Kathy Schwinghammer wrote:
 > Those of you who've fasted, what kind of side effects did you
 > experience?
 > Were you moody?  Crabby?  Tired?  Light-headed?

I fast occasionally, but not for more than 24 hours. A hard core faster
will tell you that is not enough to get the full "benefit", but it is a
good starting point, particularly if you don't have experience fasting.
I don't feel any different, except for having some extra energy. I
usually don't feel particularly hungry until just before my appointed
eating time.

If you are used to low carb it should be no problem to start a fast.

 > Would you recommend fasting for the full 2-3 days, or just until I
 > start
 > losing weight?

I eat my regular dinner in the evening, then do not eat anything until
the next dinnertime the next evening. It is easy to start a fast this
way. If you try to eat anything for breakfast, you will get hungry
again at the next mealtime and have all sorts of trouble not eating.
Start the fast after dinner in the evening. Do not snack at all during
the fast, even a sip of juice will make you feel hungry. I drink tea.

After the fast it is easy to start an ultra low carb period. Break the
fast with a big fatty meaty meal.

One nice side benefit of fasting is all the extra time you have not
spending three hours or more a day fixing and eating food. Plan ahead
to have something to do during your regular meal time, or you may find
your feet heading towards the kitchen by habit. You will have lots more
free time to spend on fun things when you fast.