I am looking for a way to make fasting a bit easier for myself. My goal is to fast for 48-72 hours, and get into ketosis so I can burn my own body fat as fuel. I am currently 27 hours in. I know that consuming electrolytes while fasting is optimal. So I bought packages of potassium, salt, and magnesium. I put them in my water, but when I try to drink it I just can’t. It is absolutely disgusting to me and I can’t get it down no matter how hard I try. I figured flavored electrolytes would be much easier for me to get down. Something that doesn’t taste disgusting. But will flavored electrolytes break my fast? Will flavored water break my fast as well? Personally I feel that I need some taste to consume electrolytes and just make the fast easier for myself in general. Is this not true fasting though? Will it de-optimize my fast?
I am on day 20 and use flavored sparkling water (not sweet) and flavored electrolytes and I am good. I do specifically look for ones that only use Stevia and not artifical sweeteners. Based on my breath, I guarantee I haven’t broken my fast or ketosis.
If the goal is just weight loss then you’ll be fine as long as you avoid consuming calories. There’s some debate about the effects of artificial sweeteners on the rate of autophagy but if you’re just concerned with weight loss that shouldn’t matter.