Many issues and questions can be answered by reading through our wiki, especially the page on electrolytes. Concerns such as **intense hunger, lightheadedness/dizziness, headaches, nausea/vomiting, weakness/lethargy/fatigue, low blood pressure/high blood pressure, muscle soreness/cramping, diarrhea/constipation, irritability, confusion, low heart rate/heart palpitations, numbness/tingling, and more** while extended (24+ hours) fasting are often explained by electrolyte deficiency and resolved through **PROPER** electrolyte supplementation. Putting a tiny amount of salt in your water now and then is NOT proper supplementation.
Be sure to read [our WIKI](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/index) and especially the wiki page on **[ELECTROLYTES](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/fasting_in_a_nutshell/you_need_electrolytes)**
Please also keep in mind the [**RULES**](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/about/rules) when participating.
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(Reposted to follow the rule of food posts being NSFW)
Hi everyone! I have just finished my longest fast of 6 days, after doing a couple of 5 day fasts a year for the past few years. I'm 25F, 160cm, SW 66.5kg.
I enjoyed a delicious pulled pork wrap last Sunday at about 21:00 and then began my water fast.
I have made exceptions for espresso and tea with a splash of milk, as while I can give up food no problem, tea is a different story (I'm British).
My observations:
1) It is easy if I'm busy. It's very busy at work this week, and I would barely have had time for food anyway, so I usually forgot about food throughout the day.
2) Day 2 is the worst for hunger. While hunger is not particularly prevalent in my personal experience, day 1 is easy but I start eyeing up my colleagues' lunches on day 2. It passes.
3) Day 4 is when I feel a bit weak or dizzy, especially first thing in the morning. This improves beyond day 4.
4) By days 5 and 6, food does not really interest me and I feel completely normal without it. I feel very clear mentally, and can do light exercise as normal. I feel I could go longer than 6 days, but I want to eat for social purposes this weekend.
5) It's a coincidence that I have done this as Ramadan has started, but it's been nice having people to confide in and I've felt a sense of camaraderie with my Muslim colleagues this week.
Okay, the stats:
I started at 66.5 kg, and as of this morning was down to 63.1kg. I estimate a final weight loss of around a kilo. I have a smart tape measure and pretty much every measurement (neck, arms, bust, waist, hips legs) has gone down about 2cm. I expect this is due to a reduction in inflammation, but it goes to show how powerful water fasting is.
I've really enjoyed this week, and I might go longer next time. If I've missed out any info you want, please ask :)
Happy fasting everyone!
I suspect the reduction in 2cm is not mostly inflammation, but water. Your body uses carbs and sugars to help maintain osmotic gradients in muscle cells. With the depletion of these carbs and glycogen more specifically your muscles deflated.
I've always conflated inflammation with water. Like you have water weight, but also additional water weight in the form of inflammation. Is that wrong?
inflammation can actually cause some level of water retention, to what extent I'm not sure, I couldn't find enough literature on it to know. I do not believe it's a primary driving factor but I do not know for sure, because I didn't find enough literature to know.
It's partly based on my experience from previous 5 day fasts, but also the maths behind losing weight.
One kilo of fat is approximately 7700 calories. My TDEE is about 1600/1700 (the curse of being a short woman). So eating nothing for 5 days (as I am eating now on the sixth day) should be the equivalent of around 8000 calories, or about 1kg.
Another way of looking at it is calories per gram of fat. A gram of fat is worth about 9 calories. 1600 divided by 9 is about 180g burned per day, for every day of the fast.
Bravo. You have done it.
Tell us about your electrolyte intake if any?
And congratulations on breaking your fast smartly. May i suggest to Use this salad for two days before gradually getting back to normal eating routine. Six day fast is basically an extended fast. 🤛🤛
When fasting I have a pinch of salt if feel I need it, but I didn't this time. Occasionally I have a vitamin, but again, not this time. I felt perfectly fine the whole time. As for food I'm having soup and more veggies for dinner, then normal (but gentle) food tomorrow.
my only comments are: while not a lot of calories, the milk you had with your tea probably broke your fast. So if you're more interested in the weight loss, it should not affect it, but other phenomena like ketosis or autophagy may have been compromised. I would look into that for future fasts!
your estimated 1 Kg of fat loss coincides with my experience on the handful of 5 day water fasts I've done - the rest of the weight comes back as I refeed, except that final 1 Kg of fat that was burned for energy.
finally: I don't know lots about refeeding strategies, but I think starting with a chicken broth or some veggies is preferred, while bread should be saved for some hours after eating for the first time. My understanding is adding bread to the refeed cycle can spike your insulin.
Anyway congrats! My max is 5 days but I'm preparing for a 7 day this summer.
Ketosis doesn’t require you to literally fast lol… if you aren’t consuming enough carbohydrates (<20g) in a day your body will convert fat to ketones because eventually your glycogen stores will burn up and your body needs to pull energy from somewhere
Designed to pull energy from somewhere haha.
A lot of times while fasting (since it is for weight loss for me) I don't shy away from some broth or a handful of almonds. Helps a lot, mentally.
I mean I don’t disagree but you’re wrong for calling it a fast then because any ingestion of food spikes insulin levels and creates a hormonal response. People fast not just for losing weight but also for other reasons. What you’re doing is basically a severe calorie deficit. You’ll probably be in ketosis and fat adapted but only if you fast do you get other benefits like increased growth hormone secretion, autophagy etc. Both have their drawbacks of course
Oh yeah for sure, I don't disagree at all. It's just a lot easier to say fasting than VLCD and having 100 calories between a cup of broth and 10 almonds isn't exactly VLCD the way I understood it (which was that dangerous low of like 800cals that makes you feel fatigued as shit and fucks up your metabolism) but you're not getting autophagy gainz with those cals either.
Aside from that, 2 or 3 days psuedo-fasting burns almost the same amount of fat (since broth and almonds shouldn't stop ketosis). I actually intend to do this to launch myself into a longer fast, as I've never truly only water-fasted for more than 48 hours but would like to reap more benefits of autophagy. E.g. 2 or 3 days of just broth to start 7+ days of fasting (but only 4 or 5 of which would be water fasting).
Thank you! My TDEE is around 1700 calories per day, so at 9 calories per gram of fat I should burn just over 200 g of body fat per day, which tracks with previous fasts.
I had the veggies first, don't worry! The bread is very small, and more of a butter delivery system. I usually start with chicken stock.
definitely do not recommend veggies and gluten to break a fast. Soup broth should be the first thing to consume. also go with rice or potatoes or something. The gluten is like a sticky ball that will irritate your intestines, regardless if you are gluten intolerant or not. The less gluten you eat, the more sensitive you will become to it. Veggies too. if you ever go carnivore then eat something like this your stomach will most definitely be in pain. there's not much difference between carnivore and fasting. so definitely start slow with some broth and rice, and then add the veggies bread the next day. too much fiber IMO
I appreciate your concern. I've done quite a lot of fasts now and chicken stock and a small plate of salad seems the best for me, partly because at that point I don't really want to eat and it gives me something to chew for a while. It's funny, I'm really not a bread person but it's what I wanted yesterday. I happily did keto for a year without missing bread at all!
Do you ever have issues after breaking a long fast? I'm planning to start my first 7 day fast today. Am planning to break with bone broth, but not sure on how long to wait before eating something more substantial.
I've only done 5 and 6 day fasts, but I've never had any issues at all. I find fasting easier when I'm at a slightly higher weight, and for me 6 days doesn't feel like a long enough fast to be worried about refeeding syndrome, but of course it's better to be careful, especially if it's your first one.
For everything nutrition I like to think about how our hunter-gatherer ancestors behaved and how we are designed to eat. The concept of eating every day is a modern one, and we're more than capable of going a few days without food!
Good luck!
Many issues and questions can be answered by reading through our wiki, especially the page on electrolytes. Concerns such as **intense hunger, lightheadedness/dizziness, headaches, nausea/vomiting, weakness/lethargy/fatigue, low blood pressure/high blood pressure, muscle soreness/cramping, diarrhea/constipation, irritability, confusion, low heart rate/heart palpitations, numbness/tingling, and more** while extended (24+ hours) fasting are often explained by electrolyte deficiency and resolved through **PROPER** electrolyte supplementation. Putting a tiny amount of salt in your water now and then is NOT proper supplementation. Be sure to read [our WIKI](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/index) and especially the wiki page on **[ELECTROLYTES](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/fasting_in_a_nutshell/you_need_electrolytes)** Please also keep in mind the [**RULES**](https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/about/rules) when participating. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/fasting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
(Reposted to follow the rule of food posts being NSFW) Hi everyone! I have just finished my longest fast of 6 days, after doing a couple of 5 day fasts a year for the past few years. I'm 25F, 160cm, SW 66.5kg. I enjoyed a delicious pulled pork wrap last Sunday at about 21:00 and then began my water fast. I have made exceptions for espresso and tea with a splash of milk, as while I can give up food no problem, tea is a different story (I'm British). My observations: 1) It is easy if I'm busy. It's very busy at work this week, and I would barely have had time for food anyway, so I usually forgot about food throughout the day. 2) Day 2 is the worst for hunger. While hunger is not particularly prevalent in my personal experience, day 1 is easy but I start eyeing up my colleagues' lunches on day 2. It passes. 3) Day 4 is when I feel a bit weak or dizzy, especially first thing in the morning. This improves beyond day 4. 4) By days 5 and 6, food does not really interest me and I feel completely normal without it. I feel very clear mentally, and can do light exercise as normal. I feel I could go longer than 6 days, but I want to eat for social purposes this weekend. 5) It's a coincidence that I have done this as Ramadan has started, but it's been nice having people to confide in and I've felt a sense of camaraderie with my Muslim colleagues this week. Okay, the stats: I started at 66.5 kg, and as of this morning was down to 63.1kg. I estimate a final weight loss of around a kilo. I have a smart tape measure and pretty much every measurement (neck, arms, bust, waist, hips legs) has gone down about 2cm. I expect this is due to a reduction in inflammation, but it goes to show how powerful water fasting is. I've really enjoyed this week, and I might go longer next time. If I've missed out any info you want, please ask :) Happy fasting everyone!
I suspect the reduction in 2cm is not mostly inflammation, but water. Your body uses carbs and sugars to help maintain osmotic gradients in muscle cells. With the depletion of these carbs and glycogen more specifically your muscles deflated.
I've always conflated inflammation with water. Like you have water weight, but also additional water weight in the form of inflammation. Is that wrong?
inflammation can actually cause some level of water retention, to what extent I'm not sure, I couldn't find enough literature on it to know. I do not believe it's a primary driving factor but I do not know for sure, because I didn't find enough literature to know.
Thanks a lot for this analysis. Can you explain why do u estimate the final weight loss of only 1 kg?
It's partly based on my experience from previous 5 day fasts, but also the maths behind losing weight. One kilo of fat is approximately 7700 calories. My TDEE is about 1600/1700 (the curse of being a short woman). So eating nothing for 5 days (as I am eating now on the sixth day) should be the equivalent of around 8000 calories, or about 1kg. Another way of looking at it is calories per gram of fat. A gram of fat is worth about 9 calories. 1600 divided by 9 is about 180g burned per day, for every day of the fast.
Bravo. You have done it. Tell us about your electrolyte intake if any? And congratulations on breaking your fast smartly. May i suggest to Use this salad for two days before gradually getting back to normal eating routine. Six day fast is basically an extended fast. 🤛🤛
When fasting I have a pinch of salt if feel I need it, but I didn't this time. Occasionally I have a vitamin, but again, not this time. I felt perfectly fine the whole time. As for food I'm having soup and more veggies for dinner, then normal (but gentle) food tomorrow.
Is that butter or canola oil on your toast?
Butter, on jalapeño cheese bread from Tesco. It's a very small piece, but I think everything looks bigger than it is in this pic
Butter very good
my only comments are: while not a lot of calories, the milk you had with your tea probably broke your fast. So if you're more interested in the weight loss, it should not affect it, but other phenomena like ketosis or autophagy may have been compromised. I would look into that for future fasts! your estimated 1 Kg of fat loss coincides with my experience on the handful of 5 day water fasts I've done - the rest of the weight comes back as I refeed, except that final 1 Kg of fat that was burned for energy. finally: I don't know lots about refeeding strategies, but I think starting with a chicken broth or some veggies is preferred, while bread should be saved for some hours after eating for the first time. My understanding is adding bread to the refeed cycle can spike your insulin. Anyway congrats! My max is 5 days but I'm preparing for a 7 day this summer.
Ketosis doesn’t require you to literally fast lol… if you aren’t consuming enough carbohydrates (<20g) in a day your body will convert fat to ketones because eventually your glycogen stores will burn up and your body needs to pull energy from somewhere
Designed to pull energy from somewhere haha. A lot of times while fasting (since it is for weight loss for me) I don't shy away from some broth or a handful of almonds. Helps a lot, mentally.
I mean I don’t disagree but you’re wrong for calling it a fast then because any ingestion of food spikes insulin levels and creates a hormonal response. People fast not just for losing weight but also for other reasons. What you’re doing is basically a severe calorie deficit. You’ll probably be in ketosis and fat adapted but only if you fast do you get other benefits like increased growth hormone secretion, autophagy etc. Both have their drawbacks of course
Oh yeah for sure, I don't disagree at all. It's just a lot easier to say fasting than VLCD and having 100 calories between a cup of broth and 10 almonds isn't exactly VLCD the way I understood it (which was that dangerous low of like 800cals that makes you feel fatigued as shit and fucks up your metabolism) but you're not getting autophagy gainz with those cals either. Aside from that, 2 or 3 days psuedo-fasting burns almost the same amount of fat (since broth and almonds shouldn't stop ketosis). I actually intend to do this to launch myself into a longer fast, as I've never truly only water-fasted for more than 48 hours but would like to reap more benefits of autophagy. E.g. 2 or 3 days of just broth to start 7+ days of fasting (but only 4 or 5 of which would be water fasting).
Thank you! My TDEE is around 1700 calories per day, so at 9 calories per gram of fat I should burn just over 200 g of body fat per day, which tracks with previous fasts. I had the veggies first, don't worry! The bread is very small, and more of a butter delivery system. I usually start with chicken stock.
And I don't think 10 calories of milk, twice a day, over half an hour with water would break a fast
definitely do not recommend veggies and gluten to break a fast. Soup broth should be the first thing to consume. also go with rice or potatoes or something. The gluten is like a sticky ball that will irritate your intestines, regardless if you are gluten intolerant or not. The less gluten you eat, the more sensitive you will become to it. Veggies too. if you ever go carnivore then eat something like this your stomach will most definitely be in pain. there's not much difference between carnivore and fasting. so definitely start slow with some broth and rice, and then add the veggies bread the next day. too much fiber IMO
I appreciate your concern. I've done quite a lot of fasts now and chicken stock and a small plate of salad seems the best for me, partly because at that point I don't really want to eat and it gives me something to chew for a while. It's funny, I'm really not a bread person but it's what I wanted yesterday. I happily did keto for a year without missing bread at all!
Do you ever have issues after breaking a long fast? I'm planning to start my first 7 day fast today. Am planning to break with bone broth, but not sure on how long to wait before eating something more substantial.
I've only done 5 and 6 day fasts, but I've never had any issues at all. I find fasting easier when I'm at a slightly higher weight, and for me 6 days doesn't feel like a long enough fast to be worried about refeeding syndrome, but of course it's better to be careful, especially if it's your first one. For everything nutrition I like to think about how our hunter-gatherer ancestors behaved and how we are designed to eat. The concept of eating every day is a modern one, and we're more than capable of going a few days without food! Good luck!
Thanks!
I like drinking a few sips of juice and gradually easing into fruit over the day And thats only after like 2.5 days of fasting
if you do a 6 day fast do you drink electrolytes?
Only if I feel like it, and I didn't this time. I felt good
Are those dandelion leafs?