| | Water Fasting

IF Take two

A few years ago I topped out at 200 pounds, through IF and hard work I lost 75 pounds to a min of 125. Thanks to the pandemic I'm up to 145 and starting IF and more food discipline again. I'm a week in, doing it the same way that worked before but lately I've been dizzy and very shaky during the fasting periods. I don't exactly remember this from the previous year and half of doing it before. Does anyone else experience this? Does it go away eventually as my body adjusts? I'd like to hear your experiences! The only thing different this time around is I am now on BC. Does this affect fasting? It hasn't caused me to gain weight either, just changes where the weight is (i.e. my stomach and waist as opposed to my thighs and hips) Any input would be helpful, thanks!

Answer

I’ve been experimenting with eating homemade, sugar free pickles and I feel like it’s been helping keep my salt up. I was able to complete a 24 hour fast yesterday, which is usually unheard of for me. I ran into a dr talking about fasting on YouTube who said there was no reason to make yourself do a water fast only, that if you kept your protein to something like 15 grams, avoid eating any sugar and enjoy herbal tea, you would enjoy a lot of benefits without the difficulty. It worked for me, and the scale went down, just like it does on my water fasts. There’s a lot of info on YouTube, and I think experimentation is key. Also always worth a trip to the doctor to make sure there aren’t underlying issues.

Answer

Were you previously eating lots of sugar and/or processed carbs? That dizzy, sweaty, shaky‘low blood sugar’ feeling can be caused when you suddenly quit those foods, your body is used to them and reacts when it doesn’t get them. It’s really helpful to come off the sugar/processed carbs before you start fasting, otherwise you’re making it a lot harder on yourself! Also, life is so much nicer when you don’t have to deal with the afternoon snack/slump thing!