Congrats! I found it impossible to keep to 20g carbs if I was eating more high fiber foods, lots of salad and veg and fruit put me more 40-50g and then the lentils put it near 70g (but since those taste like sawdust and now gone) I was back to under 50g yesterday.
Fasting started to feel easier at about two weeks, which I now realize, may have been ketosis kicking in. Still interesting that I could eat that many carbs and be in ketosis.
Tonight is the LC support group with Jimmy Moore, and release of Keto-Clarity book, so I have to put my high-fat, VLC hat back on.

This is exactly what I think myself. I have not been in a study such as you have, but I have taken questionnaires like that a few times, and found it IMPOSSIBLE to answer with even the tiniest degree of accuracy. And sometimes my answer is "none of the above" which is not an option! I was just googling some food surveys online. One I'm just looking at asks about what kind of oils you cook with such that:
I would find that hard to answer. Yes I use butter, and sometimes bacon fat - but primarily I use coconut oil. I guess that's an "other oil" but I would hate to see my eating lumped in with corn, soybean, peanut or safflower oil!

Or another survey asks:
How do you answer that? "Never" is not an option or choice.

And what sort of assumptions do they make? If they ask how often you eat hamburgers do they *assume* that it means you ate a bun also? If you answer "less than weekly" for the grain question does it mean they assume you eat SOME grains, maybe a few times a month?

Anyway I've been bumbling along trying to get into this plan a bit - though I suspect it will be easier once I get back home in a coupe weeks. I did great on my first 24-hour fast on Thursday. I had planned to fast Saturday also - and then try to get into a MWF fasting groove - but got invited to lunch with a couple neighbors up here on Saturday - so my fast ended up at only 20 hours. I did try to fast yesterday also but as it got closer to dinnertime I realized that I had my life drawing art class last night and had to leave for it before my 24 hours were up, and wouldn't be home until 10 PM - so I ate a little early and had a 22.5-hour fast. Fasting was a bit harder yesterday than Thursday. I got hungry and fidgity for food - and did have some beef broth.

But I'm still trying to hang in there.

Well hang in there, because drum roll, I have just fasted for 36 hours and have not been, nor am now, the least bit hungry! shock, but Now I know what nutritional ketosis feels like. Yesteday, wanted to leave early for the LC support group meeting and wasn't hungry then, but had a second cup of bone broth. Not hungry when at the restaurant and everyone was eating delicious, fragrant meals around me. Waited to get home, then still wasn't hungry, so went to bed. Think I could easily do 48 hours today, but will decide as the day goes along. But really upset...my weight is up a pound! Can't win, but obviously some fluid balance thing, as I ate nothing yesterday but 1T CO and 2 cups broth.

What a fun meeting last night. Jimmy and Dr. Westman were pretty excited, KetoClarity is now #80 of ALL books. It has a chapter on Intermittent Fasting, when in NK, Jimmy often ate one meal a day. Dr Westman said he would want you to eat something each day. Then one of the regulars, a DC, zeroed right in on the same comment from Dr. Mobbs discussed earlier in this thread, about alternate day and ketosis. Dr Westman thinks your food macros would need to stay high fat, mod protein, VLC for alternate day to work, but I am finding I can handle higher carbs and stay in ketosis. But then the carb levels to be in ketosis vary so much by individual, maybe mine is just higher now?? So many ideas about fasting and ketosis swirling around in my head...just need to read the book today. They write it can be 4-6 weeks to get into NK, Dr Fung writes a month to adjust to fasting, they both see IF as helpful, so it is all coming together in my 5th week, with the unknown being my personal carb tolerance level. Understand I did the 24 hour alternate day fast with dinner everyday consistently starting July 3. Only two variations from that pattern and they were longer fasts.
OH!! And today is my 4 years LC Anniversary, so really bummed that weight went up today. A whoosh would have been a nice present

I was thinking about the problem with fish being insuligenic. The problem is, all fish are being lumped together. Same with red meat. I doubt fatty fish has the same result as lean fish. And I doubt steak riddled with fat has the same result as lean steak.

I might be mixing up ketosis and insulin response here, but one of the biggest changes for NK is Don't Overdo the Protein. Stop using chicken breasts and go for fatty meats instead, so it would make sense that the same applies to fish. The original insulin index used some type of Austrailian cod so very low fat. Salmon and shrimp swimming in butter...a different kettle of fish

Update, I ended my fast at 38 hours. Wondered if because on non-fasting days I use a few drops of stevia in my coffee?? I was starting to feel a little hunger and also felt I didn't want to push this. 38 hours is fine for the first longer fast since it wasn't even planned, 48 can be something to work up to.

Another fascinating tidbit from last night. The doctor working on the new type ketone reader (going for FDA approval) who used us in studies the past six months, was at the meeting too. Using the meter, one participant noticed that after eating a completely legal LC Cookie, her ketones dropped in 24 hours. They determined it was the AS causing the drop, in her case aspartame. Not the goal at this point to compare effects of different types of sweeteners, but it was a reaction evident in the preliminary studies for this one food.

My Keto-Clarity book arrived yesterday and I started reading last night. I'm thrilled with it so far. It's a good read.

Today is my 4th fasting day. I have eliminated all artificial sweeteners in my diet on both fasting and non-fasting days. My goal is to manage insulin response and keep surges from happening. I guess I also want to change my taste levels.

I've noticed that what appear as small losses or static weight show up in a day or so as significant changes. The scale was mocking you, JEY, but your body is working for you.

I wish I could have attended that meeting last night. Sounds wonderful.

So I'm plodding on in my "fast."

Congrats on the 36-hour fast! I really do think that could be doable for me if I get into this better. I'm fasting again today - just finishing my second cup of coffee with a little cream and CO. I can seeit might even be a little easier this week. I'm on vacation, heading back home on Monday - but in the meantime I'm trying to use up the food I have here so I won't have so much to throw out come the weekend! So having very little in the house does make it easier not to eat,

But then again I'm out of meat, out of veggies except for 1/2 an onion, only 3 eggs left. It's a balancing act.

However I did have a little non-scale victory yesterday. A neighbor down the road invited a few ladies over for coffee at her house yesterday morning. I was trying to figure out what I ought to wear.

I had a nice pair of shorts I had packed in my luggage, but had not worn them yet as they were just a little on the tight side so not quite as comfy as I would have liked. But yesterday I pulled them out and figured I would see if they were unbearably tight. But they weren't. In fact they were pretty comfy. Not *loose* by any means, but perfectly comfy to wear. I didn't have to suck in my breath to zip up the zipper, and they had a little room in the thighs rather than hugging tightly.

I'm one who is a daily weigher, so it's been very stressful for me to go 5 weeks without a scale. That usually results in about a 20-pound weight gain for me. Wearing those shorts to the coffee morning felt like a victory.

That's fantastic, Merpig! How we feel and how clothes fit are great rewards!

I know what you mean about being a daily weigher. I am too. And I weigh my food and monitor carbs. I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks myself in September and being 24/7 with my husband AND with two reunions AND with being at others' houses is making me a bit nervous. I will just have to stay in control and not let others or the perceived feelings of others rule. I'm already practicing what to say to avoid food conflict. Oye.

I made it through my fourth fast today! This one a full 24 hours. I had to be home today waiting for the furnace cleaning guy to show up, and then wait again when he had to run off and get parts for some stovepipe that had rusted through, so I spent the day reading Dr. Fung's blog. I started at the first entry and read through to the latest post.

He's a funny and engaging writer, and I kept a Word document open as I read to cut and paste notes I wanted to save (again one reason I prefer reading over video).

I was disappointed as never once in the blogs does he talk much about diabetes, or exactly what sort of diet to follow - I guess he still continues to unfold that info, so I only have the stuff from his website about what to eat - but without any of the details of why.

I did have to have a couple cups of beef broth today, each with a Tbsp of ACV added. Also my two cups of coffee with a bit of cream and a bit of CO (not much CO since I'm just about out, and not about to buy anymore since I leave here on Monday).

But finally broke my fast about 6:45 PM with some stir-fried veggies (mushroom, cabbage, a bit of onion) and a 2-egg cheese omelet with lovely locally-made (Prince Edward Island) cheddar cheese.

I did go out into the fields today to pick some more blueberries before the gulls got all of them, 30 minutes of picking yielded less than 1/2 a cup. But blueberries seem to be on Dr. Fung's hit parade, and how much better than fresh from your own field? I whipped up a little unsweetened heavy cream (splash of vanilla) and had that and some coarsely chopped peanuts over the fresh blueberries - very yummy.

I was worried a bit about the cream and the cheese, but saw Dr. Fung's comment on his latest blog post: So I await that eagerly

Blue, I listened to Jimmy Moore's old podcast #596 with IF expert Brad Pilon (Eat, stop, eat). Not just on fasting but Also social occasions, not eating when others are, and other comments on habits and food industry which may help you during the vacation. The "I'm just not hungry right now" has worked for me.

Also in the latest interview with Bill Lagakos (Calories Proper) on KetoClarity, a comment that stuck is that as you are closer to a healthy weight, ketosis may not work for weight loss. Waa? (at 17 minute) Since I have tried ketosis many times in four years, and it never helped to get me lower weight, I agree. IF with more carbs seems to me a way to still be in ketosis but not as high fat (and calorie?)

Merpig, sounds like you did very well and were not as hungry? Since CO and broth worked so well for me on Tuesday, I am trying today to recreate it. When you can watch the videos, under Lecture tab, the Diabetes related talks are in one place, vs the general obesity ones. His food list back in post #38 seems the most detailed list. Having flexibility for the amount of carbs, fiber and protein, yet still get into ketosis because of the fast, is what makes this plan so attractive to me, at least for now.

I don't know why with a complete fast I retained more water (it has been more humid too) but back to 171 today, and only 2 pounds above a healthy BMI for my four year LC anniversary +1. So another loss of one pound for week five. But most amazing event for this week was the 38 hour fast with zero hunger. And, 85 FBG this morning... Lowest yet…. First time in 5 weeks below the 90s!

Thanks, JEY for the info. I'm planning out what I'll say or do and this will help!

I think as one approaches goal the body starts putting on brakes regardless of the system. It's like a commuter train sliding into the station. Brakes on! I also think fasting may be a key to overcoming the stalls, at least it was for me decades ago. We'll see. For now I am thrilled with the results. I don't have gnawing hunger and I dropped another 1.4 pounds giving me a total of 7.2 lost since I began the alternate day fasting one week ago today. I've had 4 fast days (Th,S,M,W). The first fast was miserable. The second not fun. The third was cruising. The fourth I didn't even notice it. Broth may have helped with the first two fasts but I didn't have any so went cold turkey. I felt awful. But I'm through it now.

I'm staying with 20g. total carbs, absolutely no sweeteners natural or artificial, and calories around 1200-1250.

Wow, you ladies are pioneers. I'm following your updates in suspense.

Today is my 5th fasting day. So far so good. I've been puttering around most of the day cleaning stuff up in prep for leaving my vacation home on Mlonday - but it's a glorious day out - sunny and mid-60s F, so I might have to go out in a bit and enjoy it, and get away from the house and thoughts of food.

I'm out of coconut oil, so just a little cream in my two cups of coffee. One cup of broth (which used up the last of my broth) with a Tbsp of ACV.

Mainly I'm finding the fasting fairly easy - almost easier than the eating days. On eating days I seem to get hungrier and am always wanting a snack of some sort. Dr. Fung, in his blog, talks about the "failure" of the Atkins diet because most people couldn't stick with it long-term because they missed all their carby comfort foods too much.

So I wonder why he thinks his diet will be better long-term for people? It''s actually much harder than the Atkins diet. Also no carby comfort foods allowed. On his plan if you get hungry he says drink water, exercise, drink broth, drink plain green tea, etc... the same sort of advice the mainstream low-fat, low-cal advocates tell people to do (none of which has ever worked for me). On the Atkins plan, if you get hungry, he says EAT. Surely that has to be a lot easier for most people,

I think only the most dedicated and committed will be able to stick to his plan. Perhaps as his patient it's easier since it looks like he does have in-house support groups. But OTOH so does Weight Watchers, and that never worked for me either!

I admit I really prefer a more traditional LC approach. But it's no longer really working for me. I've maintained my weight loss for five years, but I've also been STALLED for five years, with a good 100 pounds to go. I'd really like to find a way to shift some of this weight. I'm not looking to be a fashion model but I'd love to get below 200! Not to mention my blood sugar and blood pressure have not been where I'd like them to be with traditional LC eating. I'm hoping Dr. Fung's plan will help there - not so much yet.

I'm sure I must be insulin resistant so trying to address that makes sense. But even there there are so many conflicting theories, such a leptin, which is upstream of insulin, is what really needs to be addressed.

However I've read a fair amount about fasting helping with diabetes so I really want to give this a try. In a couple more weeks I'll be in a position to listen to videos again - and maybe even next week if the hotels I stay in have decent enough WiFi.

I dropped another 1.2 pounds. That's 8.4 in a week. I feel great and am so glad to finally be doing what I know I should do.

Along with alternate day fasting, I'm following the Duke plan by Dr. Westman. I'm in the throws of reading Keto Clarity which is a great read, helpful, and supports what I've known about myself for a long time. It is SO nice to read the opinions of so many professionals, including Dr. Westman. Fasting bolsters ketogenic eating for me. The combination of the two, which are actually very closely related, has been a blessing to me.

I find the 23 and a half hour fasts relatively easy (I'm eating once a day) , I don't have hunger problems while fasting. I'm just at the end of a 48 hour fast which wasn't planned - I'd done my 24 hour fast and felt unwell (due to chronic issue, not due to the fast) when it came time to eat, so I skipped it, and by the time I got around to thinking about eating, I thought I might as well go to the 48 hour mark. I still don't feel particularly hungry.

Like Debbie, I would find eating days much harder to manage, as eating anything smaller than a really large meal leaves me having thoughts of binge eating and sugar, and far hungrier than when fasting - could be the effect of too big an insulin release when I eat?