4: Fasting For Keto-Adaptation, High Blood Ketones, Elevated And Low Blood Sugar, No Weight Loss, Slowing Fat Metabolism

Veteran health podcaster, blogger, international speaker, and bestselling author Jimmy Moore from “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” teams up with Toronto, Ontario Canada-based nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung from IntensiveDietaryManagement.com and Dr. Fung’s Clinical Director at his Intensive Dietary Management Program clinic Megan Ramos on this podcast dedicated to answering YOUR questions about intermittent, alternate day, and extended fasting. Jimmy and Dr. Fung are the coauthors of the 2016 international bestseller The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting and, along with Megan, are happy to provide this podcast as an additional resource for anyone curious about going on a fast to improve their health. We love hearing from our listeners with new questions–send an email to Jimmy at [email protected]. And if you’re not already subscribed to the podcast on iTunes, then you can do that and leave a review HERE. Listen in today as Jimmy and Megan answer your questions about all things fasting in Episode 4.

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Here’s what Jimmy and Megan talked about in Episode 4:

- Whether you should fast when you are sick

HOT TOPIC:  Can you use fasting as a way to get keto-adapted faster?

Can you get keto-adapted faster with fasting? And why do you get angry on the second day of fasting? What do you do about that? 

Mary

1. Can blood ketones go too high while you are fasting?

Hey guys,

I’m 71 years old with a low BMI and no medical or health conditions to deal with. I resistance train twice weekly lifting heavy and have been ketogenic for the past four years.  Every couple of months, I do a water-only fast for about 3 days and have noticed that my blood sugar goes down to the upper 50’s and my blood ketones reach a very high level of 8.0 mmol on the Precision Xtra testing device. Is this a problem? I feel fine so I do not allow it to interrupt my fast. But I can’t help but wonder if the blood ketones can go too high for a non-diabetic perhaps impacting blood pH levels. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

 Thank you again for your great new podcast.

Richard

2. Why do blood sugar levels increase during a fast when no food is consumed? Is it muscle wasting?

Hi Jimmy and Megan,

I am on Day 3 of a 5-7 day fast, but I seem to be struggling with higher than normal blood glucose levels. I started fasting after a trip when I definitely fell out of ketosis from indulging a bit too much on carbs. On the morning of Day 2, my fasting blood glucose was 80. But by midday, it was up to 110 and only down to 99 by bedtime. When I woke up the next morning, it was still 99 and stayed elevated all day long despite the fact my blood ketones are 2.3 mmol. What’s going on here? Is this muscle-wasting that I need to be concerned about since no food is being consumed? I feel great otherwise and am doing much better than I have on other fasts. 

Thanks so much!

Robin 

3. Should I be concerned about my blood sugar levels going too low while fasting?

Hi Jimmy and Megan,

I’m on Day 4 of my fast and my blood sugar has been reading very low the entire time. It’s been below 70 since Day 1 and I registered 45 this morning. I had a serving of kombucha and two hours laterthat brought my blood sugar back up to 60. All I’ve been consuming is water, black coffee, and tea along with bone broth to get through the hard days. Interestingly, despite the very low blood glucose levels, I have physically and mentally felt the best I have since I began this fast. Can you shed some light about what’s happening and whether I should be concerned about this super-low blood sugar while fasting?

Thank you, 

Jennifer

4. How is it possible I haven’t lost a single pound while fasting for eight days?

Hey guys,

One of my goals is to do a 21-day fast and I’m currently in Day 8 of my extended fast. I drink homemade bone broth when I need it and a Bulletproof Coffee if I really need something—typically when my hands and feet feel like ice. I’ve been eating keto for over a year and typically intermittent fast daily. I workout hard in the gym virtually everyday and have done a 6-day fast and a 10-day fast previously. On the 10-day fast, I lost a lot of weight and gained it all back while on the 6-day fast, I lost some and gained it back too—but I felt amazing! On my current fast, I haven’t lost a single pound! So what’s going on with my weight? How is it possible I haven’t lost a single pound when all I’ve consumed is Ketoaide and 1 cup of Bulletproof Coffee? I’m athletic and rather muscular for a female and workout hard to help manage my multiple sclerosis. Can you explain what’s going on because I’m sure I’m not the only one dealing with this issue. 

Thanks for your time reading this!

Dawn

5. Does consuming a small amount of calories (300 daily) slow down fat metabolism while fasting?

I have a quick question for you guys: After I have 2 tablespoons of MCT oil, 2 cups of bone broth, and a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to my coffee during my fasting days, I am up to 300 calories.  Does this little bit of caloric intake slow down the burning of body fat for fuel?  Thanks for your help answering this question.

Angela

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LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 4
– SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner through the Nutritional Therapy Association at NutritionalTherapy.com
– JIMMY AND DR. ADAM NALLY’S NEW SUPPLEMENT LINE: Try the KetoEssentials Multivitamin and Berberine Plus ketogenic-enhancing supplements
– Start tracking your health markers for FREE at HeadsUpHealth.com
– Jimmy Moore from “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb”
– Dr. Jason Fung from Intensive Dietary Management
– Megan Ramos from Intensive Dietary Management
– The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting
– Get the full audiobook read by Jimmy on Audible
– Fung Shweigh Facebook page