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A few weeks ago, I created a guide to the Fat Fast. This short-term diet plan is very popular within the low-carb community because it may help people break through a weight loss plateau. I have always been planning to try the fat fast but was discouraged by its stringent rules and so I made some adjustments to it. Here is how my fat fast experiment looked like:
- Eating 2-3 regular meals (plus coffee). Ever since I've been following LCHF, I got used to 1-3 meals a day (plus coffee). Eating many small meals (4-5 as recommended in the traditional fat fast) would only make me hungry and think about food all day long. Eating 2-3 regular meals was more convenient.
- Sometimes eating less than 80% calories from fat. Getting 80-90% calories from fats is more difficult than you may think. I've reviewed all the available studies on the fat fast and there is no evidence that it is more effective than other types of low-carb diets limited in calories. That's why my tweaked version allows to go slightly below 80% fat but it is still relatively high in fat compare to "regular keto eating."
- Eating close to the upper limit of calories allowed on the fat fast. Limiting your food intake to only 1000-1200 kcal could be quite tough. On average, I ate 1100-1200 kcal. I was a bit hungry during the first two days but it was bearable. My body got adjusted to lower food intake very quickly and I naturally kept my calorie intake low even after the fat fast (1500-1600 kcal compared to my regular ~2000 kcal).
- Following the fat fast for no more than 3-5 days. According my tweaked version, I had no difficulties following the fat fast for 5 days. In fact, I know I could do it for even longer but didn't want to run any risks of deficiencies or getting my body into a starvation mode.
- Including some type of exercise. I didn't experience any drop in energy. In fact, I could do lifting and even some high intensity interval training. During the period of 5 days, I didn't give up my daily 30-45 minute walks, had 2 days of weight training (20 minutes which I mostly do at home) and one day of HIIT (20 minutes).
- It's hard to get all your electrolytes on a very low-carb diet limited in calories, so I included foods rich in electrolytes (avocados, nuts, mushrooms and even dark chocolate). You can always take multivitamins, magnesium supplements and for your potassium use a pinch of lite salt together with regular salt.
Ketone & Glucose Monitoring
I started using blood ketone meter during my fat fast. I've been using urine ketone sticks to test my ketone levels every now and then and to monitor my tolerance to carbs. However, I wanted to get a more accurate idea of how my body was affected. Another more convenient and less expensive option is to use the Ketonix Acetone Breathalyzer. While you can easily get both the urine strips and blood ketone meter from Amazon, the breathalyser is now only available at the manufacturer's website.
My readings very high from day 1, going up to 3.2 mMol (right) while my glucose levels stayed low (4-6 mMol, left). Both of the values shown below were my morning fasting levels. It's very likely my ketone levels were even higher later in the evening.
During my fat fast experiment, I had no symptoms of keto-flu, because I was already keto-adapted. If you just started following a low-carb diet, you will need to give it at least 3-4 weeks before your body gets used to using ketones for fuel and you should not follow the fat fast (try this diet plan first).
My Progress
Although I never had to lose a significant amount of weight, I have always been struggling with 2-4 kg of excess body fat. Don't get me wrong, I have a healthy weight but simply wanted to shed a few more pounds. I'm physically active and eat 30-50 g net carbs a day (you can read why I don't eat less carbs in my post here.) I've always had a big appetite and hormone issues (Hashimoto's) since 2011 which makes weight maintenance / weight loss more difficult.
Also, as I mentioned in my post here, weight loss becomes more and more difficult as you get close to your target weight. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those who can eat huge amounts of calories on a low-carb diet without consequences. One day of excessive eating won't make a difference but what really counts is how much you eat on average, say over a week.
Being a food blogger, I spend a big part of my time developing recipes and I'm constantly surrounded by food. I don't count calories but I am always aware of how much I eat. No matter what diet you follow, you can eat too much and put on weight, especially if you eat too many treats (even low-carb treats). Low-carb eating has a natural sating effect but this may not be enough for everyone. To find your ideal food intake, try KetoDiet Buddy, our free online keto calculator.
Before the fat fast, I was at 60 kg / 132 lbs (~ 22% body fat). My target was to get to 56 kg / 124 lbs which is a lot in just a few days. During the 5 day fat fast, I've lost about 6 pounds and gained 2 pounds back after 2-3 days. So, I'm happy with the final result, 58 kg / 128 lbs. I used body callipers to measure my body fat and confirmed that all of it came from body fat - no muscle loss!
Another effect of the fat fast was that my appetite decreased and all sweet cravings disappeared completely. Without forcing myself, I started eating less than before the fat fast and I got better at portion control.
I was using the KetoDiet iPad app to track my diet. I was keeping my fat intake between 72-83% calories from fat, mostly round 80% and my calorie intake round 1,100 kcal.
My Diet Log in Detail
I included raw dairy in the fat fast. There are many recipes with or without dairy among those I created for the fat fast.
You can always use coconut milk instead of cream (Aroy-D tastes just like cream!), ghee instead of butter and avocado in salads instead of cheese.
Day 1
- Meal 1: 2 oz / 60g macadamia nuts, 1 avocado (7.1 oz / 200g) seasoned with pink Himalayan salt (you can get a large bag of macadamia nuts here).
- Meal 2: Sashimi (80g salmon + 20g tuna) with some seaweed and edamame beans (sushi takeaway). Edamame beans are low-carb and paleo-friendly but you can skip them.
- Snacks: 2 cups of coffee, each with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, herbal tea
- Exercise: 35 minute fast walking
Total Daily values: 1138 kcal, 83% kcal from fat
32 g total carbs, 20.2 g fibre, 11.8 g net carbs (4%), 35.8 g protein (13%), 102 g fat (83%), 463 mg magnesium (115% RDA), 2185 mg potassium (109% EMR)
Day 2
- Meal 1: 1 slice bacon, 2 large eggs fried in 1 tsp ghee, 2 roasted tomatoes (5.3 oz / 150g), 1 small gluten-free sausage from outdoor-reared pork (1.8 oz / 50g)
- Meal 2: Beef burger served on half of my keto buns (recipe from my apps and book), 2 small lettuce leaves, 1 tsp home-made mustard
- Snacks: 1 cup coffee with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, 0.7 oz / 20g dark chocolate (85% cacao), 1 oz / 30g macadamia nuts, herbal or green tea
- Exercise: 45 minute fast walking
Total Daily values: 1107 kcal, 78% kcal from fat
21.5 g total carbs, 9.7 g fibre, 11.8 g net carbs (4%), 49.6 g protein (18%), 94.4 g fat (78%), 289 mg magnesium (72.4% RDA), 1499 mg potassium (75% EMR)
Day 3
- Meal 1: 3 slices bacon, 1 small avocado (3.5 oz / 100g), 1 cup brown mushrooms (90g / 3.1 oz) cooked in 1 tbsp butter, salt to taste
- Meal 2: Tomato & feta salad from 3.5 oz / 100g tomatoes, 2.8 oz / 80g feta cheese, 1/2 cup black and green olives (2.8 oz / 80g), 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, basil or oregano to taste
- Snacks: 1 cup coffee with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, herbal or green tea
- Exercise: 30 minute fast walking, 30 minutes home exercise (a combination of HIIT and strength training). I often follow videos from BodyRock. If this looks too challenging (or too easy) for you, they have more videos for beginners / very advanced.
Total Daily values: 1155 kcal, 85% kcal from fat
22.4 g total carbs, 11.2 g fibre, 11.2 g net carbs (4%), 30.6 g protein (11%), 107 g fat (85%), 194 mg magnesium (49% RDA), 1583 mg potassium (79% EMR)
Day 4
- Meal 1: Salmon & cream cheese parcels (ready-made from M&S) with 1/2 avocado (3.5 oz / 100g) seasoned with salt
- Meal 2: Slow-cooked meat (lamb, 6 oz / 170g) with butter-roasted asparagus (1 tbsp butter, 3 oz / 85 g asparagus), salt
- Snacks: 1 cup coffee with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, herbal or green tea
- Exercise: 35 minute fast walking, 20 minutes home exercise (strength training - squats, press-ups, etc.)
Total Daily values: 1049 kcal, 75% kcal from fat
15.6 g total carbs, 8.5 g fibre, 7.1 g net carbs (3%), 57.3 g protein (22%), 85.5 g fat (75%), 199 mg magnesium (50% RDA), 1409 mg potassium (71% EMR)
Day 5
- Meal 1: 1 large egg fried in 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 avocado (3.5 oz / 100g) seasoned with salt, 1 medium gluten-free sausage from outdoor-reared pork (2.8 oz / 80g)
- Meal 2: Omelet from 2 large eggs fried in 1 tbsp ghee topped with 5.3 oz / 150g slow-cooked lamb and 1/2 avocado (3.5 oz / 100g) seasoned with salt
- Snacks: 1 cup coffee with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, herbal or green tea
- Exercise: 45 minute fast walking
Total Daily values: 1054 kcal, 81% kcal from fat
15.3 g total carbs, 10.5 g fibre, 4.8 g net carbs (2%), 44 g protein (17%), 92 g fat (81%), 206 mg magnesium (67% RDA), 1499 mg potassium (75% EMR)
I've been making easy to prepare recipes (you can find all of them here) during my fat fast experiment and even ate out on the first day (sashimi which is my favourite sushi meal). For those who have my apps / book, there are many recipes suitable for this diet plan, too.
We have been working on yet another update and are planning to add a filtering option to search for meals based on special dietary requirements which will include meals suitable for the fat fast.
How about snacks? Apart from coffee with cream or tea, other snacks great for the fat fast are fat bombs such as the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fat Bombs (photo below).
Final Thoughts
Fat fast is not suitable for everyone, you really have to be keto-adapted before you even try it. However, if you are stuck at the same weight, then it can definitely help you move the scales down and help you start losing weight again.
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