Redheaded Jill

I have decided to start doing some of Dr. Mindy Pelz’s longer fasts. (I will attach a link to her fasting guide here… It’s so helpful and free!)

This week I attempted a 36 hour fast. My goals behind this are #1. To lose weight. Especially the stubborn weight that comes from excess estrogen. #2. To keep promises to myself and show myself that I can do hard things. #3. Mental clarity. I am so tired of being tired.

The plan is to do these 36 hour fasts once a week. The rest of the week will vary from 12 -17 hour fasts, maybe the occasional 24 hour fast. (It will also depend on my cycle, because I am cycle syncing my life which is a whole other blog post.)

I set myself up so that I would fast one day while babysitting, and half a day while substitute teaching. I really didn’t want to accept the assignment this week because I have other things I would rather do. But I told myself it would be more fun if mid day I got to break my fast. So this morning I made myself a nice lunch and am excitedly waiting for 12:09 when my kids go to class so I can eat.

The last thing I ate that would spike my blood sugar was at 10:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Wednesday I did nothing but drink water with salt and minerals (LMNT are pretty good and don’t have the added sugars of other drink mixes.) I also ate a couple pads of butter with salt sprinkled on top. (Pure fat shouldn’t spike your blood sugar, so people sometimes make fat bombs with avocado or even peanut butter and dark chocolate. I’m not so advanced yet.)

I also drank yerba mate tea, because I have heard it has the same effect at curbing appetite as GLP-1 Medication. It doesn’t taste like much so it isn’t hard to drink.

I survived (during this time) watching my nephews decorate sugar cookies, fixing delicious food and snacks for the kids, my niece trying to feed me her popcorn, and driving past countless fast food places on my way to and from Bible class.

I am also proud of myself because I went to bed early (easier to fast when you’re sleeping) and made myself a super nutritious lunch for today without nibbling on it at home.

It is 8:30, so technically I can sneak a bite in 90 minutes. But I’m going to sip yerba mate and hold off until actual lunch time.

Things to keep in mind, I have done shorter fasts before and have regularly been fasting 16-18 hours the last month or so. I also do not have any underlying conditions that make fasting dangerous. (If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, have an eating disorder I wouldn’t try this without consulting a professional.) If I had started to feel sick or faint I would hate eaten something. But I feel pretty good! My mind is sharper, I didn’t get that mid afternoon tired slump yesterday, and I slept really well.

Dr. Mindy’s book, Fast Like a Girl, is a great starting point if you are a girl and want to fast. (Men and women need to fast differently because of different hormone cycles. Men have a 24 hour cycle while women have a 28 day cycle.) She also has a cook book, Eat Like a Girl, and a book for women experiencing or having experienced menopause who want to fast, The Menopause Reset.

Fasting is free, it can get easy, and there are endless resources online. I follow Dr. Mindy on youtube and social media. There are also other great books like Dr. Jason Fungs, The Obesity Code. What I love and appreciate about Dr. Mindy is she focuses on women, and has helped countless women not only lose weight, but overcome infertility, regain a lost cycle, navigate menopause, and beat many autoimmune diseases.

I 10/10 recommend you go listen to Dr. Mindy’s Resetter Podcast or find her on youtube. She has some great interviews with Diary of a CEO, I think Mel Robbins, and many others.

** Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I’m just sharing my personal experience with fasting and supplements/teas that I have tried and books that I have read. All links to products are amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission at no additional cost to you for any purchases made using my link.**