Preparing for an Extended Fast

Once a quarter or so, Laith and I commit to an extended 2 – 3 day fast. Extended fasts differ from daily intermittent fasting in that they last anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days or more. While there are many benefits to going longer, we have found that 2 – 3 days is plenty for us. Perhaps in the future, we may try a longer 5 – 7 day fast, but for now, we enjoy the benefits of the shorter ones.

A wonderful resource on fasting is Dr. Jason Fung: https://qz.com/quartzy/1428139/a-fasting-experts-tips-for-making-it-to-your-next-meal/

Disclaimer

Before embarking on any type of fasting, please consult your physician and/or nutritionist for guidance. We are not suggesting anyone should fast, we are only sharing our process.

Mental Preparation

In preparing for an extended fast, it is a good idea to determine what your primary reason is for fasting. We do it for the many health benefits. *The longer the fast the more the benefits.

1. Autophagy (cellular clean-up)

2. Increased Human Growth Hormone

3. Increased brain function

4. Stem cell production and repair *

5. Improved Immune system*

6. Weight loss

7. Take a break from cooking/clean-up for a few days

Notice that weight loss is near the bottom of the list. I love that our reason for fasting is the other health benefits instead of weight loss, which is more like a cherry on top in the scheme of our overall wellness strategy.

Timing is Everything

When we decide to schedule a fast, we do so with many things in mind. The first is starting at a time when we can eat the right foods leading up to the fast, and our second priority is a time frame that will not interfere with anything important. We typically choose to start on a Sunday after dinner and fast until either Tuesday or Wednesday evening, depending on the fast we choose. Doing a fast on weekdays makes the most sense for us, as we are busy working, which takes our minds off our hunger.

Pre-Fast

For 2 – 3 days before a scheduled fast, we are sure to eat full keto meals. For example, on Saturday, we would eat a bun-less burger with cheese (protein), guacamole (healthy fats) with homemade aioli sauce. On Sunday, we might eat a cheese omelet with bacon and avocado. For dinner, lemon pepper chicken wings with celery/ranch and a small bowl of keto ice cream. The reduced carb intake will help us not only stay satiated longer, but the transition to ketosis will be faster and easier.

What do we Consume During a Fast?

Water, black coffee, green tea, lemon water. Because we drink so much water, it is important to replenish electrolytes. We use a solution called Sole, which is water that is fully saturated with Himalayan Sea salt. This solution provides all the minerals and electrolytes we need during a fast and has many other health benefits. Many fasting experts will call this a dirty fast. Clean fasts would involve only consuming water. Dirty or clean fasting really depends on what works for you. Dirty fasting makes it easier for us to get through it, so we are ok with making some trade-offs as we are focused on long-term lifestyle changes.

Day 1

We typically start on a Sunday after our evening meal and continue until 6 pm on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on if we are doing a 2 or 3 day fast. We typically go 16 – 23 hours before eating anyway, so hunger isn't going to be a big deal until about 7 pm. Day 1 is the hardest. We consume black cold brew coffee in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Staying busy is key, therefore, we schedule errands or light home/yard projects for our evenings to keep our minds busy and off thinking about food. Hunger pangs will start late afternoon/early evening, but once we go to bed, the hunger goes away. Sleep can often be interrupted because fasting tends to improve mental clarity, but more often than not, we sleep well. We are also sure to stay active. We start our day as normal with a 30-minute yoga session, and we try to find time to walk.

Day 2

Depending on how well we did with our pre-fast meals, day 2 can either be easy or hard. Day 2 typically feels pretty exhilarating. Mental clarity is off the chain good, and we feel a keen sense of awareness. If we go into a third day (72 hours), Day 3 will often be very similar to Day 2.

Ending the Fast

Whether we embark on a 2 or 3-day fast, ending the fast must be a thoughtful process. Many of the fasting experts we follow say it is very significant to end a fast with the right foods. Eating the wrong foods can make things very uncomfortable. Your digestive organs have taken a break for a few days, so we want to slowly work back into a normal diet. We stay away from carbs, any type of greasy food, veggies, fat, and any type of food that can cause allergies, like eggs.

Our typical post-fast meal is a 5 – 7oz of lean steak, which is what's called “protein sparing”. What this means is that the protein we consume will be used as energy and not stored, this prolongs ketosis into the next day. The protein is also very satiating. I love steak on any day, but the taste seems elevated. Fasting resets your taste buds, and perhaps your brain, so that food takes on tastes that were not present before, or at least it feels that way.

Weight Loss

Every time we complete a fast, we both lose weight. In fact, every time I've been stuck in a plateau, I manage to break through it after every fast. While this is not the primary goal of our fasts, I do enjoy the immediate gratification of the scale showing success. I typically lose 2-4 pounds during longer fasts.

Ketosis

During a fast, you will go into ketosis, which is when your body fuel shifts from burning glucose from the lack of carbs/sugar to burning fat, which causes your liver to create ketones. The brain loves ketones. As we begin tapping into our fat stores, viola weight loss! We have used ketone strips, and it's fun to see when we shift into ketosis.

Conclusion

The idea of fasting can seem scary at first, especially when we first started this journey. Fasting is not hard, but it's not easy either. It's really a case of mind over hunger. In our case, transitioning to longer fasts from intermittent fasting was a process that took place over a period of almost a year, and we are still learning, refining, and pushing our own boundaries. Our success in fasting has been to take it slow and listen to our bodies. We remember that this is a voluntary choice to not eat food, instead of involuntary restriction, there is freedom in knowing the difference.

But there is a big difference between starvation and fasting, he notes. “Fasting is voluntary and controlled,” whereas starving is not, he says. “It’s the difference between running for fun and running because a lion is chasing after you.” Dr. Fung