Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hello.

I know there was a somewhat similar question a while ago but that involved a much longer period of fasting. So here goes...

I've been Paleo for sometime now and wanted to get the benefits of IF. I basically began with the missing breakfast scenario which basically went fine. (Might not seem like much of a big deal but I've been an ardent breakfast eater all my life so it is a big change.)

I've been missing breakfast most days and not eating till around noon or having bulletproof coffee when I want an extra rush to cycle to work and keep me going.

But every time I try a longer fast i.e 24 hours, I get a terrible headache around 4pm the next day which doesn't go away till the next morning. I generally break it when the headache kicks in. Hunger is very mild so I could easily do a few more hours if it wasn't for the headache.

So the question is; Do I accept that is my breaking point and make sure I break my fast before the 4pm mark or is there something wrong with my blood sugar? This is only the second time I have attempted to do a whole day fast so maybe it gets easier with time?

flag	asked Apr 11 2012 at 20:20 MrsD 1,829●2●4●14

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Not to put too fine a point on it but if not eating makes you feel sick, eat something. Fasting is neither a requirement nor a particularly good idea if it doesn't feel good. – amplify Apr 11 2012 at 22:35

Well...with all the touted health benefits I thought I would give it a try but obviously I won't be repeating it. – MrsD Apr 12 2012 at 5:46

greymouser · Answer 1 · 2012-04-11 20:37:15Z UTC

You may want to alter your IF to deal with this going on -- maybe longer days of fasts aren't for you (this is OK). Just break the fast early.

Are you also eating a LC or VLC paleo diet? I'd suggest that your brain isn't keto-adapted. Consider dropping the V/LC diet if you want to remain on IF. I've been fasted-training with 16/8h IF and the reintroduction of dense, starchy carbohydrates (usually eaten mostly before fast begins at 8PM) has been a godsend. Non-V/LC doesn't have to be "high carb" (I get 100-175g on workout days).

If you aren't trying to get into, or stay in, ketosis (you might be borderline), then I'm not sure what to say. I'm sticking with my guess that you are LC, for now. :-)

Hack my IF headache.

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