Extended fast attempt #3 - April 2019
This will be my third attempt at an extended fast (longer than 2 days) in hopes of boosting the immune system, lowering inflammation and solving chronic pain and digestive issues.
Summary.
Day 1: Monday, April 15th. Pretty standard, have been doing a lot of OMAD recently and this day seems fine.
Day 2: Did a two-day fast recently, but despite that there was a significant stomach problem. It could be the coffee, so perhaps I will skip that on day 3. Bloating and pain. Took measurements.
Glucose: 92 mg/dL
Ketones: 1.3 mmol/L
Calculated GKI: 3.9
This is odd, the numbers are not reflective of what one would expect after 48 hours. Glucose reading was from the morning though (could make a difference). Just don't feel like stabbing myself in the finger more than I have to.
REM sleep: 1hr 26min
Deep sleep: 1hr 12min
This was surprising as it felt a lot more restless. Yet those numbers are quite good relative to my usual.
Day 3: Restless sleep, however the stomach was more or less ok. Fell asleep no problem, but failed to remain asleep starting 4am.
Glucose: 78 mg/dL
Ketones: 2.2 mmol/L
Calculated GKI: 1.9
REM sleep: 1hr 14min
Deep sleep: 1hr 14min
Despite being up at 6:30am, numbers look good. Energy levels stable. Neck definitely hurts and I am not experiencing the benefit of the fast on my chronic pain. Lots of tea drinking. If stomach remains at this level of comfort then today should be OK!
Evening was a little hard and the stomach + neck pain caused discomfort, but did not prevent me from falling asleep.
Day 4: Slept through the night and only got up once to pee. Not bad. However woke up with an elevated heart rate - above 70. Measurement time:
Blood Pressure: 106/62 (I am usually 120/78)
REM Sleep: over 1hr
Deep Sleep: over 1 hr
Ketones: 5.1 mmol/L
Glucose: 62 mg/dL => 3.4 mmol/L
GKI: (62/18)/5.1 = .67
I am a little surprised at how rapidly the ketones jumped and yet I still feel "off". Between the elevated heart rate, neck pain and dull headache it is not exactly a walk in the park. That being said, energy level feels fine and I do not feel faint when standing up. In theory, with these numbers it should be a good day.
Stomach was definitely achy/bloated and uncomfortable towards the evening which is very frustrating. In fact, the only thing that makes the fast hard. There are no cravings, energy quite stable, shoulder feels great - but the stomach is a constant problem especially towards the end of day.
Fell asleep after a while.
Day 5:
Woke up with a headache. I think despite all the water/tea that I am super dehydrated.
Blood Pressure: 116/72
REM: Just over 1hr
Deep: Just over 1hr
Somewhat alarming amount of weight gone. Weighed in at 153. Not great :(
No blood measurements today.
The question; When to break today or can I go until tomorrow morning? If the stomach situation repeats then I fail to see how I can continue.
Day 6: (Post Break).
I broke on day 5 at 5:30 pm. For a fast of 4 days and 22 hours. Had avocados, waited a bit, greek salad, waited a bit and then two huge bowls of chicken soup. Followed hours later by yogurt and home cooked jam.
Neck pain flared up immediately.
Slept for 9+ hours.
REM and Deep were just over 1 hour.
Ketone: 1.25 mmol/L
Other than the neck pain, i feel great. Having ketone reading in the nutritional ketosis is obviously great!
Day 7: (Post Break day 2)
This morning I have returned my lost weight and very happy about that. After 6 years of the high fat/paleo/low-carb style there is a certain body set weight mark for me (160) that is undeniable. Yesterday I felt great and really optimal, specifically the level of pain all around the body. Unfortunately for me, sleep trouble and night time urination returned with a vengeance. Perhaps it did not help to have a massive dinner party and drink copious amounts of liquid prior to bed - but it is entirely plausible I am doing something on a daily basis that drives my symptoms.
Fasting is and can be highly therapeutic, but if daily patterns include aggravating behaviors then addressing them is the key.
For example, sleep:
REM: 23 minutes
Deep: 32 minutes.
Disaster. How could I have slept better during extreme hunger than after full blown satiety? That makes no evolutionary sense.
Going up to pee 3 times at night is another problem, although it is conceivable that the poor sleep and urgency to pee are tightly coupled. If one is sleeping lightly then even the smallest sensations can be noticeable.
Regardless, I shall update this thread a few more times as part of the post-fast update and then move on.
Summary.
Day 1: Monday, April 15th. Pretty standard, have been doing a lot of OMAD recently and this day seems fine.
Day 2: Did a two-day fast recently, but despite that there was a significant stomach problem. It could be the coffee, so perhaps I will skip that on day 3. Bloating and pain. Took measurements.
Glucose: 92 mg/dL
Ketones: 1.3 mmol/L
Calculated GKI: 3.9
This is odd, the numbers are not reflective of what one would expect after 48 hours. Glucose reading was from the morning though (could make a difference). Just don't feel like stabbing myself in the finger more than I have to.
REM sleep: 1hr 26min
Deep sleep: 1hr 12min
This was surprising as it felt a lot more restless. Yet those numbers are quite good relative to my usual.
Day 3: Restless sleep, however the stomach was more or less ok. Fell asleep no problem, but failed to remain asleep starting 4am.
Glucose: 78 mg/dL
Ketones: 2.2 mmol/L
Calculated GKI: 1.9
REM sleep: 1hr 14min
Deep sleep: 1hr 14min
Despite being up at 6:30am, numbers look good. Energy levels stable. Neck definitely hurts and I am not experiencing the benefit of the fast on my chronic pain. Lots of tea drinking. If stomach remains at this level of comfort then today should be OK!
Evening was a little hard and the stomach + neck pain caused discomfort, but did not prevent me from falling asleep.
Day 4: Slept through the night and only got up once to pee. Not bad. However woke up with an elevated heart rate - above 70. Measurement time:
Blood Pressure: 106/62 (I am usually 120/78)
REM Sleep: over 1hr
Deep Sleep: over 1 hr
Ketones: 5.1 mmol/L
Glucose: 62 mg/dL => 3.4 mmol/L
GKI: (62/18)/5.1 = .67
I am a little surprised at how rapidly the ketones jumped and yet I still feel "off". Between the elevated heart rate, neck pain and dull headache it is not exactly a walk in the park. That being said, energy level feels fine and I do not feel faint when standing up. In theory, with these numbers it should be a good day.
Stomach was definitely achy/bloated and uncomfortable towards the evening which is very frustrating. In fact, the only thing that makes the fast hard. There are no cravings, energy quite stable, shoulder feels great - but the stomach is a constant problem especially towards the end of day.
Fell asleep after a while.
Day 5:
Woke up with a headache. I think despite all the water/tea that I am super dehydrated.
Blood Pressure: 116/72
REM: Just over 1hr
Deep: Just over 1hr
Somewhat alarming amount of weight gone. Weighed in at 153. Not great :(
No blood measurements today.
The question; When to break today or can I go until tomorrow morning? If the stomach situation repeats then I fail to see how I can continue.
Day 6: (Post Break).
I broke on day 5 at 5:30 pm. For a fast of 4 days and 22 hours. Had avocados, waited a bit, greek salad, waited a bit and then two huge bowls of chicken soup. Followed hours later by yogurt and home cooked jam.
Neck pain flared up immediately.
Slept for 9+ hours.
REM and Deep were just over 1 hour.
Ketone: 1.25 mmol/L
Other than the neck pain, i feel great. Having ketone reading in the nutritional ketosis is obviously great!
Day 7: (Post Break day 2)
This morning I have returned my lost weight and very happy about that. After 6 years of the high fat/paleo/low-carb style there is a certain body set weight mark for me (160) that is undeniable. Yesterday I felt great and really optimal, specifically the level of pain all around the body. Unfortunately for me, sleep trouble and night time urination returned with a vengeance. Perhaps it did not help to have a massive dinner party and drink copious amounts of liquid prior to bed - but it is entirely plausible I am doing something on a daily basis that drives my symptoms.
Fasting is and can be highly therapeutic, but if daily patterns include aggravating behaviors then addressing them is the key.
For example, sleep:
REM: 23 minutes
Deep: 32 minutes.
Disaster. How could I have slept better during extreme hunger than after full blown satiety? That makes no evolutionary sense.
Going up to pee 3 times at night is another problem, although it is conceivable that the poor sleep and urgency to pee are tightly coupled. If one is sleeping lightly then even the smallest sensations can be noticeable.
Regardless, I shall update this thread a few more times as part of the post-fast update and then move on.
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