Is it normal that your blood pressure drops after eating? How can you tell whether you are ready for maintenance, or just have reached a plateau? And is it recommended to start more intense exercise when fasting?
It's time for this week's Q&A about intermittent fasting and low carb with Dr. Jason Fung:
How do you know whether you are ready for maintenance or are in a plateau?
Hi,Read all your blogs and books and your information is invaluable! I am 38-year old woman that was overweight but not obese with no diabetes but definitely insulin resistant. So I was bigger but not fat as I am tall (5'9″ - 175 cm).
I've been LCHF for about two years but never really lost weight but thankfully stopped gaining weight. I never fasted because I was told that if you eat LCHF, IF would come naturally. It never did. After reading your book, I decided to force it. So glad I did!
After three months of fasting while eating LCHF, I have dropped 25 lbs (11 kg) and lost lots of inches. The weight loss has started to slow and stall a little. Nothing that really concerns me, though. At this point, I have no real fasting regimen - I fast anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days depending on what's happening in my life.
I think I have more weight to lose, but its hard for me to know because I haven't been this light since before I had kids but there are still a few nagging inches that probably could come off.
How do you know whether you have lost as much as weight as you are going to or you have hit a weight plateau and need to change things up?
Nicole
Weight plateaus are common and frustrating to deal with. There are several options. The first is simply to stay the course and be patient. This works sometimes, but sometimes not. If it does not, then you must change your dietary regimen. There are a myriad of things to try. You can try longer fasts, more frequent but shorter fasts, more strict carbohydrate restriction. Typically, we would suggest trying a longer fast (more than 3 days) to break the cycle.
Dr. Jason Fung
Fasting and hypertension?
I belong to the group that seldom feel hunger and normally I eat just one meal a day. I notice that after eating my blood pressure falls quite some. I normally have a blood pressure of 140-150 but some time, 1 h or so, it falls into the range of 100-120. Is this something you have seen in relation to intermittent fasting?Jonas
Yes, this may happen. During fasting, counter regulatory hormones increase including noradenalin and cortisol, both of which may increase blood pressure. These fall upon eating and this may lower blood pressure.
Dr. Jason Fung
Beginning workout during intermittent fasting?
Hi Dr Fung,I've been doing keto and IF 20:4 and feeling great. I only take short walks, but would it be ok to start with more exercise at this point, maybe cardio or going to the gym?
I haven't worked out in ten years or so, and I read contradicting information about starting workout during keto and IF, is it recommended in your opinion??
Alejandra
You should work out during fasting exactly the same as without fasting. If your body requires energy, it will find it from glycogen in the liver or breakdown of body fat. There is a transition period if you are used to a high-carb diet where your athletic performance will decrease as the muscles get used to burning fat. This takes approximately two weeks to acclimate, but probably needs months to fully adapt.
Dr. Jason Fung
More
Intermittent Fasting for Beginners Intermittent Fasting Q&AAsk Jason Fung about intermittent fasting and type 2 diabetes - for members ( free trial available)
More with Dr. Fung
Dr. Fung has his own blog at intensivedietarymanagement.com. He is also active on Twitter.
His book The Obesity Code is available on Amazon.
His new book, The Complete Guide to Fasting is also available on Amazon.
