Day 4 cleared!
Going to be honest it was a bit brutal, found myself tested today as I expected. That said, I'm feeling great now and have been productive for the latter half of the day.
It probably didn't help that I started the day off awaking from a vivid dream in which I was confronted with incredibly delicious looking food..I can't catch a break.
I must say, waking up from a prolonged fasted state has been incredibly easy and feels perfect. I usually take a good 30 mins - 1 hour to start entering high levels of alertness and energy, but when waking up this way there is no morning fog whatsoever.
I'm going to be especially mindful now of not consuming anything other than water after the sun goes down, it clearly is having a pronounced detrimental effect, which is consistent with research out there. I'm not exaggerating here, massive quality of life improvement.
Many who try fasting talk about losing sleep and how difficult it is to stay asleep, which I did experience in my first rodeo. However, this time it has been completely different. I've had pretty much no issues getting or staying asleep...no pronounced levels of discomfort making it exceedingly difficult; fasting has gotten easier each time I've done one. Getting adequate sleep has probably been the biggest improvement that led to my success outside of the mindset change.
This leads into speculation as to why I believe I have improved mental clarity this time.
Fasting is a Natural Nootropic
I had read sometime ago about how intermittent fasting/keto can upregulate fat burning pathways.
Entirely speculation here but I seems that extended fasting radically accelerates this process. I believe this is the third or forth fast beyond 24 hours I've done, and each time I've seen remarkable sustained improvement in my mental clarity, particularly when eating low carb. The implication from research that I'm optimizing two sources of fuel for my brain while stimulating neurogenesis is incredibly exciting.
It also suggests that for those who aren't well adapted for fat as a fuel source will experience some sluggishness at first. It feels like you're a first generation hybrid car on only electric power struggling to keep up with a model x - you are under utilizing pathways and bottle necked by the few you are using.
For those who are struggling with fat adaption, intermittent fasting is often suggested. The addendum I may add is if you're looking for a cheat code try extended fasting - I've found it is the easiest way to cut pass the learning process and start reaping the benefits far sooner.
The last change this time I believe has made more successful leads us to water and coffee consumption, as well as supplementation.
The Rules of Fasting
...mhm, there's more to it than eating or not eating.
There are different types of extended fasting.
Dr. Valter Longo has brought a lot more interest in 500 calories or less a day with the fast mimicking diet with promising studies that show similar benefits to 0 caloric fasting. It is probably a good entry to consider if you're having too much trouble with the most natural form of fasting.
I don't see anything wrong with permitting yourself a little cream in the coffee, avacado, etc If it means you're are going to stick with it versus quit all together, seems silly to be a purist about it. After you get experience under your belt is when I'd encourage going all the way to maximize benefits.
If you're looking at maximizing autophagy and going as natural as possible, Dr. Rhonda Patrick suggests black coffee is advised agaisnt. In truth, I'd like to try it without coffee next time, but I was concerned that it would compromise my efforts too much. I drink more coffee than Voltaire, so it would be asking too much for me to both break the record and with an extra layer of difficulty. I do find that I drink a lot less coffee naturally when fasting though, perhaps because my energy level feels so consistent.
I'd say Jason Fung's approach works best for me. I most closely align with his perspective and follow his tips. You can check out his blog for plenty of guidance. He also has two books I'll link in extend reading.
My rules are water and coffee only, though I am supplementing this time properly (you want to avoid capsules/tablets as they upset your stomach, don't make the mistake I did!) with a minimalist liquid electrolyte product called lyte balance. It doesn't particularly help with hunger for me, but it does seem to make a noticeable improvement in my mental sharpness and subtly improves my energy levels. It is barebones, just salt potassium and magnesium, which I love. Less for the body to metabolize and disrupt the process, only what I need to maintain consistent high alertness throughout the day.
Final point here is you want to be careful with drinking too much water. I drank way too much water last time and rapidly depleted myself of electrolytes.
From what I've read it is going to be smooth sailing from now on which is awesome, I look forward to shifting gears and getting ahead of schedule over the weekend.
Until next time!
Extended Reading
Dr. Jason Fung
- Fasting Blog
- Book - Complete Fasting Guide
- Book - Obesity Code
- Youtube Video - Why Fasting Doesn't Cause Muscle Loss
- Interview - 160 Quesitons Answered
Dr. Valter Longo
Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Communities & Resources
Zero -Fasting App
Subreddit for Fasting
Fasting Archive