So I’m on a 24 hour fast. It’s not the first one I’ve done. It’s not even the longest I’ve done. I’ve made it over 48 hours fasting. Being fully keto adapted I can go a day or two without food easily. And I do so regularly to promote autophagy (your body killing off unnecessary cells) and weight loss.
When I first started fasting as part of my ketogenic lifestyle, though, it wasn’t so easy. I was keto adapted and used fat as my primary fuel source. I had plenty of fuel on board. So going without food intake wasn’t a physiological issue, it was a psychological one.
In our society we’re used to having food available at all times. Which means we’re used to eating any time we want. The idea of willfully going without food just went against my mental programming. And that’s not even counting the way our brains are hardwired.
Your brain fears scarcity. And there’s a good reason for that. Way back in the day, food wasn’t available 24/7. So when you had a chance to eat your body sent you signals to make sure you didn’t miss out. Who knew when the next available meal would come along. It’s a survival mechanism. The first time you fast, and probably the second and third, you’re going to be fighting some pretty strong urges to stop fasting. So here are a few suggestions on how to start fasting in a way that’ll be easier on you.
First, eat a big meal right before your first fast. I know this seems a little counterproductive but the idea is to make the first fast easy so that you lessen the urges and get your mind comfortable with fasting. If you start out on a nice, full stomach your brain is less likely to panic and you’ll last longer before it becomes concerned about the lack of food heading its way.
Second, and it goes hand in hand with the first step, make the big meal breakfast or early lunch. This is all about timing. Have the meal timed so that by the time you’re starting to waver on your commitment you’re about to go to bed. Sleeping gives you eight easy hours of fasting. If you started the fast around 8am or 9am and go to bed at 10pm you’re only having to hang in there for 13-14 hours, a little over half a day. Then you add the 8 hours of sleep in and you just fasted 21-22 hours. Even if you go with the early lunch plan because you’re a little wary, and eat the meal at 10am or 11am, your first fast would be 19-20 hours. You’ve taught your brain you can go nearly a day without food and be fine.
Third, have distractions ready. If you’re just sitting there thinking about how you’re fasting you’re thinking about food. And that’s just making it harder on yourself. So have pre-planned distractions. Like a book to read to keep your mind off of things. Maybe have a Sudoku app on your phone to play if a hunger pang arrives. Play a round or two to get yourself past the urge. Just make sure that whatever your distraction is it doesn’t play into the desire to have food. Like if you must have popcorn when watching a movie at the theater, that would clearly be a bad choice. Or hanging out with someone who you usually only meet for meals would be a problem because you’ll focuse on the food you aren’t having this time. Also, avoid strenuous activities like hiking or other sports as that will increase your bodies desire for food making things rougher. On a side note, once you’re used to fasting you’ll be able to exercise during a fast but I’d still avoid heavy resistance exercises.
Fourth, stay hydrated and keep your belly full of acceptable liquids. Water is fine on a fast and won’t end it. Coffee and tea, so long as you don’t add anything to them, can also be consumed on a fast. And they have the added benefit of encouraging fat burning. So drink enough to give your belly the sensation of fullness.
The final step is to be mentally prepared in advance. Tell yourself to expect the hunger, and remind yourself that it’ll be more psychological than physical. If you’ve mentally prepared it won’t be as much of a smack in the face. It’ll be part of the plan. When the hunger hits, and your brain is demanding food, you’ll remind yourself that you expected this. You just need to be patient and the hunger pang will go away because you know you have plenty of fuel on board. Even someone of lower body fat who has keto adapted for the health benefits has way more fat on their body then they could go through in a day. So just know in advance that you’ve got this and you will muscle through.
Those are my go to suggestions for handling your first fast. And probably the next couple of fasts as well. After I had fasted a few times and built my time up I stopped having issues sticking with the fast. And now I just fast for as long as I choose no problems. Give it time and you’ll get there too. And don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t make it all the way on your first few attempts. Go as long as you can and know you’ll go a little longer the next time.
I hope this has been helpful. If you have any other suggestions for making a fast easy please leave a comment below. I hope you’re having a great day. Peace.
Senso1970's Blog 
Leave a Reply