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Loohan

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Registered: 2014-10-31

Posts: 32,796

my fasting experience

I thought i would preserve for posterity my experience of fasting last year, mainly because of odd phenomena.
I could have sworn i mentioned this fast briefly, probably in my March 2020 blog, but oddly i can't find it now. As i recall, i stated:

I was on a much-reduced caloric diet for 8 days; nutrient-dense stuff like kale in bone broth. Then for 8 days no calories at all, except that in the last few days i took a bit of commercial CBD oil in an oil base.

I think that's about all i posted at the time.
The reason i resorted to a serious fast is because i had had eczema problems for a couple years, bad at times. Then suddenly my face, forehead, and arms broke out in tiny "zits" that weren't zits. These did not itch much, but it was just getting worse.
What i did NOT REALIZE back then is that my main problem was stored OXALATES, and also that anyone fasting will have issues with oxalate detox.
Lemon Water is Essential for Fasting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ0g7HJKNgY

Apparently it was excess oxalate consumption that caused my eczema.

Contrary to what i keep reading and seeing in YT lately, i had NO INSOMNIA. In fact i snoozed like i hadn't in over 40 years. I slept. I napped quite a lot. And it felt good, restorative. Although i got increasingly weak and in the last few days, sometimes had to sit down to prevent from passing out. This may largely have been due to the oxalates.
If i ever do this again it will be with lemon water and nettle tea, which also clears oxalates.

As i fasted, the face breakout stopped but did not shrink back much. However, in the couple weeks after, it gradually disappeared and never came back.

Here is what really is bizarre, however:
My usual weight for most of my adult life has been 120-125#.
In recent years i have been using a cheap bathroom scale to occasionally check my weight. It might not be super accurate, but at least it is consistent, providing one stands the same way on it each time. On this scale, my weight fluctuated from 124 to 129#. Never more.

Unfortunately, i neglected to check my weight before, during, and after the fast. But 5 days after breaking it, my weight on this scale was an unprecedented 134! How is this possible?
For the first 2 days after the fast, i only ate one modest meal of nutrient-dense food. I ate a bit more after that, intermittently fasting. And my bowels were sluggish, but certainly not so packed with food to raise my weight that high, especially as i should have lost quite a bit during the fast.
I was 66. Supposedly anyone older than 65 has to fend off sarcopenia if they don't want their muscles to waste away. By eating more protein and doing resistance exercises. I was only doing mild exercises during my fast.
After a couple weeks of eating well, including BEANS which i had suddenly developed quite an appetite for, my weight was back down in the normal range.
In recent months, on that scale, it is 126-130. Usually about 129.

Also i have been doing intermittent fasting since the long fast (and priorly). I don't eat until at least mid-morning, usually late morning like 10:30-11 and occasionally even after noon. Then i don't eat anything after 6:30-7PM.
I do normally have some mate' tea or (lately) coffee with a glob of organic grass-fed butter early in the morning. And do bits of mild exercise on the empty stomach, but nothing close to HIIT (high-intensity interval training).

Loohan

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Registered: 2014-10-31

Posts: 32,796

Re: my fasting experience

Ah, i remembered where i mentioned the fast before. Even google advanced could not find it using various occurring key-words:
https://forum.loohan.com/viewtopic.php?pid=15557#p15557

Diego De La Vegan

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From: south of heaven

Registered: 2019-07-23

Posts: 112

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Re: my fasting experience

I often fast between a 24 and a 48 H time frame.
Sometimes i go till 72, but on regular basis is between the upper mentioned period.

I just drink water when i feel like drinking, but that is also sporadic.
I don't loose weight in that period. i'm 47, 5.75 foot height and i vary from 175 to 180 pounds on weight, depending on my appetite.
My diet is basically 98% vegan, but i eat an egg or two from time to time (like 12 to 18 eggs per year).

One thing that is very perceptible during my fasting periods is the glycemic flat line on my blood. it just stays stable, doesn't drop into any hypoglycemic state.
I don't feel any loss of mental and physical faculties during the fasting periods and i feel quite well, even when endorsing strong physical activities (work, sport).

I think there is some kind of programming at some point, that makes general people eat more than they need.
Doctors (authority figures) tell us to eat every 3 hours... and for instance, when someone gets home and goes to the fridge to check for any snack... it's not hunger, it's a program that it's running.

I also use to say to friends and family, when they are concerned about fasting, that when we are with fever, one of the first symptoms is the lack of hunger. So, it's like the body telling us that it wants to deal with the situation without pumping anything in. So, we should listen to our bodies more often and stop shoving the large amount of food that we often see.

Mainstream compulsive consumption of garbage food.

I don't have any fasting rule, i just "flow with the traffic", and query my body if it feels hungry. Most of the times i don't feel any symptom of hunger and i just don't eat. I stop the process of fasting when i feel it's right for me.

Anyway, i think everyone should try to check for themselves. A morning, a day, day and an half, 2 days... step by step evaluating what happens within the body.

---

. .. Ok, you people! Sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if I’m not back by dawn... call the president.. .

Loohan

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Registered: 2014-10-31

Posts: 32,796

Re: my fasting experience

One thing about frequent eating, it can lead to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. What happens is, it is GOOD to have bacteria in the LARGE intestine, but the small one has to be allowed to empty out or the bacteria will start to colonize it too. Especially if one eats plenty of veggies and/or probiotics.

Microbial fermentation belongs in the large intestine only. When there are too many bacteria in the small intestine, it interferes with the type of digestion that should be occurring there, plus almost anything you eat causes bloating and flatulence. I had that about 3 years ago when i snacked a lot.

Raw veggies are full of bacteria, and cooked veggies are also great food for bacteria. So if one gets this condition one should temporarily cut out all probiotics (kefir, yoghurt, etc) and cut back on the veggies. And go longer periods without eating so that the small intestine can find balance again.

Loohan

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Registered: 2014-10-31

Posts: 32,796

Re: my fasting experience

The experts on this intermittent fasting and keto stuff warn NOT to do the same thing every day, as things may go downhill. For some people, 3 times a week is enough.

I did not know this when i did my long fast. After i broke it and resumed eating, i continued to eat pretty much keto for several days. No starches except those in adzuki beans. No fruit or other sugary things.
And instead of my energy and well-being rebounding, i felt WORSE and continued to weaken and snooze a lot!
Then i had a hunch i needed some fruit. I didn't have anything handy except some mango juice powder, so i drank a bunch of reconstituted mango juice, and immediately started feeling better. Soon i was feeling good again.

So i do what feels right. Some days i might not eat until 11 or 12; other days 9:30 0r 10am. And once in a while instead of breaking my fast with protein and fat, i'll just have some fruit on an empty stomach; maybe a banana or mango. In fact in general, there is some fruit in my diet.

Diego De La Vegan

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From: south of heaven

Registered: 2019-07-23

Posts: 112

Website

Re: my fasting experience

Yes. Just flow with the "feels right" movement.
I don't have any fast schedule nor planning, i just fast between 1 or 3 days and start eating again when i feel like doing it.

I don't make any carbs reduction, in fact i eat a lot of carbs, but quality carbs, no sugar or sweeteners (way worse than sugar).

Another thing that i find really worse than sugar are the products made with wheat flower ... when i eat spaghetti, my blood sugar levels rise fast! sometimes seems that faster than sugar itself.

Bio wholemeal flour guarantee a slow absorption of carbs.

---

. .. Ok, you people! Sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if I’m not back by dawn... call the president.. .

Loohan

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Registered: 2014-10-31

Posts: 32,796

Re: my fasting experience

Modern wheat is a pretty toxic substance. Sensitivity ruined my life for some time before i recognized what it was.
Of course sourdough is much safer. But still contains gluten.

Wheat has been modified with radiation-induced mutations for insect-resistance.

Mordok

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From: Arkansas

Registered: 2014-11-14

Posts: 57

Re: my fasting experience

https://www.chelseagreen.com/2016/moder … g-us-sick/

Appears to be a little old but talks about the gluten & in wheat over time and also about heirloom varieties that supposedly still exist.  This modified gluten is what kills our psi abilities.  Einkorn flour is available online.