unwell on fast nights

This topic contains 5 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by dykask 7 years, 8 months ago.

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healthseekingmama

8:38 am
28 Feb 17
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Help!

I am just starting up my 5:2 schedule after a long break while pregnant. I have had quite a few attempts at maintaining the lifestyle over the last few years but always give it up and now I remember why. I find the days fasting to be easy enough. I have a couple of coffees and a boiled egg or two for dinner. I drink plenty of water to compensate for the lack of food. Come the night time after a day of fasting I become feverish and usually have a terrible nights sleep feeling unwell. By morning I am faint and unable to get up. It feels like my experiences of low blood pressure with tingling legs and arms and I am very light headed.
I am undertaking the fasting for the health benefits as I’m not really concerned with losing weight. I am about 62kg at the moment with a few of those being extra kilos from my third pregnancy. However I really want to get some of the health benefits I’ve read about. Nothing like three young children to motivate you to want to live a long, healthy life.
This happens every time I attempt the fasting lifestyle so that eventually I give it up or usually modify it so that I fast most days until lunch but resume normal eating thereafter.
I want it to make me healthier but it makes me quite unwell!
I am currently breastfeeding a 6month old baby who is just about to start solids. I know this technically means I am on the ‘no’ list but I had lots of water and didn’t feel unwell during the day. On previous attempts over the last few years I have not been breastfeeding and had the same effects overnight and the next morning.
Has anyone else dealt with this and have any tips on managing it? I really want to see the health benefits but at the moment I can not do this when it makes me so unwell.

Amazon

11:59 am
28 Feb 17
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Hi,

If you’ve been breastfeeding for 6 months and it is the third time in a few years your body is probably depleted of many things as it hasn’t had sufficient time to fully recover between pregnancies/breastfeeding and you need to be eating a really healthy diet in order for it to do so. I’m not surprised that fasting all day and only eating a couple of eggs is insufficient and you are feeling unwell after doing so.

As you are fasting for health benefits there is no reason why you can’t have a normal dinner with a good balance of different food types to help your body build itself up again and/or you could try a restricted eating window to begin with, maybe eating between noon and 8pm and after a week or so start pushing back the time you start eating which will help you to work out how long you can fast without suffering for doing so.

Good luck 🙂

fatrabbit

12:55 pm
28 Feb 17
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I think you should wait until your baby is weaned to fast. Going low carb would be a better option while breastfeeding and make fasting easier when you do do it. When I cut back too far when breastfeeding my first child he lost weight too. Not what you want!

Cinque

9:24 pm
28 Feb 17
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Hi HealthSeekingMama,
Many people find that having more salt makes a big difference with those symptoms related to dehydration or low blood sugar. You could drink salty broths as part of your light fasts and see if that makes the difference.

Cinque

9:46 pm
28 Feb 17
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PS I meant low blood pressure (not low blood sugar)

dykask

1:57 am
1 Mar 17
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If you are breastfeeding you shouldn’t be fasting. It is most likely unhealthy for the child as well as yourself. Fasting in general should be avoided for growing children and women with babies.

I see you know that …

It takes a woman’s body a long time to recover from pregnancy. Breastfeeding prolongs that. I think that the best thing you can do is focus on eating a healthy diet. When your body is recovered then fasting may be an option.

I typically find sleep difficult while fasting. I think that is a common problem. For me it is too much energy rather than too low of blood glucose. Still fasting nights aren’t that restful.