Fasting safely

[Mixo]

(Disclaimer: I'm not sure what kind of trigger a thread like this could be, but this is just a heads up that I'm trying to explore different ways of fasting and need suggestions. If those with ED issues are offended, I'll understandably delete the thread.)

I'm interested in fasting to fix my leaky gut. Does anyone know any budget friendly ways to keep my electrolytes up and not pass out from dizziness while fasting? I have experience with smaller fasts (intermittent fasting) for up to 18 hours at a time, but haven't gone into days and weeks at a time. I have been researching online, but have gotten conflicting info.

I cannot drink Gatorade b/c I'm off sugar. I hear himalayan sea salt sprinkled in water helps. Anyone have any other tips and/or personal experiences?

 

[gottago222]

honestly truly i don't recommend fasting many days in a row when you can achieve autophaghy with intermittent fasting. are you working right now ? have any responsibilities that make you move physically? fasting for many days without being able to rest 247 will be really hard on your body

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

I am doing Atkins atm. I eat their Pepperoni stone fired pizza for lunch and then bacon with cheesy eggs for dinner. I take a vitamin pill daily and drink lots of water. I know it's not fasting but it has the same effect (sugar free, low glycemic impact etc). I'm at 14-15 net carbs per day and have lost a ton of weight in a short space of time. Might be something to consider in your case if you don't want to deprive yourself completely.

 

[Mixo]

honestly truly i don't recommend fasting many days in a row when you can achieve autophaghy with intermittent fasting. are you working right now ? have any responsibilities that make you move physically? fasting for many days without being able to rest 247 will be really hard on your body

I don't work a full-time in person where I'd have to worry about constant physical movement, no. So I have some more flexibility than most people. Thanks for your reply. I'll see what everyone says and then I guess try to make some kind of decision.

 

[gottago222]

I don't work a full-time in person where I'd have to worry about constant physical movement, no. So I have some more flexibility than most people. Thanks for your reply. I'll see what everyone says and then I guess try to make some kind of decision.

keep in mind fasting for many days can affect you emotionally, you may be irritable. it can also affect sleep as it is very hard to get to sleep and stay asleep when you are hungry. self experimentation is key as everyone reacts to fasting differently

 

[Mixo]

I am doing Atkins atm. I eat their Pepperoni stone fired pizza for lunch and then bacon with cheesy eggs for dinner. I take a vitamin pill daily and drink lots of water. I know it's not fasting but it has the same effect (sugar free, low glycemic impact etc). I'm at 14-15 net carbs per day and have lost a ton of weight in a short space of time. Might be something to consider in your case if you don't want to deprive yourself completely.

Wait, Atkins has a low carb pizza? Dang. Lucky guy. Sounds like a delicious lunch. I'm not focused on weight loss this time, though. It's more about fixing my gut issues. I'm sure my intestinal lining is just totally destroyed from NSAIDS, antibiotics, gluten, and other shit I've fucked around with and I need to recover or else I'll be doomed to continuous misery and immunity problems. Thanks for the reply/suggestion.

 

[Julgran]

I would suggest you try the One Meal a Day approach. I'm not overweight myself, but I lost many kilos a couple of years ago when I tried it - and when I ate, I ate whatever I wanted - it could be something healthy, or it could be a pizza - the trick is to eat only once a day.

If you adhere to this approach strictly, you may get the desired results. However, from what I know, diets act differently on different people, but it's certainly worth a try.

 

[myopybyproxy]

Gatorade and other sports drinks are marketing scams. If you read the nutrition label you'll see a full bottle has barely any electrolytes - you'd have to drink bucketsfull just to reach 50%. The sugar free versions are hardly any better, with artificial additives that can mess with your gut - especially counterproductive as you're fasting to fix gut issues.

You can make your own electrolyte drink with potassium chloride / iodide, sodium bicarbonate, and sea salt. Stick to a ratio of 6:1:1 (mg potassium to mg sodium) if using both latter sources of sodium, or 3:1 if just using potassium salt and regular salt. Figure out how much water you should drink - 1.5L is a good minimum, then experiment to find the intake level where you feel and perform best. Your urine should be pale but not completely transparent.

Take supplements for calcium and magnesium (bisglycinate and its related forms, as well as chelate, are preferable to oxide and citrate). Unless you can find powdered forms of those and wish to incorporate them into your electrolyte drink. I wouldn't advise it. There's a reason they heavily flavour magnesium tablets - the powder tastes nasty.

More is not better - depending on your demographic (age, weight, activity level etc) you will need a certain amount of electrolytes. Below or above that range - especially if out of ratio - for a prolonged period can give you heart problems. I'm assuming you don't have any kidney, thyroid, cardiovascular etc problems already - fasting can be beneficial even for those groups but I'm not qualified to advise for those situations.

But overall, listen to your body. If you feel sick drinking the above, don't force more down. Fiddle with the ratio and drink plain water in the meantime. At this point, I don't measure my electrolytes, I just take a pinch of salts with a swig whenever I'm feeling foggy or dizzy. I keep salt sachets in the car as a prophylactic measure and they serve me well. For someone only just starting out on 24h+ fasts, measuring is advisable. Keep logs of how you feel at what time. Data is always good to have. You can refer back to it when planning future fasts.

I find that when I make sure my electrolytes are in check, I have enough energy to exercise, even after five days of fasting. Stomach aches can be soothed with heat - take a shower or bath, or drink dilute tea if your fast allows anything other than electrolyte water. I tend to get flashes of euphoria - not irritability - but those fade into the daily humdrum soon enough. Note that the longest I've fasted is just over five days and not for gut issues - and anyhow every body and mind is different.

Read The Fasting Fix by Dr Andreas Michalsen. The protocol he uses in the clinic allows up to 500 kcal per day. Snake diet, popular online, is used mostly for weight loss but has good information about fasting as well. Best of luck to you. Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

Edited to add that those who find a thread 'offensive' can click the ignore button. Censorship leads to the downfall of democracy.

 

[senti-mental]

(Disclaimer: I'm not sure what kind of trigger a thread like this could be, but this is just a heads up that I'm trying to explore different ways of fasting and need suggestions. If those with ED issues are offended, I'll understandably delete the thread.)

I'm interested in fasting to fix my leaky gut. Does anyone know any budget friendly ways to keep my electrolytes up and not pass out from dizziness while fasting? I have experience with smaller fasts (intermittent fasting) for up to 18 hours at a time, but haven't gone into days and weeks at a time. I have been researching online, but have gotten conflicting info.

I cannot drink Gatorade b/c I'm off sugar. I hear himalayan sea salt sprinkled in water helps. Anyone have any other tips and/or personal experiences?

when i fast, i always use propel to keep the dizziness at bay. its got no sugar, and is 5 calories a bottle. really helped me on long fasts when i was feeling dizzy and weak.