I love to experiment with my keto plan and health protocols to see how my body reacts to things. I have been reading more and more about autophagy. In case you don’t know what autophagy is, it’s the body removing unnecessary or damaged cells and toxins; cellular garbage that if left in the body, can turn into disease. Occasionally clearing out that cellular garbage is the best way to stay disease-free in my opinion (and say all the keto doctors, such as Dr. Jason Fung, the most respected ‘fasting expert’ in the keto space). The body does this somewhat on its own, but when combined with fasting, it’s like autophagy on steroids!
This is the second 72-hour zero calories fast I have done. The first one went pretty well, but this one knocked it out of the park. I think because this time I have experienced many different intermittent fasting protocols and I was very fat adapted this time, so it was quite a bit easier (it’s best to be doing keto, tracking your macros to be sure you have the %’s right, for six weeks before doing any type of intermittent fasting or zero-calorie fasting).
I drank black coffee, water, electrolytes (not my Intentionally Bare KetoBHB; more on that later), water with lemon and a bit of stevia, supplements, apple cider vinegar + psyllium fiber. I had just come home from an amazing out of town concert (Queen! hello Bucketlist #55), and while I was away I did very well keto-wise, but admittedly I had three low-carb alcoholic drinks, and for sure my carbs and protein were higher than average, but still pretty good keto. My body had to rid itself of the alcohol and higher macros before it could kick into autophagy and fat loss. I am actually delighted that by the morning of day two I was on the upswing. Experts say it takes up to seven days for the liver to rid itself of alcohol (I guess there IS a difference between a few vodka drinks and seven shots of tequila? Who knew!) 😅
My main reason for doing this is for the autophagy benefits. My secondary reason is for weight loss. I have maintained pretty much for a year, although there have been inches lost for sure. Part of my issue was I was going by net carbs, and I have realized I am too insulin resistant for that, I now go by total carbs (plus I was eating a ton of zero net carb foods, but they were high in total carbs). If you are struggling with your ketone levels, blood glucose levels, or weight loss, change to total carbs and see how you do. I still track veggies as net carbs, but everything else as total carbs.
Notes from my fasting experiment:
On day two, I did experience some 'hunger'... I say that with quotes as I do not think it was actual hunger. It was almost an irritation. I felt 'antsy' and just wanted to eat. So I had two of my Intentionally Bare MCT Oil capsules, and within ten minutes, I felt totally fine, and I powered through the rest of the fast without batting an eye.
Why did I not use my Intentionally Bare KetoBHB? It's 100% fasting compliant, but I chose not to use it because I was going to be taking blood ketone readings, and the BHB would show higher ketone levels. I wanted to see what my levels were without the help of the KetoBHB. If I were not taking readings, I would have used it for the electrolytes and energy.
My last ketone reading before breaking my fast was 2.4, and my blood glucose was 4.3 (Canadian reading). So my ketone level was very high, and my blood glucose was very low. Exactly what you want to happen!
I will tell you that fasting is much more mental than anything. As long as you are fat-adapted first. If you are running on glucose, don't bother; it's brutal. But if you’re fat-adapted, just mentally prepare yourself, and you'll be fine. STAY BUSY. If you get hungry, have a bit of fat.
For more information on fasting, Dr. Jason Fung is the leading authority on it. You can find a lot of his knowledge on You-tube or buy his book ‘The Complete Guide to Fasting’ by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore.
Want to read more about my 72-hour fasts? Check out my Facebook group for more information!
You got this!
Leta ~ Intentionally Bare
❗️Health information given here is based on public research and is not meant to take the place of your doctor's advice. Always do your own research and discuss it with your health practitioner before trying a new diet, supplement or exercise plan
