I managed to do a 44 hour fast that ended yesterday. 40 hours seems to be where im comfortable, I had lots of energy and wasn’t very hungry, and I think the ketosis really cleared my head and helped me focus, so I’m hoping to continue.
I ate today and am aiming for a 36 hour fast now. My question is how much do I eat on my eating days? I used to track calories and would normally have 1300 in about a 6 hour window. Today I ate throughout the day but still ended up around 1300 and wasn’t hungry. Is this a good amount? It’s definitely still a deficit but I don’t feel deprived. Should I aim closer to 1600-1800 on eating days?
I’m female, about 5 foot 4 and around 210lbs (down from 240)
Thank you!
I usually don’t eat any extra calories on refeeding days. Everyone is different though and everyone has different nutritional needs. Listen to your body and do what you feel comfortable with. As long as your body fat percentage doesn’t get so low it’s unhealthy and you feel good I’d go with whatever works for you. I would just recommend trying to incorporate as many nutrient dense whole foods in your feeding days as you can in your 1300 calories. I certainly wouldn’t stress about going over a bit every so often.
It’s just my opinion but I don’t think it’s super sustainable fasting 3 days a week and eating only your daily recommended calories in your eat days. For me, I eat above my recommended calories of 2000 because I don’t need to lose over a pound a week, and my deficit would be 6000 weekly. I don’t track calories ahead of time but I get a general sense, and I often eat 2500-3000 calories on my eat days. I’m also moderately active.