Water Diet How Much Weight Can I Lose in 5 Days
At 6:00 pm on Saturday, Feb 14th, I stopped eating. I didn't selection up a spoon, fork, pocketknife, pair of chopsticks, beer canteen, or finger-food for 120 hours until vi:00 pm, Thursday, Feb 19th.
Which raises the obvious question: "Why would yous do that?"
Let me explicate.
Why Water Fast?
Nosotros eat 3 meals a mean solar day because… well because everyone else does. And because that's how we were raised. And considering about of usa are conditioned in such a way that we get hungry if nosotros don't eat for 4-6 hours.
But there's no fixed biological rule saying that we need to eat every 4-6 hours. Homo Sapiens popped up 250,000 years ago but we just developed agriculture 12,000 years ago. At that place were 238,000 years where we were getting by as hunter-gatherers withunreliable admission to food.
We might kill a gazelle 1 twenty-four hour period, share information technology with our tribe, then become 2 days without access to meat and have little to subsist on.And this was perfectly fine. We certainly weren't stopping in the middle of our xvi-19 mile a twenty-four hour period walks to take a protein bar to refuel.
Many foods in our modernistic diet (especially grains and sugars), combined with eating constantly, has made our bodies lazy and turned off their ability to run on their own energy stores. Fasting forces your torso to get dorsum into a more than "state of nature" mode of operating and brings a host of benefits with it.
The Health Benefits of Fasting
Fundamental to the benefits of fasting is a process called "autophagy." Autophagy is the body's natural process of killing off, eating up, or cleaning out bad cell thing that's built upwards in your body. Information technology's an important arrangement for staving off many diseases, including preventing cancer development.
Not only that, butreduced autophagy (the country that near of our diets leaves us in) leads to accelerated jail cell aging, which explains why in numerous studies on lab animals from single cells to mice to monkeys,restricting their caloric intake significantly increased their lifespan, even when that restriction was occasional (fasting every once in a while).
It doesn't cease there. Autophagy likewise helps with the development and retention of lean muscle, and autophagy induced through caloric restriction likewiseslows neurodegeneration and is one of the few things that tin can pb to the production of new encephalon cells. This research suggests that fasting can protect you against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. This is also likely why epileptic and autistic people respond very well to fasting.
On pinnacle of all of that, periodic fasting helps with reducing chronic pains, rheumatic diseases, high claret pressure level, and anything related to inflammation.
Fasting also improves your insulin sensitivity, meaning your body tin can better process Oreos instead of sending them to your waistline when y'all determine to crook.
So in that location's the obvious fat loss benefit. Later on twenty-four hours 2 (perhaps earlier) your body has goose egg to run on simply your ain fat. The water weight you lose will come up back quickly, but that fat loss is real. You can expect to lose ~i-2 pounds per twenty-four hour period, but consider this a nice benefit, not the master motivation. If you're doing information technology for fat loss you might practice it as well long or ignore signs to cease.
How to Fast Safely
Heads upward! We're getting into prescriptive territory where I talk well-nigh how you tin endeavour fasting. I'thou not a medico, veterinarian, spiritual healer, or anything else that would remotely qualify me to give you medical advice, and so if you try this and you die it's your own damn fault. And PLEASE don't be stupid and do something like donate blood, get in a sauna, run a marathon, or anything else that volition put undue stress on y'all if you fast.
The fasting community is a petty confusing.
Some people say "drink only distilled h2o while fasting" some people say "exist certain you have a lot of electrolytes." Some say "Brand certain yous take a vitamin supplement" some say "avoid vitamins."
What I've learned from doing experiments like this is that when y'all go into newer areas of research (like fasting), 99% of the information online is contradictory nonsense and you accept to effigy information technology out on your own.
You should do your research also, non merely trust me or another blog.You lot can die from fasting, ordinarily from drinking also much water, flushing all the salt out of your body, and going into cardiac arrest. That'due south why y'all but drink distilled water. Or is it why yous don't drink distilled h2o? No one agrees really, so I drank a lot of Brita-filtered water and didn't worry about it.
Some people said you lot should only have 1-2L of water a twenty-four hour period, some said just keep it under a gallon, some said to drink a ton to flush the toxins out. I just drank when I was thirsty.
Some said you need to stay equally inactive as possible. They talked virtually staying in bed for about of days 2 and 3, not walking more than a half mile, and keeping their activeness low even during the refeeding menstruum.
I said screw that and went near life equally usual. The only changes I made were not using my continuing desk and not working out, but I still averaged ~two miles of walking and 10+ flights of stairs a day, most of information technology in sub-zero temperatures.
They also said make sure you spend a week not eating carbs, reduce your diet slowly, etc. etc. I spent the day before eating an cool amount of junk nutrient.
So… How Do You Water Fast Then?
Everyone seems to invent their ain rules and techniques for fasting, but here'south what I felt certain about:
- Don't eat ANYTHING. Fifty-fifty eating a minor corporeality keeps digestion going which will brand the fast torturous.
- Drink however much water you experience like you need. Don't potable gallons, and don't but drink a thimble, and you'll probably exist fine.
- You don't demand the electrolytes / vitamins, only they probably don't injure.
- Don't drink "juice," that stuff is terrible for you anyway.
- Exercise every bit much action every bit you're comfortable with.
- Sleep as much equally you feel yous demand, merely don't lie in bed just considering your body is more than tired than usual. What I found was that once I started moving or working, my body provided me the energy I needed. If I stayed inert, I got tired.
My Water Fasting Results
I averaged 9-x hours of slumber a night, just that was the only modify in my amount of rest. No naps.
Days i and two were crude, day three was great except for when I was in wearisome meetings. When I say "rough" though I hateful I had to fight off the occasional pangs of hunger. It actually didn't bear upon my productivity or life that much. I'd compare information technology to having half a dozen itchy mosquito bites.
Days four and v I felt amazing. I got an incredible amount done, was completely undistractable, and felt blissfully happy throughout.
All of the claims most mental clarity were true—my listen has never felt and so "unclouded." There was naught brain fog all hours of the twenty-four hours. I had all the benefits of meditation, but without needing to meditate.
Another interesting affair: time moved slower. I was never rushed. But that may have been because I eat really fast. Without that rushed process twice a day, maybe I was less rushed in general. Either style, information technology was remarkable how calm I was.
The only existent negative was that I was very, very sensitive to the cold. My theory is that my trunk was rationing its energy mostly towards brain functioning and movement, and non spending equally much on thermogenesis. I was keeping my room 5-10 degrees warmer than normal, and even so wearing a sweater.
Oh, one concluding positive. I've never had more than muscular (especially abdominal) definition in my life. I would mail pictures, but you would accept to purchase me a drink showtime.Hint: I like Malbec.
The Mean solar day past Day Rundown
I was taking these notes as I was going, so it'southward a petty bit stream of consciousness / periodical-similar. For reference, the fast started on Saturday at 6pm. That was "24-hour interval Cypher"
Day One: Dominicus
eight:00 am: Woke up, had a fleck of water to start the day.
12:00 pm: Noticed some slight hunger around noon, take a bit more water.
1:00 pm: No headaches despite non drinking tea, good sign that I don't take a caffeine addiction. I might miss the tea more than the food.
iii:00 pm: hunger is starting to kick in. I usually live on a sixteen-8 intermittent fasting cycle, and this is around the point (18 hours in) when I ordinarily Accept to take food. But today… water.
4:00 pm: Water seems to help with the headaches. Maybe I was dehydrated?
seven:00 pm: So tired, feels similar it'southward midnight or later. Hardly being productive at all, good thing I finished stuff earlier. I wonder if this is because I didn't sleep quite enough last night or just from no food? Maybe both. Tomorrow will probably be crude if this fatigue is all from the fasting.
8:00 pm: Fourth dimension feels like information technology's moving slower… mayhap that'southward just from the fatigue?
Day Ii: Mon
nine:00 am: Woke up at 9am subsequently sleeping at 11, clearly need extra rest when I'm non eating.
9:30 am: Tried to play it conservative by sitting instead of standing, merely my torso wanted to stand up for most an hr. Maybe the "rules" almost inactivity vary person to person based on their prior activity levels? I'm probably a little different since I commonly use a continuing desk.
ten:00 am: Despite not eating in over 36 hours now, I'm actually not hungry. No hurting actually, though my brain feels a niggling foggy, slight tunnel vision. Kinda like a mild hangover without the headache. I wonder if this is from the toxins coming out of my bad cell matter and getting dumped into my bloodstream (supposedly part of the autophagy process)… I should probably go out drinking less.
12:30 pm: Fourth dimension definitely feels like it's moving slower. There's much less urgency.
three:00 pm: My concern & civilization professor talked well-nigh food for half an hour… information technology was terrible.
7:00 pm: Really hungry around dinner time.
8:00 pm: The fasting and hunger are not and so noticeable when working, you get weirdly calm and focused, yous merely don't retrieve near information technology.
nine:00 pm: Weird feeling, kinda like being tired, only notwithstanding functional… sort of tunnel vision. I think my body is very tired but my heed is fine, maybe my body is conserving energy by leaving my body weak just nonetheless keeping my brain going? Everything is getting done though, it just doesn't totally experience similar I'grand the i doing information technology. Kinda like I'm on autopilot.
Day Iii: Tuesday
9:00 am: Woke up at 9 again, notwithstanding 10 hours of residual. Though I woke up at 6:30 and 8 also but I kind of forced myself back to sleep, I was a worried about getting that little sleep.
ix:thirty am: Sitting instead of using my standing desk to play information technology prophylactic.
10:30 am: Barely whatsoever hunger, and much less pressure behind my eyes today.
12:00 pm: Time still feels really, really ho-hum. Weird not having those interruptions of nutrient. I'll sit to exercise an consignment or something then expect up and go "wtf, that only took x minutes?"
3:00 pm: Climbing a lot of stairs at once is kind of tiring. I had to climb four flights and was very winded afterward. I regain the energy quickly though, and it's simply a physical fatigue, not a mental one.
v:00 pm: Classes were horrible today, I had a 3-hour directly block that couldn't have moved slower. I thought peradventure the hunger was getting to me but it was something about the classes and the hunger, once I was out I was totally fine. It may also have been the boredom + fourth dimension delay.
seven:00 pm: Hyper-focused on whatever I'm working on, had no thought this would be such a pronounced upshot. I have no need for the Pomodoro method, the Cocky Control app, anything similar that.
8:00 pm: Some small headaches throughout the day, by and large in classes though. I think I was dehydrated in the morning. They went abroad in the afternoon when I drank more water.
Mean solar day 4: Wed
ix:00 am: Woke up feeling crawly, slept 10 hours again, no alarm clock.
9:30 am: Funny side effect, I keep putting my water pitcher in the fridge out of habit. It's a problem because my body sucks so much at keeping me warm right now that I tin can't beverage cold water, just room temperature. Very European.
12:00 pm: Feeling awesome in general, super focused, no afternoon fatigue this time.
12:30 pm: Barely whatsoever hunger today, I started keeping a list of things that I want to eat when this is over and that helps a lot. Every bit soon as I take a craving for something it goes on the list and the craving goes away.
1:00 pm: My skin looks really good. So practice my eyes. So practise y'all, reader.
12:00 am: Had a meeting that went until Midnight. I was worried nearly it since I'd been getting tired effectually 10, but I was 100% fine. This supports my theory that while fasting, your torso provides energy on an as-y'all-need-information technology basis, and non by default. Since I had to do stand up, walk around, and atomic number 82 a meeting, I had the free energy for it. When I'1000 sitting around reading, I don't need much energy so my body provides less and I feel tired. As presently as I went domicile and relaxed after the coming together, I felt tired again.
12:30am: Otherwise, felt amazing today. Super focused, generally happy, also very patient. But a great solar day in general.
1:00am: Going to bed later today too, we'll see how that affects things.
Day V: Thursday
nine:00 am: Woke up and had my usual glasses of water. Seem to exist fine despite only sleeping eight hours and staying upwardly till 1.
x:thirty am: Class was much easier to go through today, feel so much better than Tuesday, and even meliorate than Midweek.
12:00 pm: This might be the all-time I've felt mentally in my entire life.
12:xxx pm: Decided to push button myself past sitting in a deli for one.5 hours around dejeuner time. Turned into one of the all-time willpower exercises I've e'er done. I definitely wanted nutrient desperately, but I was able to go on focusing on work and other stuff and tune it out. It was a lot like meditation, every time my heed wandered to the enticing scents around me, I just reeled it dorsum in.
2:00 pm: Had some turmeric and ginger tea to go the digestion going once more.
6:00 pm: Started breaking the fast at 6:00pm, 120 hours afterward starting, with sauerkraut, able-bodied greens, and almonds.
And and then it was over! But, how practice yous end a fast?
Refeeding: How to End the Fast "Safely"
At present we come to the topic of refeeding.
Refeeding is the procedure of steadily introducing food to your body in such a way that you don't totally crash your arrangement.
The biggest take a chance is something chosen refeeding syndrome, where your reintroduction of food spikes your insulin so much that yous go into shock and possibly die. It's a business concern on fasts v days or longer, and when you lot've lost a lot of torso weight.
To prevent this, you steadily reintroduce foods to the body over one to two days, steadily moving upwards the concatenation of how hard to digest something is, ending with meat. Some say that y'all should re-feed for as many days as yous fasted.
Only hither'south what doesn't make sense: a lot of the sites that talk about fasting say that you should start with fruits and vegetables since they're hands digestible. Vegetables make sense, but fruit? Fruit has a adequately high glycemic index, significant it risks spiking your insulin.
So I had a dissimilar theory. Starting time, I repopulated my gut microbiome, the healthy bacteria that live inside your gut and assistance with processing nutrient. I did that with Athletic Greens and Sauerkraut, both awesome sources of probiotics.
Then, I ate basics since they're very low glycemic and they're fat, which won't spike my insulin and won't be hard on my kidneys or gut. They're also a good source of Magnesium, which is one of the mineral deficiencies that leads to refeeding syndrome. I threw in some Potassium and Phosphate supplements as well.
I did that at 6pm…
And then at 8pm I said screw information technology, ordered Taiwanese food, drank a beer, then had some vino while writing this article.
Why? Considering I think people are too careful with fasting. Numerous sources suggested waitingtwo or more than daysbefore reintroducing meat. If yous were in the wild, and y'all hadn't eaten in four days, and yous managed to kill a deer, you wouldn't go forage for berries earlier eating it to "work yourself up to it."You'd swallow the damn deer.
Also, occasional shocks are good for your body, that'south the whole point of fasting in the first identify.If you lot treat your body similar glass so it volition stay like glass. This is the same logic behind bodybuilding, hormesis, vaccinations, cold therapy, and any other process where we inflict small damages to increase the strength of the system (what Nassim Taleb calls "Antifragility").
And no, I didn't get into shock, crash, get diarrhea, or anything like that. I just felt totally total, and that one beer got me mode tipsier than normal.
Though, if I were to do a seven-solar day fast or longer, I might be a bit more conscientious. Once again, non a doctor.
What's Next?
As I've mentioned a few times now, this was a very, very positive experience. There were inappreciably whatever downsides, and the few downsides were totally steamrolled past the positives.
On top of that, like I said, there are an incredible number of wellness benefits from fasting. I'll definitely keep doing intermittent fasting. In that location'southward no reason to cease that, it but does good things, and I don't fifty-fifty know if I could now that I've gotten so used to it.
And I'll most likely shoot for a fast like this perhaps once a quarter. Maybe next time I'll exercise a 7 twenty-four hours ane.
Special thanks to Adil Majid and Zachary Rousselle for checking in on me to make sure I was live during the fast.
Source: https://www.nateliason.com/blog/5-day-water-fast-health-benefits
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