All my life I have struggled with my weight. Both sides of my family suffered from morbid obesity, along with metabolic syndrome, a preoccupation with food and emotional eating. Only when I reached puberty and began to individuate, did I realize that it was not written in stone that I had to be overweight like everyone else. I could change my dietary habits and maintain my body weight within a healthful range. I did this most successfully by restricting my intake of carbohydrate. This strategy worked until menopause, when something shifted.
In the past, when my weight crept up, I would eat more protein and less carbs, and the excess pounds would disappear. After menopause, this method was no longer effective. My weight began to climb, my clothes grew tighter and I felt frustrated that my sincere efforts yielded so little success.
My metabolism had changed, and eating more protein and restricting carbohydrate did not result in weight loss as it had in the past. I needed to restrict my intake of protein as well. I have altered the composition of my diet so that the majority of my calories now come from healthy fats, along with moderate protein and very low carbohydrate intake. This translates into approximately 70% of my calories from fat, 20% from protein and 10% from carbs. This is the prescription for a ketogenic diet, and at 56, it is the only way I can eat without gaining weight. I feel well when I eat this way, with steady energy, no fluid retention and sound sleep. My esteemed colleague, Georgia Ede, MD author of the blog Diagnosis Diet, described in her most recent post, how well she also feels since committing to a ketogenic diet. There is increasing scientific evidence to support the benefits of a ketogenic diet, including normalization of blood sugar and other blood chemistries, including cholesterol levels, despite the increase in dietary fat, treatment of epilepsy and certain kinds of cancer as well as Alzheimer’s disease.
As a means of jump starting the process and overcoming my metabolic resistance, I did a Fat Fast for 4 days. The Fat Fast is a calorie restricted diet of 1000 calories a day, consisting of 4 or 5 mini meals of 200-250 calories of 90 % fat over the course of the day. It is not intended as a maintenance plan as it’s too little protein. It was conceived of by Dr. Robert Atkins as method to break weight loss stalls and to generate a state of deep ketosis, without loss of muscle mass. He recommended mini-meals consisting of 2 ounces of cream cheese or 1 ounce of macademia nuts. Here is an informative post at Carb Smart about the Fat Fast.
Fortunately, the creative and veteran low carber, Dana Carpender of the low carb blog Hold the Toast has written an e-book The Fat Fast Cookbook, which suggests a variety of 200-250 calorie mini meals which are excellent. Here is a good post she wrote about the Fat Fast. I found the Fat Fast to produce gratifyingly quick weight loss and it was not that difficult to sustain for a limited period. I did feel irritable in the beginning as well as hungry, but experienced no cravings.
There is also increasing evidence about the link between gut flora and obesity. Here is a fascinating post by Moises Velazquez Manoff in Mother Jones entitled “Are Happy Gut Bacteria a Key to Weight Loss?” Healthy gut flora is promoted by following the principles of the GAPS Healing Protocol.
I adapted this recipe from Dana Carpender for a custard that is high in fat and very delicious. I have been eating it for breakfast. It can be made with either a whole egg or just the yolk. I make it with just the yolk because of an egg white allergy. If the white is omitted, it makes the custard lower in protein and also suitable for those with histamine issues. This version is savory, but it could be made sweet by omitting the cheese and adding xylitol or stevia and berries. Chia seeds are a good source of fiber, which can be low in carbohydrate restricted diets. This recipe requires some forethought because chia seeds need to be soaked for 2 hours before the dish can be prepared. If histamine is an issue, fresh cheese could be used, otherwise sharp cheddar or parmesan are good choices.
Chia Seed Custard
2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds soaked for 2 hours in half a cup of water in a large ramekin
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons cheese
1 scallion finely chopped
1 Tablespoon parsley finely chopped
Mix the egg yolk and heavy cream together and stir into the soaked chia seeds. Make sure to mix this very well. Add cheese, scallions and parsley. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir well. Microwave for another minute.
Wow, loved this article. Getting back into the Keto mode is more difficult as we age or at least into menopause I’ve found out. I’ve always been at great weight my whole life and never had to lose weight until after having my girls. Did keto and came off great. Then as I aged I’m mow 54 it became difficult to drop the inches. Frustration kicks in for sure. So I upped my workouts and really nothing shifted much. So I combined walking, free weights and low carb and it slowly came off. Then life kicks in and my husband had to have 2 liver transplants over the years so stressand cortisol became the issue. I saw new fat starting around my middle which I’ve not had before. So combination of stress hormone and pre-menopause…such fun. Many years of caring for my sweet man and putting the girls through college caught up with me as I forgot myself.
It’s my time now to care for me. I was noticing aches I’ve never had probably a combination of sugar (which I know can cause inflammation in the body), lack of magnesium ( which I take now), and perimenopause now. Once I stopped the sugar the pains in my body stopped almost instantly. Even though I stopped the sugar the weight was very slow to come off. So after researching a bit I came to the conclusion that menopause loves to hang onto fat when the ovaries begin to shutdown so hence a very sllloooowww fat loss.
Well afew days ago I found this nice little article by you and I had the wow moment. Eat more fat than protein. So my question is, what does 70% fat and 20 or 30% protein look like on my plate so to speak. Also can I keep this up at the norm in just eating more fat than protein? I understand the fat fast is only a few days and I’m on that now and doing great.
I’m just trying to get image in my head of portion sizes.
Thank you again…huge help.
So glad this was helpful. I recommend that you get LeAnn Vogel’s excellent book about following a healthy keto diet and life style. It will answer all your questions. Good luck with it!
I am stunned by people who don’t know Atkins died of anheart attack. You guys know what arteries are, right?
This is a very misinformed comment. Atherosclerosis is the result of inflammation not fat in the diet. My understanding is that Dr. Atkins died of consequences of a head injury. But even if he did die of a heart attack, it would not be here nor there, as heart disease is most often related to an inflammatory diet which is typically in this country related excessive intake of refined carbohydrates.
Yes he died of a head injury, then the rumors started of course!
I am stumned by people who believe…and share…everything that they hear, without investigating further. You are sorely misinformed. Dr. Atkins died of complications from a concussion sustained when he slipped on ice in front of his office in NYC. (I know his office nurse personally.) In addition, he was a cardiologist LONG before he was ever a diet doctor, so I think I will take his advice over yours. Especially since MY Dr. has told me that all of my labs are “optimal” since following Dr. Atkins recommendations since 2004, despite a long family history of heart disease on both sides of my family, and they have been in that optimal range for many years now. I’m just one of many thousands, if not millions of people who believe in what he’s taught us, because we are living proof that it works, and is the healthiest way that we can nourish our bodies. Try it. You might be…no, you WILL be…pleasantly surprised. It certainly can’t be any worse than all of the sugar and refined pseudo foods in the standard American diet.
Get your facts straight before you quote . Dr Atkins had a accident where hefell on slippery ice resulting in a head injury and died 9 days after the accident.
Judy,
I just found this blog a few minutes ago! Pretty glad that there is something out here in Keto lad for those of us going through menopause. I don’t know where I am in the menopause stream. My periods stopped in Oct of 2013. No mood swings, hot flashes yes! but really that was all. I have always had a problem with weight, but had gotten down to a manageable weight about 10 yrs ago of 135-140lbs and when I got married in 2010, I have since gained 40 lbs. I have been on keto since the end of March, diligently since May 1 and haven’t lost a lbs, inches, no loss at all. Been attempting fasting, but even with a BPC, can’t finish 16 hrs of fasting…hungry all the time! Love the foods we can eat….Thanks for this blog!!!!
You are very welcome. May it be of benefit to you.
I have a question about kidney stones. I am doing the keto diet and am having an easy time, except for getting my fat intake higher without raising protein levels. (thanks for the fat fast recipes btw) When I google high fat low protein snacks all these posts come up about kidney stones. I have no family history of stones, nor have I ever had one but is there something to the posts? Is there dietary requirements to avoid them?
I don’t know the answer. You might write to LeAnn Vogel, a ketogenic diet expert https://www.facebook.com/healthfulpursuit/ or Maria Emmerich https://www.facebook.com/ketoadapted/#
If you find something useful a lot, please post again here and let others know. Thanks.
I have been eating LCHF for over a year. Didn’t do it for weight loss, but for health. I am 25 year veteran Fitness instructor. At 55 was in top health. I did lose about 10 lbs once i lowered the carbs and added in the healthy fat. Three months ago was my last period (at 56 !!!! crazy). And all hell has broken lose. I have suddenly quite rapidly begun gaining weight, as well as experiencing other yucky menopause symptoms. I am so distressed by the weight gain. So blubbery and all in the middle. It’s just has to go………. It;s all hormone related, I realize. Was very happy to find your post. I am at the end of day two of a fat fast. I don’t love it. But am committed to the 5 days, I am so desperate. How do I go back to a regular keto diet??? How do I get this weight off without the fat fast?
I have no easy answers for you. You might check out the Healthful Pursuit website and see if you can pick up some tips there. It could be that your thyroid or adrenals are not balanced, or your stress levels are very high and that you need to figure out something that helps in that domaine. One thing is certain, desperation is working against you. Perhaps you could find a holistic practitioner who could help you. Many blessings.
I was like you… I tried every diet -Atkins, 21 day fix, slim fast, fat fasts, 3day detox, calorie restriction 5:2, every other day, even eating more!!! The most I would lose was 4 pounds…. Then I read 16:8 intermittent fasting. I researched and found for women 14 hours is better. So I tried low carb with the 14 hour intermittent fasting idea. I have lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks…. I’m so happy I could cry. I eat low carb during the day and then after dinner-
NO food for 14 hours… My usual dinner is around 5 then I will have breakfast around 7 am the next day. I’m not sure why it works….. I was eating the exact same thing without the IF and couldn’t lose a pound!! I just wanted to give someone else another option and maybe give them some hope.
Thank you for taking the time to write. I am sure what you have shared will be useful to someone who has gone through similar experience frustrating attempts at weight loss.
Hi brown eyed girl what do eat during the day? I’ve tried everything and not losing. Please help me😕
I am in the same boat. I bought some InstaKetones, hoping that would get my body back into fat burning mode, but, so far, no success. I’m open to any suggestions!
No one in the Keto Diet world recommends using a product that will put you into Keto. Slow and steady and intermittent fasting has worked for a majority of people.
Menopause sucks, that is where most of my weight gain has happened too. Vegan ,and working out still woke up fat!!!!!! hang in there get your adrenals checked and start supporting them. Then do keto.
Hi there!
I googled menopause and keto and this article came up.
It’s just what I needed to see.
I have a long story, but am peri menopause and 48 yrs.
I was in the best physical shape of my life at 42 and then suddenly gained 40lbs and wasn’t in menopause. In fact I some how managed a surprise baby at 43 yrs old.
I have been dealing with low hormones for at least 4 yrs and was diagnosed with Lyme disease and mercury poisoning from amalgams a year ago. I’ve come a long way with treatments and have even been doing weight training again for the last 3 months but yet not one lbs lost pr 1 inch gone. I’m much stronger though. I had lost lots of muscle due to illness. I have been doing restricted carbs for months but nit quite Keto. I’ve been doing Keto for a few weeks now but no weight lose. I also deal with weak adrenals. I wondered is it safe to do if I have crummy adrenals? No matter what I do nothing comes off, ever. I would love to buy this book, where can I get it? Thanks, Sue
Here is a link at Amazon to Dana Carpenter’s book: Fat Fast Cookbook
How is your thyroid?
Just wanted to say this morbidly obese person started a fat fast and continued it for 3 months to take off 30 pounds, followed by a year or so of more normal keto eating that took off another 30 or so pounds. I have to cycle in and out of fat fasting to lose. You can eat fairly healthily on this diet by varying what you eat. The cream cheese block idea would’ve driven me stark raving mad. These results were accompanied by reductions in stroke & CVD risks, though in the first year my bad cholesterol & overall cholesterol rose. 6 months into the second year, that has all righted itself, and my kidney function has returned to normal. Thanks for getting the word out there!
Thank you so much for sharing. Your story is inspiring and so encouraging. It is a common story that certain people can only lose weight with these very restrictive measures. I also think that it is so interesting to know that your labs deteriorated and then improved. I think that is very important for others to know. How is your bowel function on the diet? Is there any issue getting sufficient fiber without the carbs?
Bowel function has actually been better than ever. Sometimes I do need to take magnesium to get going if travel or something interrupts the cycle. Maybe the added fats help. And I do take in something fibrous at least twice a day–celery ribs, mushrooms, avocados, a little raw broccoli or cauliflower. It is almost miraculous to me to find something that works for weightloss. I spent years trying low fat, low calorie. I would shed 15-16 pounds, stall out for months then give up. About 20 years ago I discovered low-carb. Doubled my weight loss before the stall, and also controlled the T2 Diabetes. Worked out during this time, 5 years religiously; gained 10 pounds of muscle. On the brink of giving up, at 59 1/2, I ‘discovered’ the ketogenic diet. Dropped my protein intake to minimal, upped good fats, and had almost miraculous results. The sad part to me is to struggle so long and have some success (have another 60 to go) but my doctor says, “You might as well go ahead & have the surgery, it will help you stop eating the thousands & thousands of calories you eat every week.” I have tracked everything I have put in my mouth for the last 5 years, and my average intake is around 1200-1400. Outlying days are 850 & 1600 (and that was only once!). Thank God my family believes me!
This is a very poignant and moving comment. I am so happy for you that you finally discovered something that is effective. What a blessing. Are you familiar with Jimmy Moore and his website and podcast, “Livin la vida low Carb”? He has a similar story to yours. and his podcast and website would be a good resource for you.
I have just recovered from a total frozen shoulder. I attribute my amazing 3 week recovery to my sudden change in diet. I switched from a high carb diet to a Keto diet. I didn’t read anywhere that a keto diet would help me, but I did read that people with frozen shoulders are often diabetic or pre diabetic. Keto sounded like a sensible way to reduce sugar levels. (Just in case this is useful to other readers. I also invented my own exercise program of repeated muscle squeezes, tummy, butt and calves to produce my bodies own cortisol and relieve the terrible pain, these seemed to have most effect when I was in the most pain.. in the evening). My physiotherapist stated that I had the worst frozen shoulder she had ever seen. She thought I would be unable to use my arm for 12 to 18 months. I was amazed and relieved that I could drive after 6 days on my program from being totally frozen (unable to move my arm at all)
After my amazing 3 week recovery I went back to my ordinary diet {carbs but no sweet stuff}. However after 2 months ( including Xmas) I suffered from the most debilitating menopausal symptoms all of a sudden! Hot flushes were the least of it…. I suffered heart palpitations, high blood pressure and was hyper ventilating and almost fainting all the time! (I had to take paracetamol for the pain) I also couldn’t sleep for more than 4 hours and could hardly get out of bed.
I promptly switched back to my Keto diet and found immediate improvement. In the beginning I could only eat fat and a little meat… even raw cabbage leaves were too sweet for my delicate system..causing my symptoms to come back. After 2 weeks on a more standard Keto diet with plenty of fat, I have managed to shrug off my symptoms completely without medical help. I have to be careful…nuts and Passata(tomato) stop me sleeping properly and hemp milk seems to make me jittery. Green leaves are all great now and so is a moderate amount of meat.
It’s so great to read your page and find other women using a Keto diet for menopause and how important fat is for a host of different bodily functions.
I somehow think this diet will be my cure all for ever. 🙂
Best wishes and thank you Suki.
Yes, for some people a ketogenic up diet is a life saver. It’s a blessing that you have been able to figure out what your body needed.
I’ve been reading all these comments avidly to learn more about weight control during menopause.
I am very interested if you could share your exercises of repeated muscle squeezes…. as simple as it sounds?
Thank you!
Having found your post last year and trying the Fat Fast on several occasions since, I have found that I always benefit from the “re-set” that it offers and I am grateful to you for this blog entry.
As a bit of an update, I’m now “transitioning” to “intermittent fasting” (IF) two days per week (500 calories per day for those two days), and maintaining a low carb diet with about 70% calories from fat on the other five days. I was motivated to try this after reading about and hearing via video lectures the approach of Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist from Toronto, Ontario. His blog is most interesting; in particular, he has a post that addresses the question of whether women can benefit from IF. For me, IF offers a weekly routine of sorts, and if I can maintain it in the long run, it seems that it might offer the same benefits as a fat fast every few months, including weight maintenance, but also weight loss and other health benefits. Dr. Fung writes with humour and a sense of encouragement, plus I find that his review of the scientific literature, both contemporary and historical, is very informative, especially for the lay-reader (i.e., those like me who are not scientists by training.) I thought you might find his work (blog entries and various videos of lectures) of interest: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/
Thank you for writing. So glad that the post has been useful to you. I am very curious to explore Dr. Fung’s blog. It sounds fascinating. There is a great deal of data about the health benefit of intermittent fasting and a general reduction in caloric intake. It gives the system a rest.
I just can’t tell you how much eating low carb has done for me. I am 61 and feel better and more energetic than I did at 30! I started the keto lifestyle in Jan, 2012. I lost 40 lbs that year. It started as a diet and became my way of life. My blood pressure went down, my triglycerides went from over 300 to 120, and although my LDL is 140, my HDL is 65. My doctor was impressed. I do periodic fat fasts to keep my ketones active (I am very keto-adapted). Don’t want to ever eat any other way!
I stumbled across your article as I am desperately fi ding a way to stop theweight climbing week by week since I went into menopause 3 months ago. I am already a Banter, following Prof Tim Noakes LCHF diet. Started last October with good results. Then all ofasudden my weight started climbing, inly torealise I went i to menopuase! It has to be that?! I am getting very anxiousand depressed watching the scales movingthewrong way. I will give this ago as it is similar to what I am eating already. What do you suggest to eat after the fast? Justtry my usual LCHF ? Its ot working well at the moment.
You are right, that the fat fast is not intended to be a long term dietary recommendation. I know how distressing it is when the weight keeps accumulating, despite your best efforts. A ketogenic diet is typically the best for weight loss in my experience. Perhaps adding a day a week of fasting would help.
LOVE this post. I am in ketosis and feeling great. Weight loss is slow but its happening. 5 lbs in 2 weeks. I havent been able to lose ANY weight in years. Long sad story I wont bore you with ! LOL. Im going to download the recipe book. Do you have suggestions for making the chia pudding dairy free? Looks yummy. Also I understood that microwaves just heated food in a different way and chemically altered food the way heating would. Is that incorrect? Yours in coconut oil, Kelley
Hi Kelley,
So glad you like the post. You are right, the microwave is not very healthy. You could maybe try almond milk if you are not allergic.
I soak the chia seeds overnight in dairy free unsweetened coconut milk made by So Delicious and I also add some Vanilla extract. Then the next morning I’ll eat it with fresh blueberries. Yum!
Hi Judy, so thankful to find you! It’s really frustrating to go on a ketogenic diet and not be able to lose the pounds like others…even 15 would make me very happy. Hormones seem to be a whole new issue, but I’m not putting up with these debilitating, frustrating, angry-making, whole-body sweat-every-20-minutes hot flashes anymore 10 years is more than enough.
Thinking I’ll try your fat fast!
What are your thoughts on bio-identical hormones?
Thanks!
Thank you for writing. I hope that the fat fast is a good jump start for you. I believe that treatment by a knowledgable practitioner with bio-identical hormones can be really useful. I wrote a blog post about bio-identical progesterone several years ago, and the comment section is still very much alive. Many readers talk with each other in the comments. You could take a look at the post and read through the comments. I think that you would find it helpful. Here is the link:
https://www.judytsafrirmd.com/the-power-of-bio-identical-progesterone/ Many blessings. And I hope you feel better soon!
Recipes look great but microwaving food is one of the worst things you can do to your food. Microwaving alters the natural chemical make-up of food, rendering it basically useless to the body. It will be treated as a foreign substance of the body, isolated, and stored, or forced out of the body.Microwaved food also destroys the digestive flora. My microwave is now a storage cupboard.
You are absolutely right.
Could you give references for some of your comments? You have my attention about the microwave use and body processes and I would like to read up on it. thank you.
I have the same request for references on microwaves. Thanks, I loved reading this post and am now onto the links!
Thank you so much for this post. I have been at my wits end re: weight loss post menopause. I went through surgical menopause at the end of 2012 aged 37 (which was brutal). I have always exercised, eaten sensibly and been trim and fit. I gained 50lbs almost immediately and have not been able to shift it.
Quitting sugar and following a low carb, high fat diet curbed my hot flashes, night sweats and brain fog within a week.
However, I can’t seem to lose the weight. I bought my ketonix sport to monitor ketones (can’t get it above green), I have followed a ketogenic diet (inspired by Jimmy Moore and Christine Cronau) for nearly a year and I exercise 5-6 times a week. I have just ordered the fat fast cookbook and will report back!
Thank you for the inspiration Dr. Safrir.
Its so wonderful that adopting a low carb diet curbed your hot flashes, night sweats and brain fog within a week. That must have felt practically miraculous. I am so happy that the post was meaningful to you. I wrote it over a year ago, maybe close to two years. Its incredibly frustrating when you are doing everything “right” and still get no results. I would love to hear about your results with the Fat Fast. Many blessings on this journey.
Since I have started eating Keto, my hot flashes have become twice as bad as they used to be…Is there something that I can add or delete from my eating that may help?
Thank you, Lena
That is so unfortunate! I don’t know the answer to this question. Is there any food that you are now eating that you did not eat previously? I am wondering about a particular food sensitivity, or does it simply have to do with the ratio of macronutrients? There is a Keto author who I like Leann Vogel, who has a Facebook page where I think you can ask questions. Here is the link:https://www.facebook.com/healthfulpursuit/
If you find out something, please write again. It an important issue you are raising. All my best.
Thank you for your reply…and for the info and link.
I am post menopausal and it gets tougher and tougher to keep it off. It’s also most frustrating that every time I try to take what creeped back on off that the last attempt isn’t working anymore. I’m so glad you found what works for you. I would never attempt a hi fat diet though. There is just too much strong evidence with 1000s of studies that suggest fat and sat. fat in the diet can cause significant health problems. Dr. Atkins died of a slip on an icy street. However, why would that fall have killed him? Were his bones weak? He also had atherosclerosis, which is clogging of the arteries. He had this 2 or 3 times and it was always kept out of the press. His medical history has been exposed so I would dig deep before I trusted his “expertise.” If people have found great success with it, my hat is off to them. But it’s still a roll of the dice. Ketogenic diets were created for people with epilepsy. It lessens the attacks for them and helps their medications work better. I’m not sure if they even know why but we certainly don’t know if it’s good for the general population. Just “food for thought.” For me, the only thing that is tried and true is a plant-based diet. I can’t even eat much animal protein at all anymore or I blow up like a balloon. It’s hard to sustain, though. I like variety like most folks. I think the takeaway message for post menopause is that whole food groups may need to be limited or even dropped from the diet. Protein for some of us, others carbs, etc. I also think that when you dink around too much by dropping this or that, when you try to bring it back to your diet you will suffer for it. When you’re young, you can try this and that and not be affected too much for too long. We, on the other hand, can’t get away with that anymore. Good luck in your journey.
I was very glad to learn about this cook book. I am in perimenopause and it has been challenging to deal with the “shift” that you have described.
Another mini-meal worth trying is the recipe for the focaccia-style flax meal “bread” that is popular and can be found here: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.htm . If cut into 10 servings, each one is about 220 calories, 85% from fat. And like your chia custard, it incorporates a good dose of fibre, as well as phytonutrients for hormone balancing. You could have a piece as a mini-meal, or split it in half and top one half with some butter and/or cheese. It has become a favourite at our house since we gave up grains. Oh, and it makes a pretty good grilled cheese sandwich. Best to use golden flax meal, or grind it yourself.
Thank you for sharing. I am sure my readers will be grateful for a recipe recommendation like this one.
I wanted to report back on my experience with a fat fast after reading your post. Starting out, my goal was to stay on the fast for 3 days. The book was very helpful in providing food options and recipe ideas. I made a shopping list and stocked up on many items, mostly to ensure as much variety as possible. It was not difficult to stay within 85 to 90% calories from fat, or to spread those calories out into 4 or 5 smaller meals. Many of the food choices were familiar, perhaps because I was already in the habit of eating low-carb/high fat. It was a bit harder to stick to the calorie restriction of 1,000 calories and I found that my total was up around 1200-1400. Nevertheless, I lost 5 pounds and in the three weeks or so since then, this weight has not come back and my weight seems stable at this new level.
I should add that I stayed on the fast for 4 days, partly because at the end of day 3, I felt a definite “shift”. It’s hard to describe, but part of it was a kind of “clarity” in both mind and body. I would have stayed on the fast for a fifth day, but I had to go away for business meetings–two solid days of sitting talking, taking notes, paying attention and having to give advice. Usually, those kinds of meetings are exhausting, but I seemed to have the mental stamina that I needed to work through to the end. I think that having been on the fast helped with that.
Having done this once, I’m sure that I could do it again for a full 5 days. The shift that I felt was very motivating, partly for the weight loss/stabilizing effect (I seem to be very slowly loosing more weight–about half to 1 pound per week–since going back to regular low carb eating, i.e. around 50 grams net per day; I would like to loose another 15-20 pounds) but also for the overall feeling of well-being. It takes a bit of planning, especially if you are feeding a family who isn’t on the fast, but especially with their support, it is very do-able and worth exploring for its many possible benefits. I plan to try this again in a couple of months.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. You might be interested to read Jimmy Moore’s new book “Keto Clarity.”
Hormones are wierd.
Even on a low-carb primal eating plan I’ve had difficulty with hormone induced “must eat all the things – especially bread” days.
I’m finding that a 3-4 day fat fast on a monthly basis is giving me greater control over that.
Wow, that is fascinating. Thanks for writing. I have only done the fat fast once, but it was extremely effective at reducing cravings. I don’t have any at the moment, which are a real problem when I am eating too many carbs. I may also repeat the fat fast at regular intervals. It seems to be a good reset. It also increases consciousness about how much I am eating, which is also useful.
Judy, this article is really helpful to me. I’ve been reducing my protein intake for a while now – just felt right. Now I know why. I have found myself eating more dairy, and that it works well with my body (and it didn’t used to work at all). I’m especially finding goat yogurt to be beneficial.
I’m grateful for this information you’ve compiled and feel like I have a course of action to pursue.
Thanks!
Hi Jill. It’s really interesting isn’t it how our needs change over the life cycle? Dairy also really agrees with me, and it’s a delicious way to incorporate more fat into your diet. The cookbook that I mentioned by Dana Carpender gives a lot of creative ideas about how to increase the fat ratio of your meals, even if you are not doing the fat fast. I have been eating a lot shirataki noodles prepared as she suggests. They are very easy, tasty, filling and low carb.