More on Fasting

 I’m closing on a fifth week since I’ve started attempting two 36-hour fasts a week and I feel it’s time to be a bit more thorough. For one, this was not my first choice and if you have any sort of metabolic or chronic conditions, history with or risk of eating disorders or are not fully grown (for young adults, this can mean into your early 20s), methods of fasting may be difficult or completely dangerous for you. I began my curiosity with fasting because the standard methods absolutely did not work after six months of experimentation and strict diets were causing disordered eating and bad habits. Always ease into dieting and exercise plans or you risk frustrating fails or injury. Remember that fad diets can be very risky; keto can drastically elevate blood pressure and cholesterol and it is only doctor approved for the treatment of epilepsy in children. Any success for weight loss in adults is not guaranteed and is never recommended beyond six months. If you want a restrictive diet, the Mediterranean diet is the most recommended by doctors. If you’re searching for some starter points, that’ll save you hours of searching right there.

So, disclaimers and research aside, fasting is genuinely helping me. I am not tempted to fast beyond two 36-hour fasts; I am not miserable doing them but the guilt that comes from cheating on a diet doesn’t exist because the only rule I have is not to intake more than maintenance calories (which at my current weight is about 2400-2600 calories). That is usually only an issue the day I break a fast when my body can really crave carbs, which are almost always calorie busters whether they are healthy carbs or not. I experience less chronic pain, get better sleep, have less anxiety and depression and my digestion really improved. These effects were almost immediate from the first week I began to try fasting. While ADHD is neither positively nor negatively affected, I am less stressed out by either the lack of focus or hyperfocus. I am more laidback overall.

Not gonna lie; I am super sensitive to smells when fasting and I think about food constantly, but it isn’t frantic. I start to create mindful menus, contemplate how I want to break the fast, make grocery lists or just let my focus wander or obsess on the mundane. I don’t try to force myself to prioritize. I become more aware that healing my body means offering more trust to my mind and honoring its needs. I can lose my grip and be more emotional than rational and trust myself to calm down again. It’s surreal since I’ve always resisted feeling for fear I would go too far. I’m discovering that I’m more capable of relief from their release and have more control of their duration and don’t let them wander down darker pathways.

I do trust in medicine and science and research so I never found a reason to pursue ‘clean’ methods of dieting or fasting. In considering fasting as an option, I looked in to pros and cons and specifically how it had been studied in women, of different ages and genetic backgrounds. Most diets are only studied in targeted groups (mice or men, in most cases) and not in women who menstruate or are in stages of menopause. This is why I advise you to stick to simpler plans of balanced dieting, slow elimination and gradual exercise. You have to learn which disciplines work and fail to attempt alternatives. If you’ve never fasted before or have done more than missed a meal or two, it can be stressful. Stress can intensify side effects. It is recommended to start with small intermittent fasts; 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours then possibly 36 or 48. Anything longer than 72 and regardless of how healthy you are, you will need to involve a doctor, if only so they can schedule regular tests for blood, urine and stress, give you a baseline for what you need to supplement for extended fasts.

Keep in mind that some ‘fasting diets’ actually allow up to 500 calories consumption on fast days. So not fully fasting but still being able to experience some benefits of fasting for weight loss at the least. I actually avoid calories to get bursts of ketosis and autophagy benefits. You really have to research what you want out of fasting and what’s at risk to achieve those goals, weigh them accordingly.

I’ll add more of my journey later. For now, it’s promising. I am very careful to adjust to any possible negative issues. I don’t want to sugar coat anything with the potential for risks. All diet and exercise changes can be high risk for some, so while anyone can recommend what works for them a little too eagerly, always be skeptical and careful.