3 Day Fasting Experience
Hi guys!
First off, thank you so much for reading my blog, I really appreciate the support and secondly, thank you for all the encouragement I have received during my fasting journey, especially this particular experience… lets dive right in!
So yes, you read the caption right. I just completed a 72 hr (3 day) fast. You may be thinking, “are you crazy?! Why would you do that?” or “How can you give up food? I love food!”. I’ve gotten these responses a lot over the past three days so I want to share my experience with you guys and why I chose to do this because I LOVE food too!
The WHY?
Intermittent fasting has become a regular part of my daily routine and I have shared this one my other blog post here. I really want to dedicate this to the 72hr fast. I chose to do this for a few reasons.
To challenge myself - I had completed a 24hr fast previously and wanted to take the next step.
For my body - the health benefits are tremendous (which I’ll discuss more further down) and I always feel at my best after a fast so I wanted to see if the same would be true after 72 hours.
Spiritual reasons - fasting is done in the Bible and it is a way to connect with God and to also show appreciation that food is so readily available to us
So here is what I EXPERIENCED:
(Side Note: My amazing boyfriend/and partner in this researched alot about the benefits of a longer fast and if was worth doing. After deciding it was worth a shot, we both agreed to do it as long as our bodies were ok with it through the process and we could stop at any point if we didn’t feel good about it)
Timing - We picked to do it from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon. We chose these times because it worked best for our personal schedules (we both work from home) and wanted to start it sooner rather than later
What we did during the fast - So we both drank ALOT of water during it. It is SO important to stay hydrated throughout the process. We also drank tea. He drinks green tea and I drink a fruitier metabolism tea. I also drank peach water and chewed gum to stay occupied and not think about food too much.
BREAKDOWN of how I felt:
First 24 hours (Saturday to Sunday) - I felt great. Since I had already done a 24hr fast previously, this part was easy.
Second 24 hours (Sunday to Monday) - This part I thought would be the most difficult since it was the adjustment phase but as long as I stayed busy it wasn’t too bad. The one thing that didn’t go well was sleep. For some reason, I did not sleep well from Sunday night to Monday. I think it was the anxiety that I would be hungry while I slept because I might have began to over think it. (Side note ladies: It’s also that time of the month for me so I thought that would have made it harder but it actually decreased my normal symptoms of headaches and cramps)
Third 24 hours (Monday to Tuesday) - I am not going to lie, this was the hardest part. My body felt hungry and my stomach was rumbling. I had to make sure to drinks so much water, tea, peach water, and chew gum to give myself a variety of flavors. I also did not sleep well from Monday night to Tuesday and I think it was because I was dreaming of being hungry which made it 10x worse.
Tuesday - After the 72 hours were up, we broke the fast by eating 2 scrambled eggs and split a peach. It is really important to break the fast slowly and let you body adjust back to digesting and handling food again. I think I ate a little too quickly and got a small stomach ache as a result.
After the fast, I felt really proud for what I had accomplished and my body felt really good. I will definitely do it again and I will definitely be more prepared now that I know what to expect and also mentally prepare better as well.
FIND A PARTNER
I thinks it’s so helpful to have a partner do this with you. You hold each other accountable and encourage each other when it’s hard. My boyfriend and I agreed we probably would have given up early on if it hadn’t been for the other person.
RESULTS
Now you must be wondering, what were the results? Did you lose weight? How much? I’ll be real with you guys and give you the numbers. For me this isn’t about being skinny, it’s about setting a healthy goal weight to maintain my muscle mass as well.
Starting weight at the beginning of the process 2 months ago: 146.9 lbs
Goal weight: 136.9 lbs (I want to lose 10 lbs of fat)
Starting weight PM pre 72hr fast: 144 lbs
Starting weight AM: 142 lbs (I usually weigh about 2 lbs lighter in the AM just from losing water weight overnight, so thats why I weigh both AM/PM)
Ending weight AM: 137.6 lbs
So I lost 4.4 lbs over 3 days
These are my “after” photos. I forgot to take “before” photos but can also just look at any previous photo of myself. To me, it’s not about being “skinny”, it’s about feeling better in my own skin and seeing a change in my body. Now, I will probably gain back about 2lbs from the water weight but that’s what fluctuates. Overall, I think those are pretty good results and I think with another 72 hr fast, I will be able to hit my goal weight, which is really exciting!
BENEFITS:
Intense cleansing at a physical and mental level - your body gets rid of toxins during this healing process (If you get a white coating on your tongue, this is a sign your body is removing toxins.
Giving rest to your digestive system which is normally working all the time. As the toxins are removed you will feel more energy.
Improves immunity and longevity.
Kill precancerous cells
Reset insulin sensitivity
Improve will-power
Easiest way to lose weight. And the cheapest!
Reflect on personal food habits and learn that humans can go weeks without food to survive. Going three days is ok (under the right guidance)
If you are spiritual - this is a time for emotional cleansing and connecting with God.
CONCLUSION:
I learned that I eat way more than my body needs sometimes and that I can really listen to what nourishment my body wants and only give it that (with the occasional ice cream scoop as a treat!). I used to eat what was put in front of me, but now I know to eat until by body is full (which is usually half the portion sizes I used to eat!) I didn’t ever feel a loss of energy which was great and appreciate food more.
My boyfriend wanted to add his thoughts:
“We live in a world of tremendous abundances, comfort & luxury. All of us, from the Bezos’s and Walmart, down to their lowest paid and most poorly treated workers. The access to food, warmth and water that the average American has rivals that of a medieval king.
While the average cave dweller from 10,000 BC would nearly die of euphoria walking through a modern farmer’s market, restaurant, or house, the average American is not only not euphoria, but closer to the opposite. Depression, suicides, overdoses, & insomnia are at an all time high. The long term effect of a lifetime of unbroken abundance and comfort is that we cannot appreciate it. This is not a failure of our psyches, but an evolutionary adaption - those who were satisfied easily did not last in a world where food and shelter could only be counted on for a few days.
So how do we counter the natural acclimation to our circumstances, thus causing our unappreciation, leaving us spoiled and unhappy. The answer is to go without those things. It is only by removing that which we have grown used to in order to appreciate it.
My girlfriend and I have made the decision to removed food from our lives for 72 hours or three days. Aside from the physical benefits, such as fat loss, inflamation decrease, slowed aging, cancer prevention, and a stronger immune system, we are also doing this for the spiritual benefits. While there are certainly many problems with modern society, access to food is not one of them. Outside of air and water, food is the most essential part of life (Removing air and water for any significant period of time are not really a viable option). To paraphrase a famous quote “having food isn’t everything, not having it is”. You can only truly appreciate what you have when it’s gone, and I am truly grateful to live in a life where I have access to as much food as I could possibly want.”
Thank you guys for joining us on this journey and I hope this inspires you in your own personal health goals.
Xoxo Allysa
*Please note: I am not a doctor nor am I certified to give any medical advice. Please consult with your doctor when considering doing a longer fast and research the topic deeply to ensure it is right for your body and your lifestyle.
Sources:
https://www.yogicwayoflife.com/three-day-water-fast-and-its-benefits
https://becomingasuperhuman.com/3-day-fast/
Info from Dr. Rhonda Patrick (autophagy) & Dr. Jason Fung (weight loss)
https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
http://siimland.com/3-day-fast-benefits/
Other information came from anecdotal stories from reddit or scientific journals that are dull but complex
