What Happens in Your Body During a Fast (First 48 Hours Explained)
The Fasting Method Podcast
Megan Ramos Nutrition Inc
4.8 • 595 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fasting is not a switch — it's a sequence.
Episode #258
🎙️ In this episode, Coach Lisa breaks down what's really happening in your body during the first 24–48 hours of fasting.
From glycogen depletion to fat burning and gluconeogenesis, Lisa explains why fasting can feel slow or frustrating at first — especially for newer fasters — and why consistency is what helps the body become more metabolically flexible over time.
This episode walks through the physiology of fasting in a practical, easy-to-understand way so you can better understand what your body is doing and trust the process.
👉 What you'll learn:
• What the body uses for fuel first during a fast
• Why fat burning doesn't happen immediately
• How glycogen depletion works
• What gluconeogenesis actually is
• Why low carb eating supports fasting
• How movement helps accelerate the switch to fat burning
• Why consistency matters more than dramatic fasts
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Why fasting is a sequence, not a switch
00:26 — Why the first 48 hours can feel frustrating
01:58 — Why consistency matters for metabolic flexibility
02:39 — What is the body actually using for fuel first?
04:26 — Why doesn't fat burning happen straight away when we begin a fast?
06:11 — How long does it take to switch from glycogen to fat burning?
07:23 — Does the body get better at making the switch over time?
09:18 — Why consistency trains the body
09:56 — What is gluconeogenesis and when does it happen during fasting?
12:56 — Why how you break your fast matters
14:12 — If we eat low carb, does the body still refill glycogen stores?
16:35 — Does movement or exercise help use up glycogen faster?
19:34 — Why fasting may not "feel" effective yet
19:42 — Could the early glycogen phase explain slow results at first?
21:26 — Why the first few weeks are foundational
22:08 — Key fasting takeaways and recap
23:22 — Listener question: when did fasting start to feel easier for you?
📝 Transcript
The transcript for this episode is available on our website:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
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⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before doing any fasting, changing your diet, taking or adjusting any medication or supplements, or adopting any treatment for a health problem.
The use of any products or services purchased does not create a healthcare provider–patient relationship.
Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Fasting is not a switch. |
| 0:02.1 | It's a sequence. |
| 0:03.8 | And the sequence is use up what's available, then access what's stored deeper. |
| 0:09.5 | And the frustration people feel in the first 48 hours is real, but it's often based on an expectation that doesn't match physiology. |
| 0:26.2 | Okay. that doesn't match physiology. Hey everyone. |
| 0:27.4 | My name is Lisa Chance and I'm a fasting coach here at the fasting method and I work with clients |
| 0:33.1 | on metabolic health day in and day out. |
| 0:36.2 | Today's episode is for anyone who's ever started a fast, |
| 0:39.7 | expecting their body to just flip a switch and start burning fat on hour one, and then check |
| 0:46.3 | the scale at hour 36 and thought, what's even happening here? One of the most common questions |
| 0:52.3 | I get is about what's actually going on in the body when we |
| 0:56.0 | fast, especially those first 24 to 48 hours. People see the Instagram posts, the dramatic before |
| 1:02.9 | and afters, the stories of, I did a 48 hour fast and drop five pounds. And then they do their first fast, |
| 1:10.3 | feel kind of rough, maybe see a small drop that's mostly |
| 1:13.9 | water, and wonder if they're broken. |
| 1:16.7 | Consider this. |
| 1:18.2 | When metabolic things start happening in your body, that depends on a variety of factors |
| 1:23.5 | in the algorithm, from what you typically eat, your current eating strategy, and what you last ate, |
| 1:32.1 | how much you exercise, how well did you sleep, how much insulin resistance do you have, |
| 1:37.8 | how fat adapted or metabolically flexible are you, and that's in degrees, just to name a few. So you're not broken. Your body is |
| 1:47.5 | just doing what bodies do, which is to use the fuel. It has stored up close before it reaches |
| 1:54.3 | for the fuel that is saved for later. So today, we're going to walk through glycogen, gluconeogenesis, and the actual |
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