fasting track

Should I Ease into Fasting or Jump Straight In?

I’ve noticed that with every client I work with, there are people who want a slow and steady journey, where others want to dive right in to the challenging stuff. It’s my job to make sure what you’re doing is sustainable and that you won’t run out of steam or motivation within the first week. That’s why my personal preference is to establish a solid foundation first (which takes about 1-2 weeks) and then work your way up to the more challenging fasts. Even though I don’t typically work with older clients who have medical conditions, they are generally the group of people who should take things slower.

The main reason why people choose whether to ease in or jump in is because it determines how severe the reaction to fasting can be. Reactions such as headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness mostly happen during the time when your body makes the switch between fuel sources. As we’ve discusses before, your body can only get energy from 2 sources of fuel. The first (and unfortunately most common today) is food. The second is body fat, which includes visceral fat too! These 2 sources of fuels are not used at the same time, it is one or the other at all times. This switch between using glucose, a type of sugar, or fat is what we want our bodies to relearn. It’s also good to note that whether your body uses dietary fat or body fat, the metabolism is the same.

Your body can store glucose in the form of glycogen in the liver. When you are fasting, glycogen stores enough energy for about 24 hours. If you are eating an average diet of three meals a day that include about 50% carbohydrates with snacks, and rarely fast more than 24 hours, your body will fuel itself almost exclusively on sugar. This means you are not allowing your body to ever need to switch to using body fat. Now the issue arises is where you keep doing this year over year, your body learns that this is the only source of energy and will most likely causes more reactions when you begin to fast. If this sounds like you, I suggest starting slowly.

If you normally burn sugar, it can take a few weeks before your body efficiently uses body fat for energy. During this switch-over period, you might experience flu-like symptoms like headache, fatigue and mental fog. This is sometimes called Keto Flu because a ketogenic diet, which is very low in carbohydrates also forces the body to burn fat. Lower carbohydrate diets lower the hormone insulin, which causes the body to excrete salt and water, which can make symptoms worse.

One strategy to minimize these symptoms is to start by eating a low carbohydrate, sufficient protein diet. You reduce the dietary intake of carbohydrates, which are chains of sugar, forcing the body to adapt to using fat for energy. When you start fasting longer, your body won’t have any trouble switching from the fat in the food to the fat from your own body.

Start by having three meals a day with no snacks. Gradually lower the amount of refined carbohydrates in your diet. Drink plenty of fluids and don’t try to restrict salt. Magnesium supplements are often useful for cramping or constipation.

Now that you are ready to begin fasting, there are a few common reactions and how to alleviate the symptoms!

Constipation

You may notice the number of times you use the toilet when you fast decreases. The simple explanation is that less going in means less coming out. That’s normal. It’s only constipation and uncomfortable if there is stool inside that won’t come out. During fasting, many people have less stool in their intestines, so do not have any discomfort despite the lower frequency of bowel movements. If you do feel constipated, make sure to stay well hydrated. You can also try taking a fibre supplement or magnesium citrate to help get your bowels moving.

Hair Loss

Temporary hair loss can occur with any significant dietary change. It can also result from rapid body fat loss. So this isn’t exclusive to do with fasting. The good news is that it is a temporary, and as your weight loss stabilizes, hair loss will stops and regrowth begins. Try incorporating an extra dietary protein daily and always talk to your doctor to make sure the hair loss is not due to any other medical reason.

Bad Breath or ‘Keto Breath’

When starting to fast, you may notice a strange metallic taste or stinky breath. This is a side effect of fat metabolizing, which can come from the fat you ate or body fat (so it’s actually a good sign!). You may also note a white film on your tongue. This is a nuisance, but not dangerous. The bad breath may persist until you weight stabilizes.

Our tip is to drink plenty of water and salt. Maintain good oral hygiene. Oil pulling with coconut oil is sometimes helpful.

Elevated Heart Rate

When you are fasting, the hormone insulin goes down, but other hormones, called the counter-regulatory hormones go up. This includes noradrenalin, which activates the sympathetic nervous system, our fight or flight response.

As part of this generalized activation, your heart rate may increase, which may last for a few weeks. Most of the time, this is an incidental finding. In rare cases, it may trigger abnormal heart rhythms or palpitations. In this case, it is important to stop fasting immediately and see your doctor.

Diarrhea

Loose bowel movements are a common side effect when starting to fast, but usually only lasts for a week or two. It is thought that the body is trying to get rid of excess water, causing the loose stools. Make sure you are not taking too much magnesium supplements, some of which are laxatives.

Gout

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid that precipitate in the joint. Fasting increases uric acid, so may aggravate gout, although this is rare. This effect only lasts for one or two months if fasting consistently. Stopping and starting a fasting protocol may also cause flares. Lime juice in water or cherry root extract may help alleviate symptoms. Also talk to your doctor about medications.

Build up your fasting protocol slowly and be consistent. Start with three meals a day with no snacks and increase the fasting duration every two to three weeks, giving your body plenty of time to get used to it.

Acid reflux

Acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, often called heartburn, sometimes flares up when you start fasting, but only appears to be aggravated for the first week or two, as the body adapts. Obesity aggravates acid reflux because of the increased intra-abdominal pressure. As you lose weight, heartburn symptoms often improve, but during the process of losing that weight, it may get worse. If you have a history of acid reflux and take medication for it, please follow your doctor’s medication instructions, even while you’re fasting.

Insomnia

Trouble sleeping is also a common side effect of fasting which is due to the increase in hormone noradrenaline. Usually, this is only a problem for one to two weeks. You may try going to bed later or getting up earlier until your body adapts.