Hiya, please explain like I am 5, and please do not just link the sub wiki as I have already read it, as mentioned below.
I have done multiple 3-3.5 day fasts but always feel effectively terrible by the end. Not ‘terrible’ as in sick, but super weak, low energy, thick mindfog, etc… Everything I read on this sub points to electrolytes being the most likely culprit here. I am planning to kick the new year off with another fast and I want to do it right and have some questions.
In order to talk quantities lets say I start simple (by not making my own mix), and I order some packs of unflavored LMNT. How many packs do I use in a single day? How much water should I be drinking on top of that?
I understand the wiki, but the quantities seem off from what LMNT provides… would I need to supplement on top of that? On the wiki it says the low ends for Na, K, Mg are 3g, 3g, 300mg respectively. If I drink 3 packs worth of LMNT I would end up with 3g, 600mg, 180mg respectively which would be low in K and Mg. However if I max out the recommended Na range and drink 6 packs in a day I would have 6g, 1.2g, and 360mg… Still way below wiki recommendations for K.
Should I just say screw it and ‘try a few and see how I feel’? Or am I missing something?
Could be more going on than just electrolytes. I can actually fast with just water did days and feel fine. I’m curious more about your setup since everyone seems to fast differently .. are you possibly going through caffeine withdrawals during these fasts?
You can either supplement the missing electrolytes yourself, if you really wanna use those packets, or just use something with a better balance, like Brain Forza Super Fast.
Also, I don’t really measure mine, I just go by trial and error. If I drink too much, I get the runs, too little and I get a headache. So after a few days you figure it out, lol.
Also, I think the lethargic/low energy phase might be normal. Usually happens on days 4-5 for me and I honestly don’t know how much electrolytes help. That’s basically the keto flu, where your body switches over to burning fat but isn’t very efficient at it yet. However, you should get most, but not all, of your energy back soon after.