Now I’ve always wanted to try fasting, even if it’s just for 2-3 days, since I’ve heard a lot about its benefits. But whenever I try (3-4 times so far) I always crack and cannot continue in the first day -usually after 4 PM- because the hunger gets too unbearable. I feel dizzy, weak and tired and it just makes me go “fuck it”. Of course I regret it the next day… Is fasting just not for me? Or is it possible for everyone and I just need more willpower? If that’s the case, what are some things I can do to better it?
I’ve used 24 - 72 hr fasting for many years and can tell within an hour of starting a fast if it will “stick”. It’s a combination of willpower, stress, mood, illness, life events, nutritional content of your last 24 hrs of meals … Sometimes you just have to start over or try again in a few days. But overwhelmingly it is just a decision to delay eating and the more you try the easier it will become. I will mentally debate quitting 10x the first day but usually convince myself to just keep delaying until the goal is close enough to power through.
As far as the shakiness, I find if I have a very high protein+fat meal before my fast I do better. My regimen for easy fasting is starting with a very satiating meal around lunch time and then fasting for 24/48/72 hrs. I drink calorie-free beverages and add a little sugar free vanilla syrup and a spoonful of heavy cream to my cup of coffee. I take a daily multivitamin and eat up to 3 spears of grillo’s pickles, sip the pickle juice to get a little salt, and make fake gatorade as needed out of half a lime, two pinches of salt and a 16 oz glass of water. I’ll also make my own miso soup with dashi granules, kombu, sliced white & green onion, and miso paste (no tofu - too high cal) and have a bowl in the evenings as “dinner”. I go on .5hr to 2 hr slow walks to stave off hunger and get better sleep (doesn’t fix crappy fasting sleep but helps).
All those things combine to make fasting work for me. The salt and high quality vitamin really helps with the shakiness and fatigue. It’s not a true water only fast, but you absolutely get the caloric benefits and I self test my blood glucose w finger stick monitor - my blood sugar levels never rise above nondiabetic fasting levels so I don’t think there is a significant insulin response from any of these “cheats” - at least in my case.
Personally 1200 kcal CICO felt miserable but fasting felt natural - I think everyone’s body has a different preferred method of weight loss torture :) I hope these tips help & good luck with your next one!
-You are describing sugar/carb withdrawal. As others have said, eat clean keto for 3 days then try the fast.
-Remember, hunger is not linear. You don’t get more hungry every hour. Peak hunger only lasts a short bit, then fades away. If you can stand peak hunger for a few minutes, you can stand it for 30 minutes, then it passes.
-Drinking pickle juice can help get some people over peak hunger, and does not impact your fast at all.
But stopping sugar before the fast is the biggest life hack for fasting. Makes a world of difference.
Try cutting carbs/doing keto for at least a couple of weeks. I noticed a huge difference if I ate carbs or not in whether I could get rolling fasts (or just, finish a fast at all!) going. I always have a hard time if I have carbs, recently I successfully finished a 24hr and a 48hr fast, which I was having a hard time with, because I was determined to have some carbs.
I’m sure after a while it gets easier to reintroduce carbs later on, but when starting again it’s hard AF with carbs.
It gets easier the more you do it. As others have said, what you eat the day before matters. Ever pig out late at night then feel exrucuatingly hungry in the morning?
Also, if you can find things to do that day that keep you busy (not stressed, busy) and away from the kitchen, that helps my first day.
Also, working out or doing hard exercise is usually my biggest guarantee of caving in early. Are you doing that?
I did intermittent fasting for a couple weeks before I tried a full 24 hour fast. I just completed a 24 hour fast for the first time a couple days ago. What helped me through it was reminding myself I could eat if absolutely necessary and having small pieces of salt when I had hunger pangs. I also had tea. I’d rest if I felt dizzy or weak. It helped, since my body wasn’t using as much energy because I’m not standing or moving. The bad feeling did pass eventually, after about 30 minutes. Also, know what you’ll eat when the fast is over, and think of it as the finish line, and a reward for getting through the fast.
2nd the advice to try IF first. Also, this is not canon and would be considered “dirty” fasting but if I’m feeling weak and dizzy I will sometimes let myself have a low carb protein shake. Not strictly fasting but it helps me at least not binge until it’s my time to re-feed.
The main benefit in the long run for me with regard’s to fasting has been the realization that comes from going through those intense periods of hunger and realizing that you’re still alive and ok a day later. Part of it is also developing a stoic attitude: so what if I feel like shit, have a headache and what not? This too shall pass.
However, I don’t know your personal health situation and if you have any health issues that might be compounding your struggle.
I agree with starting with IF as other commenters have suggested.
My dad has always had an unhealthy relationship with food and I started him on a 12:12 window. Just see if he could go 12 hours without eating or drinking any calories and keep that up for a week, then we increased it by an hour week after week.
I fail a lot when I start extended fasts. But I find that my failures build momentum. Let’s say I try to do a 5 day and fail at the 48 hour point… next time, I may fail at the 72 hour point, but I’m still getting in nice 2 and 3 day fasts even though they’re a failure. Generally, I keep failing until I eventually succeed.
This sub is a great resource, but it can make everyone look like a god at fasting. You’ve just got to aim a little higher each time.
The better your diet is the day or two before you start a fast the easier that is. If I am about to start a longer fast than my usual 18:6 or 20:4 I will cut wayyyy down on my carbs. Idk if it is just anecdotal or not but if I can burn through my stored carbs as much as possible before I start I can power through that first day a lot easier. Exercises like sprints or other “high octane” exercises helps get those stored carbs out of your muscles and extraneous cells.
You’ve received some great feedback so far OP. One of the reasons some people struggle on a fast all boils down to what they ate the few days leading up to a fast. If you’re a carb lover like myself the withdrawal will be rough the first few days into the fast. You can defiinitely overcome it but it’s not the most pleasant way to go into a fast.
I’ve had challenging fasts before and the difference between a difficult and easy fast was in how I prepped leading up to the fast.
If you’re not interested in prepping, then drink some tea like organic green tea which is known to be a very effective appetite suppressant and will keep you going throughout your day.
Keep trying! You can definitely fast but I suggest weighing which route you want to take, easy vs hard and progressing accordingly.
I think everyone here has solid advice but I’ll mention something else that has helped me push myself to complete a fast - tell your friends, family, s/o, whoever. If they wouldn’t understand a diet fast, state that it is a mental challenge and opportunity to connect with some deep things in your life. But, then you’re no longer holding yourself accountable alone and now have the added pressure of following through what you’ve said you will do. It really helps me and changes my entire perspective on the hunger pangs from something unbearable to something that I have the power to push through.
Try acetaminophen to take the edge off the headache and keep this in mind: “This, too, shall pass.”Hunger, in my experience, dissipates after 48 hours. Those first 2 days are when most of the unpleasant occurs.
You could have really low body fat, poor fat adaption, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, not enough sleep, your last meal before starting the fast could have been unoptimal, but mostly it’s just willpower
As others have said do a low carb diet (like keto. I normally follow a carnivore way of eating myself) prior to begining your fast. Im three days into my first ever seven day fast and have had zero hunger the whole time. I feel as if I could go on as long as I liked