Hi! A nervous newbie with questions is here

[Neko]

Hello there, Neko is here. I’m currently on my 3rd day and I hope it’ll go on without any problems (or any major problems, at least) and I crossed my fingers for it. I checked the forum and read topics. Thank you so much for sharing and caring really. I’m gonna ask couple of questions now, I hope they won’t be too much.

1-) Am I allowed to brush my teeth while I’m water fasting, preferably two times a day? If no, why? And if yes are there any ingredients that I need to avoid which will break my fast?

2-) Is there any limit of black coffee that I can drink? Let’s say if I drink 2 cups of day, will it be too much? Aside the acid reflux complication, I mean.

3-) How is it possible for us to consume apple cider vinegar? Is it necessary hardly or is it optional until the stomach will burn really bad? Also can you recommend some UK based brands are safe to take?

4-) I purchased magnesium, potassium, biotin and multivitamin for women. And Himalayan pink salt. But some people say it’s not okay to take pink salt, instead we need to take lite salts (low with sodium) as a potassium source. Is it correct?

5-) Is it okay for me to fast as much as I can? I mean I’m on my 3rd day right now and I want to go as much as I can. Is there such thing like “newbies should only fast 10 days max for the beginning, then they can extend their fast period after a break if they want”?

Thank you so much in advance for the answers. I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you with all these questions but this is really important to me and I kinda have to manage that properly, since it looks like my only chance… Anyways, thanks again and I’m happy to be part of this community.

[creamyreemy0]

Hi Neko, welcome to the forum, and congrats on making it to Day 3!

1. Yes, you can absolutely brush your teeth. Once you start getting keto breath and cotton tongue, your toothbrush will become your best friend. As long as you don’t gulp anything down, you’ll be fine.

2. No amount of black coffee will throw you out of ketosis, but as you get father along on your journey, coffee becomes much more potent and headache-inducing. Listen to your body.

3. I personally use ACV since it has no carbs or calories, but some people prefer a purist approach with strictly water. You have total flexibility in laying out the framework of YOUR fast.

4. Himalayan pink salt keeps your electrolytes in balance, but if you’re supplementing Mg & K, you really should be fine with just a pinch of regular kosher or sea salt.

5. Again, you need to be totally in tune with your body. If you’re experiencing severe pain, nonstop heart palpitations, jaundice, etc., you should see a doctor. Only you can know how far to go.

[Neko]

Thank you so much for this warm welcome and kind words Reemy. Also thanks a lot for the detailed and attentive answers. Dearly appreciate them. I took mental notes and I know they’ll be big help through out my journey. Cheers.

[Anna]

Hi Neko! Welcome to the forum!

I’ll try and answer a few from the information I’ve collected through the years and my own experience, hope it helps a little!

1. If you were to fast at a fasting centre where you are supervised, it’s very likely that they don’t want you to brush your teeth. The main reason is because they want to minimise all substances that aren’t H2O. That could also mean that you should stay away from schampoo, deodorant and so on, based on the idea that you want to minimise all the chemicals that has a biochemical effect on/in the body (even if it’s a minor one). I’ve also heard from a doctor at “true north health centre” that this is a safety move, since they only provide water only fasting (no minerals added) with careful supervision, since most of their patients are very sick. This means that they for example could risk fainting in the shower and hurt themselves, while no one is around.
   HOWEVER, I wouldn’t worry about it. The tiny amount of sweeteners and chemicals that you accidentally swallow while brushing your teeth will not interrupt your fast. I believe that the more comfortable you’ll be during your fast, the more likely it is that you’ll continue and succeed.

2. Even though black coffee is free of calories in smaller amounts, having many cups in a day could give you a few calories for the body to break down (still not the amount to break ketosis) but it requires enzymes to break coffee down. Depending of the reason for your fast, you could benefit from limiting the coffee and letting all the metabolic function rest as much as possible, but if your main goal is weight loss and you are aware of potential acid reflux, then don’t worry about that either.
   I found that during my longest fast, I couldn’t stand the taste of coffee after a while, even though I drank it every now and then during my first two weeks.

3. I believe that you’ll have to experience how your body reacts to the fast to know if you’ll benefit from apple cider vinegar. I have never struggled with acid reflux during my fasts, and when I’ve tried apple cider vinegar as a preventive method, I’ve usually felt a little nauseous afterwards.
   I hope you’ll get help from a UK buddy to find a good brand if you’d like to try it! (I’m Swedish unfortunately)

4. Hmm, not an expert but the ideal ratio of sodium to potassium is about 1:3, so potassium should ideally be roughly three times our intake of sodium. Although I’ve never heard about lite salt, it doesn’t sound like bad advice. But again, since I’m not an expert, as long as you get both your sodium and potassium through some source, I don’t know what the best sources are.

5. There’s no limit based on experience, since patient who fasts for 40 days at a fasting centres may have never even skipped a meal in their lives before. But it can be valuable to learn from shorter fasting experiences how your body can react, since many of us water fast unsupervised, to know if the sensations/reactions in the body are normal/safe or not. Just listen to your body!

Great job so far champ! I hope it will continue smoothly

[Neko]

Anna! Thank you SO much for the answers, kindness! I can’t express my gratitude enough with words but really, thank you so much for the time you spared. You explained all very well and they sure will help me big time. Also I’m happy that these answers are gonna be useful a lot for the future water fasting folks when they search and all. Thanks again. I dearly appreciate every word you wrote.

Also thanks encouraging me with your support. I smiled with shiny eyes. ^^

[Anna]

My pleasure! We’re all helping each other improve! Good luck for the remaining days that you plan to fast

[Overcomer]

Welcome @Neko to our fasting community.
Congratulations on reaching your 3rd day.

The only question I believe wasn’t answered is which apple cider vinegar to take?
Braggs apple cider vinegar with the mother,
I am in the UK and you can order from Amazon or buy in a health shop.
Hope this helps.

[creamyreemy0]

You’re more than welcome, and I look forward to seeing and supporting your progress!

[Neko]

Thanks for the suggestion Overcomer. I’ll definitely give it a go.