My Monthly Fatloss Report....

Today's post:  Monday, 11-21-2016

A.  Here's the key news:

My fasting the last 5 days of this past 4 week period DID work about as well as the average results the author of the book on fasting has found typical in his patients who do a 5 day fast.

It was good enough to do every four weeks or a month for the next 6 months or a year because that might remove the fat I want to get rid of.

And, after that to keep that fat off and for health it may make sense to do a five day fast once or twice at this time of year and once every two months or every three months after that.

Here are the details:

I fasted the last 5 days, just before the day I measured for the month, Saturday, 11-19, fasting on 11-14, 15, 16, 17, & 18.

Results:

The good news is that I DID likely lose more fat than I'll regain by next month.  So this time I may make some permanent progress by simply doing this once a month.

I  lost 4.7 pounds, about four and a half pounds since last time.  And, I lost it all the week I fasted. 

I went from about 3 pounds over my goal weight to about a pound and a half under it.

Clearly, some of that was the food I normally would have in my belly being processed.  But If I did lose about two and a half pounds of fat, I may be able to lose one or two pounds a month by fasting 5 days once a month.

(Dr Jason Fung says his patients who do 5 day fasts lose an average of 2.5 pounds of fat.  So if 2 pounds is about what replacing food in my belly gains back; and I regain a half a pound or a pound and a half of fat in the intervening 3 weeks, I think I can net out a loss of a pound or two each 4 weeks or so.)

My belly seemed smaller.  And, I felt noticeably lighter and found I was able to walk more easily.

I lost a bit over an inch on my chest measurement and my fat underneath my nipples did seem less.

Despite looking smaller both to my wife and to me, my waist tape measurement did not change even a quarter of an inch.

And, I lost a quarter inch off my hips.

I had hoped for a half inch or more loss from my waist.  But perhaps if I do this fast each month for a year or two, that will happen eventually.

B.  Experience of the fast & the strategies I used:

1.  Except once or twice, I was very little hungrier than usual. 

Given that I’ve been eating a high protein, high vegetable, medium health OK oils, no grain, very low sugar diet that leaves me with only mild hunger some times already, this is about the same as normal for me or a bit less.

2.  But I did feel a bit lightheaded at dinner time before the beef broth with a bit of salt and the decaf coffee with a bit of coconut oil and Kerrygold grass fed butter I put in it.

3.  Dr Fung said to eat a very low carb, high protein diet the last day before I fasted; and I did do so on Sunday 11-13.

4.  Dr Fung suggested having some salted beef broth at dinner to help with my electrolytes and that the small amount of beef fat wouldn’t turn off the fat burning or running my brain with fats instead of glucose.

5.  Dave Asprey of Bulletproof said that some of his Bulletproof very low to zero mold coffee and his Brain Octane MCT oil that is only the better tasting fraction your brain runs well on could help while fasting.

I had his French Roast Bulletproof coffee (“French Kick”) and some of his Brain Octane first thing each morning with only my supplements.

I had the office French Roast coffee about half a cup plus about half a cup of green tea and some of his Brain Octane as a lunch replacement with my normal lunch supplements.

6.  And, I had some bone broth from simmering a bone chunk from Whole Foods from a 100 % grass fed, grass finished, organic cow.  This cost $12 for two bones.  (The premade grass fed bone broth available online DID exist but for hundreds of dollars for that much broth!)

And, I had organic decaf coffee with coconut oil and some Killaree butter from grass fed cows after that.

That infusion of salt and bit of health OK fats DID turn off the spacey feeling I had by that time each day.

7.  I take 733 mg a day of magnesium and about 254 mg of Calcium in my multi and two Calcium Ascorbate vitamin C capsules.

That plus the salt seemed to keep my electrolytes going.  Dr Fung also says the beef broth keeps up the electrolyte effect of phosphorus and phosphate.

But the morning of the third day, my blood pressure jumped a bit extra.  It occurred to me that all the fruits and vegetables with potassium I normally eat were missing.  So I added a 99 mg a day potassium supplement; and my blood pressure went back to its normal readings.

(Eating organic fresh fruit at least once a day prevents BOTH kinds of strokes.  And it’s very effective and protective. 

So, I’ve continued eating wild organic blueberries three times a week and a banana twice a week and organic kiwi fruit or other organic fruit twice a week.  I also take bilberry, elderberry, cranberry, and cherry extract supplements each day.

I did keep up those supplements.  But to be sure to keep up that protection I got another bigger dose bilberry supplement and took 3 a day to partly replace the blueberries I missed 3 days during the fast.)

8.  Because I was NOT constipated before my fast from exercise and a high fiber diet AND my normal coffee plus the other drinks, I was NOT constipated during my fast or just after it. I kept up the coffee and tea and water I normally drink also.)

(I also take a probiotic twice a day which I continued.)

9.  What I did get during my last 3 days of the fast was a kind of slurry plus water at my normal times for taking a dump.

I had a mild upset tummy; and the slurry smelled much worse than my dumps do.

10.  My energy was fine or better than usual.  And, my mornings, lunch time, and dinner time, I had about 10 minutes each of extra time from not having to fix or eat meals.

So, I was productive with a bit less effort and rush than usual during the five days.

Conclusion, it was more doable than I feared it might be for the whole 5 days managing things the way I did.  But it was less pleasant and more obnoxious the last 3 days than I’d expected.

C.  My exercise performance during the fast:

1.  My strength training was 100% of what it would have been had I not fasted on the first day, the second day, and the fourth day.

2.  My cardio exercises on Weds, Friday, and the Sunday after the fast were about the same.

3.  But my strength training on Saturday after 5 days of fasting and before I’d resumed eating and this morning after I had just resumed were noticeably affected. It was about a 5% drop off.

But I’ve read that they will recover and a bit more by a week from later from the experience of others doing similar things.

4.  My cardio exercises on Friday and my 7 minute fast walk, were easier than normal with less in my tummy and enough less weight I was literally lighter on my feet – and this was quite noticeable!

Overall conclusion:

Doing it with the strategies I had in place was doable.  And I clearly DID lose fat during the week.  I’m not unusually hungry today. And, I believe it did NOT cut my metabolism.

Discussion:  How effective it is in my case depends on how much of the 2.5 pounds of fat I gain back before I do it again.

That we will know by next time!

If I can lose a pound or two each four weeks – and that continues – it will be the solution for me that I have been after now for about 5 or 6 years with little results.

I’d rather not have to do a 10 day fast each four weeks or do two 5 day fasts each four weeks.  That looks quite likely to work if I have to do it.

But if one 5 day fast each 4 weeks will work, I’ll like that far better. And I suspect continuing to add strength and muscle will be easier too!