I did rolling 72s back in June then took a break for a while. I tried doing 17/8 just to easy back into fasting and I’m struggling to do even that. It’s so weird how I used to be able to fast with ease but now I feel like I’m starting all over.
I was just listening to a podcast that advised on this very theme: How people who have in the past been rockstar fasters can try to jump the gun in getting back into full, extended fasting again. The episode suggested treating fasting like a muscle that needs to be retrained: a set period of solid TRE, a set period of 16:8, a set period of 24s, and then something longer, like 3 42s per week or 2 66s, or rolling fasts such as the 72s.
I’m not starting at TRE, but after seeing how much emotion still informs my eating, I’m going to be a bit kinder about not being able to do rolling 72s right away again. If I need a solid few weeks of simple OMAD first, fine. I’ll use the time to refine my portion sizes, macros, and micros, before diving into the sweet restorative extended fasts again.
Good luck, and be patient with yourself as you figure out what works for you!