Autumn Fast

The Autumn Equinox is Monday the 23^rd this year.  It is officially the first day of fall for us Northern Hemisphere dwellers.  The equinox marks the point where night and day are approximately equal in length.  We experience this twice a year—Autumn and Spring Equinoxes.  After Monday our days will begin to shorten, and our nights lengthen.  Summer is officially caput.  The change of season means it is time for another quarterly three day fast for me and that lucky dude who signed up for a lifetime of agreeing to my wild plans and ideas.  Probably not what they meant with the whole “for better or worse” part…but I like to put my own spin on its application.   When laying out our plans for September we decided to schedule in the fast for the Friday before the equinox, so we officially break our fast on the first day of Fall. 

One of the tools that I’ve experimented with over the last year for health, metabolic function and repair is fasting.  I did my research and learned about the different methods and protocols being used successfully to incorporate fasting as part of my wellness strategy.   I consider fasting, intermittent fasting and time restricted eating (TRE) to all fall under forms of fasting but they serve different purposes for me.  Some use the terms interchangeably or in place of one or the other, but I prefer to treat them as distinct protocols and purposes.  For clarity I’ll explain how I define the different terms:

• Time Restricted Eating (TRE) is when you set up an eating window and a fasting period within a 24-hour day.  For example, if you follow a common 8/16 TRE protocol you have an open eating window for 8 hours of the day and when those 8 hours are up you no longer feed for the remaining 16 hours until you reopen your eating window the next day. I use this primarily to support circadian rhythm function and digestion issues.   
• Intermittent Fasting is randomly fasting for 24-36 hours during your week.  I use this primarily for extra fat burning without compromising my metabolic function the way caloric restriction methods typically do.
• Extended Fasting is anything beyond the 24 to 36 hour range of intermittent fasting for me.  My 3-day seasonal fasts fall under this term.  I use this solely for health benefits.  I do not use extended fasts for weight loss…EVER.

I use all these fasting protocols in my wellness strategy.  I do time restricted eating daily.  Last year I started experimenting with fasting by incorporating 24-hour fasts into my schedule.  Our spring fast in March of this year was the first 3 day fast we tried followed by our summer fast.  This fall fast will be our third quartile fast for the year.  I like this extended fasting schedule for a variety of reasons.  I do not like to overdo it with extended fasting.  Four per year seems an effective amount without being too taxing on my body.  Scheduling them to coincide with the change of seasons makes it easy to remember when it is time to fast.  Whimsically, the seasonal cleansing appeals to my sense of order and time—a fresh slate to start each change of season. 

My fasting protocol for both intermittent fasting and extended fasting is the same.  There are no calories consumed for the length of the fast.  I structure my fast as close to a pure water fast as my body allows.  The fluids I consume during the fast are water, black coffee and apple cider vinegar.  I found I felt the effects of electrolyte imbalance, so I now include a sodium, magnesium and potassium supplement I add to my water (I use LMNT electrolyte drink mix (raw unflavored)).  I supplement with additional salt as necessary during the fasting period depending on how my body is responding.  I lose a lot of retained water during a fast, so it tends to throw off my electrolyte balance.  Usually if I start feeling sluggish, popping a couple of salt rocks perks me back up. 

Some people may enjoy fasting but…being honest here…I don’t really enjoy the whole tasteless and salty water filled period.  I want the health benefits.  I like how my body feels after completing a fast.  I also like to eat.  I miss food when I’m fasting.  I miss my morning coffee and I miss my squares of dark chocolate at the end of my day.  By the end of a fast I’m beyond grateful for the food I get to enjoy—the cleaner the better.  My appetite is very simple and basic coming off a fast.  I don’t suffer with hunger issues but my appetite for food never goes away.  Basically, I get through a fast with a minimal amount of effort, but I am so ready to get to the other side and get back to eating.  It helps a bit that Larry, my husband, does the seasonal health fasts too.  Nothing worse than smelling and watching someone eat all the foods you love while your voluntarily unable to partake.  Fasting is a lot better if you can find a fasting buddy.  Misery loves company and all that…

I don’t approach fasts the way I see many doing in the wellness/health/fitness space.  I don’t treat them like any other day continuing with my normal activities.  I believe as much as fasting is beneficial, it is a stress on the body.  It can be a positive stressor, but it can also turn negative depending on what other life stressors are occurring simultaneously.  I treat myself extra gentle during fasting.  I do not do intensive activities or push any limits.  I’m not in the gym putting myself through a grueling workout.  Low level activity, like walking, is my primary activity for the duration.  I try to take some extra leisure time and pampering to balance things a bit more in my favor.  I never treat my wellness lifestyle as a race to some destination so taking things easy for a few days is natural and I feel it gives your body a chance to focus on the fasting process without overly taxing your systems.  I don’t make my body multitask because I’m in some rush to attain a goal.  I let my body focus on doing its job during my fast. 

The other way I reduce the stress on my body is I don’t go into fasting as a glucose burner.  My daily dietary strategy is already low carb, so my body is in or on the edge of ketosis regularly.  My body is already adapted to regularly using my fat stores and ketones for energy.  I don’t put my body through that glucose withdrawal period to start my fast.  Basically, I’m already starting at the equivalent of 24-36 hours into my fast from hour one.  Truthfully, I don’t know how sugar burners fast.  I know it happens, but it seems an exponentially more difficult rout to take.  When I first went low carb and became fat adaptive it wasn’t the most pleasant experiences and was stressful on my body during the transition.  Partly due to not knowing some of the tricks to ease into this lifestyle and a little bit of my cold turkey approach. But it wasn’t a fun time for me.  Since I’m already fat adapted fasting is relatively easy.  I don’t deal with real hunger or withdrawal symptoms.  The only thing I really need to deal with is my own appetite for food and distracting myself from reaching mindlessly for something to satisfy a taste craving.  Not going into tomorrow overly excited for three days of no food, but I know my body is prepared to maximize all those health benefits and start this fall season off feeling cleansed and revitalized. 

Check back here and follow me on Instagram for any updates during my fast.  Please ignore any whining that may occur—I like to dramatize the little things to get myself some sympathetic support to compensate for the whole no chocolate for three days thingy.  All expressions of outrage and commiseration about the chocolate deprivation situation are welcome.  If you fast or ever tried fasting…or just thinking about trying fasting, I’d love to hear about your experiences.  Share your stories and comments below.