Let Fast #2 begin

It’s been a couple of weeks since my first lengthy fast, and I believe it was a successful proof of concept. It’s not a panacea, but it seemed to do the desired thing: reduce the body’s set point a bit, and provide relief from insatiable hunger and cravings for several days afterward. Since the fast, my weight’s been hovering in the low to mid 470s.

The last few days, though, I’ve been feeling a wicked sweet tooth again. The local candy jars remain well stocked; the vending machines now accept payment from your smartphone; and on Friday afternoons after the grill closes, all the pastries in the downstairs cafeteria are FREEEE! for the final two hours before they shut down for the weekend.  This last Friday, I got a whole lot of free pastries. Not that I didn’t pay for it in other ways. I had a few days of big headaches and fatigue.

I meet with Dr. Harada later this month. It would be nice to be a good chunk more pounds down by then, as well as have a better basis for the next round of blood work.

I decided to start another fast today. It could roughly end on Sunday afternoon. We’ll be traveling to my brother’s house for a baby blessing, and there’s food afterward. But I could end a little early, or keep the streak going, depending on how I feel.

I’ve been reading and listening to more info on longer fasts, both Fung style and others. Dr. Fung notes that a bone broth fast isn’t technically a fast – the broth will elevate insulin – but the nutrients and reducing the risk of refeeding syndrome are worth the tradeoff. You’re still only eating 100-150 calories a day, which is nearly nothing, so burning through it is a relatively small blip that can help extend the length of the fast.

Another approach is a Fat Fast – this is the coconut oil, MCT oil, or butter in your brewed drink (coffee, tea). Fat doesn’t move the insulin needle, but it also doesn’t have the nutrients or electrolytes of the broth. It could be added to (or not removed from) the broth to help slow the uptake.

I’d like to work up to longer water fasts. I made it nearly six days on only two pints of broth. I’m curious to see how this one goes. 24-48 hours will be a decent “intermittent” fast.  Anything over three days will be a good extended fast.  I hope to build up over time to a couple of 1-2 week fasts a month. If nothing else, the money NOT spent on food should save a bundle.

Clock started at 4pm Pacific.

Leave a Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.