The fat fast is a technique brought by Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution – used by people who are metabolically resistant and have trouble with their induction. Let me first say that fat fasting should be used in 2 situations and 2 situations only:
- Breaking through a 2 week or longer plateau.
- Inducing yourself into ketosis quicker, whether you are just starting keto or you had a cheat day.
It is important to stress that a fat fast should only be followed for a few days maximum as it does not provide sufficient protein and other nutrients. It is also not recommended when you are very slim and don’t have significant fat stores.
To be clear: You should not fat fast consistently. It is only for people starting a ketogenic diet and want to be inducted into ketosis faster, or for people that are on a long (2 weeks or more) plateau.
Understanding the Fat Fast
The lack of carbohydrates and protein will allow your body to depreciate your glycogen stores quicker, also allowing your body to go after the fat stores, like we want it to, to use as fuel.
Fat fasting will force the body to undergo lipolysis so that it burns up fat that is stored in the body.
Lipolysis is a process involved in the breakdown of fats, converting triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids. The longer you fast, the more of these free fatty acids will be released. Why is this important? Well, fatty acids are used by the liver to create small amounts of ketone bodies and used as fuel.
Lipolysis cannot happen if there is a significant amount of glucose coming in, but since 80% – 90% of what you will be eating are fats, you don’t need to worry about excess protein or carbs converting into glucose.
What is Fat Fasting?
So, what exactly is a fat fast? It’s eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day, where between 80% and 90% of your calories come from fat, and fat alone. You break these 1000-1200 calories into 4 or 5 meals a day, eating in blocks of 200-250 calories per meal.
It is normally done for 2-4 days but is never recommended to go for more than 5 days. Going longer than this will start to put your body in a real “starvation mode” and your muscle mass will begin to be metabolized as energy at a faster rate – the exact opposite of what you want.
Hungry? You most likely will be at first, but once your body starts adapting to the way you are eating, you will notice a drop in your hunger. This is because you will be eating your meals in frequent intervals with high amounts of fat, which increases satiety levels.
If you’re doing a fat fast, I recommend doing a 3 day fast. This normally drops about 5-8 pounds of body fat and water weight. When you enter back into a normal diet, expect to put back 2-3 pounds of that weight.
Should You Do a Fat Fast? The Potential Benefits
The fat fasting technique is essentially an accelerated version of the keto diet. This is because it requires you to restrict calories, carbs, and protein to lower levels than you would with a long-term ketogenic approach.
By eating in this way for a few days, you can speed up the pace of experiencing the benefits of keto, including:
- Rapid weight loss. The combination of carb and calorie restriction usually leads to a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per day (of body fat + water weight).
- Breaking through weight loss plateaus. If you have been experiencing a weight loss stall for two weeks or longer, following a fat fast may be an effective strategy. To learn more about how to bust through plateaus on keto, follow this link.
- Increasing ketone levels. Whether you are transitioning into ketosis or trying to achieve deeper levels of ketosis, fat fasting is one of the fastest ways to do this.
However, as with other highly restrictive weight loss approaches, the fat fast can come with a few downsides as well. This is why it is not recommended nor sustainable for long-term dieting.
What are the Side Effects? Fat Fast Drawbacks
Along with the potential for rapid weight loss and ketosis, the fat fast can come with a few side effects. The most common drawback is called the “keto flu” — a collection of flu-like symptoms that we may experience as we adapt to the keto diet.
Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to remedy these symptoms, such as maintaining proper hydration, increasing electrolyte intake, and taking MCT oil. To learn more about the keto flu and how to avoid it, follow this link.
Other than the keto flu, the fat fasting technique can also cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar, blood pressure, hormones, and weight. For this reason, it is best for anyone who has diabetes, heart disease, endocrine-related issues, or an eating disorder to consult with their healthcare practitioner before implementing a fat fast.
What to Eat
So let’s get to it. What should you be eating? That’s up to you.
There’s not all that much choice you have, as you have to keep the calories relatively low and the fat very high. Try to aim for foods that are almost pure fat: avocado, macadamia nuts, cream cheese, fat bombs.
Feel free to mix meat in there, but be careful about the amount of meat you actually eat. As most of it will have a good amount of protein, you want to be sparing.
Chicken, tuna, turkey, bacon, prosciutto, etc. will be a nice addition to get a bit of protein in your system and add some extra flavor to your dishes.
Below, you can see some options for single meals:
- 2 tablespoons of Raw Coconut Butter (this is blended coconut meat, not the same as coconut oil)
- 1 serving of Spiced Bacon Deviled Eggs
- 1-2 servings of your favorite Fat Bomb
- 1 serving of Cheesy Creamed Spinach
- 1 serving of Egg Salad Stuffed Avocado
- ½ medium avocado mashed with 1 tbsp. of mayonnaise (home-made if possible)
- 2 oz of mackerel, salmon or sardines (cooked or tinned) mashed with 2 tbsp. mayo (serve on 1-2 small lettuce leaves to make keto-friendly fish tacos)
- ½ serving of Keto Mocha Mousse
- 1 cup of Keto Proof Coffee
- ½ cup of Iced Ketoproof Green Tea
- 1 oz. Macadamia Nuts
- Macadamia nut butter with 2 oz. cream cheese
- 1 oz. chicken with 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 egg yolks with 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 cup Coffee with ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 slices bacon (be careful with this, as it dwindles under 80% calories from fat)
- ¼ cup heavy cream whipped with Da Vinci Flavored Syrup
- 2 oz. sour cream with ½ cup cucumber
- ½ serving of sugar-free Jell-O with ½ cup whipped cream
Three Day Fat Fasting Meal Plan For Keto
Day 1
- 1 cup of Keto Proof Coffee
- 1 serving of Spiced Bacon Deviled Eggs
- 2 servings of Savory Pizza Fat Bombs
- 1 serving of Cheesy Creamed Spinach
Day 1 Macronutrient Breakdown
- Total Calories: 1,076
- Total Carbs: 10.98 g
- Net Carbs: 6.54 g
- Total Protein: 30.76 g
- Toal Fat: 102.59 g
- Percentage of Calories from Fat: 85.8%
Day 2
- ½ cup of Iced Ketoproof Green Tea
- 2 servings of Jalapeno Popper Fat Bombs
- 1 serving of Egg Salad Stuffed Avocado
- ½ serving of Keto Mocha Mousse
Day 2 Macronutrient Breakdown
- Total Calories: 1,036.95
- Total Carbs: 17.39 g
- Net Carbs: 10.79 g
- Total Protein: 21.21 g
- Toal Fat: 100.1 g
- Percentage of Calories from Fat: 86.9%
Day 3
- 1 cup of Keto Proof Coffee
- 1 serving of Salmon Benny Breakfast Bombs
- 2 servings of Savory Pizza Fat Bombs
- 1 serving of Cheesy Creamed Spinach
- 4 servings of Coconut Peanut Butter Balls
Day 3 Macronutrient Breakdown
- Total Calories: 1,196.68
- Total Carbs: 17.04 g
- Net Carbs: 12.02 g
- Total Protein: 40.33 g
- Toal Fat: 110.39 g
- Percentage of Calories from Fat: 83%
How to Implement The 3 Day Fat Fasting Meal Plan
By making the recipes in this meal plan, you’ll have plenty of extra servings that you can use to kick-start your regular ketogenic diet or extend your fat fast for another day or two. Feel free to substitute any fat bomb recipes for the fat bombs recommended in this meal plan (you can find some more fat bomb ideas here).
If you would rather keep your fat fast as easy as possible, then simply pick a couple suggestions from the list of suggestions above and eat between 1000 and 1200 calories of them during your fat fast. Just make sure you are getting 80- 90% of your calories coming from fat. You’ll find the perfect example of how to keep your fat fast as simple as possible below — no need for fat fasting meal plans or food prep.
Making It Easy
If you’re unlike me and just love cream cheese, then you can snack on a full 8 oz. block of cream cheese for the day along with a cup of coffee with 2 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil in the morning.
A block of cream cheese with a ketoproof coffee is one of the best ways to do a fat fast, as it is:
- 1020 Calories
- 97g fat (86% calories from fat for the day)
- 8g Carbs (3% calories from carbs for the day)
- 16g Protein (6% calories from protein for the day)
- Easy – one of the most important factors.
Key Takeaways for a Successful Fat Fast: Quick FAQs
Let’s trim the fat from the fat fast technique with these simple questions and answers. For more detail, scroll back up to the relevant section or click the links provided.
Who is the Fat Fast Helpful For?
Anyone who is looking to:
- Enter deeper levels of ketosis quickly
- Break their long-term weight loss stall
What are the Benefits and Side Effects?
The benefits include rapid weight loss and significantly higher ketone levels. The primary side effect is the keto flu (which you can learn how to remedy in our keto flu guide).
Who Shouldn’t Implement a Fat Fast?
Anyone with the following conditions should consult their healthcare practitioner before trying a fat fast:
- Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
- Heart disease
- An endocrine-related condition
- An eating disorder
How Do I Follow a Fat Fast?
Follow these three rules:
- Eat around 1000 to 1200 calories a day
- 80-90% of those calories should come from fat
- Consume 4-5 meals a day with roughly 200-250 calories in each meal
For some fat fast meal ideas, check out the keto recipes and foods listed above.
What Should I Do After the Fat Fast?
The best way to maintain and build on your weight loss results is by following a sustainable and healthy diet for you.
To learn more, read through our guide to maintaining keto results for life.
Sources:
I’ve intermittently applied a carb-free diet for at least 15 years. This being every year or two to burn off stubborn cellulite (exercise is important). It normally took 5 days for me to get into deep ketosis per ketosis sticks measuring.
However, your formula for getting into quick ketosis is amazing! My husband and I got into deep ketosis within two days, I could not find macadamia nuts (all were honey coated) yet the fat ratio was the same with Brazil nuts. I’m so glad I found your site!
After 5 days I’m adding carbs again, because I’m losing too much (I was mainly supporting husband’s efforts; I went from 112 to 102. My main goal was to address cellulite. FYI I exercise a lot, but hubby the programmer does not). BTW – we are eating bacon and a lot of heavy ribeye steaks, I simply bought very fatty bacon, and well marbled steaks. Hubby was at 186 with a 39 inch waist at 5’9″. His weight is down by 7 pounds and his waist is at 36; rather remarkable in such a short time. Thanks again – I have already sent a link to others who can benefit from your site.
Awesome to year – and yes, I love brazil nuts too, they’re just hard for me to find usually (compared to salted/roasted macadamias).
Hi there! The what to eat would be for in one day, right?
Leafy vegetables get the green light? And how much meat or grams of protein are the maximum allowed? I know this varies from person to person, but just to have an idea.
Thanks!
You really want to not include much protein or veggies if you’re going to do a fat fast. You really want to get around 90% calories from fat, which leaves very little room for anything else.
Got it. Thanks!
Hi there I want to start this LCHF way of eating I have about 15 lbs to lose. How do I begin? Is there a food list?? Also eating this way do you have to count calories or count anything?? Are there any other nuts than macadamia you are allowed?? thanks in advance for any information you may share to help me get started.
There’s many articles on the website that cover exactly those questions. It’s very important to make sure you understand everything and read before starting, so make sure you take some time to go through some of the different articles and recipes on the website 🙂
Sure thing!
Am I allowed to work out during the fast fat?
I’m 55 and have gained 20 pounds due to post menopause and would like to lose it. Will the diet work for an older woman? If so how do I start?
Sure you can, many post-menopausal women have been successful with keto 🙂 You can get started by reading various starter articles on the website; I would recommend with the “Start Here” on the navigation menu.
I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re working out, you should be depleting glycogen quickly, so there shouldn’t be an innate purpose for a fat fast.
I am a 58 yr super clean pescatarian at about 122. Ideal weight is 115-117. 5 lbs is close to impossible to lose. I have been reading up on keto and thought I’d give it a try. Bought a bunch of Atkins products to make it easier, cooking a bit from recipes. Keeping track w MyFitnessPal. Been on for 6 days. Keto strips show low keto. Problems! Can’t seem to eat enough calories. Not loosing any weight. I’ve never eaten so much fat in my life!! Lol. The thought of eating a whole block of cream cheese gives me the creeps!! But I’ve read this thread and want to jump start. Any advice??
Your problem is all of the Atkins products, and all the chemicals and additives. Chemical food will stop you from losing weight. Try one ingredient, very clean, basic foods. Not bars, no protein shakes, nothing like that. Just basic foods. For example, with some cheese, there is Carageenan (which prevents weight loss) and many other chemicals but if you look in the premium cheese section you will find one ingredient cheese that just says “milk”. Also, any of the creams have additives. Get the organic creams. Too much protein can stop you from losing weight as well. Processed foods will not work for losing weight on Keto. You must have clean foods free of chemicals and there are only a few artificial sweeteners that you can use, like Stevia. No splenda, Equal, or Sweet n Low. Many of the Atkins foods may have sweeteners like dextrose, surcralose. These will stop your weight loss.
Hello and your awesome! Can I substitute all butter and bacon fat with coconut oil? Also what about cream with coconut milk? Thanks for your hard work!
Hello and awesome work! Am I allowed to substitute all dairy with coconut products like milk and oil? Thanks so much for your hard work and thanks!
I am 57 and was fat all my life.
In 2011 I got serious about changing that and started following a low-carb way of eating. That wasn’t new to me, but the fat fast was; I’ve used it two or three times over the past six months.
I took off thirty-five percent of my body weight (70 pounds) in about two years and have maintained that since then. I have another ten to go.
First, Love this site. Very impressive. Looking forward to trying out your recipes. I have downloaded all the material and will be printing and studying it to prepare for next week. The 30 day menu breaks the calorie count to about 1600 average calories a day. I thought I would pose my question and see if you had any feedback as I am sure this is a common question people like me have. 1600 calories is above the recommendation that I should be eating. Do you have an opinion on methods to cut 200 calories a day. Would cutting it from 1 meal ( maybe breakfast) be any type of issue or should I attempt to reduce it by 67 calories per meal.
Awesome to hear – and fantastic progress, keep it up!
For the oil it would be fine, though you would need less in weight since coconut oil is a pure fat. For the coconut milk, if you mean from the can – just be careful. The carbs add up quickly.
I think I answered a second ago – but feel free to do that. Just be careful with the coconut milk as it can add up in carbs quickly 🙂
I would completely skip the Atkins products to be honest. Making sure you eat enough is also important as it helps keep the metabolism at a healthy pace.
Let me know how it’s going! 🙂
I agree for the most part, though I disagree in some places. Trying to cut out processed food is great, but having some in your diet usually has no effect on weight loss. Sucralose is a 0 GI sweetener just like stevia, as well, so that won’t hurt weight loss (but the dextrose and maltodextrin in Atkin’s products will).
Sounds good 😀
Carbs should be skipped altogether and the emphasis of keeping protein low is because it’s breaks down into amino acids (of course) but then as much as half can be converted to glucose. Think about this, if you eat the frequent meals as suggested your body is getting its energy from food and not your stored adipose tissue. Best to eat within an 8 hour period and even better to get down to 2 meals skipping the one meal that’s easiest for you. The starvation mode is hogwash, a total myth, it takes months for that to happen, as well as any marked atrophy. You can also slow that process down with resistance training of any kind.
I cannot believe it! I had many yummy treats On Saturday 5/22. Started my fat fast on Sunday evening, and by Monday morning KETOSIS! Thank you so much Craig, for all your hard work and the GREAT recipes, advice and encouragement!
I have been on the keto diet for 7 days. 3 days ago I started doing the keto proof coffee in the morning and then not eating until about 2 p.m. I am still not in ketosis. Is there something that I can do to start this thank you. I am eating a very small amount of carbs and protein so I’m doing the ratio as recommended. Thank you
I want to start the fat fast…one problem I do not like cream cheese or cottage cheese…. any substitutions?
I try to go after cream cheese that has 1g carbs per 1 oz. Usually Organic Valley brand, as most cream cheese nowadays has 2g carbs per 1 oz.
You could make fat bombs – there’s a bunch of recipes to use on the site 🙂
I’d suggest using the keto calculator to make sure that your macros are on point. Track for a few weeks and as long as you’re eating properly, you should be in keotsis within 5 days.
Really awesome to hear. Sorry it took me so long to get back (was in the middle of a move), but I hope everything is still going well!
Hi, while doing the fat fast is cold coffee with heavy cream acceptable? I do not want anything to offset my results. Thanks!
Yep – it definitely is. Just make sure you measure the amount of cream.
Thank you for the reply!
Is only this you can eat in 3 days??
Not particularly, you just want to keep your fat intake very high for a few days with protein and calories being low.
When you do the fat fast are you actually going into ketosis or is the measurement of ketones skewed because the high amounts of fat? Where as the ketones are produced from the body burning the fats you are ingesting aposed to the stored fat or. Your body? I don’t known if I asked that correctly or if my question is clear if not please let me know so I can possibly reword it to get an answer to my concern.
You do actually go into ketosis, it’s just faster because you’re depriving yourself of other nutrients. That’s one of the main reasons I don’t suggest it for more than 3 days.
Thanks so much for the quick reply Craig! Thanks for reiterating no more than 3 days because it’s such an easy thing to do it would be easy to do it longer than you should! But I will definitely stop after today!!! And go to the macros recommend for myself.
Sure thing!
Hello, I’ve been on KETO for 179 days (almost 7 months).. down 57.2 lbs. Problems is that since the end of May I’ve been loosing very little and in the past 3 weeks.. lost nothing. I haven’t gained but I’m most discouraged. I’m now at 226, I stick very close to my macros. I was told to carb up one day so I ate a pile of strawberries.. then found out that I shouldn’t have because fruit stores in the liver and I have a fatty liver. OMG!!! I’m worried about doing 3 days of entire fat as I have issues with elimination.. cream cheese especially.. even though I love it. Would appreciate hearing back, thx so much.. I’m so glad I came across your blog, ty ~k
A small amount of exercise on an empty stomach in the morning + strict keto is all you need. Try this for 2 weeks and see how you do 🙂
Hello there
I really need some help. For the past 5 months I’ve been trying a range of diets. Most recently the Cambridge which consists of getting your body into Ketosis but through really terrible fake bars and shakes. No more than 500 calories a day.
The past 2 months I’ve tried pure keto with food and have lost 20 pounds however have hit a complete stall and have been plateau for 2 months despite running daily and eating less that 20g carbs per day. I really want to try fat fasting but cannot stand creme cheese, therefore can you pls suggest another way? Perhaps avocado? Can I eat these all day and get into it? Happy to do the bullet coffee and nuts too but just need to guidance.
Thanks so much
So…just a little question i guess…the cream cheese and coffee w/ coconut oil…would it mess with it too much if i ate 3-5 toasted pepperoni slices with the cream cheese 3 times? Or would that throw this idea completly out of whack?…ive been stuck for 3 weeks for my wieght loss….its been only 10lbs of wieght gone in 2.5 months….love the food…just rather slow in progress.
Hi Craig, would it be okay (if I’m going the “easy” route) to drink bulletproof coffee with butter instead of coconut oil? I buy the bulletproof coffee from the actual Bulletproof coffee place in Los Angeles, where they make it with grass fed butter and brain octane. Just wanted to check. 🙂 Also, what about electrolytes during the fat fast? Can I drink this maybe to help with feeling lightheaded, etc.: http://ketodietapp.com/Blog… ?
All of those would be fine – you just want to stick with mainly 90%+ calories from fat 🙂
Yeah of course – the “brain octane” is just MCT Oil. Feel free to add that in when you make it at home 🙂
You can also drink the electrolyte drink if you find yourself feeling foggy or the keto-flu coming on.
Craig – you are the man!
I did Keto for a month straight…. pretty strictly. I used a Keto calculator & MyFitnessPal. Thing is – I didn’t see the results I was “hoping” to see. I had a weekend at a music festival and caved. I had beer, crazy food, and just threw out that hard work. I didn’t enjoy that but I am using that attempt as a lesson to fuel the next venture. The shift needs to be a lifestyle one.
My dream and goal is to have lose the belly fat I’ve carried around with me since my youth. I’m not really fat in the face or anywhere else except for the belly and chest… I am 5’11” and weight 195.
I’m on day 2 of the cream cheese bullet proof diet and i’m feeling the motivation intensify. I knew my dreams weren’t being met by slacking off… and this diet seems to be the most promising.
My questions are:
If I eat all my calories in the morning – will my body have an excess of protein and turn it into glucose?
Is Intermittent Fasting recommended for Keto Diet?
How much protein in “too much” protein in one sitting?
Will Powerade Zero knock me out of Ketosis?
Thanks a million for your expertise!
<3
What do you think about intermittent fasting and keto?
5 carbs for the day and almost 1600 calories..? Wow. I would love to see what you ate.
Hi I was just wondering as I am new to this and need it to work. But I noticed in the food list it mentions squash but not pumpkin. Is pumpkin allowed or not
You should update this article. A block of cream cheese is 16 carbs. It’s 2 carbs per ounce.
It depends what brand you get. Organic Valley is 1g carb; Philadelphia also sells bulk 3 lb. blocks that has 1g carb per 1 oz. It’s their old recipe. There’s brands out there that you can find with 1.
What about a cream cheese delivery method? 😉 like celery sprinkled with some paprika. Yeah or nay?
Pumpkin is allowed, but in moderation. Most foods fall in that category 🙂
Generally meat and fat are carb free. Some vegetables for a few carbs.
It can definitely be done, and many do it (including myself occasionally).
Yes, it’s a fat so 8oz. cream cheese adds up in calories quick. Remember this is only to be used for a few days at the max.