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5 and a half days of water fasting and i've found out that..

water fasting autophagy ketosis mood improvement addiction

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#1 nickdino

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Posted 06 August 2017 - 08:57 PM


Hi everyone,
Some surprising and alarming and rather confusing findings from 5 and a half days water fasting and 3 days of refeeding.

I tried a waterfast 3 weeks ago, 2nd day my abdomen and heart were burning and i decided to halt it. I ate an ketogenic diet for the next 4 days or so and then transitioned into the 5 and a half days of water fast.
Only thing i used were some electrolytes in my water, this time was different, no burning in my heart or abdomen on the 2nd day, there was weakness, cravings, irritability.
Then halfway the third i started to feel better, more energy, less hunger, the end of the fast was mostly a matter of time now. All trough the fast i had to be cautious standing up too fast, maybe because of the high amount of potassium in my lite-salt. Another thing troughout the fast were periods of pain in areas and spots where i had sustained injuries or that were bothersome before, an injured right knee, an operated left eye, sore calfs, sore pelvic area. I assumed this could be the inner doctor i read about at work.

And now i think that could be right, my knee is better than before, i had excellent vision during the fast, smoother skin, some acne on my face had been developing for some months - gone, much suppler joints - no pain, mental sharpness, clarity and focus. More positive, more social, less anxiety.
A side effect was that i was less tempted to follow bad habits. So.. it was like the fasting was putting my old self back together, and basically i have been and becoming again sick.

It wasn't all good ofcourse, i felt weak, like i had to take it slower, waking up with a racing heart, sunken cheeks, zombie eyed, low libido, probably lost some muscle mass.

And now i've been refeeding for 3 days, first i started with half a cucumber and salt, then fermented beanpaste soup with some vegetables, then steamed brocolli with a bit of olive oil, i've kept it keto up untill today. Today i binged, getting back to my sickness. I made almond based pancakes, had an orange which felt good actually, more fruits, cheeses and dried sausage and lastly i ordered food: meat, fried potatoes and rice.
I feel bloated and slightly arthritic again, messed up eyesight again, mentally a bit down, more anxiety and scatterbrained, bad memory. My head feels pressured, like it has been for many years. My problems began some 18 years ago when i started to have anxiety attacks and depression and i got derailed from there on.

So, i need to sort this out, it seems like this might be my ONE THING that will make all other things easier. What food or foods are making me sick? Or maybe its something else, maybe its the fasting state that gives protection and favors a sharp mind over an energetic body. Anyways if i could have both the sharp mind and the energetic body... that would help me tremendously in life.

How do i go from here figuring this out, anyone with experience, good suggestions?

#2 Artificiality

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Posted 06 August 2017 - 09:40 PM

You might have some food sensitivities or allergies that are causing those reactions. Once you eliminated them from your diet you felt better, however when you reintroduced them they started up again. Perhaps it would be better to reintroduce one food at a time to see which ones cause you to feel poorly? This is of course just a theory, I'm not sure how soon going back into a fast would be ideal so I wouldn't jump into it. It could also be from going from so little to binging. Eat lighter tomorrow and see how you feel. 



#3 nickdino

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Posted 06 August 2017 - 10:02 PM

Yes good points, but it could also be that the process of digestion costs energy so your brain gets less.
Are there reliable dna testing programs for my goals?

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#4 xEva

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Posted 07 August 2017 - 04:47 AM

hola nickdino! thanks for sharing your fasting experience :)

I also think you simply ate too much. Even though it was not a long fast (relatively speaking) you still need to be careful when refeeding  It's worth to read on the phases of fasting. Roughly, during the second phase (which starts after liver glycogen is depleted and ketosis starts) the intestinal epithelium begins to athrophy (though in your case, after only about 2 days in phase II, the changes are insignificant). Still, they do happen and that is the main reason why is it universally advised to eat very little and very light on the first days after a fast.

 

IMO the thing you should have avoided is fermented bean soup. Fermented foods are high in bacterial metabolites which may freak intestines out.  Intestinal epithelium produces mucus layer, infused with antimicrobial peptides. This mainly happens in response to the presence of bacteria or just their metabolites. During the fast, this process almost halts. A sudden load of bacteria (or just their metabolites) can cause significant inflammatory response (headache, bloating, arthritis). That's why such foods are better introduced slowly  -- or avoided entirely in the first couple of days.  You'll get some bacteria naturally with your food (even the cleanest!)  and that is enough to start the process gradually. 

 

Also, you would not crave salt so much after the fast, if you had some during the fast. This would also prevent lightheadedness when standing up from a seated position. This happens mainly from volume depletion due to the loss of sodium.

 

The symptoms you describe make me think that you may have some chronic infection or it could be just intestinal permeability issues (aka leaky gut syndrome) -- whatever. I believe you could beat it with a series of fasts (with proper refeeding!). Just make sure you restore healthy weight before starting another cycle. 



#5 nickdino

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Posted 07 August 2017 - 09:36 AM

I can't get my message posted, dont know why.

Edited by nickdino, 07 August 2017 - 09:37 AM.


#6 nickdino

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Posted 08 August 2017 - 03:09 PM

How good are publically available dna tests like 23andMe in finding food allergies or sensitivities? I've just read that for 169 euro's you get 70+ things of which only one category, "welness" seems relevant to ones current health and how to optimize it. Anything better on the market for my purposes?

Edited by nickdino, 08 August 2017 - 03:55 PM.


#7 jack black

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Posted 10 August 2017 - 12:34 PM

How good are publically available dna tests like 23andMe in finding food allergies or sensitivities? I've just read that for 169 euro's you get 70+ things of which only one category, "welness" seems relevant to ones current health and how to optimize it. Anything better on the market for my purposes?


23andme will tell you exactly zero. Not sure of others.





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