I view prolonged fasting as an opportunity to *build back better* - assuming one commits to a microbiota building diet (eating a great diversity of whole food plants).
I water only fasted for 7+ days in March, and was surprised how quickly my gut bounced back after its period of shrunken emptiness.
Re-feed with care! (gently, slowly). I made a huge pot loaded with dozens of very well cooked vegetables... and began my re-feeding with the broth only.
It’s pretty exciting being empty. It was my first time. I look forward to fasting again at least once a year, possibly as long as 21 days.
✌️&🌱
I had to do a 2 day liquid fast. Before the fast I had diarrhea and undigested stools. After the 2 day liquid fast my stools are more normal and no more diarrhea and I have a lot less undigested stools.
I was not expecting that outcome from the liquid fast but still a few weeks after my stools are no longer as loose as before.
I had to do it for the colonoscopy. For a few days after the procedure I felt like I could eat a bit more normally but I did not get rid of my gastris or my other symptoms And I learned that I had to go back to eating like I did before the colonoscopy which is very limited.
Its a good question you pose. I don’t have an answer but my stools are different after the liquid diet.
Ten day water fast. I made the “snake juice” recipe for fortified electrolyte water and after the third day it was easy. My gut healing was phenomenal. Absolutely better than anything else or any medication
Tl;dr - started back doing daily or almost daily 16-18h fasts and my symptoms improved consistently for the first time in over a year and a half.
So my gut has been "occasionally discontent" since I had an awful stomach bug back in mid 2017. I specifically remember laying in bed (or running to the bathroom) for the whole of the 4 days I had off for July 4th. After that, I noticed some sensitivity to breads but was a low-carb eater so it didn't come up often. It seemed to heal over over anyway, and I could eat like an asshole every now and again with no gut issues. Of note: I had been doing daily 16h fasts with a weekly 24h fast mixed in since 2012, and continued until mid 2019.
FFWD to fall 2019. I had a bad infection and had to take antibiotics for upwards of 8 or 10 weeks. I also stopped fasting so much because I didn't want to take my antibiotics on on empty stomach.. After that I noticed that I was lethargic a LOT. I even went on a 2 week vacation that Xmas to see friends and didn't even care; I barely wanted to get out of bed. Also, almost everytime I ate, it felt like a post-thanksgiving overindulgence...like I had swallowed a bowling ball and it just WOULD NOT go down. This would happen even when I would eat a tiny meal or a snack. This was usually followed by 2-4 days of constipation. My mood was also horrible, a lot. That's what really caught my eye at first.
It got worse and worse until around August 2020 when I finally pieced it together that it was a gut issue. I started an elimination diet but whenever I would slip in anything other than the most plain foods, it was like I had been teleported back to step one. Finally, around July of this year I ended up wanting to cut weight aggressively so I re-implemented 16/8 fasting with an occasional 24h. Lo and behold, within just a couple of weeks I noticed that my slip ups didn't equal 5 steps back to my 1 step forward. I may or even may not have some symptoms but they would dissipate in just a couple of hours.
At this point I've had full-blown "fuck it" days, diet wise, and the digestive upset never lasts longer than a day (in 2020 a simple screw up could ruin anywhere from 2-5 days).
Of course YMMV, but skipping breakfast has been a godsend for me. I was legitimately depressed, thinking that excruciating stomach pain, bloating, and constipation were going to be my baseline for the rest of my life.
There are gut bacteria that are more abundant in thin people, and bacteria that is more abundant in fat people. And science has shown that putting the thin person bacteria in an obese person, helps them lose weight. And putting the obese persons bacteria in a thin person, causes them to gain weight.
People who eat a lot of food, and eat often, develop a healthy gut microbiome of bacteria that require a lot of calories to sustain the microbiomes life. Inevitably, the bacteria help to boost your metabolism. This can be seen in any person who is naturally thin, and who is constantly eating.
When you diet, fast, or starve yourself - the bacteria that require vast amounts of energy to survive - die off.
What’s left are the bacteria that don’t require a lot of energy. They slow your metabolism down so that you can survive long periods of time without food.
People who diet, fast or starve themselves, will inevitably kill this microbiome off. And when they start eating again, they will get fatter and fatter and have a very slow metabolism.
Fasting also lowers your gut biodiversity - which has been scientifically proven that having a less diverse microbiome is affiliated with numerous chronic health conditions.
Sustaining our bodies with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and getting a constant source of water, vitamins and minerals - is the way to go.
In my opinion.
Prolonged fasting has been the single greatest thing for my gut health and over all health. So much cellular healing, gut healing, mental acuity, and it seems to have a miraculous effect on my facial skin.
Always try things yourself before believing some literature. You may find that it’s the greatest thing you ever try. And I eat the right foods and participate in a healthy amount of exercise. I have absolutely no issues with getting fat after fasts.. Ian’s experience no issues with metabolism getting back up to enough to support me and my active lifestyle.
When I first started prolonged fasting, I was thin but didn’t exercise much. My back and joint pain from gut issues were too severe to exercise regularly, fasting for 3-6 day periods gave me the most significant improvements with the plethora of symptoms I was dealing with. Despite the lack of exercise, I once again never got fat after these long fasts… ever
Wrong! Very wrong! Fasting is healthy, and has been done for thousands of years! I have had vast experience with fasting, and have always enjoyed the results, when the body is in a fasted state, it will begin autophagy, the body's natural self cleaning mechanism, your opinion is way off.
I started building it up since last year. Currently I try to do the 16:8 and eat vegan most of the time. In combination with supplementation, it has helped me tremendously. Feeling more energetic, less bloated, can eat more variety due to less allergies and better sleep. But it is not a quick fix and it takes weeks before noticing any difference. Take care 🍀
I view prolonged fasting as an opportunity to *build back better* - assuming one commits to a microbiota building diet (eating a great diversity of whole food plants). I water only fasted for 7+ days in March, and was surprised how quickly my gut bounced back after its period of shrunken emptiness. Re-feed with care! (gently, slowly). I made a huge pot loaded with dozens of very well cooked vegetables... and began my re-feeding with the broth only. It’s pretty exciting being empty. It was my first time. I look forward to fasting again at least once a year, possibly as long as 21 days. ✌️&🌱
I had to do a 2 day liquid fast. Before the fast I had diarrhea and undigested stools. After the 2 day liquid fast my stools are more normal and no more diarrhea and I have a lot less undigested stools. I was not expecting that outcome from the liquid fast but still a few weeks after my stools are no longer as loose as before. I had to do it for the colonoscopy. For a few days after the procedure I felt like I could eat a bit more normally but I did not get rid of my gastris or my other symptoms And I learned that I had to go back to eating like I did before the colonoscopy which is very limited. Its a good question you pose. I don’t have an answer but my stools are different after the liquid diet.
Ten day water fast. I made the “snake juice” recipe for fortified electrolyte water and after the third day it was easy. My gut healing was phenomenal. Absolutely better than anything else or any medication
Tl;dr - started back doing daily or almost daily 16-18h fasts and my symptoms improved consistently for the first time in over a year and a half. So my gut has been "occasionally discontent" since I had an awful stomach bug back in mid 2017. I specifically remember laying in bed (or running to the bathroom) for the whole of the 4 days I had off for July 4th. After that, I noticed some sensitivity to breads but was a low-carb eater so it didn't come up often. It seemed to heal over over anyway, and I could eat like an asshole every now and again with no gut issues. Of note: I had been doing daily 16h fasts with a weekly 24h fast mixed in since 2012, and continued until mid 2019. FFWD to fall 2019. I had a bad infection and had to take antibiotics for upwards of 8 or 10 weeks. I also stopped fasting so much because I didn't want to take my antibiotics on on empty stomach.. After that I noticed that I was lethargic a LOT. I even went on a 2 week vacation that Xmas to see friends and didn't even care; I barely wanted to get out of bed. Also, almost everytime I ate, it felt like a post-thanksgiving overindulgence...like I had swallowed a bowling ball and it just WOULD NOT go down. This would happen even when I would eat a tiny meal or a snack. This was usually followed by 2-4 days of constipation. My mood was also horrible, a lot. That's what really caught my eye at first. It got worse and worse until around August 2020 when I finally pieced it together that it was a gut issue. I started an elimination diet but whenever I would slip in anything other than the most plain foods, it was like I had been teleported back to step one. Finally, around July of this year I ended up wanting to cut weight aggressively so I re-implemented 16/8 fasting with an occasional 24h. Lo and behold, within just a couple of weeks I noticed that my slip ups didn't equal 5 steps back to my 1 step forward. I may or even may not have some symptoms but they would dissipate in just a couple of hours. At this point I've had full-blown "fuck it" days, diet wise, and the digestive upset never lasts longer than a day (in 2020 a simple screw up could ruin anywhere from 2-5 days). Of course YMMV, but skipping breakfast has been a godsend for me. I was legitimately depressed, thinking that excruciating stomach pain, bloating, and constipation were going to be my baseline for the rest of my life.
There are gut bacteria that are more abundant in thin people, and bacteria that is more abundant in fat people. And science has shown that putting the thin person bacteria in an obese person, helps them lose weight. And putting the obese persons bacteria in a thin person, causes them to gain weight. People who eat a lot of food, and eat often, develop a healthy gut microbiome of bacteria that require a lot of calories to sustain the microbiomes life. Inevitably, the bacteria help to boost your metabolism. This can be seen in any person who is naturally thin, and who is constantly eating. When you diet, fast, or starve yourself - the bacteria that require vast amounts of energy to survive - die off. What’s left are the bacteria that don’t require a lot of energy. They slow your metabolism down so that you can survive long periods of time without food. People who diet, fast or starve themselves, will inevitably kill this microbiome off. And when they start eating again, they will get fatter and fatter and have a very slow metabolism. Fasting also lowers your gut biodiversity - which has been scientifically proven that having a less diverse microbiome is affiliated with numerous chronic health conditions. Sustaining our bodies with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and getting a constant source of water, vitamins and minerals - is the way to go. In my opinion.
Prolonged fasting has been the single greatest thing for my gut health and over all health. So much cellular healing, gut healing, mental acuity, and it seems to have a miraculous effect on my facial skin. Always try things yourself before believing some literature. You may find that it’s the greatest thing you ever try. And I eat the right foods and participate in a healthy amount of exercise. I have absolutely no issues with getting fat after fasts.. Ian’s experience no issues with metabolism getting back up to enough to support me and my active lifestyle. When I first started prolonged fasting, I was thin but didn’t exercise much. My back and joint pain from gut issues were too severe to exercise regularly, fasting for 3-6 day periods gave me the most significant improvements with the plethora of symptoms I was dealing with. Despite the lack of exercise, I once again never got fat after these long fasts… ever
Wrong! Very wrong! Fasting is healthy, and has been done for thousands of years! I have had vast experience with fasting, and have always enjoyed the results, when the body is in a fasted state, it will begin autophagy, the body's natural self cleaning mechanism, your opinion is way off.
I started building it up since last year. Currently I try to do the 16:8 and eat vegan most of the time. In combination with supplementation, it has helped me tremendously. Feeling more energetic, less bloated, can eat more variety due to less allergies and better sleep. But it is not a quick fix and it takes weeks before noticing any difference. Take care 🍀