3 Day Fast - What It Actually Feels Like
Hello dear readers! At the time of writing this intro, I have embarked on a 72 hour fast. That means nothing but water and maybe some decaf tea for three days. Today is Sunday, Nov 1, 2020, and I will break my fast around noon this coming Wednesday. This is not my first rodeo, and I would consider myself somewhat of a veteran when it comes to medium to long term fasts. So what I want to do with this article is to one, explain why you'd ever voluntarily go without food, two, give some advice on how to start, and three, log my status over the three days.
Why Fast?
There is a lot of good research on this, and people way smarter than I will explain it better. So I won't write your ear off; I'll give you the gist and then link to more resources if you're interested. First off, fasting IS NOT starving yourself. The difference is you have a choice, at any point you can refeed. Secondly, your body is AMAZING; if it couldn't take going without food for a couple of days, then we would all be extinct by now. Lastly, I'm going to give three reasons why fasting is healthy for you.
Fat Loss - Your body needs energy to run (calories). If you are not eating anything (no calories in), your body will look for another energy source. Guess what your fat is used for? Yep, it's stored energy. Don't eat = Fat loss, simple. (Don't worry, muscle is spared; see Dr. Fung below)
Body Cleanse - Have you ever heard of a juice cleanse? Where all you do is drink juice for a couple of days, and it's absolute torture? Well, those are garbage, mostly because you are just drinking sugar for several days. A much better way is simple water fast. Think of it as spring cleaning for your body. Since the machine is no longer processing everything, you put it in a maintenance mode - here, all machinery gets fixed and cleaned. Don't believe me? Well, by experience, I'll still be full of shit until day 2.
Healthy Stress - Healthy stress? What the hell, Christian, I'm supposed to avoid stress at all costs! Right? Well no. Stress can be super healthy. Acute (short-term) stress is training for the body. Working out is a stress on the body, and we all know how good that is for you! The thing we want to avoid is chronic (long-term) stress. That's the naughty stress, like dire life circumstances or taxes. So guess what a fast is? It's a stressor! Relatively short term fasts, up to 14 days in some cases, is like putting your body through Bootcamp. It might suck, but you come out stronger on the other end.
TLDW version:
Thomas Delaur: HERE
In-Depth Version:
Dr. Jason Fung: HERE
Quickstart Guide
Stop eating and wait.
Tips
Water, Seltzer Water, Decaf Tea
Artificial sweeteners = bad. They'll make you terribly hungry, I promise.
Amendment: Flavor Seltzer Water saved me; it does not bring the same huger response as a lot of artificial sweeteners I've tried before. The name of the fasting game is to stay hydrated. For me, flavored seltzer water makes it easy to drink enough.
I personally would avoid caffeine. In the short term, it can suppress hunger. However, it makes it much more difficult as the day goes on. See: HERE
Make sure you drink enough water - you'll body will naturally get rid of a lot of water.
Try to drink an electrolyte mixture, especially if you work out during your fasts. Your body NEEDS electrolytes to function! BTW Electrolytes are just salts, so in a pinch, just drink salt water.
If you get a headache or show any dehydration signs, drink water and maybe add some salt.
If you've done any research on fasting, you might have seen mental clarity as a benefit. I've never experienced this. Honestly, I've never come close. But I'm going to keep a positive outlook; maybe this time is different. I want to be Limitless, so I finally stop losing money in the stock market.
If you feel sick at any point like that doesn't fall in the category of dehydration. Stop fasting.
Ending a fast is called refeeding. Be careful with this meal! Have you ever used a paper shredder and put too much paper in it? You have to clear the jam. You fast to clear the jam. DON'T JAM IT UP AGAIN. I'll explain more of this in the refeed section.
Keep busy. Fasting is an exercise in stoicism, but you don't need to make it harder on yourself than you have to. Try to keep your mind off food.
Keep your eyes on the prize. Fasting is a healthy pursuit, but your naughty mind will most likely try to trip you up. Listen to your body, not your mind.
Enjoy the process. Very few people will ever voluntarily do this. Take pride in pushing yourself.
Day 1
Weight: 178.9 lbs
So far, it's been pretty easy. Although today I was a major bum. I tapped away at the computer, took a nap, recorded some stuff, showered, and watched a movie. It was one of those, 'I feel like doing nothing today' days. I'm an adult, dammit, so I did nothing. Anyway, I felt a little hungry, but nothing too bad.
Amendment:
Fast forward to nighttime - this was when it got tough for me. I got hungry as I laid in bed, trying to fall asleep. That passed, but then I just rolled around for a long time. I think it was my mind saying something along the lines of "Hey Buddy... I noticed you hadn't eaten today.. You.. You gonna fix that?". I try to stay away from screens at night, so I just was stuck there with my thoughts. I rolled around until I fall asleep. I dreamed of frosted cookies.
Day 2
Weight: 177.7 lbs
I want to make a quick note that most of the weight I lose during these three days will mostly be water weight. I'd hope to average after this week around 177. Anyways I woke up this morning at 4:30, got myself to the gym, and hit a very short chest and arms workout. Through experience, it's probably best not to kill yourself in the gym. You have energy, but it's limited. After the training, I realized something - I am dehydrated. My pee was as yellow as our own GB Green and Gold! So I started drinking more water.
I then started working on my EMT homework. A couple of hours of that was boring, and I think boredom is an enemy of fasting. I am not physically hungry, but my mind says, "Eat food." I will not brain; thank you very much. Remember, fasting is a stoic pursuit - it's not all rainbows and butterflies. You are actively abstaining from food - forgoing short term gratification for long term results. Your brain will always seek comfort. Exercises like this make it easier to suffer a little in the short run but succeed in the long run. So no, it's not fun.
So I found out something interesting - people are creatures of habit. When I don't have food prepared, I have a bad habit of stopping at one of the many glorious Kwik Trips we have here in Wisconsin. I'll pick up some chicken, cheese curds, and meat sticks. I'll sit in my car, track my calories, turn on a particular podcast, and eat my meal. Well, as it turns out, that podcast is a trigger for me to feel hungry. It's my pavlovian bell. I took a quick break in my work and put on this podcast. Like clockwork, I started getting hungry. Huh.
Alright, here is where fasting for me took a turn. Physically I was fine, a little hungry sure. But after my nap, mentally, I was 90% close to ending the fast. My thoughts and mood told me I wouldn't be happy until you eat. Woof. I forgot that this process really is not all gummy bears and soda pop. But then I started moving and got to work, all of those thoughts and feelings went away. My mind at this point was like Loki, master of deception. The important part is that I prevailed - remember you always have dominion over your thoughts and actions.
Side note - still no clairvoyancey, and my stocks are in the pooper today.
Alright, so I taught a Shred415 class this night, and my energy was unexpected. I was WIRED. Like I had more enthusiasm than most days I teach, and I like to think I teach a high octane class! Maybe it's adrenaline?
Amendment:
It was much easier to sleep this night. I broke my rule and watched Tik Toc for longer than I'm willing to admit, but then I was able to drift into sleep pretty quickly. I did not dream of cookies this time around.
Day 3
Weight: 175.5 lbs
The last day! I slept in until 6:30. I got out to vote and then drove to the library. I needed to prepare for three EMT tests today, a drug profile test, a 100 question medical test, and a patient assessment test. And I planned on doing this on no food for three days - I probably could have timed this out better, oh well. I ended up doing well on all three! However, I had a couple of observations...
When I got to the library, I noticed my heart beating a little faster than normal. I went on my apple health app and took a look at my resting heart rate and found it was 66 bpm. I'm usually in the mid-50s. This finding is consistent with my other fasting experiences. Also, I started getting a little dizzy and woozy. I was able to fix this by a run to Kwik Trip. I bought six bottles of Poweraid Power Water, and I downed two right away - it immediately fixed the problem. So when in doubt, get some electrolytes. I also had a 12oz coffee. I know I broke two of my rules, no sweeteners (Powerade) and no coffee - but I was at the end of my fast, and I cared more about performing in my tests. Last observation - when I fast, my body's ability to regulate temperature goes out the window. I either have to layer up and still be cold, or I'm too hot. My thermoregulatory systems are like Katy Perry's Hot and Cold song. "You're hot then your cold, you're yes then you're no." -KP
After class, I went to the gym and hit a quick workout. A half-mile jog and some beauty muscle lifts. Nothing hard, but I wanted to see my veins pop! Hey, at least I'm honest.
After the gym, I decided how I want to break my fast: how to refeed. I planned on waking up at 4:30, teach my 5:00AM class, come home, and heat up some Kettle and Fire bone broth. I'm not sponsored (I'd love to be!), but their bone broth tastes fantastic, especially after three days without food. Speaking of which, your appreciation for food after fasting is insane. It turns out abstinence makes you appreciate what you had. I digress. I'm starting with bone broth because it has low calories and is kind to your gut. Remember, my digestive system has not been working for almost three days now. You want to start it back up slowly; very kindly wake it up. Throwing a bunch of food at it would be the equivalent to a blowhorning to a sleeping person. Both will be pissed. So once I wake it up and drink my broth, I'll give it my tummy a couple of hours until noon or so. Then I'll treat it like the king it is! POKE! I will go to Fresh Fin and order a spicy tuna bowl and some crab truffle. I have been craving it all week. It's a great balanced meal with some good healthy fats, proteins, and carbs. I was super excited - almost as excited as a kid at Christmas! One last note: Pay attention to your body's cravings - your body is AMAZING and can tell you what you need; all you need to do is listen (Maybe I'll make a blog about this).
I ended the night watching the election and made myself some nighttime tea :)
Amendment:
So I went to bed at 1 AM and woke up at 4 AM to teach my class (Election Night). I got a couple of winks in, but besides that, my energy in class was killer. After I got back, I made myself my Kettle and Fire bone broth to complete my three day fast.
Refeed
Weight: 172.4 lbs
Alright, a quick recap on refeeding. When you stop using your digestive system for a while, it needs to be re-introduced to calories slowly. In extreme cases, lots of food induces refeeding syndrome - Not Good.
"Refeeding syndrome can be defined as the potentially fatal shifts in fluids and electrolytes that may occur in malnourished patients receiving artificial refeeding" - SOURCE
In a three-day fast, you probably won't see this. It's not event that common in a 7-14 day fast, but it's still a risk. To mitigate it, introduce a small first meal, wait a couple of hours, and then have your first bigger meal. Longer fasts will require slower introductions to foods, sometimes over days. So that's why I broke my fast with some Kettle and Fire bone broth (please sponsor me), waited for lunch, and then had my Fresh Fin. I can tell you by experience, gorging yourself to end a fast is painful at best - your tummy will not be happy. Take it slow; you already did the hard work.
Human Growth Hormone
I wanted to cover one more topic before I end this post. Fasting stimulates your body's production of Human Growth Hormone or HGH. When you fast for 2-3 days, it can increase up to 5x your normal amount! Why is this important? Because when created NATURALLY within your body, it can have some steller effects:
Increased exercise capacity.
Increased bone density
Increased muscle mass
Decreased body fat
I've read this is why when you fast, your muscle is spared instead of used for fuel!
Sources:
Final Thoughts
You've made it to the end of the journey, Dear Readers! Just a final few closing statements. I started this fast at 178.9lbs and ended at 172.4lbs - remember most of this will be water weight. So was it worth it? Yep! Was it fun? Nope! Would I do it again? Absolutely! Fasting can be extremely healthy if done correctly. It is good stress you put on your body for a short period, very much like working out. It also allows the body to do some spring cleaning. Remember, fasting is the ultimate cleanse. Lastly, fasting is a stoic action; it is a pursuit of delayed gratification. The more you can train your mind to tolerate discomfort in the present, the more bountiful return in the future Plus, you show yourself you can do something you probably never thought you could do. Once you have that view, your paradigm will naturally shift. Maybe I'm stronger than I thought? Perhaps I should take that risk? I mean hell, if I can go without eating, how bad can X be?
Alright, dear readers, thank you for your attention. Hopefully, you're inspired to push yourself just a bit more today. Keep striving, you beautiful people.
Ya Boi,
Christian
P.S. No clairvoyancey - stocks are down, maybe I should try something more reasonable, perhaps betting on horse races?
