A common question I get when people begin fasting is, “when should I break my fast?”. Fasting is an incredible tool used for weight loss, bringing down inflammation, improving mood, metabolism, and so on. However, there are certain times during a fast that we need to pay close attention to what our body is telling us in order to fast safely. Oftentimes, we find that people who have other underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, will experience certain symptoms when making the jump from daily intermittent fasting to longer fasts, like 24+ hour fasts.

My goal is to help you achieve optimal results from fasting, in a safe manner. The most important thing to know when fasting is, when it’s time to break your fast?

As always, if you are new to fasting I have several videos and tools to guide you through your journey. Check out my beginner’s guide to fasting!

Check blood sugar and ketone levels to determine if you should break your fast

First and foremost, you should not move into a longer (24+ hour) fast unless you know how to test your blood sugar and ketone levels. Your blood sugar and ketone levels are a direct indicator of what is happening inside your body and how your body is responding to fasting.

Tip for fasting: The device I use is the keto mojo that is inexpensive and an easy prick to the finger.

If your blood sugar is below 50 mg/dL and your ketones rise above 7.0 or 8.0 mmol/L this is a warning sign that you should BREAK YOUR FAST and decrease your fasting window for next time.

Keep an eye out for these symptoms during your fast:

Dizziness
Fatigue
Lethargy

Tips for if you don’t want to break your fast just yet

Moving forward, let’s say you get to 48 hours of fasting and you’d like to go longer, but you’re starting to have minor symptoms. Try consuming healthy fat in the form of oil and see if that helps alleviate your symptoms. Although consuming fat in the form of oil will spike a small rise in blood sugar, it will not increase as much as consuming fat through food. Healthy oils you might try are grass-fed ghee or the 5 Seed Oil by Andreas Seed Oils (use code PELZ for 25% sitewide!). This should give you a little extra boost, however keep checking your ketones and blood sugar to ensure safe fasting.