Fasting

Three Day Water Only Fast – over Christmas 2023!

flidfit Fasting , , , ,

When people asked what I was planning to do and eat at Christmas, they were mostly shocked at my response.  My partner and I had planned to do a three day “water only” fast from 23rd – 25th December.

I have written elsewhere on my blog about the process of doing a prolonged fast.  It most definitely isn’t for everyone!  This is the third time I’ve undertaken a prolonged fast since 2021, two 3 day fasts and one 4 day fast.

I have found it useful to keep a daily diary of how I feel each day and we routinely keep a check on blood sugar reading (blood finger prick test) and ketone levels (also a blood finger prick test).

The aim of the fast is to get your body rapidly into ketosis – and then through carefully restricting carbohydrates, maintain that state for as long as possible.

The aim of fasting for me is enjoy the health benefits of autophagy.

As I’ve written previously about the actual process of the fast, I’m concentrating in this post on the physical effects of my fast – in my experience this has been very different each time.  I’ve also shared what I ate when ending the fast, as we attempted to keep our carbohydrate intake to around 20g per day.  You can read more about that here.

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Saturday 23rd December

Woke about 8am, feeling energetic and positive.

Blood finger prick test done.  2 x cups of green tea, one tulsi and 1 Qi detox.

Usual exercise – ball bouncing 8,000 steps, 1,300 calories.  Felt ok.

Around 2.30pm started to feel colder and tired and started yawning.  I made my way upstairs at about 3pm as I was feeling cold, physically tired (both side effects of fasting) and wanted to watch a film but my partner couldn’t decide on one.  Got into bed with the electric blanket on and watched two films. Lights off at 9pm, slept well until about 7.30am.

Partner woke about 4.30am and got up – he was full of beans (I wasn’t).

Sunday 24th December

Woke about 7.30am, feeling ok, but less energetic than usual.

Blood and ketone tests done.  1 x cup tulsi and 1 Qi detox.

Usual exercise – ball bouncing 8,000 steps, 1,300 calories.  Felt ok.

Monday 25th December 

 Bit of a struggle today and I didn’t come downstairs all day.  Felt very fatigued.  Watched a lot of TV.  Didn’t do any exercise.

At night time, slept quite poorly, tossed and turned, aching kidneys.  But apparently according to my FitBit “slept” over 6 hours and I didn’t feel too tired the next day.

Tuesday 26th December

Enjoyed breakfast and coming out of the fast.  My usual cup of tea (Earl Grey) tasted pretty awful!

Surprisingly after not eating for three days, there is no desperate urge to eat food.  After the first 24 hours without eating, hunger pains vanish and I just don’t miss food at all.  No hunger pangs and no yearning need to eat.

The day seems to last forever without the routine of planning, preparing, eating meals and the tidying up afterwards!

As advised, I limited calories to 446 and attempted to keep my carbohydrate intake to below 20g – which is quite a challenge!  Full fat cottage cheese, kefir, half avocado, mixed berries, a coffee, 1 x tea with semi-skimmed milk.

25g carbs,  446 cals, 389 exercise cals

Wednesday 27th December

Still in ketosis.  We travelled to Stratford to collect my Mum who had been spending Christmas with my sister.  We went armed with full fat cottage cheese and half an apple to eat when there (apples are surprisingly carb loaded).

Ate half an avocado and 100ml of kefir before we left.  Then half avocado and 50g of sauerkraut when we got home.

20.3g carbs, 580 cals, 363 exercise cals

Thursday 28th December

Good sleep, woke at 4.45am (both of us). Feeling full of energy and ready to get up.  Started work on a batch of bone broth and a slow cooker beef casserole.  The bone broth needed cooking on the stove top for over 8 hours so it meant an early start.

I also made a batch of celeriac mash and prepared some Brussel sprouts.  I am planning to do my usual exercise tomorrow and laying off the cooking – we have plenty of food to enjoy.

Interestingly, my pain (which had got quite bad in my knees recently) is so much better.  I will monitor as may be coincidental.

34.4g carbs, 1187 calories, exercise calories 1,256


Friday 29th December

Good sleep, woke 6.30am, feeling refreshed (7+ hours sleep).  Still in ketosis.  As we are at home today, I planned the days menu more carefully so as to ensure minimum carb consumption.

Did my usual exercise session.  Energy levels were good.  Pain had subsided.  Made a batch of celeriac remoulade.  Dinner was steak with a creamy mushroom and mustard sauce which was heavenly!

Drank a bottle of kombucha before bedtime, which bumped up my carbs by 9.1g!!  Lesson learned.

27.7g carbs, 1184 calories, exercise calories 1096

Saturday 30th December

Not a great night as awake for 2.5 hours in the middle of the night.  Not feeling too tired this morning though….

Still in good ketosis – (2.2)  We received a surprise invitation to dinner tonight, a paneer curry – so this may push me out of it!  I have chosen to be the designated driver and will go easy on rice or dessert.

Discovered avocado olive oil, soured cream mashed together – makes a lovely salad dressing.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring with eating out tonight and no control over what will be on offer…..

 139.4 carbs, 1828 calories, exercise calories 1067

Sunday 31st December

Amazing sleep – 7 hours 42 mins and an hour and a half deep sleep, Score 91.  Even more surprisingly, I appear to have got away with still being in ketosis – 5.6 (moderate level)

Enjoyed a lovely meal last night, it was made by someone who was vegetarian.  No alcohol consumed and managed to avoid the nibbles on offer.  We ate various veggie curries, rice and chapati and a very sugary dessert – profiteroles with a chocolate mousse.

Dinner this evening was just too fatty/greasy for me – sea bass fillet with keto cauliflower cheese (cheese, soft cheese, butter, double cream)

Drank kombucha before bed (9.6g of carbs)

34.8 carbs, 1611 calories, exercise calories 909

Monday 1st January

Lack of sleep due to seeing in the New Year but also woken with an early morning text from my daughter.

Did my exercise.  Still in ketosis!

Quiet day at home.  Lunch was smoked salmon and scrambled egg followed by half a grapefruit, which was lovely and refreshing.  Dinner was steak with mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, courgette.

34.4 carbs, 774 calories, 1007 exercise

Tuesday 2nd January

Had trouble getting to sleep but then slept solidly for about 6 hours!  One big chunk of sleep without waking.  But little deep sleep. Woke 6.30am.

Still in ketosis – 5.4

Did exercise in 2 sessions as Sam was working with me in morning.  Bounced whilst talking to my sister.  Dinner was chicken parmigiana cooked in the air fryer served with cauliflower rice and soured cream.  Surprisingly delicious.

39.8 carbs, 983 calories, 998 exercise

Wednesday 3rd January

Slept well.  One big chunk of sleep without waking.  But little deep sleep.

Up and exercised, still in ketosis (5.0)

Bit of a slip with a nutty Kind bar during the afternoon, but not bad as almost 2 weeks with absolutely no treats or snacks!  Didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I might though.

Ate an apple late at night.

54.9 carbs, 1078 calories, 1142 exercise

Thursday 4th January

Ketosis level 0.8

Sleep was ok.  Went into town and got soaked in a rain storm.  Could have murdered a slice of Dundee cake with a cuppa when we got back, but resisted.  No keto strips to test tomorrow.  Have ordered more for delivery tomorrow.

Friday 5th January

Decent enough sleep.  Wasn’t able to do a keto reading until the afternoon as we were waiting on a delivery of keto strips.  Did my exercise session.

Still in ketosis. 1.3 (so better than yesterday)

Sister was here.  Made curried parsnip soup which is high in carbs.

 44.3 carbs, 1185 calories, 1524 exercise

Saturday 6th January

Slept well, still in ketosis 6.4.  Probably out tomorrow.  Ate my first bread – toasted bagel thin, slice of toast and breadcrumb topping on a celeriac and parsnip bake.  Made 2 x cauliflower cheeses and made a parsnip and celeriac bake in readiness for this evening (with salmon fillets and tender stem broccoli).  I’ve enjoyed the task of finding foods which will fill us without overloading on the carbohydrates.

144.2 carbs, 1934 calories, 1488 exercise

Sunday 7th January

Out of ketosis, well and truly.  19.3 GKI.  My carbs were 144.2g yesterday (bread, bagel thin, Florentines, parsnip and celeriac bake (breadcrumb topping) and Bombay mix (40g of which = 20g carbs!)

Here’s ’til the next Fast!

 

 

Water-only prolonged fast (3 days)

flidfit Fasting

I’ll start with a health warning.  Prolonged water fasts aren’t something that should be undertaken lightly.  Fasting is not for anyone with an eating disorder or who does not enjoy a “normal” relationship with food. 

I have been on my “weight loss” and now “weight maintenance” journey for almost 9 years.

My fast was not undertaken with weight loss as the primary goal (although it is one of the great side-effects!)

My own personal reason for trying water fasting was to enjoy the benefits of Autophagy

I’ve just completed my second (4 day) prolonged water only fast and that has prompted me to write about my experience of my first ever (3 day) water fast, undertaken in November 2020.

As is my style, I did rather jump in at the deep end.  One should build up gradually – a single day water fast, then a lengthy break (a couple of months), then a two day water fast, etc.

I read quite a lot beforehand about what to expect.  Some of the things I anticipated happened as expected.  There were other things (positive and negative) that I most certainly didn’t expect.

I won’t go into all the information available on prolonged water fasting as you can Google that yourself.  This link will take you to a site I’ve found useful.

Instead, what follows is my own experience.

Day 1, Friday 30th October

Start weight 9st 7.6lbs (60.6kg)

Liquid intake – During the day I drank only a pint of  SOLE solution which is an important part of the fasting process.  The idea is to sip the solution throughout the day.  I also had a pint of bottled water containing 4 drops of fulvic acid minerals.

In terms of liquid intake, I drank only when thirsty and in small, regular quantities.

Other than water, I drank green tea (ideally those containing matcha – Twinings and Pukka are two brands I’ve used) and black coffee.

Activity levels and exercise – I purposefully chose days when I had little planned and only did what I had energy for and felt comfortable with.  My usual daily workout is a 30 minute seated stretch routine, followed by a vigorous elevating heart rate bounce on a gym ball whilst swinging my arms wildly!

During the morning, I was out at 11am to a local distanced litter pick that continued until 12.30pm.

Hunger – I was surprised at my lack of hunger.  I became slightly peckish after the time of my usual first meal of the day (midday, I eat 2 meals a day) but it was nothing that I couldn’t deal with and soon passed.  I managed to do my 30 minute stretch session.

Sleep – Bed early (9pm) and slept well – 6 hours 35 mins, FitBit sleep score of 79 (Fair)

FitBit Data – Burned 1,361 calories, 3,930 steps

Day 2, Saturday 31st October

9st 5.4lbs (loss 2.2lbs) 59.6kg (1kg)

Ketone levels 4.1

Very much as day one, but without the litter pick.  Really surprised that hunger wasn’t an issue, especially after 24 hours without food.  I continued to sip on the SOLE solution and drink the green tea.  My energy levels were good, but I did go to bed early (9.30pm) and slept well, but started to experience some lower back pain.  It was one of my “usual aches and pains”….

Sleep – Slept 9 hours 5 mins, FitBit sleep score of 74 (Fair)

FitBit Data – Burned 1,341 calories, 3,380 steps

Weakness is a vital part of fasting’s slowing down process.

Back pain can increase due to toxins in the lower intestine. Blood vessels that draw nutrients from the colon are very close to the nerves of the spine. Back pain will often decrease after elimination of the toxins.

Day 3, Sunday 1st November

9st 3.8lbs (loss 1.6lbs)  Total loss 3.8lbs

58.8kg (1kg) Total loss 1.8kg

Ketone levels 4.8

Depleted Energy and nausea  – Woke feeling lethargic and lacking in energy.  After my shower and green tea, felt nauseous and then promptly vomited.  As my stomach was empty, this was just the return of the green tea!

I felt absolutely fine afterwards (I think this was caused by gulping my first cup of tea down in one go.)

I didn’t do very much on this third and final day, but I had planned my fast to take advantage of a quiet Sunday.

Pain – By end of the evening, my lower back and backs of thighs (glutes) started to ache.  This ache slowly increased.  It felt as though I’d been doing some serious exercise.  I reached the point late in the day where I was barely able to move without pain in those areas.  I applied magnesium oil to the area before bed and Volterol to my lower back.

FAST OVER!

Once the fast is over, return to “normal eating” should be gradual.  The digestive tract hasn’t seen much action and take a while to get into action.  It’s also wise to try and keep the Autophagy going as long as possible – keeping to higher “good fat” foods, low protein, lowish calories, smaller portions.

So although the fast is over, by continuing to monitor food intake one can maintain Autophagy.  The basic idea behind autophagy is that in the absence of external sources of food, the body begins to eat itself (auto: self, phage: eat), destroying and recycling its own damaged cell bits and proteins, so that new and healthy versions can be built. Autophagy is believed to be essential for helping protect against diseases like cancer and dementia, among others.

Day 4, Monday 2nd November

9st 2.4lbs (loss 1.4lbs)  Total loss 5.2lbs

58.4kg (0.4kg) Total loss 2.2kg

Ketone levels 2.8

Day 5, Tuesday 3rd November

9st 2lbs (loss 0.4lbs)  Total loss 5.6lbs

58kg (0.4kg) Total loss 2.6kg

Ketone levels 1.4

 

Day 6, Wednesday 4th November

9st 2.2lbs (+0.2lbs) Total loss 5.4lbs) 

57.6kg (0.2kg)  Total loss 2.8kg

Day 7, Thursday 5th November

9st 0.6lbs (loss 1lbs)  Total loss 7lbs

57.4kg (loss 0.2kg) Total loss 3.4kg

Conclusion – Although this account of my first prolonged water fast may lead you to believe it wasn’t very positive (and even quite a negative ordeal!) I enjoyed it.  As the pain subsided, I was in a lot less generalised pain than I had been ahead of the fast.

I had also lost weight ahead of Christmas and that was a good thing!

Although early days and not many studies have been carried out, it is generally believed that fasting can help with the reduction of inflammation, so useful for anyone who lives with chronic pain.  It may also help with boosting the immune system.

I have just finished my second (4 day) water only fast and will be sharing my experiences with you shortly in my next Blog post.