Fasting

[GMhunts]

I typically intermediate fast for 16 hours a day and give myself an 8 hour period to eat in.

 

[ChrisA]

I try to do a 5 day fast twice a year, and a 48 hour fast once a month. 2-4 days usually allows for autophagy to take place. If you become used to fasting and are able, I like to continue to be active during this time to enhance the benefits of the fast.

An important note for those new to this; what you eat, as well as how much you eat when breaking a fast (and to an extent before stsrting a fast) can impact the benefit you see from fasting, and how you will feel during and after.

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So what does a guy eat before, after, and what quantity for each?

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Following for info. Been wanting to add a monthly fast for quite some time now and just haven't executed yet.

 

[Ecampbell25]

I fast frequently. I became fat adapted quite a few years ago and consume minimal to no carbohydrates. If one is carb adapted (which is anecdotally 90% of our western society), it can be difficult to fast. Feeling ill or “hitting a wall” is almost certain. Body’s will crave glucose because it doesn’t know how to use fat. It’s never been forced to. Elevated levels of insulin in the blood stream are common as well as insulin resistance. It’s a vicious cycle. People like mountain hunters will state they “have to have carbs” to perform. They actually don’t. I can attest. Fat is a much more efficient fuel source and we have plenty. I don’t have to pack near as much food as I used to, which cuts down drastically on weight. I don’t eat very often and can perform well in mountains. I see people heading into the mountains with a lot of high carb foods (which translates into a lot of weight) for “performance”. It’s a game changer if one gets fat adapted in the off season. There is a very large rabbit hole on this subject when it comes to overall health and longevity. Fasting is critical for cell healing/ recycling called autophagy. Most of our western society eats too often, too much and too many carbs.

@Alaska92 I would 100% agree with this. I have been on a high fat diet and cut around 10 lbs of food weight out of my pack!

I try to fast everyday. First meal is usually around 11am…Last meal is usually around 7 pm.

I haven’t done any really long fasts yet but I’m working up to them.

 

[Ecampbell25]

So what does a guy eat before, after, and what quantity for each?

You can look into a carb counter app… here is a sample of one day.


Last meal of the day 7 pm usually elk steak 8 oz
Broccoli, diced garlic cauliflower rice with sour cream.

Wake up drink a glass of water with a dash of sea salt work out.

Fast until noon lunch chicken with spinach and sauerkraut

Snack maybe around 230-3 pm avocado, 1/2 cup bell weather farms a2 yogurt with blueberries a handful of mix nuts

If I’m still hungry bc I work construction I will come home and eat some lunch meat with some cheese and maybe a few Grillos pickles or olives.

Also I’m trying to drink a little under a gallon of water.

I have never felt better… hope that helps!

 

[ChrisA]

You can look into a carb counter app… here is a sample of one day.


Last meal of the day 7 pm usually elk steak 8 oz
Broccoli, diced garlic cauliflower rice with sour cream.

Wake up drink a glass of water with a dash of sea salt work out.

Fast until noon lunch chicken with spinach and sauerkraut

Snack maybe around 230-3 pm avocado, 1/2 cup bell weather farms a2 yogurt with blueberries a handful of mix nuts

If I’m still hungry bc I work construction I will come home and eat some lunch meat with some cheese and maybe a few Grillos pickles or olives.

Also I’m trying to drink a little under a gallon of water.

I have never felt better… hope that helps!

Thank you for the response. I should've been a bit more clear as I was wondering about foods leading up to and after a 48 hour or longer fast.
I've got the daily intermittent fast down pretty well, and I've done several 24 hour fasts but nothing over 26 hours yet.

 

[Chief Whack A Buck]

So what does a guy eat before, after, and what quantity for each?

It depends on your specific goals, but as a general rule of thumb, I personally eat a small meal with moderate to high fat content (small volume, high in fat calories) immediately before a fast. A quality fatty fish does well for this. I also supplement fish oil (DHA) and medium chain triglycerides. I might go with 8oz of fish, 2x RDV of the above supplements, and a healthy amount of salt.

Breaking a fast is similar as far as macro content is concerned, however I don't emphasize fish as much. I'll break my fast in the first day with 2 small meals (1 in the morning, then once again prior to bed). Breakfast is 1 whole egg, 4-6 oz of a fatty steak. Dinner is 6-8 oz of fatty steak, and a small quantity of green vegetables (albeit just enough to replenish micronutrients lost in the fast as I primarily eat carnivore).

The IMPORTANT consideration is to not over eat when breaking a fast, and not to overindulge in carbohydrates/high sugar foods when breaking a fast. This can result, in extreme cases, in re-feeding syndrome.

While this is most likely to occur in longer periods of fasting, I err on the side of caution and follow this practice with all of my fasting.

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[madlivid]

I do a 36 hour fast every week. Longest I've ever done is about 72 hours. Felt like hell around 48 hours in and then seemed to level off.

 

[doc holiday13]

I generally do 48 hr. 1x montly.. My last fast was 60 hours. I could have gone 72 but my wife made a meal just for me.

I'm sick sick, i'll fast. I'm 18% bodyfat so I have reserves to survive. I've found that fasting has eliminated hunger headaches, hangriness(if I stay occupied) and I make more decisions based on circumstance and not how my body feels.

At 40 y.o. now I'm also having to learn how to eat a normal size meal..

 

[doc holiday13]

I do a 36 hour fast every week. Longest I've ever done is about 72 hours. Felt like hell around 48 hours in and then seemed to level off.

My first 24 is always the hardest for me. I think the idea that "a meal is coming soon" makes going longer a more difficult task

 

[Duh]

I make my own and share it with a friend who uses it for her fasts. Easy to make and you know what's in it. It's a copy of LMNT but way cheaper and easy to make. There's lots of stuff out there that has sugar, stevia or something in it that isn't as clean as they make it sound.

You got a recipe for your own mix?

 

[BBob]

You got a recipe for your own mix?

Yes, it’s a copy of LMNT. They even tell you how to do it on their website.

For 32oz water (~3/4 tsp ttl) (you can add more or less depending on your needs or taste):

* 1/2 tsp sea salt (1000mg sodium by weight)
* 1/16 tsp NoSalt (200mg potassium chloride by weight)
* 1/4 tsp magnesium malate (60mg magnesium malate by weight)

NoSalt is a salt substitute most grocery stores carry. A small container goes a long way since you don’t use much. Everything is available off Amazon. I scaled up the weights to fill a mid sized prescription bottle so it’s on hand.

On occasion for flavoring I’ll use the little packets of True Citrus. They may or may not work for your definition of “clean” for your fast or breaking your fast as they contain a minuscule amount of sugar.

True Orange

Craving fresh orange flavor? True Orange is made from real oranges and is the most delicious orange drink mix that tastes like real orange wedges!

www.truelemon.com

My scaled up weights for a mid sized script bottle:

* 50gm sea salt
* 7.8gm No Salt
* 15.2gm magnesium malate

 

[Duh]

Yes, it’s a copy of LMNT. They even tell you how to do it on their website.

For 32oz water (you can add more or less depending on your needs or taste).

* 1/2 tsp sea salt (1000mg sodium by weight)
* 1/16 tsp NoSalt (200mg potassium chloride by weight)
* 1/4 tsp magnesium malate (60mg magnesium malate by weight)

NoSalt is a salt substitute most grocery stores carry. A small container goes a long way since you don’t use much. Everything is available off Amazon. I scaled up the weights to fill a mid sized prescription bottle so it’s on hand.

On occasion for flavoring I’ll use the little packets of True Citrus. They may or may not work for your definition of “clean” for your fast or breaking your fast as they contain a minuscule amount of sugar.

True Orange

Craving fresh orange flavor? True Orange is made from real oranges and is the most delicious orange drink mix that tastes like real orange wedges!

www.truelemon.com

My scaled up weights for a mid sized script bottle:

* 50gm sea salt
* 7.8gm No Salt
* 15.2gm magnesium malate

Thank you!

 

[Bama67]

Ive done several 2-3 day fasts.
just completed a 6 day a couple weeks ago. It was easy, could have went longer but my daughter cooked me a pie so I stopped that day.
Hardest part was coming home to a house smelled up with my wife baking fresh sourdough or something. Woowee that sucked.

thinking about doing a 14 day fast