User's Manual

Getting Started

Welcome to Fasting Friend! Your ultimate companion for a healthier lifestyle. The app is designed to make fasting educational, rewarding, and deeply personal.

Setting Up Your First Fast

• Log Your Last Meal: On the home screen, you'll be asked, "When did you last eat?". You can set the exact date and time, or tap "Skip" if you want to start a fast right away.
• Choose Your Goal: You'll then be given multiple fasting options tailored to your lifestyle (Intermittent, Standard, or Freestyle).

Fasting Modes Explained

We understand that everyone's fasting journey is unique. That's why we offer three distinct modes:

1. Intermittent Fasting (Time-Restricted Eating)

Perfect for daily consistency. Choose periods of fasting paired with eating windows (e.g., 16:8 - fasting for 16 hours, eating for 8 hours). When the fasting window ends, your designated eating window opens.

2. Standard Prolonged Fasts

Ideal for deep cellular healing. Select from preset goals: 1 Day, 3 Days, 5 Days, or 7 Days. Perfect for tracking autophagy and ketosis levels over extended periods.

3. Freestyle

Total freedom. Set any custom hour target and fast comfortably until you feel ready to break it.

Your Virtual Companion & Milestones

As you fast, your body goes through incredible biological changes. Fasting Friend visualizes this through your very own virtual pet that evolves right alongside you.

The Biological Stages

• 0h: Fast Started
  Your insulin levels will start to drop as your body processes your last meal.
• 3h: Insulin Dropping
  As insulin drops, your body prepares to access stored energy.
• 7h: Blood Glucose Normalization
  Stable blood glucose means reduced cravings and improved energy levels.
• 11h: Glycogen Depletion Beginning
  Your liver and muscles are using up their glycogen stores, preparing for fat burning.
• 13h: Liver Glycogen Depleted
  Your body is now beginning to increase fat metabolism for energy.
• 17h: Ketosis Activating
  Your liver is converting fatty acids into ketones, which provide efficient energy for your brain and body.
• 22h: Autophagy Beginning
  Autophagy is your cellular recycling system, removing damaged components and reducing inflammation.
• 30h: Improved Insulin Sensitivity
  Enhanced insulin sensitivity can help prevent type 2 diabetes and improve metabolic health.
• 42h: Growth Hormone Surge
  Growth hormone helps preserve muscle mass while promoting fat burning during your fast.
• 51h: Inflammation Reduction
  Reduced inflammation supports overall health and may help with chronic conditions.
• 63h: Immune System Rejuvenation
  Old immune cells are being recycled, with new ones generated when you eventually refeed.
• 84h: Deep Autophagy
  Maximum autophagy is occurring, clearing damaged proteins and cellular components.
• 108h: Stem Cell Production
  Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration, supporting tissue renewal throughout your body.
• 132h: Peak Mental Clarity
  Many report enhanced focus, clarity, and cognitive performance at this stage of fasting.
• 168h: Complete Renewal
  Maximum autophagy, cellular renewal, and metabolic reset achieved. This is an extraordinary accomplishment.

You can tap the "Current Benefit" card anytime to read peer-reviewed insights on exactly what's happening inside your body at that moment.

Logging Your Journey

Staying mindful during your fast is critical to success. Use our quick-log actions at the bottom of the active fast screen:

• 💦 Water Tracker: Log water intake in varying amounts. You can even check "With electrolytes" to track your essential sodium/potassium intake during long fasts.
• 👍 Feeling Good / 👎 Feeling Bad: Mood swings and energy spikes are normal. Log how you feel with context tags (e.g., "Energetic", "Clarity", or "Headache", "Hungry") and personal notes.
• ⚖️ Weight Logging: When you successfully end a fast, the app will conveniently prompt you to log your post-fast weight to track your trends over time.

Analytics, History & Awards

Fasting History

Tap the Profile icon at the top right of the home screen to access your Fasting History. Here, you'll see a complete timeline of your fasts, alongside water and feeling logs.

The Intermittent Heatmap

Consistency is key! In the History view, filtering by "Intermittent" will reveal your GitHub-style Heatmap, displaying how consistently you hit your daily fasting targets.

Actionable Insights

Fasting Friend analyzes your data. Our intelligent Insights Carousel tells you how hydration affects your mood or which fasting durations bring you the most mental clarity.

Awards

Earn colorful badges displayed proudly on your home screen for hitting milestones, crushing streaks, and completing extended fasts. Collect them all!

Widgets & Smart Reminders

Bring fasting to your iOS Home and Lock Screens! Fasting Friend includes beautiful, data-rich widgets so you can check your progress without even opening the app.

How to adding a Home Screen Widget:

1. Long-press any empty space on your iPhone Home Screen until the apps jiggle.
2. Tap the "+" (plus) button in the top left corner.
3. Scroll down and select Fasting Friend from the list.
4. Choose your preferred widget size and tap Add Widget.

How to add a Lock Screen Widget:

1. Long-press your iPhone Lock Screen and tap Customize.
2. Select your Lock Screen, then tap the widget box above or below the time.
3. Scroll down in the widgets menu and tap Fasting Friend.
4. Tap or drag the widget you want to add to your Lock Screen.

The app also smartly manages notifications, gently reminding you when you cross major biological milestones or when it's time to drink water during a prolonged fast.