[IMA-HelenT]

Darkhorse episode : https://rumble.com/v5rcks8-the-252nd-evolutionary-lens-with-bret-weinstein-and-heather-heying.html

rumble.com

Think Fast: The 252nd Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying

In this 252nd in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we talk about the state of the world through an evolutionary lens. In this week’s episode,

[IMA-HelenT]

Dr Berg Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zKV3eqevc

[Jeff Gerber]

I’m interested in doing a longer fast as well and I haven’t done one – yet. My wife has done the Prolon FMD (Fast Mimicking Diet) that Dr. Valter Longo came up with a few times. That one is a 5 day fast.

So, I’ve done some studying in preparation for doing a FMD. I asked Copilot to come up with a FMD that works like Dr. Valter Longo’s, and that was friendly for reactive hypoglycemia, and it did.

Prolon can be a bit expensive, especially if you’re willing to prepare the food yourself, and I found you can construct your own that will fit the parameters by asking copilot as well as tweaking it for your own needs.

As far as anyone having a fear of feeling hungry, the latest research has found that the bacteria in your gut play a role in hunger and if you feed your gut’s bacteria what they eat, which is fiber (and is something your body doesn’t use), the bacteria will signal that things are good and you don’t have a craving to eat.

• Nutrition Journal trial:
  
  • Viscous fibers (like beta-glucans from oats or pectins from fruit) increase stomach distension and slow gastric emptying, prolonging satiety.
  • Fermentation of fiber in the colon produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which interact with gut receptors (GPR41, GPR43) to trigger satiety-related hormones (GLP-1, PYY).
  • These mechanisms can help reduce hunger during fasting by extending post-meal hormonal effects

[Jeff Gerber]

One more comment… in Dr. Valter Longo’s book he describes that the first time you do a 5-day FMD fast will be the most difficult… successive 5-day fasts will be easier. The body adjusts during the first one. So, don’t expect successive fasts to be like the first one.

So, I’m honestly quite excited to do it. It’s definitely something you train your body to be able to do.

By the way, if you’re designing a fast with AI, also ask it to generate an abort into the fast’s design. That way you have a protocol where you can simply see if you can make it the whole 5 days and if you don’t, no worries, you have a plan laid out for how to stop early if you’re just not feeling it.

[IMA-GregT]

👍 That back-out plan seems smart. I looked up reactive hypoglycemia, and wondered if you’re not eating, would you still get this reaction?

[Jeff Gerber]

It’s a great question.

Here’s what I get from Copilot:

If you have reactive hypoglycemia:

– The early fasting phase can feel more intense because your glucose dips sooner and your body hasn’t yet ramped up ketone production.

– Once the metabolic switch occurs, symptoms often ease—ketones provide a steadier fuel supply, reducing the sharp highs and lows of glucose.

– Gradual adaptation (shorter fasts, balanced pre-fast meals) can help your body transition more smoothly.

And a little more detail about what the body does as you progress through a fast:

0–3 hours since last meal

– Primary fuel: Glucose from food

– Hormonal changes: High insulin, low glucagon

– Notes: “Fed” state — energy comes from the recent meal

4–24 hours since last meal

– Primary fuel: Liver glycogen converted to glucose

– Hormonal changes: Insulin drops, glucagon rises

– Notes: Glycogen breakdown maintains blood sugar

~12–36 hours since last meal

– Primary fuel: Glycogen plus emerging ketones

– Hormonal changes: Increased lipolysis, ketogenesis begins

– Notes: “Metabolic switch” starts — fat becomes a major fuel source

2–3 days since last meal

– Primary fuel: Ketones and fatty acids

– Hormonal changes: Low insulin, high growth hormone

– Notes: Brain gets about 75% of its energy from ketones

More than 5 days since last meal

– Primary fuel: Predominantly ketones

– Hormonal changes: Protein conservation phase

– Notes: Stable ketosis, glucose produced via gluconeogenesis

Doctor Berkowitz (https://imahealth.org/experts/keith-berkowitz/) told me that people with thyroid issues can have problems with proper gluconeogenesis. So, thyroid issues are another one to be aware of.

imahealth.org

Just a moment...

Just a moment...

[IMA-GregT]

👍 Ok, seems something to be aware of as the impact is more in the first bit. Good info.

[Cindi Anderson]

I was fasting fairly often in the years leading up to getting cancer from the Pfizer shot, so it was no match for that.
At the time I had a few extra pounds and I loved fasting. 3.5 days was my favorite. I did a 5 day once and got a lot of pain and it didn’t seem like a great idea. Then as I lost weight it became harder and harder to do even 2 days. Turns out you can only get a certain % of calories from your total fat, so if you don’t have a lot of fat you can’t really do longer fasts without eating into muscle.
And now there’s a lot more evidence that women in particular shouldn’t do long fasts. I haven’t kept up on that but many that used to do longer fasts have moved to shorter ones.

[IMA-HelenT]

Thanks for sharing your experience so candidly… what do your shorter fasts typically look like now?

[James Kringlee]

Fasting can also open the spiritual centers of awareness to both The Higher Spiritual Realms as well as to the lower dimensions of consciousness where evil dwells. Caution and protective action is warranted when fasting longer than 3 days – especially for those “predisposed”.

[N521498]

I used to fast one day a week and 3 days once per month. I would periodically fast for a week or 2 weeks. The longest fast was 40 days. I was very careful breaking the longer fast so that my digestion system would come back slowly, with easy to digest food. My experience was I did not feel very good the first several days, probably I was detoxing. After a week I felt really good, and was not hungry. At work, during lunch I would walk around the manufacturing plant that I worked and prayed. After four weeks of not eating I would fatigue easier and slept really good. My mental clarity was extraordinary sharp during these longer fasts. I don’t have an explanation for this. For the 40 day fast I would boil potatoes, carrots and other vegetables and only drink the broth. Before attempting the 40 day fast I studied the subject extensively and approached it very carefully. Currently, I mainly do intermittent fasting.

[IMA-HelenT]

Thank you @N521498 , it does seem that mental clarity is something that most people experience, agree that breaking of the fast needs to be carefully thought about too. Love your tip about walking in prayer at lunchtime as a way to use the time with purpose.

[Gary Graziano]

Intermittent fasting is quite appealing to me, but I can’t consider something like a 7 day water fast. The former suits my constitution, so to speak. I’m rarely hungry upon rising, so having my first meal several hours later than a traditional breakfast is great. The only problem with it is I have a lengthy list of medications and supplements I need to take; too many to just divide between 2 meals. I’d do intermittent more often if I did not have so many pills. The thought of a 7 day water fast seems insane to me. My brain is repelled at the molecular level just thinking about it (LOL). (“Sorry Boss, but we ain’t doing that!”) I do love ketosis, though. Even more so since reading Travis Christofferson’s Ketones: The Fourth Fuel. I had switched to a ketogenic diet as part of a cancer protocol, but I may remain on it indefinitely. It has completely demolished my craving for junk, and a whole new world of wardrobe opportunities has opened up.