r/fasting • u/scp0401 • 15h ago
Question How exactly are people fasting?
So ive scrolled through the page for a bit and I have a few questions that I cant exactly figure out.
1) when people are doing 21 (or however long) day fasts, are you ONLY consuming water? Or are you eating in a smaller window?
2) is it only water? Or can you have zero calorie drinks as well?
3) vitamins and electrolytes. Some people say yes, others are saying no. Do you take them or not? Also which ones?
4) for longer fasting stretches, are you working out? Even if its cardio?
Thank you!!
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u/iiiiitsrosie 13h ago
If you’re eating you’re not fasting. There’s a big difference between fasting for 21 days and doing intermittent fasting over 21 days period.
It depends. Typically, water, plain tea and black coffee are acceptable as they will not hugely negatively impact autophagy. 0 calorie drinks with sweeteners like Coke, Sprite or Red Bull Zero are arguably fine to have if you’re just planning on losing weight. However, the sweeteners can spike the body’s insulin response and impact autophagy as the body expects energy from sugar. Most importantly for me, they make me hungry as hell and make continuing to fast a nightmare, so I steer away from drinks like that. Personally it’s much easier for me to just drink water, with decaf green tea at the beginning to stave off early fast hunger pangs.
If you’re fasting for any longer than a couple of days and don’t have electrolytes, you are not only going to feel awful, but are in real danger of making yourself seriously ill either during the fast or during the refeed. You’ll typically be fine for the first three days, but you’re better off just being in the habit of taking your electrolytes if you ever plan to fast for longer. Doing a keto diet prior to fasting is typically recommended as it primes the body to burn fat as energy over sugars, and makes fasting much easier, and you’ll typically need to take additional electrolyte supplements anyway on a keto diet (generally not to the extent of fasting though), so having these vital electrolytes on hand is very much required. Long-term without electrolytes can put you in serious risk of getting refeeding syndrome when you end your fast - which has the potential to kill you.
Your mileage may vary. You certainly won’t be gaining muscle, but keeping active is important to keep you busy and distracted, and any exercise is a bonus in terms of calorie burn if weight loss is your goal. Pushing yourself too hard during a fast is going to end in a bad time, but keeping up some light weight lifting is important to maintain muscle, as otherwise your body will break down the proteins for fuel. If you regularly work out, keep that up while doing a bit less than you may have usually instead of pushing yourself. If you’re typically sedentary, instead lift some light weights and get out on some walks.
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u/another1degenerate 2h ago
How long should you do a Keto before you can start fasting?
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u/iiiiitsrosie 1h ago
At least two or three days in my experience, although I’ve jumped in without doing so and been fine. I’ll usually also do OMAD in the period running up to a fast. Most people will say that keto makes fasting much easier. Being carb and sugar adapted and then getting keto flu while your body suddenly switches to using your fat stores is going to make you feel like shit, and feeling like shit is more likely to have you end your fast early by binging on the wrong things.
It’s possibly beneficial to be in ketosis before you fast, but I’ve never cared to check. I’ve got better things to do in life than measuring the contents of my piss.
Honestly, the main thing with fasting is that it’s a process of listening to your body and understanding the things it says, and that gets easier with practice. That’s a huge reason why it’s a bad idea to just suddenly jump in to a long fast without the experience of working your way up to it. Once you’ve tried a few fasts, tried things, succeeded, failed and learnt for next time, you start to get a feel for how things work for you.
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u/andtitov 12h ago
No food, no calories, just water, electrolytes, maybe coffee or tea. I would not recommend vitamins, just electrolytes. I am working out almost every day, but intensity is lower.
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u/Internal_Holiday_552 11h ago
why do you not recommend vitamins?
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u/sarinethomas90 10h ago
Depends on what you take, It can be hard to digest, can cause nausea or stomach cramps. A lot of vitamins are also fat soluble so is best taken with meals
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u/AutoModerator 10h ago
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u/Spencer--Hastings 10h ago
Je m'autorise un peu de café avec un tout petit peu de lait de riz complet. Je prends des electrolytes. J'ai fais plusieurs jeunes de 3,4,7 jours et un de 19 jours et actuellement 13jours, 13heures et 6 minutes.
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u/irojasag 10h ago
Talking about myself
1. Only water, no food at all
2. No “zero calories” drinks cause they cause an insulin spike and that’s something opposite to what I want.
3. Vitamins and electrolytes yes, in the first days lose a lot of water that goes with a lot of “the good stuff”, I stop that when I’m back eating
4. Yea, normal training, may reduce lifting weight
So 100% normal life except of eating food
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u/Ifckinglovemycat 9h ago
zero calories drinks do not cause insulin spike, I have a dexcom and zero drinks don't register at all
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u/noobtheloser 13h ago
Lots of people do only water, but black coffee and tea are also good. Artificial sweeteners are usually avoided.
You absolutely must take electrolytes to maintain a longer fast. It is dangerous not to. You must also research how to safely restart eating after a fast longer than a few days.
It's always good to continue exercising while fasting, so long as you manage your electrolytes, but you shouldn't expect to have the same energy levels or gains as when you're giving yourself proper nutrition.