This is an invitation to join a virtual group fast starting on or near Sunday, 2nd of August.
The purpose is for us to give each other support and encouragement.
We all decide for ourselves if fasting is safe and healthy for us, but once you have established that, please use this discussion to achieve your goal.
Post your fasting plan here, then while you are fasting, updates on how you are feeling. Ask for help or advice or share hints on what helps you. Let us know how you did at the end, and maybe share a picture (in a separate discussion) of your fast-breaking meal.
I like to start my fasts after my last meal on a Sunday. Others prefer to fast over the weekends starting Friday. It's all good. Use this thread to support any elongated (for you!) fast you are doing around the beginning of August.
Good luck and good health.
Written by
Subtle_badger
16Kg IF 72hrs
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Hi SB. Am going to play it by ear. Have had this vertigo issue that is there for a couple of days, disappears but then comes back. If I feel dizzy I might need to eat something - then I'll postpone my fast a few days.
That's absolutely the way to do it. Listen to your body.
You might find a compromise if you can't keep the fast: the fat fast. Only eat bacon, eggs, avocado and olives. None of them will raise you insulin, much.
I usually weight myself (and record the weight) once a month on the first Sunday - so this fits in well. Last fast I lost 7lb - and my weight has only just stabilised back at 200lb.
Plan:
72 hours from early lunch on Sunday to late lunch on Wednesday. I will break my fast with 500gm full-fat yoghurt, followed, a few house later, by an all-day breakfast.
I'll join too please. I've not done a planned fast since the last one I joined you on, March I think. IF timings have been stretching longer naturally lately, so I'm keen to see how I go pushing it a bit further.
I'll start fasting on Sunday early evening, after a low carb meal, then will take stock after 24 hours and see how I'm doing. Breaking fast on Tuesday morning would be a good goal, but I'll take it as it comes.
I’m in. Not sure of start time but it will be sometime later on Sunday and take it from there, however, I don’t think it will be much more than my usual 24hr(ish) fast.
My fast started unexpectedly early (0900). Now looking to end at 6pmish on Monday.
Is it that time again already? 😉I’ll join in too, starting after Sunday dinner. My longest fast has been 24h so I’ll aim for 42h with a stretch goal of 48h. I’m going to have black coffee ☕️ along with my salt water (not in the same cup😊).
I'd forgotten that. We used to mostly drink tea at home, but when my mother got out the percolator or the strange two bowl thing that looked like it belonged in a laboratory, there would always be a sprinkle of salt on the grounds.
I am definitely in. I have not done one before. I don't have a plan. Suggestions welcome. Starting Sunday evening sounds a good time to start. Maybe breaking Tuesday evening. Does that sound right. 🤔
I haven't done any before but naturally I can go all day without eating and tend to be a late eater. Would you suggest I have an evening meal on Sunday, then just fluids till Tuesday morning. Would you normally fast once a month. 😊
My first fast that was longer than 23 hours was actually 62 hours, so maybe you can do the same. Just don't push yourself too hard, there is plenty of time to develop a pattern.
I plan on fasting monthly, but I only started in July. I am a work in progress. S11m is a much more experienced faster, I think he might have more useful insights.
I used this forum to sort of "live blog" my first fast, which I started on a whim at midnight when I was a little drunk. I basically did it hour by hour, with a snack on hand so I could break my fast with a low carb meal if I needed to. I dragged it out, much to my surprise.
Yes… I recommend intermittent fasting for weeks or months before trying a long fast… but, under medical supervision, Dr Jason Fung puts some of his diabetic patients on longer fasts.
Hi Bobby, thanks for joining us and joining in so welcome to the community you will get lots of support in all things fasting and if you find a fasting regime that works for you please say and you will be assigned a suitable badge.
Thanks Jerry, after seeing the post, I did some reading on the benefits of intermittent fasting and was very impressed at the health benefit's. I am looking forward to giving it a go and would hope to make it a regular habit after what I have read. 👍😊
Hi, I’ll join in. I’m currently trying to reset myself after end of term/ end of year food and drink celebrations. I decided to fast this morning. I was intending on going 24 hours, so light meal this evening but I’m managing fine so will extend time tomorrow. my usual IF is 16/8 so I’m hoping to go until 12pm tomorrow. If that goes well maybe try longer next weekend.
Ps thanks for joining us RedUnicorn and welcome to F&F I hope that you enjoy being a member of our friendly community and good luck with todays fast. 😊
Hi Hidden I’ve been on and off here since Feb 2019. Genuinely don’t miss breakfast anymore and been told by lots of people that it’s ‘bad to miss breakfast’ however a doctor told me ( friend of a friend not my GP) that IF is deemed to be a healthy way to live longer.
I was a bit peckish before bed but it didn’t stop me sleeping ( I’ve had much worse when I followed WW) and I’m feeling fine this am so I’ve managed 36 hours so I’m now going to try and extend to 48.
Just had black coffee, herbal tea, hot water with lemon juice and water. Has helped me lose more than my measly .25 pound ( before the fast) now down 2.75 this week ( although I guess some of this is water)
I’m so proud of myself, have just done weekly shop and cooking some pizzas for my teenage sons (reduced! Bargain) and normally with the smell of baking dough, mozzarella and pepperoni, I’d be desperate to eat but I’m focusing on my goal, a creamy broccoli soup this evening after 48 hour fast!
I'm going to advise you not to join us next weekend, or only for 24 or 36 hours.
This advice is based on instinct or intuition. I have read a lot, so my intuition is feeding off good data.
Fasting taxes your body, and reduces your immunity. It's good for you, but it also asks a lot of your body. When you end the fast, your body will use the food you eat to rebuild the things better it tore down with autophagy. You need to give it time to do that. Let your body rebuild from this fast, then at the beginning of September, it will be primed for a longer fast.
I’ll just do a 24 or 36 hour next weekend. I’m very chilled at the moment as I’m a teacher and after a very stressful period I’m now doing very little until the GCSE results on 20 August. 😊
Hi subtle_badger, I think I might be interested in this. Have been doing a lot of reading/research on IF recently and find it fascinating, then I came across your post. Have done 3 x 18 hour fasts and plan to do another tomorrow. Have been wondering about doing a 24 hour one but a bit uncertain, more from the point of worrying if I would be biting off more than I could chew or not (not the best phrase for a fasting forum 😂😂).
My plan will/would be:
Stop eating after dinner on the Saturday (around 5 or 6pm), fast through to the Sunday evening. I have some veggie bouillon to drink and also know I can drink tea/green tea/coffee etc but was just wondering about coffee and cream. I know I will have double cream in my fridge - but would this count as breaking the fast? Also I was wondering what kind of foods do people eat to break their fast at the end? I’m guessing it would be something quite light so as not to upset your system? And how active are people during fast days? Or is it best to take things at a slower rate when you are just starting out? Sorry for all the questions! I just liked to be prepared. Thanks 😊
Edit: Sorry just been browsing around the site and found a lot of answers to many of my questions so please don’t worry about replying in too much detail - however any feedback is useful as I am a novice at this!
I don't want to be prescriptive, both because it's not helpful and because I don't know enough to tell you that you are wrong. And even if I think you are wrong, if you are doing a Michael Mosley 800kcal "fast", you are welcome. This is about support, not judgement.
There are lots of things that happen while you fasting. Autophagy and resting your digestive system will probably be stopped fatty and low calorie snacks. The main benefits of fasting for the weight loss crew, lower calories, lowered insulin and lowered blood sugar will not be stopped by low calorie and low carb snacks.
So double cream is OK. Bouillon is OK. In my opinion, sour gherkins are ok.
Your plan looks good, and will not put your body under stress.
I think if I was doing a 24 hour fast on a weekend, I would make it brunch Saturday to lunch Sunday. But that's me! You do you!
Thanks for the info 😊 I was planning to do a “proper” 24 hour fast if I can use that term in order to get the benefits you mention (although I know many people who have had good results with the MM method)...I love your timing suggestion change though 👍🏻 that sounds more manageable. I know it might be a bit depressing doing it at a weekend but I currently have no plans this weekend so can just potter at home and see how it goes. Wish me luck 🙈
My first fast started at midnight on Friday. It was because I had eaten too much at dinner, and the hardest part was not going back to eat the leftovers as I was invited on Saturday night.
(I still regret that a little!)
There is nothing sad about your plans. I may indeed fast on the weekend, if I don't have any social calls that interfere.
Finished fasting at 1830 after 33.5hrs (started 0900 on Sunday). I could have gone longer, not even had any tummy rumbles, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go any longer without himself noticing. I‘m lucky in that I have never had to think about what to break my fasts with and tonight broke it with sausages, onion & mushroom gravy, broccoli and carrots.
Just finished an unplanned 25 hours fast. I had such a delicious early evening meal yesterday, steak with a lovely creamy mushroom sauce and veggies. I did not need a thing (except green tea and water) until this evening. Didn't even think about it.
Feeling like fasting has finally become a simple natural process for me. I broke my fast with some full fat natural yoghurt, then a little later snacked on some olives and small amount of cheese, before a small meal of green veggies and chicken. I'm looking forward to seeing if it is so easy next week too. My average daily fast over night for the past few weeks has been 18 hours. Very happy to reach this point.
That's great to hear. I suspect our ancestors did a lot of fasting like this, because not every hunt is successful, and not every forage comes back with a basket of food.
I just want to say that I am still thinking about OilpainterUS . I have no doubt something is preventing her from still being here. I know she has a few serious medical issues so I worry. But if she comes back, I want her to know I was worried about her. She was one of the inspirations to the idea of a monthly fast.
And if she doesn't come back, then this will be a memorial to her.
I’ve switched my timings slightly so have just set my stop watch for 24 hours starting 12:15 today (Friday). Feeling positive about my first 24 hr fast but will take it step by step - my first goal is to make it through till bedtime 😊 I’ve got herbal tea, bouillon at the ready and coffee with cream if I need it at any point tomorrow! Am really interested to see how this goes 😊
Thanks! Currently I’m WFH and my flat is freezing - I’m just thinking of putting socks on 😂😂 but it is hot outside and I will go out for a walk later so will bear that in mind for when I get back 👍🏻
I did! I thoroughly enjoyed it - was a little bit light headed after about 21hours but not starving hungry - I just had a coffee and cream, salt water and herbal tea...do you think it’s something that will ease in practice? As I was just thinking it would’ve been challenging if I had been working for example rather than pottering at home....also my period arrived without warning last night 5 days early - I’m peri menopausal so it does happen sometimes but I’m wondering if there is a connection 🤷🏻♀️ how’s yours going? Have you started yet?
Hope it goes well Pink4eva...I’m just into the last 5 hours of my first 24hr fast and am feeling surprisingly well. I think it’s so hard to know what to expect when you do this - I can’t imagine doing a longer one right now but you never know 🤷🏻♀️ will check back in over the weekend to cheer you on during yours 😊 all the best 👍🏻
Hi, I plan to start my first fast early evening after dinner today and hopefully go through to Tuesday morning. I have bottled water chilling in the fridge and herbal tea as drinks. Wish me luck. 😀
Yes I will be careful and drink plenty keep well hydrated. I don't eat at regular hours so can often go 12 hours without eating anyway, so I am use to long periods without eating. 👍😊
Hi to all fellow fasters, I last ate on Friday @1900hrs. I came very close to having some cheese last night, I don't think I actually felt hungry just, fancied some. I had a large drink of water, with ACV and sea salt which did the trick. When I am at work the next day, I have a 0400hrs start, so went to bed at 1930hrs. Feeling fine today, I will aim to carry fast on until 1900hrs on Monday. I will keep you posted. Hope everyone else is getting on ok. : )
Excellent. Are you working tomorrow? I'd bring a snack that is on your eating plan. If you have to break your fast, you don't want chocolate being the only thing available.
I carried a little tub with a boiled egg, some olives and 30g cheese. It was winter, so it didn't spoil. I never needed to resort to it, but having a high fat snack gave me confidence.
Hi sorry for late response - I had weigh in today with Sunday Slimmers so think I’ve got a bit mixed up with my responses. How are you getting on? Was work ok? I had some Greek Yoghurt to break the fast and later an avocado and nuts and then a proper dinner around 18:30 - no side effects at all 😊
Hi, yes work was fine thanks, was a bit tired when I got home but just took it easy. I was in bed by 1930hrs, as I have to get up at 4am. When I woke up I didn't feel great, was getting a bit light headed and had no energy, so I had to have some cheese. Have brought some greek yogurt to work to have in my break if I need it. How did you do in the weigh in?
Well done, I lost 3.5 as well, I had previously had 6 wks of up and down because I struggled around my birthday, so yeah it does feel good to get back on track. I do feel better now I have eaten, I am also planning to go back to the gym for the first time straight after work.
Hi everyone and good luck with your fasts🍀 Unfortunately I’m going to have to sit this one out. I’ve overdone it this week so additional stress on my body would not be a wise choice 😐
Thank you, sorry you can't join in. I'm sure you have done the right thing to listen to your body. Hope you feel better soon, thanks for your support. : )
I like the idea of a group fast, but am concerned that it might pressure someone into fasting when it's not right or for longer than they should. Very happy to know that's not the case.
Look after yourself, and see you in September (unless you fast sooner when you are feeling recovered)
I have just started my 72-hour fast... scheduled "breakfast" Wednesday late Lunch.
As I need energy to keep my weight up, I have been eating jacket potatoes for lunch... but, to get into ketosis quicker, I only had cheese, broccoli and raw carrot for lunch... and I had lunch early - so it was OMAD (One Meal A Day).
I lost 7lb last month, I "regained" all but a kilo, and I am now 90kg, 17% body fat.
I will soon be off on a long walk (and I will have another tomorrow) - they should get me into ketosis.
I've had a lovely meal planned for today, it was going to be lunch. It's now 7pm,and I have started preparing it. I now wish I had started fasting yesterday, but I had a tiny meal breakfast and a ball of mozzarella, so I'm not fasting. I guess I will kick off my fast sometime around midnight 😱
I've decided not to be strict, so not a water fast, tea, coffee etc allowed if needed.
I've also got a burn on my arm, not deep but enough to make a nurse be very concerned about infection. It's getting re-dressed tomorrow, so if I have any doubt how well it is healing, I will postpone for a week or two. That's also why I want to get proper nutrition today.
😂 Maybe Sheperdess and I will do a mid-month fast together!
I’m so sorry to hear about your burn 🤕I hope you recover soon. I do really like the sound of a mid-month fast though😊 More than happy to do it then. I only need a few days myself to get back to normal so just let me know what date to put in my diary 📔 and it’s ON👍😀
This is helpful. I am sure it's not infected yet, but if I get put on antibiotics tomorrow or she wants to see me again to check, then I will drop out and we will go mid month.
That would make tomorrow an OMAD day, which is fine
Hi everyone. Hope all going well? Sorry to hear about your arm Subtle_badger ! Sounds painful 😢 Do take care. Hope it heals quickly. I recently found pawpaw cream very good for a burn. —- I have a change of plans today so started fasting later than planned, and different nutrition than planned... but all good stuff. Looking forward to seeing how this goes. Only planning 24 hours but will extend to 36 if feeling well.
I’ll have time to write some replies in the morning. I’m particularly interested in the comments above about light headedness... will write more when I can.
Thanks. I am not putting anything on the burn except inadine gauze, after patting it dry with a pristine piece of kitchen roll. I can just see the nurses reaction to me anointing it with something from a tube. The wound it still to open to risk infection. It's not painful at all, which is a good thing. It looks frightening, so was relieved to be told it was shallow. 3rd degree burns don't hurt.
Good luck with the 24 hour fast. 36 depends on whether you can sleep hungry. I couldn't my first overnight fast, but then I decided to watch YouTube cooking videos when I woke at 2a, which may have been a mistake.
Sorry to hear about your burn. Surface burns are very painful because all the nerve endings are there so it makes me think your burn may be deeper than a surface burn if it’s not painful, so you do need to be very careful of infection and fluid loss from this area. I started my fast about 7pm after a light dinner. I never eat breakfast, so I will start feeling hungry about 3/4 o’clock tomorrow. That will be the time I need to push through and continue to Tuesday morning. I will have a yogurt then as I don’t usually eat of a morning.😊
Thanks. The burn has been examined by two nurses, it's not deep. It's not very painful, but it's not completely painless. The risk of infection is the big issue at the moment. It's getting checked again tonight.
Good luck with your fast. I found sleeping really difficult the first time I went to bed without eating, or at least I woke up at 2 or 3 am. Only advice I can have is don't watch YouTube, especially cooking videos.
Hi, good luck to everybody that started there fast yesterday. I managed to get to 48hrs (last night), without any major problems. When I got up at 4am, for work, I felt a bit light headed and low in energy. I had some cheese before leaving the house and then some greek yogurt just , on my break. Feeling ok now, I plan to go to the gym straight after work for the first time since lock down, so looking forward to that. I am a bit disappointed because my goal was to fast for a full 72hrs. Hope everbody stays well and that you achieve your goals
Cheese is a good choice, not much insulin response, so you will still get most of the benefit of today's fasting.
So.. 60 hours when you ate the cheese? I've been IF since December, and done 3 extended fasts, and they have all been around 60 hours. So bloody well done!
Thank you, much appreciated. It's a horrible feeling when you don't have any energy like that. With my previous 68hr fast, I didn't feel like that at all and that was over a weekend when I had been at work. Not sure why it was different this time.
I don't know either...but at some point a fast stops being good for you. If your body starts lowering your BMR because it thinks food is never coming it's likely to feel that way, and you should eat! so well done.
Just checking in to see how everyone is getting on?
How is your arm feeling today S-B?
I started fasting at 18.15 yesterday, so am only 16.5 hours in. All good so far. I've had water, a black coffee and a huge mug of green tea with a teaspoon of pink salt dissolved in it. Surprisingly good.
My normal daily fast is now averaging around 19 hours, so I'm hoping it'll be a doddle.... but with very little sleep last night, and a few unplanned glasses of bubbly yesterday afternoon, I don't think I'll push it much past 24 hours this time.
Lol... I'm glad it sounds that way!.. but the reality is I'm feeling tired and now hungry. I don't feel regretful about the change in plans for preparation yesterday, as I had such a lovely fun time with family. So... I'll buck myself up with a coffee and see how I get on. But I'm dreaming of a cheese omelette at the moment!
Yesterday was a weird day, where things got away from me. I wanted to eat good food, but somehow I didn't get to my main meal of the day until after 10pm. Logically, I should have just counted my fast starting from the last thing I ate, but I'd had a bit of yogurt and berries and then a mozzarella ball as an emergency snack on my travels. That would have made Sunday a fast day in all but name. So after 10pm I feasted on 2 avocados and an artichoke* with lots of mayonnaise. So I am only 12 hours into my fast.
Just to clarify my arm. It is not painful, it is not infected. If the nurse says to me tonight "that's healing well, you don't need a dressing anymore" I will continue with the fast. If she gives me more iodine and instructions on keeping it pristine, then I will need to keep my immune system in tip top shape, and I will break my fast at dinner time and pick it up in a week or two.
The upside of that is there are two more avocadoes, and I have plenty of coriander et al, so two more heaping servings of guacamole will console me about the failure of my fast. And I might have a glass of rose with it.
Yup, I'm out of the fast. It "looks much better" but she still wants me to keep it covered and see me again on Thursday.
Then I thought, "well, I'll match cosmos' 20 hours." Half an hour later, I noticed I was munching on chorizo. 17 hours! Less than my usual daily fast 😡
I mentioned the fast to the nurse (and also told her I wasn't doing it), and she asked why I would fast. "You don't need to lose weight" I was conversely proud to tell her I was 85kg in October.
Good luck everyone, and Sheperdess - mid August fast is on!
I have read that some people think fasting helps healing.
I am now 24 hours into my 72 hour fast - and I am intending to do a long walk today... 13km with 200m of elevation gain... when you have used up your glycogen reserves, you can only exercise at the rate at which you can access your fat reserves, so I will be taking it slowly. I wonder if it might be more difficult as I am at my lowest weight... for half a century? ...but I think I might have had less fat when I was fit in the 1990s.
I think you are right about the healing. My concern is my immune system. I am convinced that fasting strengthens immunity in the long term, but any stress is bad in the short term. If there is a chance I might need to battle some skin or blood borne infection, I won't fast. But I will pick it up as soon as the immediate danger is over.
I have found now I am fat adapted, I don't notice any difference in performance fasted or not. I imagine I'd be slower on a 200m sprint, but I have no plans to sprint. Fasted or not, I am faster than I was in the past.
That seems pretty good. My resting HR is well above 60 at the moment, which is concerning.
My take is of you are fat adapted, then exercising fasted should be similar to exercising on keto, as the only sugar your body needs is for your brain. People can win ironman triathlons on keto, so...
I have no gall-bladder, so a high-fat diet would be difficult, especially in combination with IF. I was on a medium-carbohydrate, medium-fat diet, but now I typically have four jacket potatoes with my lunch.
I have water with my buckwheat muesli - if I wanted to increase fat, I could have ceam with it.
Yup. Sometimes it all just goes sideways! 😂 ... I’ve been solidly in ketosis for a few weeks now, so hopefully it was at least bit of a boost to autophagy. —- oh.. and I’m sitting here nibbling on my LO’s uneaten pizza crusts 😱🤣 ... first ‘silly’ carbs in a while, so it’s safe to say I’ll be doing a nice long IF stretch overnight to counteract any effect.
Hope you have a lovely evening, and that your arm is doing well xx
Thank-you How is your week going.. Hope you felt ok after your fast? Well done on your 60 hours!
I seem to reach a barrier at a certain point each time when I just start to feel unwell... so thats when I break my fast. I certainly don't want fasting to have a negative impact on my health.
It's just a mystery why sometimes that point comes a lot earlier than others!
I felt better during my first long fast, I felt that I could have gone on longer, I didn’t feel unwell at all. This time it was definitely harder, as in my body was definitely struggling when I had to get up early for work yesterday. I just felt light headed and completely lacking in energy, I had to have something to eat. Like you say, there is no point carrying on if it’s having a negative effect on your body. Although I ate yesterday, I felt lacking in energy again. I was going to go to the gym, but didn’t feel up to it. Are you feeling ok now?
Almost 24 hours into my fast now, will be 24 hours at 7pm but going to push through till tomorrow morning or try to anyway. Plan to eat a yogurt at 7 am. 😊🌼
Yes, I don’t usually have a breakfast anyway so just about managed a banana and a cup of tea at around 8 o’clock. I had an early dinner yesterday of veggie sausage and root mash. I did have a bit of a headache yesterday but I drank more fluids. I will be doing another 24 hour fast this Sunday. I felt better for it. 👍😁
My pace-maker normally keeps my resting heart rate up to 50bpm, but, if I am ill, stressed or long-fasting it goes up towards 60, and it is 57 now. On the last fast it got up to 60. It seems that my heart has to work a bit harder to get energy from fat.
I am doing another PPE run tomorrow - at the end of my 72-hour fast.
I started my fast at 12:25 after an early lunch on Sunday.
I will eat 500ml of yoghurt at 12:30 today to make 72 hours.
It is effectively a two-day fast: I normally fast 20 hours a day, so not eating for two days is a 68-hour fast (48+20)... and having an early lunch before, and a late lunch after makes it up to 72 hours.
I have brunch booked for 14:30.
As with the other fasts, my heart rate has been up: Resting heart rate 61 today.
I felt unenergetic this morning, and found it difficult to stand, let alone do my morning exercise routine - but this is normal, as I have bradycardia.
I felt fine after my morning green tea... and I was able to maintain an adequate level of concentration to drive.
I hope you enjoy your brunch today. You certainly deserve to!
Can I ask.. when you mentioned that it is normal for you to find it 'difficult to stand', did you mean that is how you feel most mornings, because of the brachycardia, or did you mean specifically it's normal for you at the end of a longer fast? I'm curious, just wondering how hard people generally push themselves if feeling weaker or wobbly during a fast. You seem to be a very tough individual!
Ah, ok.. Hope you're not pushing yourself too hard.
Your advice about increasing salt, and putting Himalayan pink salt in green tea really helped me a lot, faintness went, but leg muscle cramps have started coming back at night. I need to look at balancing more foods rich in potassium and magnesium I guess!
I hope you've got good weather where you are, and enjoy your well deserved brunch.
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The long fasters support chat thread, all welcome :)