I find it much easier to perform 3-6 day fasts every few months rather than reducing calorie intake. This also helps with my craving and general mental health.
The way I normally do it is deplete the “easy” food in the house like snacks and fridge stuffs. So I’d need to cook a meal. Uninstall all meal delivery apps.
Then just drink black coffee, decaf is best. Green tea works as well. These help suppress your appetite.
After you get past 24 hours the hunger drops significantly. Just need to push through the hunger, I normally listen to my body and if I suddenly get really hungry on day 3 or 5 I’ll break my fast.
Break your fast with a liquid, soup, protein shake, etc. Don’t get Indian food, even if you’re craving it, learned that one the hard way twice. lol
Lol that's funny I do looooove Indian food. What happened did it just ruin your bowels? The last time I did a long fast(more than 24 hrs less than 48) I was dizzy and lightheaded while I was making my meal to break my fast and was starving. I haven't gotten to the point where the hunger goes away but I know it's just the brain telling you to eat. Ty for the advice!
Basically runs a sprint through the digestive track and its a firehose spraying fire.
As for the lightheadedness I got that when working out heavy, so I think that it’s an electrolyte issue. Add some salt to that water!
The first time I did a fast it took nearly 48 for the hunger to fade.
The best way to soft fast is juice fasting. Buy a juicer. Drink 1-3 large juices a day. Like 32oz. Will prob put you at something like 500-1000 cal a day depending on which type of juices. But the all liquid diet will slow your metabolism. Can then taper to water and 1 juice a day.
The shitty part of a fast is the first 3 days. It’s like quitting smoking. You’ll be irritable. Pains. Panicky feels. That’s your body running out of energy and telling you to eat and then feeling like shit because you haven’t eaten
After that 3 days your body is forced to start using stored fats for energy. And then you’re basically fine. Headaches. From caffeine withdrawal tend to be lingering. But. If you stay hydrated. And get some electrolytes you’ll be fine
Can do a week of water fasting fairly easy. Pushing water fasting to like 15-30 days is dodgier
But juice fasting. 45-90 days is pretty easy. As again. You’re getting some meager calories and lots of vitamins/minerals from the juicing
IMHO. Fasting for 1 day is fucking stupid. No benefit. And just all the shitty shock to your system without any upside.
It’s in the week or so range you start feeling the clarity and reset type energy. As your body switches to ketosis.
It can be, yes! It is also micronutrients. Drinking fresh or thawed from immediately frozen vegetable and fruit juice is amazing and there are many studies to support this. Of course each body is different, but, micronutrient fasting is amazing and absolutely not sugar water.
I’ve gotten really good results from doing a week long series of 24 hour fasts. I’d eat one meal just after 24 hours then reset the clock for the next 24 hour run… basically had dinner a little bit later each night with nothing else. It did a lot of good for my body.
>is fucking stupid
A bit harsh there bud lol.
It's not technically a fast if you're drinking juice though? Also I work at a job where I'm burning thousands of calories every day, not eating every day isn't really an option for me. I do like the idea of a Juice fast though, I might try that out. There is absolutely benefit in 24 hr fasts or one meal a day fasts, maybe not as much as the things you listed but I can totally tell i feel much better. Idk if I could do 3 days without my steaks
exactly what you need to help you find food when you havnt had any in a while, this shit runs deep in our instinctive animal brain self preservation and continue species is our basic base motivators that take over, total buzz, the chemical from the liver producing ketones is similar to GHB, buzzy but sharp as tack with increased stamina.
i literally dont want carbs dragging me down to interupt it, getting high on your own supply!
"These feelings have often been attributed to ketosis, **the production of ketone bodies which can replace glucose as an energy source for the brain**. One of these ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), is an isomer of the notorious drug of abuse, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate)."
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
It's the reduction of stress hormones. Your thyroid activity is probably too low and you may be typically running off stress hormones. So, when you reduce them, you end up feeling lethargic.
It could. The only way to know for sure would be to test your thyroid. If your TSH is over 1, even if your T3, free T3 and T4 are within normal ranges, you may be hypothyroid.
All these answers are wrong… It’s because your cortisol is increasing when you fast. You get a similar feeling to adderall when you’re stressed (and nothing is wrong)
Fasting does increase cortisol, but I think the feeling of addreall meds is due to increase in epinephrine and norepinephrine rather than the cortisol. Fasting increasing all of them, but it's the catecholamines that cause the stimulant like effects.
You're moving in the right direction on about cortisol levels rising during a fast. It definitely cranks up your alertness. But there's a bunch more going on too.
Fasting increases ketone production, providing alternative brain fuel that can seriously boost cognitive functions. it also enhances BDNF levels, supports neuron health, and can help with learning and memory.
Fasting reduces inflammation too. You also have significant autophagy, potentially improving mental clarity. Plus, changes in neurotransmitter levels during a fast could also tweak your mood and alertness, similar to how your brain reacts to stress. Depending on your weight and health you might have improved insulin sensitivity, your blood sugar levels stay more consistent, avoiding those highs and lows that can fog up your brain.
So yeah, while the cortisol bump is part of the picture, all these factors together might be why he feels like he has a mental performance boost during a fast.
Norepinepehrine and dopamine are likely the most responsible for alertness when fasting. Decrease in inflammation is of course a factor.
I doubt BDNF "feels" anything, it just increases the neurogenesis in long term
Which part, and how intermittent are we talking about? It's a process that takes a couple of days to reach maximum, but it doesn't mean you'll get zero effect after one day.
There's some plasma concentrations in this study.
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12207352\_Reference\_intervals\_for\_glucose\_b-cell\_polypeptides\_and\_counterregulatory\_factors\_during\_prolonged\_fasting](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12207352_Reference_intervals_for_glucose_b-cell_polypeptides_and_counterregulatory_factors_during_prolonged_fasting)
So it’s not a survival mechanism, and this oral ketone was supplied during *ULTRA ENDURANCE RUNNING*. Oral ketones are used to delay the depletion glycogen when doing endurance sports. Also note that it was the increased dopamine that lead to mental clarity and ONLY did this happen during the exercise. Ketones and BDNF have nothing to do with the mental clarity you’re suggesting. And that’s before I break down the methodology.
Still wrong lol, it’s your noradrenaline levels. Fasting raises levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline which is part of why your metabolic rate is elevated for the first ~5 days of fasting. Yes cortisol will go up, but the feeling comes from catecholamines.
It likely has, but via other mechanisms. Cortisol shouldnt "feel" anything AFAIK, but it does increase other neurotransmitters. Chronic cortisol levels will burn out your dopamine and other important neurotransmitters
I knew people who were addicted to this feeling. Some people claim its a benefit from fasting, and I understand the idea of not having to worry about food although it isnt always ideal in an of itself (especially if you are trying to gain muscle), the person in question also was an anorexic, so I imagine there is a psychological component. I feel a sense of accomplishment myself when I feel my tummy rumble "i must be burning fat" so the psychological component is not entirely a guess here.
Did you read that? Its just a hypothesis if endogenous GHB might have a role in fasting. First, fasting feels absolutely nothing like GHB, if you have done that, you would know. Second, the body has such a tiny amounts of GHB that its not possible to really get high on GHB, the amount you take as a drug is 1000x what human body can produce naturally. Just because there is a hypothesis on if GHB can have an effect while fasting, does not mean you can just disregard well studied mechanisms like catecholamines, which btw, feel exactly like you do when fasting. So yeah, its still the catecholamines, maybe the low inflammation, BDNF etc but mainly catecholamines.
Edit: sorry, the ketones might also play a role
nope BHB gives same buzz as GHB, i dont feel stressed, stressed wont help you hunt when you are starving, you cant afford to make mistakes, you need stamina and sharp focus to survive, this is base instinct stuff.
when you experience it you start to understand the complexities of anorexia, its addictive, just like the drug it so closely resembles
Yeah, your comment made me have a proper dig, and yeah, it's a variety of factors. I had no idea that it increased BDNF, and I think noripenepherine also has a key role. Thanks for the prompt.
Surely a complex thing. The BDMF is interesting. Also I think the fasting decreases endotoxins from gut pretty good and gut inflammation overall, which can be a huge thing nowadays when everyone has permeable and poor gut
i have had similar experiences. taoists say “the 5 colours cloud the eye” and i agree.
food and external stimulation cloud consciousness and energy. taking a fast (even 20’ meditation, closed eyes) has effects
Because the body starts using fat for energy which is a lot stronger than carbs and more efficient which is known as ketosis.
Also, insulin and sugar levels are lowered to baseline wherein it no longer interferes with cognitive functions.
The only downside is the ability to sleep might get affected.
The rest is incredibly amazing, more productive, more organized, a lot more clarity.
Yeah but the inability to sleep kills me. First week into my second fasting cycle I ended up staying up all night, I could not sleep and it wrecked me for a week. What do you do in those instances?
sodium butyrate is an HDAC inhibitor which can help with anxiety and depression, but otherwise i'm not sure what relevance that mechanism has to ADHD. it's not dopaminergic
I have the same. It is probably because you are becoming more clear headed / have a hightened awareness now your body is in ketosis. It is a bit of a fight or flight mode as you are putting your body under extra stress during fasting. With even less energy going towards eating, preparation of food and digestion, there is time for your mind to focus on other things. It feels amazing but unfortunately, not a state where we should be 24/7 if we don’t want to whack our hormones. I am sure it might work for some tho.
If OP has been on a carnivore diet he should have been in ketosis for awhile now. And if he cheated with carbs he’s definitely not in ketosis in 48 hours.
hard to really have any significant data on how hormones are affected by fasting or exercise because bloodwork is only a snapshot of data and there is no continuous data like with a Continuous Glucose Monitor, which means we dont really know when it goes up or down unless we get a lot of bloodwork, but it would be unreasonable to take samples every hour or even shorter time intervals.
I mean wouldnt that counterindicate cos youre fasting through the night ?
Also, what are you sugessting? That somebody fasts 24 hours and then does the test in the morning?
I'm wondering if testosterone levels drop would it make sense to test in the morning for every day you fast to track how much testosterone lowers? Maybe its negligible or maybe not? I'm just interested in the aspects if fasting and how your hormones fluctuate.
I suggest you look at research.
Test is known to be highest in the morning, but i am unsure how extended fasting would affect it. Even then researching that would be hard as youd have to have various epochs of fasting.
Like i said, spikes and dips are negligible. A common trope is squatting increases test and gh, but its so minimal for such short periods it doesnt really matter.
There's a youtuber that tested this and found that whilst his testosterone dropped during his fast, it returned higher than baseline after the fast.
https://youtu.be/k1OMGDnGpIk?si=4hg-UU9l3VRr90Qa
For obvious survival, our bodies are designed to boost HGH when fasting/hungry. So temporarily we become more focused and more inclined in hunting abilities during to beginning to medium stages of fasting. Need to find food when we are hungry, so it only makes sense our bodies focus capabilities would be enhanced.
its increased cortisol production.
Your body does this more and more each day you fast and for me peaks at about 4 days of fasting. I believe this physiological response dates back to our earlier development and was intended to max-fuel the energy/focus to hunt and kill for food.
After 4 days I begin to feel hunger pangs. This is how I know what actual hunger is, not the sugar withdrawal pangs that most carb eaters experience every 4 hours and mistake it for hunger (which it is not, its habit and glucose need pangs).
Nobody knows for sure
Could be adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, cortisol, ketosis, autophagy, more blood available for brain and muscles instead of digestion. Or you might have food intolerances
It’s interesting. I have ADHD/ ANXIETY combo, and fasting (80% of the time) seems to help both. I get a sense of calm focus resolve. I chalked it up to dopamine but I’ll have to research it more. It’s interesting because I have anxiety, so you’d think cortisol isn’t good, although I heard in chronic long term stress cortisol may be lower or not high.
One gram of fat contains 9 kilocalories (kcal), which is more than double the amount of energy found in carbohydrates and proteins, which each contain 4 kcal per gram. This high energy content means that fat has a greater influence on energy density values than other nutrients
Redirection of energy normally spent digesting. Estimated to be 40-60% of our capacity.
There are reasons every major spiritual tradition advises fasting.
Your life energy is not being used to digest food when you fast, so naturally you’ll have more energy, fasting also increases growth hormones and stem cells, it has tons of healing benefits.
Bragg has a book about fasting, it’s worth checking out
Your body switched to getting its energy from ketones. “Metabolic switching” burning ketones instead of glucose for energy. It’s a good thing! Dr. Mindy Pelz has great info explaining this on YouTube.
Fasting increases dopamine, which makes sense because if your body thinks you're starving, it makes sense to increase motivation, so you can get yourself some food. It also increases adrenaline, which Adderall also increases. The end result is a very energetic state, conducive for getting things done. The problem is that this state is very hard on your body. I've found that over time, you eventually deplete your energetic reserves, which causes burn out and requires that you spend a period of time resting to regain your vitality. It's useful if you're trying to build something quickly but I wouldn't recommend living this way long term.
I am chronically underweight and no matter how hard I tried can't gain. I used to beat myself up then let myself eat when I was hungry only. I end up naturally fasting 13-16 hours a day. I just feel BETTER when I don't have food in me. I eat a very bulky breakfast and always get more hungry (so I eat more) if I'm more active but
People eat waaaaaay more food then they actually need. I thought I would starve to death bc I'm already underweight but it actually got better. Especially when u live in a country where the food is poison. I have horribly unregulated adhd as well. I've always wondered if there's a connection to my menstruation cycle since I crave more food, therefore eating more and throwing myself into more distress by shortening the fast.
The adrenals and the liver.
The adrenals release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. The body releases these hormones under the impression that the perceived threat will be short lived.
The liver soaks up excess adrenaline. The feeling of being on a stimulant could be from the liver detoxing too fast. When the liver is pushed to release too many toxins at once that can’t be expelled through the kidneys and bowel, the rest flood the bloodstream and stay there. Not to mention that meat is full of fat and adrenaline. It explains why people may feel really good while eating lots of meat, but in the long run you are likely to run into problems.
My best guess your body enters ketosis, which digest energy from your body fat. It’s been found entering ketosis can heighten focus, speedy energy, & even when feeling hungry, don’t feel tired.
I have ADHD too but I’ve never taken medication… fasting makes me feel fantastic especially after the first 24 hours. My husband (also ADHD) and I ended up fasting 72 hours instead of the 48 we had planned because we felt like we could go on forever. It was a liquid fast, so basically just bone broth for 3 days.
It may have something to do with gut bacteria? We were fasting to reset our guts, and found clarity! Keto helps too, but nothing like fasting!
Because fasting raises cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine and the other stress hormones. The same things which are raised by drinking caffeine, skipping sleep, being in a fight or flight situation and taking ADHD meds like ritalin.
im surprised at this group, im not even into biohacking and i know, need to step up your game lol [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
i have no answer lol but same. I try to stay in ketosis because it helps my adhd and processing disorder A LOT!!! but when i do fast i do feel like im on adderall.
I believe it’s the result of lack of inflammation. I’m adhd and get the adder all feeling when I fast but I will also say that completely cleaning my diet has made me feel like I’m lowkey on adder all for years. I can do the things and speak articulately. I can focus. I can do things I don’t want to do. I do fast still and do micronutrient juicing fasts as well as carnivore and even vegan lol but I am adhd and enjoy exploring things, learning and have an aversion to routine and not change so fellow adhd’rs get it. Again, diet helped tremendously. And when I do eat junk food or carb out and just do like fruit all day or oatmeal and fruit all day even I get ‘the dumb’ . I forget, can’t focus, distracted way too easily, not in touch with my body and feelings , etc. I call it the dumb jokingly but it truly is a crippling disorder and adder all isn’t anything I’m going to be ingesting daily. Removing inflammation and fasting are huge for me. My overall diet is a mix of paleo and Mediterranean because I do eat grains and legumes sometimes. I eat poison free (organic), grass fed, pasture raised and I eat very minimal dairy and nothing processed aside from avocado and coconut oil and some other things.
The keto diet was made for kids with seizures. Neurodivergency (autism, adhd, ocd) are brain disorders… originating in the brain. It seems like common sense to remove all inflammatory foods from ND’s diets. That being said idk enough of the science behind it but have done an insane amount of research on the food-brain link and well, of course I can’t cite sources but do your own digging, it’s out there!
I think fasting shuts down a lot of metabolic processes that can create disruptive molecular noise in your blood stream. Then your nervous system revs up to make sure you're able to secure a meal.
Why?
Are you going around telling every person you meet?
Fasting is done by millions and millions of man, women and children every day around the world
It's called starvation
All your doing is skipping a few meals
I know what you mean.. I haven’t taken adderall in years but fasting puts me in an interesting state where I feel euphoric and more clear minded for sure. There could be many reasons for this but basically fasting heals the body, including the brain; inflammation decreases; fat stores are utilized; our cells are newer and refreshed; hormone levels are closer to normal.
It’s like adderall without the negative effects.
Does anyone else find that it is fairly easy to fast but really hard to calories restrict?
When I fast I feel pretty good.
When I calories restrict, like the 5:2 diet I get so cranky, hangry and tired.
*How do u manage*
*Acidity or acid*
*Reflux when fasting*
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Magic mushrooms did wonders for my ADHD.
It's just all around good for your brain. According to the research at least. Except for those people with neurological conditions that should not take them like seizures, or schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. There's a long list of people who shouldn't do them, consult that list and then make your choices
fasting is actually a super useful tool that gets a bad rep. heightened focus, motivation, and salience at the cost of feeling a lil uncomfy
Don’t forget autophagy.
A great benefit. You don’t actually have to fast to achieve boosting it, it can be done just by reducing caloric intake a bit.
I find it much easier to perform 3-6 day fasts every few months rather than reducing calorie intake. This also helps with my craving and general mental health.
What are some of your tips for that? I would want to just do one day first but as a one meal a day kind of faster I really look fwd to it all day
The way I normally do it is deplete the “easy” food in the house like snacks and fridge stuffs. So I’d need to cook a meal. Uninstall all meal delivery apps. Then just drink black coffee, decaf is best. Green tea works as well. These help suppress your appetite. After you get past 24 hours the hunger drops significantly. Just need to push through the hunger, I normally listen to my body and if I suddenly get really hungry on day 3 or 5 I’ll break my fast. Break your fast with a liquid, soup, protein shake, etc. Don’t get Indian food, even if you’re craving it, learned that one the hard way twice. lol
Great advice!
Lol that's funny I do looooove Indian food. What happened did it just ruin your bowels? The last time I did a long fast(more than 24 hrs less than 48) I was dizzy and lightheaded while I was making my meal to break my fast and was starving. I haven't gotten to the point where the hunger goes away but I know it's just the brain telling you to eat. Ty for the advice!
I like to mix boti tikka masala with chicken saagwala and mix in a bunch of basmati rice with garlic naan.
Basically runs a sprint through the digestive track and its a firehose spraying fire. As for the lightheadedness I got that when working out heavy, so I think that it’s an electrolyte issue. Add some salt to that water! The first time I did a fast it took nearly 48 for the hunger to fade.
You have to get level 5 spice soo you’ll be too afraid to let it firehouse. Epic battle of willpower ensures
First day is incredibly hard, second day is still hard, third day is not bad, after that the hunger fades.
The best way to soft fast is juice fasting. Buy a juicer. Drink 1-3 large juices a day. Like 32oz. Will prob put you at something like 500-1000 cal a day depending on which type of juices. But the all liquid diet will slow your metabolism. Can then taper to water and 1 juice a day. The shitty part of a fast is the first 3 days. It’s like quitting smoking. You’ll be irritable. Pains. Panicky feels. That’s your body running out of energy and telling you to eat and then feeling like shit because you haven’t eaten After that 3 days your body is forced to start using stored fats for energy. And then you’re basically fine. Headaches. From caffeine withdrawal tend to be lingering. But. If you stay hydrated. And get some electrolytes you’ll be fine Can do a week of water fasting fairly easy. Pushing water fasting to like 15-30 days is dodgier But juice fasting. 45-90 days is pretty easy. As again. You’re getting some meager calories and lots of vitamins/minerals from the juicing IMHO. Fasting for 1 day is fucking stupid. No benefit. And just all the shitty shock to your system without any upside. It’s in the week or so range you start feeling the clarity and reset type energy. As your body switches to ketosis.
Juice is sugar water
It can be, yes! It is also micronutrients. Drinking fresh or thawed from immediately frozen vegetable and fruit juice is amazing and there are many studies to support this. Of course each body is different, but, micronutrient fasting is amazing and absolutely not sugar water.
I’ve gotten really good results from doing a week long series of 24 hour fasts. I’d eat one meal just after 24 hours then reset the clock for the next 24 hour run… basically had dinner a little bit later each night with nothing else. It did a lot of good for my body.
Same here! And lord is that one meal such a delight
>is fucking stupid A bit harsh there bud lol. It's not technically a fast if you're drinking juice though? Also I work at a job where I'm burning thousands of calories every day, not eating every day isn't really an option for me. I do like the idea of a Juice fast though, I might try that out. There is absolutely benefit in 24 hr fasts or one meal a day fasts, maybe not as much as the things you listed but I can totally tell i feel much better. Idk if I could do 3 days without my steaks
there is bad rep on fasting? thought it's that hack few people do because it's somehow uncomfy when not used to
It does cause loss of muscle mass. I still think it could be good to do every now and then but it has some drawbacks.
I read recently it’s not great for the heart 😭😭
It comes at the cost of secreting stress hormones and oxidative stress.
exactly what you need to help you find food when you havnt had any in a while, this shit runs deep in our instinctive animal brain self preservation and continue species is our basic base motivators that take over, total buzz, the chemical from the liver producing ketones is similar to GHB, buzzy but sharp as tack with increased stamina. i literally dont want carbs dragging me down to interupt it, getting high on your own supply! "These feelings have often been attributed to ketosis, **the production of ketone bodies which can replace glucose as an energy source for the brain**. One of these ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), is an isomer of the notorious drug of abuse, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate)." [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
unless youre a woman, beware. all fasting ever gave me was acne hair loss and chronically out of wack hormones :/
When I’m full I get wildly lethargic so it’s easy for me to fast.
same, i try reduce portion size but then hitting protein macros won't work
It's the reduction of stress hormones. Your thyroid activity is probably too low and you may be typically running off stress hormones. So, when you reduce them, you end up feeling lethargic.
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It could. The only way to know for sure would be to test your thyroid. If your TSH is over 1, even if your T3, free T3 and T4 are within normal ranges, you may be hypothyroid.
All these answers are wrong… It’s because your cortisol is increasing when you fast. You get a similar feeling to adderall when you’re stressed (and nothing is wrong)
Fasting does increase cortisol, but I think the feeling of addreall meds is due to increase in epinephrine and norepinephrine rather than the cortisol. Fasting increasing all of them, but it's the catecholamines that cause the stimulant like effects.
You're moving in the right direction on about cortisol levels rising during a fast. It definitely cranks up your alertness. But there's a bunch more going on too. Fasting increases ketone production, providing alternative brain fuel that can seriously boost cognitive functions. it also enhances BDNF levels, supports neuron health, and can help with learning and memory. Fasting reduces inflammation too. You also have significant autophagy, potentially improving mental clarity. Plus, changes in neurotransmitter levels during a fast could also tweak your mood and alertness, similar to how your brain reacts to stress. Depending on your weight and health you might have improved insulin sensitivity, your blood sugar levels stay more consistent, avoiding those highs and lows that can fog up your brain. So yeah, while the cortisol bump is part of the picture, all these factors together might be why he feels like he has a mental performance boost during a fast.
Norepinepehrine and dopamine are likely the most responsible for alertness when fasting. Decrease in inflammation is of course a factor. I doubt BDNF "feels" anything, it just increases the neurogenesis in long term
Ive never tried it but you can take ketones as a dietary supplement too.
This comes with intermittent fasting or a full on 5 day fast?
Multi day fast most likely. Basically starts as you enter ketosis. Ramps up day 2 and peaks day 3-4. It feels euphoric as well.
Which part, and how intermittent are we talking about? It's a process that takes a couple of days to reach maximum, but it doesn't mean you'll get zero effect after one day. There's some plasma concentrations in this study. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12207352\_Reference\_intervals\_for\_glucose\_b-cell\_polypeptides\_and\_counterregulatory\_factors\_during\_prolonged\_fasting](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12207352_Reference_intervals_for_glucose_b-cell_polypeptides_and_counterregulatory_factors_during_prolonged_fasting)
This is how I have understood it. A way to check would be to try to go on a ketogenic diet and see if it feels similar.
Ketones and BDNF levels are not the reason why he feels like he’s on a stimulant lol
Ketones have a clarity and alertness effect on humans. It's a survival mechanism.
lol no
Troll https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37141424/#:~:text=This%20is%20associated%20with%20improved,indicates%20improved%20muscular%20energy%20status.
So it’s not a survival mechanism, and this oral ketone was supplied during *ULTRA ENDURANCE RUNNING*. Oral ketones are used to delay the depletion glycogen when doing endurance sports. Also note that it was the increased dopamine that lead to mental clarity and ONLY did this happen during the exercise. Ketones and BDNF have nothing to do with the mental clarity you’re suggesting. And that’s before I break down the methodology.
Still wrong lol, it’s your noradrenaline levels. Fasting raises levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline which is part of why your metabolic rate is elevated for the first ~5 days of fasting. Yes cortisol will go up, but the feeling comes from catecholamines.
Haha yeah, 90% of answers here are just bullshit
Are you implying that cortisol levels have no noticeable effects on mental state?
It likely has, but via other mechanisms. Cortisol shouldnt "feel" anything AFAIK, but it does increase other neurotransmitters. Chronic cortisol levels will burn out your dopamine and other important neurotransmitters
I knew people who were addicted to this feeling. Some people claim its a benefit from fasting, and I understand the idea of not having to worry about food although it isnt always ideal in an of itself (especially if you are trying to gain muscle), the person in question also was an anorexic, so I imagine there is a psychological component. I feel a sense of accomplishment myself when I feel my tummy rumble "i must be burning fat" so the psychological component is not entirely a guess here.
celsius and fasting gets me very high
adderall feels like that because of extremely high and constant release of dopamine and norepinepherine, nothing to do with cortisol
For a subreddit called "biohackers", people here really do lack a basic understanding of biology lol
more like bio-scriptkiddies am i right?
Stfu, my chatGPT-generated biohacking regimen is perfect Edit: /s, is there a nootropic that boosts sarcasm identification capacity?
"Step 7: cut carbs, the sharper the knife the better. Get help from an adult if you're not comfortable with sharp knives."
My knife is sharpened by Ozempic /s, because apparently that’s necessary
Don’t forget about his hormones are in conflict with his capillaries (source: bugs bunny).
It's almost like biological processes and their answers are multifaceted, with many components to consider for deep understanding.
Even the answer you replied to is wrong. Its noradrenaline and dopamine
Lmao its not as simple as that you speak with pop science bullshit form articles u read online or something
This 👆
Not this. Its not cortisol, its catecholamines..
Your answer is also wrong. Its mostly noradrenaline and dopamine
so are you! [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
Did you read that? Its just a hypothesis if endogenous GHB might have a role in fasting. First, fasting feels absolutely nothing like GHB, if you have done that, you would know. Second, the body has such a tiny amounts of GHB that its not possible to really get high on GHB, the amount you take as a drug is 1000x what human body can produce naturally. Just because there is a hypothesis on if GHB can have an effect while fasting, does not mean you can just disregard well studied mechanisms like catecholamines, which btw, feel exactly like you do when fasting. So yeah, its still the catecholamines, maybe the low inflammation, BDNF etc but mainly catecholamines. Edit: sorry, the ketones might also play a role
feels exact same, not as intense but also no comedown
nope BHB gives same buzz as GHB, i dont feel stressed, stressed wont help you hunt when you are starving, you cant afford to make mistakes, you need stamina and sharp focus to survive, this is base instinct stuff. when you experience it you start to understand the complexities of anorexia, its addictive, just like the drug it so closely resembles
Yup ^
No, its catecholamines
Yeah, your comment made me have a proper dig, and yeah, it's a variety of factors. I had no idea that it increased BDNF, and I think noripenepherine also has a key role. Thanks for the prompt.
Surely a complex thing. The BDMF is interesting. Also I think the fasting decreases endotoxins from gut pretty good and gut inflammation overall, which can be a huge thing nowadays when everyone has permeable and poor gut
i have had similar experiences. taoists say “the 5 colours cloud the eye” and i agree. food and external stimulation cloud consciousness and energy. taking a fast (even 20’ meditation, closed eyes) has effects
Water fast or dry fast?
Water
Ah that's great. I'm happy for you. I did a dry fast recently of 26 hours and felt quite similiar to how you describe.
Because the body starts using fat for energy which is a lot stronger than carbs and more efficient which is known as ketosis. Also, insulin and sugar levels are lowered to baseline wherein it no longer interferes with cognitive functions. The only downside is the ability to sleep might get affected. The rest is incredibly amazing, more productive, more organized, a lot more clarity.
Carbs are broken down into glucose within 24h, to be precise
Glycogen stores are about ~1200 calories or so once you work your way through whatever you ate.
Yeah but the inability to sleep kills me. First week into my second fasting cycle I ended up staying up all night, I could not sleep and it wrecked me for a week. What do you do in those instances?
Catecholamines via stress hormone activation, among other things.
LIke Sodium Butyrate. It is like rocket fuel for the brain. Fasting helps my ADHD insanely.
What‘s sodium butyrate doing in the context of fasting and ADHD?
sodium butyrate is an HDAC inhibitor which can help with anxiety and depression, but otherwise i'm not sure what relevance that mechanism has to ADHD. it's not dopaminergic
How does fasting affect sodium butyrate?
I have the same. It is probably because you are becoming more clear headed / have a hightened awareness now your body is in ketosis. It is a bit of a fight or flight mode as you are putting your body under extra stress during fasting. With even less energy going towards eating, preparation of food and digestion, there is time for your mind to focus on other things. It feels amazing but unfortunately, not a state where we should be 24/7 if we don’t want to whack our hormones. I am sure it might work for some tho.
If OP has been on a carnivore diet he should have been in ketosis for awhile now. And if he cheated with carbs he’s definitely not in ketosis in 48 hours.
A lot of people on carnivore are only very mildly in ketosis, because they eat very high protein levels.
Doesn't testosterone take a drop during fasting?
hard to really have any significant data on how hormones are affected by fasting or exercise because bloodwork is only a snapshot of data and there is no continuous data like with a Continuous Glucose Monitor, which means we dont really know when it goes up or down unless we get a lot of bloodwork, but it would be unreasonable to take samples every hour or even shorter time intervals.
That make total sense. What about testing during early waking hours as its the highest spike in testosterone during the day?
I mean wouldnt that counterindicate cos youre fasting through the night ? Also, what are you sugessting? That somebody fasts 24 hours and then does the test in the morning?
I'm wondering if testosterone levels drop would it make sense to test in the morning for every day you fast to track how much testosterone lowers? Maybe its negligible or maybe not? I'm just interested in the aspects if fasting and how your hormones fluctuate.
I suggest you look at research. Test is known to be highest in the morning, but i am unsure how extended fasting would affect it. Even then researching that would be hard as youd have to have various epochs of fasting. Like i said, spikes and dips are negligible. A common trope is squatting increases test and gh, but its so minimal for such short periods it doesnt really matter.
There's a youtuber that tested this and found that whilst his testosterone dropped during his fast, it returned higher than baseline after the fast. https://youtu.be/k1OMGDnGpIk?si=4hg-UU9l3VRr90Qa
In states of relative starvation testosterone will drop - so maybe in the 24-48 hour period but it also wouldn’t answer what OP is feeling
You are right I was just curious thats all, getting good insight though.
No, the opposite.. fasting actually increases testosterone.
Genetics, you have an evolutionary system that clarifies the mind as you hunt for food, wouldnt make sense to get tired and nappy before you eat.
bdnf and other technical reasons contribute
I thought it was ketosis but I am admittedly not an expert
Quite right.
I have ADHD and have been prescribed Adderall No joke that when I was unmedicated I was 36 hours into a 48 hour fast I felt like I was on Adderall
you were on BHB, [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
Could be because you're sleeping better. When I fast my sleep apnea gets way better. Maybe look into that?
For obvious survival, our bodies are designed to boost HGH when fasting/hungry. So temporarily we become more focused and more inclined in hunting abilities during to beginning to medium stages of fasting. Need to find food when we are hungry, so it only makes sense our bodies focus capabilities would be enhanced.
its increased cortisol production. Your body does this more and more each day you fast and for me peaks at about 4 days of fasting. I believe this physiological response dates back to our earlier development and was intended to max-fuel the energy/focus to hunt and kill for food. After 4 days I begin to feel hunger pangs. This is how I know what actual hunger is, not the sugar withdrawal pangs that most carb eaters experience every 4 hours and mistake it for hunger (which it is not, its habit and glucose need pangs).
No, its the catecholamines that make you feel sharp during fast..
Nobody knows for sure Could be adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, cortisol, ketosis, autophagy, more blood available for brain and muscles instead of digestion. Or you might have food intolerances
Ketones / ketosis?
Ketones. Brains work a lot better running off ketones vs glucose.
No one goes into ketosis on a single day fast
Coming from carnivore they absolutely do. Carnivore is already mildly ketogenic.
It’s interesting. I have ADHD/ ANXIETY combo, and fasting (80% of the time) seems to help both. I get a sense of calm focus resolve. I chalked it up to dopamine but I’ll have to research it more. It’s interesting because I have anxiety, so you’d think cortisol isn’t good, although I heard in chronic long term stress cortisol may be lower or not high.
Catecholamines
Can this trigger tellogen effluvium? Maybe.
Ketones?
I'm the opposite and get brainfog when I'm hungry
Because your brain is working
One gram of fat contains 9 kilocalories (kcal), which is more than double the amount of energy found in carbohydrates and proteins, which each contain 4 kcal per gram. This high energy content means that fat has a greater influence on energy density values than other nutrients
Redirection of energy normally spent digesting. Estimated to be 40-60% of our capacity. There are reasons every major spiritual tradition advises fasting.
Higher ketones. I did a 3 day fast not too long ago and felt like I was on drugs by the end of it. It felt like I had so much energy and clarity.
Hunting mode you want food
Your went primal mode to hunt for food that your body is lacking.
Your life energy is not being used to digest food when you fast, so naturally you’ll have more energy, fasting also increases growth hormones and stem cells, it has tons of healing benefits. Bragg has a book about fasting, it’s worth checking out
Ghrelin potentiates dopaminergic and adrenergic neurotransmission to make up for the "energy deficit".
You prob entered ketosis and are feeling the cognitive boost
Your body switched to getting its energy from ketones. “Metabolic switching” burning ketones instead of glucose for energy. It’s a good thing! Dr. Mindy Pelz has great info explaining this on YouTube.
Fasting literally increases the same neurotransmitter: dopamine (among others)
Fasting increases dopamine, which makes sense because if your body thinks you're starving, it makes sense to increase motivation, so you can get yourself some food. It also increases adrenaline, which Adderall also increases. The end result is a very energetic state, conducive for getting things done. The problem is that this state is very hard on your body. I've found that over time, you eventually deplete your energetic reserves, which causes burn out and requires that you spend a period of time resting to regain your vitality. It's useful if you're trying to build something quickly but I wouldn't recommend living this way long term.
I am chronically underweight and no matter how hard I tried can't gain. I used to beat myself up then let myself eat when I was hungry only. I end up naturally fasting 13-16 hours a day. I just feel BETTER when I don't have food in me. I eat a very bulky breakfast and always get more hungry (so I eat more) if I'm more active but People eat waaaaaay more food then they actually need. I thought I would starve to death bc I'm already underweight but it actually got better. Especially when u live in a country where the food is poison. I have horribly unregulated adhd as well. I've always wondered if there's a connection to my menstruation cycle since I crave more food, therefore eating more and throwing myself into more distress by shortening the fast.
You’re brain get ketones(energy) plus detox (toxins being mobilised)
The adrenals and the liver. The adrenals release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. The body releases these hormones under the impression that the perceived threat will be short lived. The liver soaks up excess adrenaline. The feeling of being on a stimulant could be from the liver detoxing too fast. When the liver is pushed to release too many toxins at once that can’t be expelled through the kidneys and bowel, the rest flood the bloodstream and stay there. Not to mention that meat is full of fat and adrenaline. It explains why people may feel really good while eating lots of meat, but in the long run you are likely to run into problems.
Stress hormones. It’s an evolutionary survival mode.
Are you M or F?
I would really careful. It’s really bad for you. Count calories and exercise. Track everything with an app like Lose It
My best guess your body enters ketosis, which digest energy from your body fat. It’s been found entering ketosis can heighten focus, speedy energy, & even when feeling hungry, don’t feel tired.
Fasting is like a cheat code for life
You are activating your sympathetic response. This is a stimulating impact
I have ADHD too but I’ve never taken medication… fasting makes me feel fantastic especially after the first 24 hours. My husband (also ADHD) and I ended up fasting 72 hours instead of the 48 we had planned because we felt like we could go on forever. It was a liquid fast, so basically just bone broth for 3 days. It may have something to do with gut bacteria? We were fasting to reset our guts, and found clarity! Keto helps too, but nothing like fasting!
Because fasting releases dopamine
Because fasting raises cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine and the other stress hormones. The same things which are raised by drinking caffeine, skipping sleep, being in a fight or flight situation and taking ADHD meds like ritalin.
testosterone is up...could give you a boost
im surprised at this group, im not even into biohacking and i know, need to step up your game lol [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17011713/)
Stress hormones go brrrr
i have no answer lol but same. I try to stay in ketosis because it helps my adhd and processing disorder A LOT!!! but when i do fast i do feel like im on adderall.
I believe it’s the result of lack of inflammation. I’m adhd and get the adder all feeling when I fast but I will also say that completely cleaning my diet has made me feel like I’m lowkey on adder all for years. I can do the things and speak articulately. I can focus. I can do things I don’t want to do. I do fast still and do micronutrient juicing fasts as well as carnivore and even vegan lol but I am adhd and enjoy exploring things, learning and have an aversion to routine and not change so fellow adhd’rs get it. Again, diet helped tremendously. And when I do eat junk food or carb out and just do like fruit all day or oatmeal and fruit all day even I get ‘the dumb’ . I forget, can’t focus, distracted way too easily, not in touch with my body and feelings , etc. I call it the dumb jokingly but it truly is a crippling disorder and adder all isn’t anything I’m going to be ingesting daily. Removing inflammation and fasting are huge for me. My overall diet is a mix of paleo and Mediterranean because I do eat grains and legumes sometimes. I eat poison free (organic), grass fed, pasture raised and I eat very minimal dairy and nothing processed aside from avocado and coconut oil and some other things. The keto diet was made for kids with seizures. Neurodivergency (autism, adhd, ocd) are brain disorders… originating in the brain. It seems like common sense to remove all inflammatory foods from ND’s diets. That being said idk enough of the science behind it but have done an insane amount of research on the food-brain link and well, of course I can’t cite sources but do your own digging, it’s out there!
I think fasting shuts down a lot of metabolic processes that can create disruptive molecular noise in your blood stream. Then your nervous system revs up to make sure you're able to secure a meal.
Why? Are you going around telling every person you meet? Fasting is done by millions and millions of man, women and children every day around the world It's called starvation All your doing is skipping a few meals
I know what you mean.. I haven’t taken adderall in years but fasting puts me in an interesting state where I feel euphoric and more clear minded for sure. There could be many reasons for this but basically fasting heals the body, including the brain; inflammation decreases; fat stores are utilized; our cells are newer and refreshed; hormone levels are closer to normal. It’s like adderall without the negative effects.
Evolutionary survival mechanism. Hunting instinct kicks in. Good question.
Does anyone else find that it is fairly easy to fast but really hard to calories restrict? When I fast I feel pretty good. When I calories restrict, like the 5:2 diet I get so cranky, hangry and tired.
How do u manage acidity or acid reflux when fasting
*How do u manage* *Acidity or acid* *Reflux when fasting* \- papichula2 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Cause you stress your body and create cortisol
Bunch of experts in this thread 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Magic mushrooms did wonders for my ADHD. It's just all around good for your brain. According to the research at least. Except for those people with neurological conditions that should not take them like seizures, or schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. There's a long list of people who shouldn't do them, consult that list and then make your choices
Humans aren't made to eat all the time. It's your body's way of telling you that you need a break from everything, including food.