Refeeding Days 1-2 – On the rebound

Fasting is like summiting a mountain.

Summiting a mountain may sound like the daunting prospect, but the real danger lies in coming back down again, a new study shows.

While hikers may feel they have conquered the hardest part after reaching the peak, in fact 75 per cent of falls occur on the road home.

My wife and I thought that after getting through 22 days of fasting, the hard part was over.

Actually, the hard part is the first day of refeeding.

Day 1 of refeeding is designed to be only 800 calories:

• Breakfast: 2 prunes, spelt porridge with apple 😋
• Lunch: chicory salad 🤮, “spicy budwig” quark & oil cream 😋, mashed potatoes & spinach 🤮
• 2pm snack: coconut milk yogurt 😋
• Dinner: pumpkin soup 😋😋😋, vegetables with rice balls in a saffron sauce 😋

Recall that the day before, breaking the fast was designed to be under 300 calories.

The problem is that up until now, we’ve had unlimited energy because our brains and bodies were being fueled by our ketones and fatty acids.  As we break the fast, we start to halt ketosis, forcing the brain and body to live off glucose which hasn’t yet built up in the body! We can see the progress (and resultant end) of ketosis (or fat burning) using ketone strips.

So, by late afternoon (right before dinner), my wife and I were pretty exhausted.  We were warned!  Digestion takes energy, and we were also no longer accustomed to the blood flow to our stomachs to support digestion!

Fortunately, we were able to turn the corner at dinner, which was much more substantial. (Yay for rice!)

Refeeding Day 2 has been much easier with an increased caloric intake of 1,000 calories:

• Breakfast: 2 prunes, muesli 😋😋😋
• Lunch: leaf salad 😋, “spicy budwig” quark & oil cream 😋, quinoa soufflé 😋
• 2pm snack: coconut milk yogurt, nuts 😋
• Dinner: fennel salad, braised chicory with vegetable jus and bulgar wheat

So, we’re on the rebound!

Results from morning nurse visits on Refeeding Days 1-2

• Blood pressure: 98/67, 114/80 (Overall good!)
• Blood sugar: 122, 108 (Not concerned about the 122 because I ran before the nurse visit!)
• Weight: 63.6 kg (139.9 lb), 64.0 kg (140.8 lb) (Weight gain expected from refilling digestive tract and absorbing more water)