The FastDay Forum

'Food is necessary to fuel our beautiful bodies' is the comment I had planned to bring back to you Joey having also worried you may not be eating enough. It has already been said. 5:2 is a tool so that 2 days you can be strict and 5 days eat normally and within reason. The 5 days balances from the extreme of 2 days of low calorie intake.

You know what to do that is don't harm your body and fast in moderation. Best of luck and most of all happy eating

Thanks for the details joeyd - if 11 stone is your minimum weight then for my money you are OK. If you use a tracking tool like Libra (or the forum progress tracker) you will get an early warning if you are not eating enough, especially if you weigh daily.

As to what you should be eating, carbohydrates would be the likely suspects for bloating and sluggishness so reducing bread/grains and increasing good fats (butter, olive/coconut oil, fatty fish) would possibly help you feel better while still supplying sufficient energy.

Do you work out at all? Some exercise/activity is also a good idea, even just walking more...

[Moogie]

While I think a lot of us experience a certain clarity and sense of happiness from fasting, I am certainly concerned to hear that you are underweight and losing more from continuing to fast - especially as you say you have an addictive personality.

In your case I feel it would be wise for you to experiment with your foods a bit -it's possible you have some intolerances/allergies which are making you feel sluggish when you eat. Perhaps taking in more fruit would help to balance out your fasting days - they contain plenty of calories (so hopefully no more losing weight!) and lots of wonderful micronutrients which should leave you feeling great - plus the natural sugars in them should increase your appetite.

What sort of things do you eat on your feed days? Does everything make you feel sluggish? Have you tried exercise as an alternative/additional way to feel good? Please do tell us a bit more about your eating habits and current weight/BMI. We're not here to judge you, but we're a friendly bunch and will naturally be concerned in this type of situation. We're here to look out for each other's wellbeing

Thanks all. I appreciate your concern and advice. I think the food diary is a very good idea. At the moment I'm trying to identify if I may have an intolerance to dairy or wheat because alongside the sluggishness i get very itchy skin from eating one of these food groups- I'm going to find out via elimination diet technique.

But as for the euphoria from the fasting you'll be pleased to hear that I've been eating every day for the past 3-4 days and I've been experimenting with a high protein diet which really doesn't make me feel full enough to do much fasting. I'm not sure if I mentioned it but I don't eat breakfast at all. I really dont feel hungry in the mornings and if anything I feel better for not eating- by lunch I'm feeling really clear minded. As soon as I eat lunch I feel tired again and show although I understand this is the normal response of the body. I am noticing that certain food groups make me feel better than others so I had turkey and quinoa for dinner the other night and didn't feel bloated at all (not like when I had the same dish with cous cous) but without the wheat I don't have the energy to fast the next day and therefore i can't get my euphoric high. It's a weird situation. Its like if I binge on meat dairy and wheat on a very unhealthy meal for dinner and then fast the next full day I can get the euophoric high. But if I eat healthily for dinner just so I'm mildly full I can't fast the next day and won't get my high because ill need lunch to keep going. So bit of an odd one because I do kind of want the high. Sorry I am aware I sound like a bit of a lunatic. I'm just trying to identify which foods make me be at my best because I feel great when I am in that zone. Recently on the protein heavy diet, staying off dairy and wheat I've been getting terrible headaches and cold like symptoms but apparantly that could be wheat withdrawl symptoms. I was also incredibly tired tonight and just feel asleep on the sofa which I never do. I ended up caving in and had wholemeal pasta and some milk and I feel better but my skin is all itchy again! Tough one!

[carieoates]

I think you have come to the right place. We are all here to help, and even of you hear something you may not like, just bear in mind that we are all different. Hope you can find out what is affecting your skin and well being. Keep us up to date with progress.

If you're getting itchy skin after wheat Joey, why not try some gluten free pasta?

Jen

Hi all

I've been working on my issue this last week and reading a lot. You'll be pleased to hear I'm eating a lot too. Basically I've come to the decision that my mood and this euphoria etc. is all related to insulin levels. Because I know as soon as I break my fast and eat something I go from my euphoric state to a slump. So I'm trying to figure out which foods wont make me slump when I come of the fast but hopefully keep me in a good mood. So obviously protein, fibre and low carbs are the way to go to avoid my insulin level rocketing and getting that sluggish feeling.

Ive also been thinking about my euphoria in relation to the insulin idea because surely when I'm fasting my insulin level is at its lowest and if anything im hypoglycemic (too low blood sugar) from my reading, hypoglycemia forces the release of glucagon and I think this euphoria that I speak about may be part of the chemical process taking place during my low blood sugar level and my bodies reaction. My science is very basic do id appreciate some thoughts from someone more knowledgable. Also when does ketosis occur in relation to glycogen release?

I gather a ketogenic diet can improve mental clarity. However paleohacks.com has a thread on ketosis, fasting and euphoria. In my case ditching grains improves my mood.

I used to get high off of fasting. After the initial "ugh no food!" panic wears out, you get to be so clear headed and energetic.
Someone told me I should start fasting for spiritual reasons and I started doing research on the benefits of fasting, which brought me here.

Interesting kckcc, what has your research told you in terms of the science behind it?

You might want to read about roseacea and carbs, as that could be the itchy skin thing, particularly on the face.

I also think there's an element of euphoria from the control aspect, rather than from the food itself. It becomes what you expect so you think it's causative.

Interesting kckcc, what has your research told you in terms of the science behind it?

Most of the body's energy is diverted into digestion, but once the body no longer needs to do that (ie, during a fast) the body can work on repairing itself and detoxing. Also, when you are not digesting food, the body breaks down glycogen and then fat. The whole "starvation mode" thing is a big fat myth. If it were true, people who starve to death would be flabby and not lean.

Yes, I use to think the body goes into starvation mode far quicker than it actually does.

I, too, get sense of achievement from fasting for a day, though, I'm not enjoying it terribly at the moment as a recent setback has put me behind.

I''m 5/11 (just over) and hovering around hight 12 s at the moment. I'm visually acceptable currently though I know I could drop a stone (plus)to get back into old trousers. I don't think we are so far from each other so I don't think you are underweight. I wouldn't loose too much more though.

You should be eating normally, I think, on non fast (free days).

The Buddhist monks got a lot of things right (IMO) with fasting and meditation. On a fasting day I feel like my body is "rebooting" for want of a better expression. Unlike you , I find it dificult sometimes to keep the energy up that I need; some times too you feel a lot better(as you say)..

Hi all, thanks for your interesting responses. I read a suspect daily express article today which said:

- daily express article: ''Fasting creates a feeling of euphoria because blood sugar is running quite moderately and that can be addictive. It is very important that you don’t do more than two days a week,” Dr Catherine Collins, Chief Dietician at London’s St George’s Hospital,

What do people think of this comment?

I personally have come to the conclusion, after research, that norepinephrine, a hormone the body produces and releases usually during exercise that creates a feel good feeling is also present /released when the body starts glycogenesis (switching from using glucose directly, to using glycogen (stored in the liver) to make glucose- which inevitably happens during fasting. What's interesting for me is that the amount of mild euphoria or 'high' I experience is dependent on what and how much I ate for my last meal before the fast started. For instance pasta or bread as a last meal gives me a big buzz when fasting the next day but a low carb diet i.e. protein and salad doesn't give me much euphoria at all when fasting. I think the reason is because I'm eating much less food in my low carb meals. Unfortunately ive realised in the past weeks im probably intolerant to wheat based on how much better I feel straight after meals now I avoid wheat. Now I'm on a mainly protein diet and I love how I'm never tired after eating! So im not getting much of a buzz through my fasting at the minute but I am feeling better after eating which is good. I will have to test it by having a night of binge carbs- bread/pasta and seeing how I get on the next day.

I do also think as someone else stated that perhaps the control issue has a part to play. I'd be intrigued to understand about why a constant blood glucose level is addictive?

Hi joeyd. You might find this thread interesting. One of the hypothesis of the book is that gluten can change our biochemistry right down to our brains pleasure and addiction centre.

the-5-2-lab-f10/dr-perlmutter-and-his-book-grain-brain-t9346-30.html