In order to really ramp up autophagy, the research I've digested so far, although limited, seems to suggest that aiming for 72 hours is a good idea. From what we know at least (correct me if I'm wrong) a longer fasting seems to be better.
Currently, I am doing 36 hour fasting twice per week; no eating Mondays and Thursdays.
I weight lift Tuesdays and Fridays which allows me to stimulate protein synthesis and muscle growth as much as possible from the katabolic state received from fasting.
While I doubt I'm gaining muscles, I have done this long enough to be confident I am not losing any.
Now, I'm contemplating a longer fast as this might be more beneficial for health, but I am concerned about how this will affect my muscles (which are also important for health).
I could fast Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday every week and life weights on Thursdays and Saturdays.
This means that I will be in a katabolic state for twice as long in a row as now.
It also means that I will lift a little bit less each week because I lose one recovery day (Thurs to Sat is only two days, while currently Tues to Fri is three). So my workout on Thursday must be slightly less intense than my current Tuesday workout.
As I said, I am very concerned about maintaining muscles with such a setup.
What do you guys think?
