The fast should be at least 72 hours for the stem cell regeneration, but for practicing, 48 hours is good.

Yes, it can be difficult to incorporate a fast sometimes. I'm lucky that my husband does it with me. Our kids eat their normal meals.

I'll be fasting again 3 weeks from next weekend in case that would work better for you.

Heidi - Thanks for the link. May try it when I get to theTaxol part of chemo.

I haven't looked in some time, but you can search this site for "Longo".

Here's one link to an article:

https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/

I've finished the AC part of my chemo where I received 4 treatments every 3 weeks. I had delays in my first 2 treatments. They were supposed to be on Fridays, but were both delayed to Monday. Each time I found out about the delay after I had started my fast. So, I never had a true 3-day fast prior to treatment, but for the first 2 treatments, I fasted 4 or 5 days in the week before treatment day. For the final 2 treatments, I fasted at least 2 1/2 days prior to treatment start time. Last meal would be Friday evening. I found having the last meal in the morning was more difficult, and I had lost more weight than I wanted.

For all 4 treatments, I waited 24 hours after the infusion ended. When the last meal is Friday evening, I would not eat until Tuesday evening. A 4-day fast every 3 weeks was doable.

Results during AC: I never had nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Very minor constipation only in the first few days of the first AC. I got intermittent watery eyes starting with AC #2. Neutrophils were low when measured at the nadir after AC #1. When measured exactly 3 weeks from last treatment, the counts were OK. Still, MO ordered Neupogen shots for the following treatments. Increasing fatigue. A little nail darkening.

For the first treatment I had more side effects, but I did have the port surgery the same day as my first chemo treatment. I started the chemo already constipated so I took Dulcolax before treatment. Haven't needed to take Dulcolax again. I had loss of appetite and taste changes in the first week of the first treatment. Appetite and normal taste came back the next week and weren't problems later.

I had a weird problem after the 3rd AC treatment with neck spasms stemming from a bad sleep position related to my port. The pain was so bad that it hurt to move. Even eating was painful. I pretty much was on a liquid diet for a week because it hurt to chew.

Other than that, the last 3 AC treatments were without side effects other than fatigue.

I was careful with what I ate when breaking the fast. I got probiotics through milk kefir and gelatin from jello and bone broth. Both of these are supposed to help heal the gut. Don't ask me how, but my gut was fine after chemo treatments. Very happy to find a Vietnamese restaurant serving pho. The broth is delicious and just what the doctor ordered. Ice cream to make weight.

Now that I'm on weekly Taxol, I've decided fasting at least 24 hours around treatment time is enough. My only side effect is ever increasing fatigue. No GI issues, nail darkening has not spread, no peripheral neuropathy, no watery eyes. The steroids and Benadryl are screwing up my sleep, but my MO won't drop them. He agreed to reduce them today. We'll see how tonight goes.

I may find those links if I can't sleep, but first I need to bathe in my salt brine. I've been taking a weekly salt bath throughout all chemo treatments. I put an aloe/seaweed mask on my scalp and face at the same time. Channeling the creature from the black lagoon while I Netflix and brine!

Hope that helps! Good luck with your fast!

Happy - Great job in making all those changes! If this is week 4, then 2-4 lbs is a fantastic start. I don't know how much you want to lose, but I recommend tracking your measurements, especially your waist and hip. Look up a body fat estimator by the military and see which ones it uses.

When I was actively trying to lose fat (notice I did not write weight), I lost 2 pant sizes doing a modified version of Insanity from Beachbody while only losing a few pounds. High intensity interval training is the focus of this program, so you could try anything like that. I modified it because I'm prone to wrist and knee pain. It still worked because I kept moving. I lost another size changing my diet to a more Primal plan. I've been able to maintain the fat loss using diet without the high intensity exercise.

What worked for me to lose fat (not doing now and I didn't do them all at once)

1) High intensity interval training

2) Primal (very minimal cheats to lose, not as strict to maintain)

3) intermittent fasting (14-16 hours depending on when I felt like eating) - apparently may prevent BC - should have kept it up

4) 3-4 days of fasting (less than 50 calories a day) - no more than once a month, start with a 1-day fast

For exercise, the weekly 5K walks are great. I would switch the daily cardio to something else that incorporates weight training and high intensity interval training. Nerd Fitness has some routines that are good for beginners.

I've not been able to exercise for some time, but I'm trying to start again while on Taxol. So exhausting!

Good luck!

Hope your lab results were good.

Great news! Once I had chemo I wasn't hungry. That made it easier to wait 24 hours after chemo ended.

During radiation I waited until after treatment to have my first meal. You could fast one day a week or try the fast-mimicking diet.

Good luck tomorrow!

dmjmom - That was my fasting plan. You also have to be careful about your first meal. I really liked having the broth from pho, a Vietnamese soup. If you do need chemo, I recommend joining the chemo thread for people starting in the same month. It's helpful to read what others are going through in real time. But fasting updates are defiwelcome here.

Minus - As Claire mentioned, I always went by how I felt before each infusion. I weighed myself every week and had in mind a weight I shouldn't go under. Fortunately that didn't happen. I never had diarrhea or vomiting. I didn't need to take the meds at home. Fasting isn't for everyone, but I found it helpful.

Claire - I mentioned fasting to my MO, but not to the nurses. I didn't want them freaked out. FMD is a diet developed by Dr. Longo who has conducted research on fasting. I haven't tried it myself since it's easier for me to not eat. Heidihill posted the link in this thread. There are recipes in the article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/why-weve-all-been-doing-the-fast-diet-wrong/