Exercising on the Fat Fast
 

I am currently doing the fat fast and I'm doing well. However I had a question. I read on this low-carb site that you should not exercise while on the fat fast because it's only 1000 calories. They said it will cause a calorie deficit. I just wonder how that would be so with all the fat one has to burn... wouldn't you just burn fat? And if thats true and if eating less than 10-12times your weight in calories causes your body to go into starvation mode, then why does the fat fast work?

Re: Exercising on the Fat Fast
 

The fat fast is metabolic starvation at its finest. You eat 900 calories from fat and a few from protein. If you eat macadamia nuts, as most do, you eat very little sodium. What you experience is the flushing of water from your fat cells - the water that replaced the fat you already lost. Losing a few lbs on the fat fast is normal - it's mostly water. If you continue on too long you start to lose muscle. Muscle is easier for your body to break down than fat.

The fat fast was designed to jump start ketosis. It is supposed to be used by people who are stalled or on a plateau. A stall, btw, is six (6) weeks with no scale or inches lost. Once in ketosis you are burning fat, and should have succeeded in breaking your stall / plateau. You very often gain back most if not all of the scale weight you lost - but this isnt the point of the Fat fast. The point is to get you into Ketosis and burning fat if you are stalled and / or very resistant.

Exercising during a fat fast? I've tried a fat fast - I don't think you'd have the energy to exercise so the point may just be moote.

Nat

Thank you for your reply. However I am aware of what a fat fast is, I was just asking about exercising while doing it. And I'm asking because I am not tired in the least bit and I really WANT to do some exercise but don't want to risk it unless I know it's ok. So that is still my question.

by the way, my fat fast consists of 5 meals of 2 ounces of cream cheese for a total of 10 ounces a day and 1000 calories. Its working ok, but I just want to work out too.

Nevermind, I called the Atkins Center and they said I should exercise no matter what plan I'm on. So I will add some exercise in as well. Thanks though.

My understanding of the fat fast, which I've done a few times and am currently doing today and tomorrow, is that it is OK to do cardio and stretching routines. Weightlifting should be avoided, though, because you aren't consuming enough protein to repair the muscle damage caused by lifting, which is what causes muscle growth. If you can't repair the damaged muscle, you end up losing muscle instead.

I usually don't have a problem with energy while fat fasting. I follow it strictly: 6 ounces cream cheese, 2 ounces macadamias spread throughout the day and I can do my usual cardio workout with no problem.

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I went ahead and added the cardio. It felt really good. I've lost 10lbs on the 1000 calorie fat fast and today is the last day. For the next 5 days I will up it to the 1200 calorie fat fast outlined at the Atkins Center. Then move on to the induction phase.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks!