One of the most important aspects of Extended Fasting (EF) is the Re-feeding/Rebuilding period; in fact, I will state emphatically that it is equally important to the fasting portion of the process. What I’ve observed in myself during past EFs, and heard from others firsthand, is the tendency to forget this important fact and design a re-feeding protocol and then experience many unpleasant digestive issues by failing to recognize that the GI system settles into total hibernation—it is completely OFF. Eating too much, too often, eating foods that distress rather than nourish the system, eating from a feeling of deprivation, introducing solids and carbs back to soon... it leads to a GI meltdown, as well as an emotional meltdown and weight regain. This lack of planning comes from lack of knowledge surrounding how important a re-feeding protocol is—planning a re-feed into the fasting protocol is paramount! I’ve learned to incorporate one into my fast and I now consider the re-feeding period as an essential PART of my fast. The experts state that the period of re-feeding should equal the same time duration as the duration of the fast, or at least half. Having completed 25 days of fasting, I have laid out a 14-day re-feeding period. So far, so good. It is so, so, so important to have a gentle re-feed planned at the end of an EF, whether it’s a 5- or 7-day fast, or a much longer 21- to 30-day fast! Thus far, I have gained a negligible amount of weight back, after ending my fast 3 days ago… which is a thrill! I’ve gained less than one pound back: .87 lbs to be exact, and half of that is water. My BMR and muscle mass are slowly increasing, which is what I want! My BMR decreased by 85 kcals during the fast; which is significant because that means 85 less kcals I can eat without gaining weight, and my BMR was already on the low side from all the dieting and weight roller coasters over my lifetime. This means I can eat up to 1383 kcals without exercise—that’s what my body needs as fuel. Then again, EF corrects metabolic imbalances, so I’m hoping I can eat more than that on a daily basis. On the other hand, I’ll continue ADF (Alternate Daily Fasts; fasting every other day), and begin on Day 5 or 6 of my re-feed, dependent upon how I feel at that point. Today, I had to go to the bathroom pretty immediately upon rising, and whatever I ate yesterday has exited my body completely, or so it felt like. Again, no diarrhea, and the stools are formed, but I feel pretty damn emptied out. Finally, I decided on a new ADF protocol, too! The shorter fasts are more challenging for me, because the first few days of a fast are when hunger overpowers me and they are the point in the fast where it is easiest for me to throw in the towel. That’s applies to me, not everyone. I try to keep a strict 12-6pm eating window (TRE=Time-restricted Easting) and complete three 42-hour fasts per week but the combination seemed too demanding in retrospect. Over the course of this fast, I realized that perhaps they are too demanding; not caring or nourishing to either my body or soul. 42-hours fasts extend (for me personally), from 6pm on Day 1 to 12pm on Day 3. This length of fast is excellent for weight loss and any health issue that fasting can alleviate (there are many!). 36-hour fasts are difficult (again, for me personally), because that would mean eating breakfast at 6am or completely changing the fasting time and eating at weird hours. By opening my TRE window to 9am, I can eat earlier if I wish—and oftentimes I am hungry around 1030-1100 am, so I have to push myself to wait until 12 noon — or do what is most kind to myself: eat when I am hungry. I go to bed early and don’t like to be digesting when I lie down (nor is it healthy for my GI system), so I like to finish eating by 6 or 7pm at the latest. Then, I sleep peacefully and fall asleep even easier! Both retrospectively and in looking forward, a 39-hour ADF should suit me well; physically, mentally, and emotionally! Essentially, I will eat every other day, which is simple, effective, and not overly taxing on any level. With a longer eating window of 9 hours, I will feel less “deprived” and “restricted”, both of which are much too akin to dieting. I’ll stop eating by 6 or 7pm, skip a day of eating, then return to eating when I am hungry the third day, after 900am. When I consider this protocol, I feel a sense of peace intuitively, as well as feeling confident that I can accomplish this length of fast successfully. Each success builds willpower, confidence, and new neural pathways that lead to further successes, enhanced willpower, and stronger habits from those pathways! I have continued to measure blood ketones with my new Keto-Mojo blood glucose/ketone monitor. https://keto-mojo.com/ My body remains in a higher level of ketosis (5-6 mmol/L), which is outstanding! I haven’t been monitoring glucose, since I’m not diabetic or anything like that. I will start testing glucose again when I reintroduce carbs to see how particular foods affect me (and wine!). Also — and quite remarkably — my blood pressure is way, way, way down! As a life-time runner and athlete, my blood pressure has always been on the low side, about 114/65 for most of my life. Over the past few years, with increasing stress and PTSD, it’s crept up and up, commensurate to weight gain. If I recall correctly, it was at an all-time high in China, unsurprisingly, about 160ish/95ish. Very high and very dangerous! In my 50s, overweight, with high blood pressure... the perfect storm of health disaster! Anyway, I took a few readings with a wrist cuff last week, and it had plummeted to less than 110/high 50s! Very low, but unsurprising given a long fast. My acupuncturist also determined that my pulse is weak, but confirmed that would accompany a long fast, so not unusual. I am very relieved that my BP is down, though. It should stay down as I continue to improve my emotional resilience and stress response, start running again, and continue fasting. Finally, one other lesson I have learned is that I need to continue my salt and electrolyte supplementation. I felt pretty shaky yesterday afternoon, accompanied by a headache (I rarely get headaches); I was still not eating much yet, didn’t take any salt or electrolytes and got a banging headache early afternoon, and just felt unwell for a few hours. Learned that lesson! I will continue supplementing for at least another week, as I ease food back into my body. This should help lessen water regain as well! Afternoon and Evening Update.I had THE BEST EVER avocado for brekkie! It was THE BEST EVER because it was the first avocado--and solid food-- I've had since prior to my fast of 25 days, and my taste buds are much more sensitive. It was a luxuriously tasteful experience and it really did seem as though it was THE BEST EVER avocado I have tasted! Yum! Delicious traditional Tibetan dish for lunch: Tibetan Tsampa with ghee (since I don't have dri* -- AKA"yak"-- butter) and homemade yoghurt (since I don't have dri yoghurt)! I'm feeling good this evening! I don't feel over-full or a though my tummy doesn't want to digest. It seems the gentle re-feed and supplements to help digestion has paid off with a happy GI tract instead of what I've experienced in the past! This could result from various factors: I'm taking pepsin/betain, amla in the form of Ayurvedic Chyawanprash, chewing the ginger that I add to my tea, eating very small amounts of food at each meal, relaxing with 5 slow breaths before I eat, eating outside with the mountains facing me, offering gratitude for the food and fasting and health... and possibly the most important, intending that I was going to reawaken my digestive fire kindly, slowly, and gently! Plus, I prioritized salt and electrolyte intake today, so I feel MUCH better than I did yesterday! *"Dri" is the proper term for a female yak, where (obviously), yoghurt and milk and butter come from. "Yak" refers to the male of this ox relative. Most Westerners do not know to differentiate the terms and so "yak" is used commonly, though incorrectly. FYI!! I took 1001 photos of Yaks and Dris during my trip around Kham, Tibet in 2018!
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