Health Blog - World of Wellness

Happy Monday

6/9/2021

Monday is here again! It sure comes around quickly.

I think Monday is a good day to try something new be it a new idea, a new project, a new recipe, whatever. There’s always something new to try out.

Thomas Edison once said, “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you haven’t.”

There’s always a different way to look at a problem, a new way to look at tackling a project, a tweak to a recipe, etc.

So instead of giving up on something that you’ve been working on, try working at it from a different angle.

Today I have embarked on a 72-hour fast, which began at 6 pm yesterday. This will be the 2nd time attempting it - I didn't quite make 72 hours last time. I'm This is one of the ways I use to boost my immune system.
https://youtu.be/VRtdSDfo0WU

Happy Monday!

Update on 72-hour Fast

26/11/2020

After 68 hours fasting, this is what’s happening:
Blood Glucose: 3.7 mmol/l
Blood Ketones: 2.1 mmol/l
GKI (Glucose Ketones Index): 1.8

This puts me well in a state of autophagy.
More information can be found at: https://youtu.be/3K4seIm8aPg

Day 13 Press Up Challenge | 72-Hour Fast

26/11/2020

Why I’m doing a 72-hour Fast

A 72-hour fast sounds excessive. I’m doing it to keep my immune system strong and healthy. It’s a way to increase my growth hormones. It also helps to stimulate the brain by increasing the neuro-endocrine hormone called Norepinephrine. Find out more in this video: https://youtu.be/PRcTrRrcupg

Fasting is a way that allows your body to burn the stored fat. When the body is fat adapted, meaning that it is not using sugar as the prime source of energy, fasting can be quite easily achieved without experiencing hardship.

People fast for a variety of reasons:
Weight loss

To reverse Insulin resistance/Type 2 Diabetes
To get into a state of Ketosis (fat burning mode) – (16-24 hours)
To get into a state of Autophagy – (17 – 72 hours)

High sugar diets deplete the body of

Magnesium
Potassium
Copper
Calcium
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
B-vitamins

48-hour Autophagy Fast

15/11/2020

So I’ve done a 48-hr fast.

I took a rest from the Press-up challenge. (See my post yesterday and the day before or watch the videos below).

I broke my fast with some fried bacon fat (taken mostly from Bill’s bacon), 2 rashers of bacon, 1 Duck Egg and a Smoked Kippered Mackerel and finished off with my usual cream + Cream cheese pudding. This will keep me going for a good 24 hours or so.

I took my blood readings before eating and am pleased with them. Blood glucose: 4.4 mmol/l and blood ketones 1.2 mmol/l. I was expecting better, but it’s good enough to effect autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out dead and damaged cells in order to generate newer, healthier cells.

I’ll resume my press-up challenge tomorrow and hope to beat my record of 36 or 37 I did yesterday in 1 stretch.

My journey with weight loss

15/12/2019

I had resigned myself to the common thought that as one grows older, metabolic rate slows down, resulting in weight gain. Following the government recommended dietary guidelines of low fat, high carbs and plenty of exercise did not do anything to help me maintain or lose weight.

Since starting intermittent fasting at the beginning of the year, I was pleased that I had managed to lose a little bit of weight and then I stagnated. It was very frustrating. But I persevered.

In September I came across the Ketogenic ‘diet’ or lifestyle. This is virtually the opposite of the government recommended dietary guidelines. This is where you consume a small quantity of carbs, usually not more than 20 g, moderate quantity of protein, up to 50 g and a high quantity of healthy fats, 80-90 g. Processed fats like sunflower oil, margarine, rapeseed oil do not fall into this category. Healthy fats include olive oil, butter, avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil.

I quickly adapted to the Keto way as I had already been practising intermittent fasting, eating within a 5-6-hour window. As I got further into this lifestyle, I found that I could go virtually 24 hours before having my next meal. This was because of the higher fat consumption, which kept me satiated longer.

As I continued with this change in lifestyle, I found that the stubborn weight was coming and staying off, despite the high quantity of healthy fat I was consuming. Inches began to fall off, belly fat started to melt away, the spare tyres got smaller and I could see a more defined waistline. I was over the moon. I had finally found a way where I could eat healthily and lose and eventually maintain my weight.

I had spent a lot of time researching this way of eating. One thing led to another, and the more I researched, the more information I found, the more I began to experiment. I experimented with eating different types of foods and the different ways of fasting. I had done a 40-hour fast and then a 50-hour fast quite easily. This week I completed a 5-day Autophagy fast. It wasn’t like the previous fasts because I was still eating 1 meal a day. This time the amount of protein consumed should be up to 20 g and carbs up to 50 g. I managed to keep both proteins and carbs at 20 g for the 5 days. This 5-day fast helped to bring me down to my goal weight, which I had set at the beginning of the year at 52.5 kg. On Saturday morning and this morning, I weighed 52.6 kg. Yes - goal achieved. Now all I need to do is to maintain it.

I have decided that I will do the 5-day Autophagy fast every month. I like it because by keeping nutrients to a low level, the body will find the nutrients in the body by recycling the old or unhealthy cells in the body. It’s like a spring clean. It reminds me of the game ‘Pac Man’, which I used to play in the 1980s, where Pac Man chomps up the dots.

At the end of the day, autophagy and fasting have been shown to help improve insulin resistance, which in turn reverses metabolic disorders. Perhaps one day soon governments all over the world will wake up to the fact that their 30+ year old ‘healthy’ dietary guidelines have been incorrect. This is the way I will be following to maintain my good health.

Autophagy Fasting Day 2 with Dr Mindy Pelz

10/12/2019

Here is what Dr Mindy Pelz recommends on Day 2:

AUTOPHAGY FASTING- DAY 2

How's everyone doing? I love all the posts, questions, and support you are posting here. That's the power of doing this with a group!

So yesterday I posted about how the length of your fast will stimulate different responses in your body.

Today let's talk about fat. Why fat first?

When you eat carbs & protein it spikes your blood sugar. The more you spike your blood sugar the more you signal to the body to release insulin.

Once your cells sense the presence of insulin, they stop the autophagy process.

It's a brilliant, yet simple way to extend your period of autophagy.

Fat will have a very little insulin response because it doesn't spike your blood sugar.

Today I want you to do a test so you can see how fat effects you.

Before you break your fast with fat, do a blood sugar & ketone reading. Then eat your fat meal. Then an hour later do another blood sugar/ketone reading.

Post your results here of those two readings. Also be sure to mention what food/drink you broke your fast with.

Many of you will see that your blood sugar will stay the same or even go down with fat. You also may notice that it won't pull you out of ketosis.

Some of you may not get that result.

But let's see what happens! Post your results here and tonight on my FB Live I will talk about what your numbers mean.

And one last trick...

For those of you who were hungry yesterday, eat more fat. It turns off the hunger hormone ghrelin and your brain will stop telling you to eat.

Hope that helps!

This is what I have eaten today about 24 hours later:

2 rashers of bacon, cauliflower mash, cabbage, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and finished off with raspberries and chia seed pudding.

Autophagy Fasting with Dr Mindy Pelz

9/12/2019

I decided to take the 5-day autophagy fasting challenge with Dr Mindy Pelz.

This is what she advises on the first day:

DAY 1- AUTOPHAGY FASTING

Welcome to Day 1!

If you are joining us in doing the autophagy fast remember there are 4 major rules to follow to maximize autophagy.

1. Fast 17 hours

2. Eat fat first

3. Keep protein under 20 grams

4. Eat carbs last, total under 50 net carbs.

So today, let's talk about what the length of your fast does for your health.

It is around 13 hours in a fasted state that your body switches over to burn fat for energy. 17 hours is the autophagy sweet spot.

The longer you stay in that fasted state the more fat you will burn & the more autophagy will happen.

Autophagy hits a maximum rate at around 72 hours.

Your insulin staying low for an extended period signals two major processes in your body:

1. Autophagy

2. Burning stored fat

Here's the really cool thing about Autophagy Fasting. When you break your 17 hour fast with fat, it will have very little effect on your insulin levels and therefore keep you in a fasted state.

And for those of you who have been fasting for a while, you can go longer than 17 hours if you choose.

Many of you have messaged me about all the weight you've lost since implementing fasting into your life!

The longer you fast, the more you force your body to heal.

It's one of the coolest examples of the inner wisdom of your body!

Happy Fasting!!

I have been practising intermittent fasting since the beginning of 2019. I discovered the Keto way in mid-September and have now consistently been eating OMAD (One meal a day). I have also done 2 longer fasts, a 40-hr and a 50-hr fast.

I had my meal on Sunday at 7 pm.

Today I had my meal at about 6 pm - 23 hours later.

I had a fried egg, cauliflower mash, cabbage, asparagus, pea shoots, 2 tomatoes, lots of butter and olive oil and finished it off with an avocado chia seed pudding.

Total net carbs: 16.7g, 109.4g fat, 21g protein.

Why I Fast

21/11/2019

It’s been almost a year since I began Intermittent Fasting. For just over 2 months I have followed the Ketogenic diet and this has helped me to have just one meal a day (OMAD).

A month ago, I managed a 40-hour fast. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be because my body was using fat for fuel instead of sugar/glucose. Today I have just finished a 50-hour fast. Again, there were no difficulties in doing it, although I was feeling quite hungry by the end of 50 hours. I kept hydrated and nibbled on Himalayan Pink salt bits. I felt fine.

So, why do I do it? Here’s why. Fasting promotes Autophagy. That’s a new word I learnt recently. Autophagy is a Greek word or ‘Eat Thyself’. In a nutshell, the body is eating up the dead cells to promote growth of new cells. In 2016, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for his discoveries into the mechanisms of autophagy. Here is an article you may want to read: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44005092

Fasting also lowers blood sugar and increases blood ketones (BHB: beta hydroxybutyrate). When I ended my fast today, my blood glucose was 4.7 mmol/l and blood ketones was 2.8 mmol/l. The average in the morning is around 5 mmol/l blood glucose and below 1 mmol/l blood ketones.

Here is a video by Dr Sten Ekberg where he explains autophagy in a little more detail and lists some benefits of fasting.

Fasting is good for health.