I’ve tried quite a few different types of fasts in my life, including the Fasting Mimicking Diet, 16/8 intermittent fasting, 24-hour fasts, 48-hour fasts, juice fasts, bone broth fasts, etc. etc. But my favourite type of fast has to be a fat fast.
I did a 3-day fat fast a few weeks ago and was a little bummed when it was over. I loved how I felt during the fast, I loved what I was eating on the fast, and I felt like I could carry on for three more days.
And so, I decided to do it again. This time, my plan is to do it until I get tired of it.
What is a Fat Fast?
A fat fast is a fast where you try to only eat fat for the duration of the fast. It mimics fasting and allows you to fast without needing to give up food entirely. I like eating (a lot), so I love that you get to eat something on a fat fast.
How Do I a Fat Fast?
So, what does my diet look like on a fat fast?
I Load Up On Protein Before the Fast
Before I start a fat fast, I will load up on protein a few days leading up to my fast, because I want to make sure I don’t start my fast without enough amino acids in my system. I’m not going to be consuming a lot of protein for a few days, so I like to go over my protein before I start.
I Eat at Maintenance Calories
While a lot of people recommend sticking to roughly 1000 calories per day on the fast, I don’t like it. Cutting out all macronutrients other than fat for a few days will put some stress on your body and I don’t want to add even more stress to my body by limiting my calories too.
My body will already get a lot less protein and therefore, essential amino acids, and I don’t want to deprive it of energy too.
I Stick to Mainly Animal Fats
If I do a fat fast, I want to get the most satisfying sources of fat. I love roasting a few thick pieces of grass-fed beef fat or even lamb fat. My favourite part of the steak is always the fat. Why not skip the steak from time to time and just cook the fat?
I get bags of fat from the butcher and store it in the freezer.
For something sweet during a fat fast, I will make a bulletproof coffee with butter and MCT oil and a little bit of erythritol and/or monk fruit. I’m not full carnivore, but my diet does mostly consist of animal foods.
I Make Sure I Get Enough Electrolytes
Regardless of what fast or diet you do, it’s very important to make sure you get enough electrolytes, so your cells and organs can function optimally. I like to mix my own electrolyte drink using Himalayan salt, citric acid, potassium, and magnesium. I add it to my water and drink it throughout the day.
I Still Stick to My Normal Workout Plan
I’ve done fasts in the past where I felt so tired that I ended up being more sedentary and burning fewer calories in the day.
If you’re doing a fast to help you lose weight and this happens to you, you will not get as big of a calorie deficit as you were hoping for, since you are burning less.
But my energy levels don’t drop too much with my fat fast approach, so I can still do my regular workouts.
One of my main goals of doing a fat fast is to put my body in a state of autophagy, and exercise can do the same, so I try to utilise exercise to help me get into autophagy faster.
I also like to use a fat fast to help me get into ketosis faster if I’ve eaten more carbohydrates for a while or just went off my low-carb diet plan for a day or two. Exercising enough and exercising hard enough will help me deplete my glycogen stores and help me get into ketosis faster.
That’s why I love that this fat fast still gives me enough calories and therefore energy to do my workouts.
You can experiment with fat fasting if it is something you would like to try. As I said, I have experimented with many different types of fasts and while they are all beneficial and I benefited in some way from all of them, I think I have found my favourite and it will probably be my go-to for a while whenever I am in the mood to do a fast.