Hi all,
I’ve been trying on different fasting regimens and so far my max is 40 hrs. I am interested in trying something longer for the autophagy benefits (as well as the weight loss.) But the refeed portion intimidates me a bit. From my reading I know to start slow (maybe broth, wait a bit, small snack, wait, meal?) and to avoid eggs.
For those of you doing extended fasts, how long did you fast and how do you approach the refeed for that time period?
Also how much/ often do you use electrolytes? I’ve been playing it by feel for my 24-40 hrs, but want to be sure I’m on point for something more extended.
Thank you in advance!!
If it’s under 5 days I eat whatever I want…. Have never had an issue. Maybe some liqui-shits if I go hog wild but that’s it. If you just do a small meal with protein and some fat to warm up your system before a big meal, I find I have absolutely no issues.
Personally, I ate normally after a 4-5 day fast and I was fine. If I went past 5 days I might start to worry a bit more, but I think it has a lot to do with your body and lifestyle.
An alcoholic who has 3 pots of coffee a day might need to do different things than simply a couch potato or an Olympic athlete or a diabetic, etc.
Doing what feels right for YOUR body and listening to it means you’re already on the right track. Kudos on the electrolytes!
I just eat a meal after fasts (I’ve done up to 6 days). I do feel roughage in my gut for days until I have a bowel movement. My meals typically have a lot of fiber, big salad, fruit, etc.
When rolling fasts I’ll try to do the middle ones in a very dirty keto style usually.
On days after I haven’t eaten I will take a tablet of magnesium, and do bit of low salt as a shot chased with liquid. Then I’ll occasionally suck on some crystals of Himalayan pink salt.
I wouldn’t wait until you feel bad to take electrolytes because at that time I usually pull the rip cord if things don’t turn around. But I would have a little more if you feel sluggish as an initial chance to rectify things.
I’ve done 48hrs before, and don’t recall issues with refeeding. I didn’t just start cramming when I was complete though. I eat a lot of whole wheat toast with butter, so that’s most likely what I started with. A little carbohydrate with a small amount of fat.
I fast 7-10 days once or twice a year. I’ve been drinking electrolytes this last fast in December. I don’t think I did anything special for the refeed. I have had experiences of liquid bowel movements after a fast before. Not sure what I ate to refeed or if it was related.
I consume electrolytes every day (if I’m fasting longer than 24 hours.) I sprinkle some in my morning black coffee every morning. If I’m feeling bad in the afternoon I’ll brew some decaf and do it again.
Refeeds are no issue whatsoever. I’ve routinely broke 100 hour fast with pizza and beer. Just be prepared to poop ~ 30 minutes after eating. But other than that it’s no big deal.
I’m no fasting expert, this weekend was my first time doing a fast by choice. I lasted 55 hours, so I’ll share with you hopefully you can find some pointers. The goal was to start doing 16-8, I realize I felt great so I shoot for 24hrs, 48hr, 55hrs and I tap out. I was going to see if I could’ve done 72hours but I gave up as I didn’t want to give up later on the night and have to eat so late.Things that help me the most was keeping super busy that food didn’t cross my mind the first 24hours, there after it got easy, when I reached 36hrs I started to feel cranky and very hungry. I just kept drinking water, when I felt super sluggish, dizzy and lightheaded I mix a small amount of water and sea salt together. For the re-feeding stage I hear it’s not much of a importance or worrysome if your not going over 48hours, some even say its over 72hours.After 55hrs, I drinked a 60ml sea salt water cause and regular water shortly after. 1hour later I ate half of an avocado, with small pieces of smoke salmon.While waiting I put cinammon powder under my tongue, I saw a video on youtube saying that has insulin benefits… (dont know how true that is)30-45mins after. I had my first true meal, spinach & arugula with Avocado Oil as the dressing 6oz of chicken. I feel stuff! For my second meal I’ll have a home made italian sandwich replacing the bread and mayonnaise with Romain Lettuce and avocado spread.
For a 7 days fast I break the fast with soup. Lentil soup works well because it’s filling but bone broth is good if you got it. 1-2 hours later I’ll snack on roasted chicken and mackerel for pretty much the entire day, usually eating about 2 chicken drum sticks and then waiting a couple hours to eat more. I avoid nuts, red meats, salads, potatoes etc for a few days. I use electrolytes through out the fast.
Most important part of the refeed imo are digestive enzymes and probiotics. When you fast for extended periods of time, they kinda die down, so when you go back into eating, your body can’t break down the food well, which leads to diarrhea and constipation and bloating and all kinds of gross things.
Digestive enzymes and probiotics help combat that.
But for me, salmon and asparagus/broccoli/etc. seems to be good to break it with. I’ve yet to have a major digestive upset from breaking it with that kinda meal.
I’ve done 5 and 7 day fasts with no electrolytes, but now I usually add them in to help combat hunger on day 2 or so.