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Questions about modifying an extended fast

Hi all

31F 5’3 Height and weight is 148 Lbs

I have a question.. does modifying an extended fast (1-5 Days) to allow drinking bulletproof coffee or eating 1 dill pickle every 24 hours within the 1-5 day fast safe and still feasible for weight loss? I am concerned that if i tease my gut with pickles and some fat it will get confused because its expecting more food and calories? I am not sure how that works. Its technically like OMAD but one pickle a day only.

The reason why i want to modify my fast is because of terrible hunger pangs i get with extended fasting. My longest fast was only 50 hours and i ended a 68 hour fast prematurely because i had a really painful hunger pang attack ( i tried to drink salt water and i just threw it up right away) Recently i have only been doing Rolling 36/48 and usually at the 30th hour i get a painful hunger pang. I get so scared that i actually eat a pickle so i can complete my fast. I drink pickle juice and black coffee so i don’t think i am deficient in electrolytes.

P.s. I do not have medical insurance to see a doctor

Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated :)

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Answer

Well this is the problem I think is there: The biggest benefit of a long fast is the autophagy effect. That caloric intake is not going to confuse your stomach (it has known what to do with food for a very long time) but it will stop the autophagy. And I don’t know how effectively it will kick back on. I think I remember something like 48 hours for the growth hormone levels to increase and 72 hours for autophagy to go to town on immune cell renewal. So for fat loss it would work because you are still not consuming all that much, but from the stand point of the additional benefits of an extended fast probably (stress on probably) not as much.

If you are not benefitting from the additional goodies and you are finding it hard to long fast, then don’t long fast; nobody is going to put a scarlet letter on your jacket. I love 36 hour fasts; go to bed, fast that day, go to bed, breakfast. I sleep through half of my fast time. If you feel bold you can turn your 36 into a 42 and have two meals before the next 36/42 hour fast.

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