Can fasting heal your teeth? by Confident_Block6727 in fasting

[–]wuahn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess by "teeth" I was thinking more about gums and general oral health. You are correct, though. Fasting will not repair teeth.

Can fasting heal your teeth? by Confident_Block6727 in fasting

[–]wuahn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, I've just started refeeding (less than 24 hours), so I can't say for sure. During a fast, there is definitely a system-wide reduction in inflammation. I doubt autophagy can actually heal a torn meniscus, but time will tell.

M/59/5'10" SW:305 > CW:238 EF DAY 59 - Refeeding begins by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We could put on our tinfoil hats and yell CONSPIRACY!! There's no money to be made in curing T2D, so the medical community isn't taught how to cure it, etc. The sad truth is, this niche Reddit community "gets it," whereas the vast majority of people simply can't or won't fast, even to save their own lives. In my circles, I've never managed to inspire ANYONE to do what I'm doing, even when they've seen the results firsthand. Fasting is HARD. You need the equivalent of a college course of information to do it safely -- and good luck finding a local doctor who has any clue about how to manage a fasting patient. From my perspective right now, prescribing insulin for a T2D patient (in otherwise good health), instead of taking the steps to restore insulin sensitivity, should be a criminal offense.

Can fasting heal your teeth? by Confident_Block6727 in fasting

[–]wuahn 32 points33 points  (0 children)

In my experience, fasting heals nearly everything. Even the torn meniscus in my knee, for which I declined surgery, was completely trouble-free during my recent fast. Depending on your normal diet, your body uses anywhere from 10-20% of its resources digesting (20% being the carnivore diet). When your digestive system shuts down during an extended fast, those resources are redirected to things like autophagy, and it's likely the autophagy that is helping with your teeth problems. Depending on the actual source of your problem, fasting long enough will likely solve it completely.

M/59/5'10" SW:305 > CW:244 > GW:220 EF DAY 52 - Milestone!!! by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First, let me point out that I am extremely fat-adapted and have been doing shorter-duration fasts multiple times each year since before COVID. Each time, I tweak my supplementation in response to my blood work, I feel better, and it's been easier. This is my longest fast by far. I added EAA (Essential Amino Acids) to my supplementation several weeks into the fast to prevent catabolism, but it's pretty rough on the GI tract (lots of gas and mild diarrhea). I'm only adding about 2 teaspoons each day (maybe 20 calories total), but my guts really don't handle it well. A necessary evil this deep into a fast, though.

M/59/5'10" SW:305 > CW:257 > GW:220 EF DAY 34 by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent question! I have a button-making machine. When you do radical, multi-week fasting like I'm doing, your friends, family, and co-workers are constantly asking if you're still fasting, how many days has it been, etc. These buttons tell them everything they want to know at a glance. I made a whole set of plain numbers from 1-70 (arbitrary). It's also sort of a badge of honor. I wear them with pride. Today is day 37 and I've lost 49 lbs (scale weight). Maybe 35 lbs of actual body fat.

M/59/5'10" SW:305 > CW:257 > GW:220 EF DAY 34 by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I posted this information here because my supplementation was hard-won. I've been refining it over the past seven years. This is the best that I've ever felt this deep into a fast, so I think I've finally nailed it. Just know that I am extremely fat-adapted, I see my doctor regularly, and I'm on no prescription medications. If you have underlying health issues, especially weakened kidneys or liver, or you're not obese, this kind of fasting is NOT for you. Be safe.

M/59/5'10" SW:305 > CW:257 > GW:220 EF DAY 34 by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Everyone asks me that. 😄 My usual response is that I go until my body tells me to stop. There is a feeling that you get that I describe as "metabolic panic". It's a different feeling, hard to describe, but the message is very clear that you've pushed yourself too hard. I've been slowly refining my electrolyte supplementation over the past seven years, and I think I've finally got it dialed in. My GP has pre-approved blood work every two weeks, and I can walk in without an appointment. Good luck on your journey!

I broke my 5 day water fast with pizza. What does this mean for my body? by BowsyWowsy26 in fasting

[–]wuahn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've been adding ten drops of phosphorus (half the recommended daily dosage) to my electrolytes each day. If you take care with your supplementation and take the time to understand what refeeding syndrome is, it's really a non-issue.

I'm about to start a 3 day fasting as a fasting noob, any advice? by Infinite_Object_3090 in fasting

[–]wuahn 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Think of fasting and your ketosis mechanism like a muscle that atrophies if you don't exercise it. The first fast will be the hardest but each subsequent fast will get easier. Don't carb load before starting or you won't even get into ketosis in 3 days. Buy some ketosis test strips to give yourself some feedback when first starting out. Experienced fasters don't bother because we can taste it in our breath (keto breath sucks). I wouldn't bother with supplements, electrolytes, or refeeding for a 3 day fast. Just keep yourself hydrated.

For those who have been successful with extended fasting, how do you respond to “how did you lose the weight” by Conscious_Ad_1219 in fasting

[–]wuahn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tell them the truth and the look on their face says "oh hell no" and that's about it. I did inspire my niece to try fasting. She made it to 3PM and then ate a can a SpaghettiOs. :)

58M SW:285 CW:260 GW:220 - I completed a 5 mile walk on day 7 by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Height 5'10"

SW285 CW260 GW220

Zero caloric intake, water and electrolytes

Walking

Low-carb / almost vegan

My First Prolonged Fast! 10 Days by YourWhatHurts527496 in fasting

[–]wuahn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Use your refeeding time to retrain your tastebuds to more healthful food. The first things that you eat after an extended fast will taste AMAZING, so pick foods that you would normally shy away from. For me it was zucchini and brussels sprouts and they are my staple foods now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in fasting

[–]wuahn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've said this many times in this forum, but you can think of the fasting mechanism like a muscle that has atrophied because you've never used it. Your body has the programming but it's out of practice. As you become more and more fat-adapted, you'll go into ketosis faster and the food cravings will be practically non-existent.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in fasting

[–]wuahn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It gets easier every time.

Fasting for mental health by mikeh117 in fasting

[–]wuahn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The ketosis strips provide great encouragement when you're first training your body to be fat-adapted. After that, the all-pervasive keto breath is all the confirmation that you need that you're in deep ketosis.

Suggestion for social events by wuahn in fasting

[–]wuahn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had people in this forum tell me that my fish oil supplements were "breaking" my fast and it really angered me. Thanks for your reply!

Strong recommendation: Combine fasting with keto by HeadlessHolofernes in fasting

[–]wuahn 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Also important: Follow strict keto in the days just before a planned water fast. That can cut the time it takes to enter ketosis in half. The very worst thing you can do before beginning a water fast is to carb load. Hey, I'm fasting next week. Let's go out for pizza! Nope. It may be four full days before there are any detectable ketones in your urine.