I had a great fasting week last week finally being able to do three 42s in the same week which has neeeever happened before. And I lost 3lbs which is great!
Then Saturday was my dad’s birthday so we went out for a big, fancy dinner and ate some birthday cake.
Trying to get back into fasting this week has been insanely hard. Managed a 24 Monday and then again on Tuesday but ugh.. it’s felt impossible to do another 42. My insulin levels I’m assuming are still super high hence the mad cravings and the headaches whenever I skip a meal.
If it takes this much effort to get back on track after an indulgent birthday celebration it makes you think it wasn’t worth it. But then not celebrating a birthday and enjoying these life moments? That doesn’t sound worth it either..
> My insulin levels I’m assuming are still super high
Your insulin levels don’t stay high. They drop back close to normal after a good night’s sleep.
What likely happened is that you filled up your glycogen stores again. (in the liver and muscles). It’ll probably take a day or 2 to deplete those stores and get back to fat burning mode.
You enjoyed your life with a family celebration. Don’t regret it. Just get back to your regular discipline. No biggie. You got this! :)
I fully agree carbs ruin a lot. I’m type one diabetic so I can literally watch on my glucose meter, as my glucose rises I get hungrier, nothing like high blood sugar makes you want to eat cereal and milk, or anything carby. Anyway last nite I had spaghetti and everytime i indulge I just run for 60 min the next day and call it carbo loading.
just do low carb for a few days, and that should sort things out.
fasting is not as important as family dinners and general social eating. what is the point of fasting for your health if you shut yourself off from living life? isnt enjoyment of life the goal of being healthy?
Took me almost a week to get back into ketosis after a friggin’ donut according to my keto mojo meter. Fakt like a week lost.
I won’t eat cake on other people’s birthdays, only my own. Otherwise, I would be eating cake at least once a month just between my immediate family and my inlaws.
But, at least you enjoyed it! A little treat here and there makes life worth living.
I bake sweets for family & guests. Last night baked a sweet potato pound cake (my own recipe — I love to rescue/repurpose leftovers), and it came out great: color, crumb etc.
How did it taste, tho? I finished eating last night at 2100 and won’t eat again ‘til Sat \~1600, so I don’t know. As an ADF-er, cooking after a big dinner is a fun project.
From what I hear, it’s great, esp’y the glaze that had the grated remains of a bruised Honeycrisp from the back of the fridge. We have two friends of son staying in the house; the three of them + visitors are destroying it (“breakfast” in America can be a rich cake, and if they woulda gone to IHOP or Dunkin for something dumb anyway, they might as well have my version).
But I don’t eat the stuff. You’re right: a bunch of carbs totally disrupts fasting.
I have a supplement stack that is only used after cheat days that makes it easy to stay on track.
SaffronChromiumBerberine
Your appetite will be dead and you’ll be able to fast or easily eat low carb that day and go back on track the following day Tuesday will be normal, no insane cravings, nothing.
It’s like a cheat code. I only use supplements after cheat day because I don’t want to feel like I’m too reliant on them
I’m going through the same right now. I broke my fast with FOUR donuts. It took me 2 days to get me back on track bc the INSANEEEEEE cravings caused me to binge really bad… so yeah. I’m never doing this again. It’s hard to get back on track but it’s possible!!!
I wonder if Metformin or similar helps to get back into fasting when eating carbs? I know in most countries its available over the counter and I have heard of people taking it after eating a carb heavy meal to reduce insulin and make you feel better.
Do you have the expectation that getting back into fasting will be difficult after eating carbs? There may be physical symptoms associated, but mindset can play a big part, and even overcome it.
This is a very interesting episode about mindsets that I think might help.
>My guest is Dr. Alia Crum, Associate (tenured) Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Mind & Body Lab. Dr. Crum is a world expert on mindsets and beliefs and how they shape our responses to stress, exercise, and even to the foods we eat. We discuss how our mindset about the nutritional content of food changes whether it is satisfying to us at a physiological (hormonal and metabolic) level. She also tells how mindsets about exercise can dramatically alter the effects of exercise on weight loss, blood pressure, and other health metrics. Dr. Crum teaches us how to think about stress in ways that allow stress to grow us and bring out our best rather than diminish our health and performance. Throughout the episode, Dr. Crum provides descriptions of high-quality peer-reviewed scientific findings that we can all leverage toward better health and performance in our lives.