level = +3.0.

So 1 day of dry fasting does not 'provide more "additional" autophagy than 3 combined days of water fasting.' Dry fasting provides in 1 day around the same amount of additional autophagy as 2 combined days of water fasting.

That aside, I've never tried dry fasting before, and will give it a try. He also has some other interesting information about dry fasting, such as metabolic water, which I'd never heard of. Our body creates water internally while in a state of dehydration. Our body fat is a storehouse for the ingredients for water! Our muscles can provide water, too.

This is how dry fast fanatics - or those desperate to heal - can survive periods of no water intake for 9 to 11 days. This is also how Native Peoples could do well on their vision quests, which generally entails going into a sweat lodge and dropping a ton of water, then hiking up a mountain, sitting in prayer for four days with no food or water, hiking back down the mountain, and then going into another sweat lodge. I'd always wondered about the biology of that.

Metabolic Water and Fasting | Wet and Dry

Discover metabolic water, produced by animals as they break down nutrients like proteins and fats, helping them maintain hydration in limited water conditions.

www.dryfastingclub.com

I read somewhere in all the fasting literature I read many years ago, can’t quote it because I couldn’t even begin to know where it came from, that when we dry fast instead of our cells kicking out toxins the toxins are burned up inside the cell which turn into little furnaces leaving no waste product behind.

I’ve always wanted to try dry fasting intentionally. Long ago when I was using heavy drugs I would not eat or drink for days on end, I was actually in pretty good health albeit the drug use which obviously had many mental elements, though physically l was the healthiest I’ve ever been.

 

[Paranthas]

For anyone is planning and or fasting regularly I would like to drop a generic 48+ hrs fasting plan you can tweak and change to personal needs, always make sure getting done neccesary check-ups to see if there is any impendment an fasting for you.

48+ Hrs Fasting Plan

1) Don’t heavily plan.

Excessive pre-planning makes fasting harder.

Knowing you won't eat for days increases hunger due to psychological pressure. Instead, choose a rough start time and begin when it feels right.

Ideally, be 16-20 hours into the fast before acknowledging you won't eat for a few days.

2) Make your last meals keto (high fat, moderate protein, low carbs).

This speeds up ketosis and prepares your body for fasting.

Example: Have a low-carb, high-fat dinner, then fast until 2 pm the next day.

3) Go for a long low-intensity walk and resistance train within the first 24 hours

This will help you burn remaining carbohydrates to facilitate entering a state of ketosis—at which point you will function better as you will have converted towards fat for energy.

I would also do resistance training at the gym to provide “stimulus” to your muscles, aiding muscle preservation

4) Day 1 → Stay Busy

The first night without food is tough.

Stay busy during the day, then stay up late to ensure you're tired.

Wind down with blue light blockers, reduce screen time, and do 15-20 minutes of red light therapy.

Take magnesium 90 minutes before bed.

——————————————————

5) Day 2 Without Food

Surprisingly, hunger fades the longer you fast, shifting from physical to psychological.

Eating habits are just that—habits, not necessities.

I break my fast on the evening of Day 2 to create a “finish line” feeling before tackling the day’s tasks.

For Day 2, consume:

• 1 tbsp Celtic/Himalayan salt in water

• 1-2 cups bone broth

• 2 tbsp raw coconut oil.

This boosts hydration, mental clarity, and reduces hunger and muscle loss. No workouts on day 2.

—————————————————-

6) Day 3 Without Food

Stay busy and consume:


• 1 tbsp Celtic/Himalayan salt in water

• 1-2 cups bone broth

• 2 tbsp raw coconut oil

Late morning:

• Have 1 coffee to stimulate autophagy

Early afternoon:

• Perform a salt water flush, followed by a symbiotic.


Late afternoon/early evening (~5 pm): Break the fast!

Start with an easily digestible meal with protein and healthy fats. Increase carbs as the evening progresses.

Example meal:

• Eggs

• Avocado

• Cucumber

• Fried spinach

• Smoked salmon

• Cold-pressed olive oil

wait a couple of hours and snack on some nut butter/nuts, berries, a banana… all nice and easy to digest.

Then a decent-sized meal at around 7 pm—a stir fry or something simple and easy to digest will go down a treat after 2/3 days of not eating.

——————————————————

Next day; back to normal

During Fasting You Can Consume

• Water

• Sparkling water

• Salt (add to your water)

• Black tea and herbal teas

• Apple cider vinegar (diluting 2 tbsps with water and sip before your first high carb meal)

And lastly, black coffee and bone broth.

 

[iamthatis]

For anyone is planning and or fasting regularly I would like to drop a generic 48+ hrs fasting plan you can tweak and change to personal needs, always make sure getting done neccesary check-ups to see if there is any impendment an fasting for you.

48+ Hrs Fasting Plan

1) Don’t heavily plan.

Excessive pre-planning makes fasting harder.

Knowing you won't eat for days increases hunger due to psychological pressure. Instead, choose a rough start time and begin when it feels right.

Ideally, be 16-20 hours into the fast before acknowledging you won't eat for a few days.

2) Make your last meals keto (high fat, moderate protein, low carbs).

This speeds up ketosis and prepares your body for fasting.

Example: Have a low-carb, high-fat dinner, then fast until 2 pm the next day.

3) Go for a long low-intensity walk and resistance train within the first 24 hours

This will help you burn remaining carbohydrates to facilitate entering a state of ketosis—at which point you will function better as you will have converted towards fat for energy.

I would also do resistance training at the gym to provide “stimulus” to your muscles, aiding muscle preservation

4) Day 1 → Stay Busy

The first night without food is tough.

Stay busy during the day, then stay up late to ensure you're tired.

Wind down with blue light blockers, reduce screen time, and do 15-20 minutes of red light therapy.

Take magnesium 90 minutes before bed.

——————————————————

5) Day 2 Without Food

Surprisingly, hunger fades the longer you fast, shifting from physical to psychological.

Eating habits are just that—habits, not necessities.

I break my fast on the evening of Day 2 to create a “finish line” feeling before tackling the day’s tasks.

For Day 2, consume:

• 1 tbsp Celtic/Himalayan salt in water

• 1-2 cups bone broth

• 2 tbsp raw coconut oil.

This boosts hydration, mental clarity, and reduces hunger and muscle loss. No workouts on day 2.

—————————————————-

6) Day 3 Without Food

Stay busy and consume:


• 1 tbsp Celtic/Himalayan salt in water

• 1-2 cups bone broth

• 2 tbsp raw coconut oil

Late morning:

• Have 1 coffee to stimulate autophagy

Early afternoon:

• Perform a salt water flush, followed by a symbiotic.


Late afternoon/early evening (~5 pm): Break the fast!

Start with an easily digestible meal with protein and healthy fats. Increase carbs as the evening progresses.

Example meal:

• Eggs

• Avocado

• Cucumber

• Fried spinach

• Smoked salmon

• Cold-pressed olive oil

wait a couple of hours and snack on some nut butter/nuts, berries, a banana… all nice and easy to digest.

Then a decent-sized meal at around 7 pm—a stir fry or something simple and easy to digest will go down a treat after 2/3 days of not eating.

——————————————————

Next day; back to normal

During Fasting You Can Consume

• Water

• Sparkling water

• Salt (add to your water)

• Black tea and herbal teas

• Apple cider vinegar (diluting 2 tbsps with water and sip before your first high carb meal)

And lastly, black coffee and bone broth.

Just an FYI, spinach is full of oxalates. I don't consider it to be food.

Thread 'New Objective:Health Episode: The Hidden Dangers of Oxalates in Your Food‌ - Interview With Sally K. Norton'

Apr 7, 2019

In our most recent episode of Objective:Health, we interviewed oxalate expert Sally Norton, who shines light on the many hidden dangers of long-term elevated oxalate consumption.

Warning: After listening to this episode, you will likely reconsider what you consider to be "treats" in your diet. After learning more and more about this topic, I believe it has the potential to be a game-changer for many people's health.

MOST of the "health foods" we eat liberally in Paleo or Keto diets are extremely high in oxalates. This is absolutely essential listening!

• Keyhole
• Replies: 48
• Forum: Diet and Health

• 

 

[washable_orbit]

For anyone is planning and or fasting regularly I would like to drop a generic 48+ hrs fasting plan you can tweak and change to personal needs, always make sure getting done neccesary check-ups to see if there is any impendment an fasting for you.

This plan would probably kill me on the spot. There’s also a lot of sugars and oxalates in there. And isn’t salmon a very low nutrition food too? I could be wrong. Unless it’s wild caught, at least the supermarket ones are loaded with omega-6.

I fast because I don’t like to eat at work. And I don’t like to use the microwave anymore either. I’ve gotten used to my stove cooked meals everyday. So I just eat a lot when I get home, more than my body even asks for out of fear that I may not be replenishing everything I need. No fasting on my days off.

But what I wanted to say, is that fasting is extremely easy on a carnivore diet. I jokingly like to pretend I’m a lion in the savannah and there are no antelopes to catch for the time being.

This would’ve never happened before, I’d have to overload myself with ungodly amounts of sugar to make it through the day.

That said, I haven’t done a multi day fast in a while. I just wanted to share my personal experiences for whatever it’s worth.

 

[Vajra91]

FWIW, I thought I'd share my experience with fasting as well, since I've done that quite a few times in the past.
I remember I started with 3 days, then eventually increased to 5, 7 and finally 10 days. Never pushed beyond 10 simply out of worry for possible unwanted effects.

Being on a carnivore/keto diet before starting the fast definitely helps with the initial hunger. I also find that hunger vanishes pretty much entirely by the 3rd or 4th day at the latest. Mind you, I would still "desire" food, the taste, the texture, the chewing.. But I find that it's not a need coming from my stomach, it's very clearly a mental craving, a sensation focused in the mouth. I also end up dreaming about eating

All I worry about while fasting is that I continue to drink the usual amount of water or more. No supplements, I'll keep smoking (I've tried to stop while fasting but it's just too much stress for me). The first time I fasted I remember getting a little headache, but a cup of warm salted water quickly solved the issue. No particular feeling of weakness either, though my legs (and my body in general, I think) does start feeling a bit "light" somewhere around day 5 or 6, but I never had trouble thinking or walking or doing chores. I even did a bit of gentle bodyweight exercise a couple of times (push-ups, squats, crunches, that sort of thing, but just a little bit). In fact, I'd say that after 2-3 days I start feeling energized, not tired.

As for breaking the fast, I usually choose just red meat (be it a broth or a burger or anything). Eating slowly and not too much, I find that I have no desire to overeat after a long fast. If I'm not on a strictly carnivore diet then I'll add a few olives too. And supplements of course.

As far as my psoriasis goes, 6-7 days used to be enough to start seeing some improvement inflammation-wise. Then it stopped working, still trying to figure that out.
Mentally, the deprivation is not great on the mood for the first few days of fasting, but as time passes that tends to go back to my "normal", possibly even improve a little.

It's been a while since the last time. I think I'll try again soon.

 

[FM258]

Starting a 10 day fast tomorrow. Have done many 1, 3 and a few 7 day fasts, this will be my first 10.

Arthritis is my main target but I wont mind losing some tummy lbs. Starting this at 199, should lose a min of 1 lb a day.

Fresh lemons and a gallon of spring water for each day. May throw some electrolytes in there if needed.