A few weeks ago I wrote a post questioning whether we need 3 meals a day: https://www.ketoadaptedcyclist.com/do-we-really-need-3-meals-a-day/ I’ve struggled with intermittent fasting where I would go 12-14 hours without eating, then have a meal. My stomach just didn’t like it. But I was determined to keep trying, especially since I can’t seem to escape experts talking about all the benefits to our bodies and brains from fasting.

I decided to try fasting longer than 14 hours to see what would happen Last Tuesday I was able to fast for 19 hours, and each day since then I’ve fasted no less than 15 hours. There is a point at about 12 hours where I start to get pretty hungry, but if I ignore it and push on then the hunger goes away. I actually have quite a bit of energy when in a fasted state.

Sunday I decided to do a fairly long ride in a fasted state – 44 miles with about 1500 feet of climbing that took about 2 hours, 40 min. I had only done shorter rides (about an hour long) while fasting before this. I felt really good the entire ride. I was a little hungry when we got back home, but not ravenous. My muscles were a little sorer during the ride which could be attributed to fasting and not hydrating enough. I can’t be sure until I try it again under similar circumstances.

I’ve decided to keep up my pattern of no less than 15 hours of fasting each day to see if I continue to feel good. Perhaps I just needed a longer period without food, as my stomach rarely hurts now when I eat after fasting for 15 hours or longer.

If you’re not convinced, take a look at the article and videos here on the positive effects of fasting on our brains and our bodies.