The FastDay Forum

Hi there!

New faster, doing it with my husband - alternate day fasting (well, M W F). We did our first fast day yesterday and fasted for around 36 hours (ate dinner Sunday, breakfast Tuesday).

I had only water/tea/diet coke (oops, I was sleepy) in between.

I looked on the FAQs and didn't see anything about nausea - how common is this? My husband and I both got migraines Monday, possibly because of a storm, but probably not helped by fasting - ???? I was nauseous too, and I think that was due to an empty stomach, though I feel like I drank minimum 6L of liquid over the day. Wet burped into my mouth, eww

Today I had trouble eating breakfast, eventually got a good amount of food into me.

Me: Weighed a hair under 200lbs (89.7kg) last Monday, today, Tuesday 8 days later, 87.2kg. Most of that is calorie restriction, but some of it is Monday's fast.

If anyone has any thoughts on things to do to stop the headaches and nausea (ginger tea?) that would be great. My blood sugar has always tested fine, but something really needs to change. My husband too. We're hoping even if we don't lose any weight we're healthier.

I have tried eating close-to-keto before but it's difficult (I'm vegetarian and eggs make me puke; I can eat bacon, stereotypically enough, other meat makes me puke). The last 8 days I've been trying to limit my carbs.

I am going on a canoe trip Thursday for 8 days with my BFF and will be eating carbs and not fasting, so we'll see how much damage I face. My husband is dreading fasting without me and I'm jealous he'll be able to! (Other than the nausea and migraines)

Thanks all!

Welcome jarn (and hubby) !

Nausea, headache, lightheadedness, and lethargy (in some combination) are all commen symptoms of carbohydrate withdrawal. Because nearly all of us started 5:2 being carb-dependent we lost our natural ability to use our stored fat as an energy source, so our bodies complain about the sudden energy deficit. For most, It'll take a few days (2-3) for cell level (mitochondria) changes to make this adjustment. And a few weeks for those far more energetic (distance runners and HIIT for example).

THE SOLUTION is to sip 1 to 2 cups of something salty - like stock cube (bouillon cube) drinks throughout the day. With fasting, and its attendant carb-restriction, our bodies will release a considerable water and along with it sodium and potassium. A salty drink can correct for this.

Again, welcome to the group!