Indeed, Lakedog, it puzzles me why it is common knowledge that we "store energy as fat to use later," yet utilizing the energy stored in the fat by simply not eating is bad. It's a cultural thing, I suppose.

And yes, I should say, if it were not clear already, that I had a crisis: My BG was going ever higher, and I could not "control" it with insulin anymore. Bold measures were called for, and I stepped up as quickly as I could to more prolonged fasts. But my BG came down rapidly, and I felt better and better, almost as soon as I began.

For the non-crisis crowd, going gently is going to make more sense, as you described. I will repeat, however, that, once you've stretched to reach it, a 48-hour fast is easier than a 23:1 fast; all the suffering is on that first day. Once the body realizes the food isn't readily available, it doesn't just give up; it gets ready to get out there and find the food. Mental alertness improves, energy is clean -- these can be empowering feelings if you're coming out of hole, as I surely was.

Just don't snack. A handful of nuts will put your body into some kind of "get by on just this" mode, which is starvation, not fasting. Starvation is where the suffering is, and I don't recommend it.

I should stop typing. There's way too much to say about all this, just thought I'd put in my (and my wife's) two cents.

Cheers,
Wot