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You've got to get past about 36 hours before your body / brain stop acting so "berserk." After that, you stop being hungry and you can look at food with relati
by rlucas 11y ago
You've got to get past about 36 hours before your body / brain stop acting so "berserk." After that, you stop being hungry and you can look at food with relative equanimity.
- aviv 11y agoI agree. Earlier this year I fasted for 23 days (consuming only water) and the hunger and desire to eat went away after the third or forth day. The need to eat was replaced by a burst of energy that lasted for the remainder of the fast and several weeks after.
- justinpaulson 11y agoDid you find that you got light-headed when you stood up too fast after 14 or so days? I fasted for 25 days (water) and found that I would get a little bit light-headed if I stood up from a seated position too fast. I also found that I would have these weird nightmares where i was eating a ton of food and would wake up thinking I had ruined my fast...very bizarre. I have never talked personally to anyone that had also fasted longer than a week, so I was interested if your experiences mirrored mine and if you found any way to reduce that light-headed seeing stars kind of feeling when you stood up. Other than that, I'd say I didn't notice many other issues except for maybe a quicker onset of fatigue if I was climbing a flight of stairs or something.
- aviv 11y agoNot so much, no. I did attempt to paint a wall around day 16 I think and didn't feel comfortable looking up while standing on the ladder so decided to put it off until I ended the fast. Other than that I felt as normal as can be during the entire fast, although I couldn't get myself to stay up very late and so my evenings would end around 9pm. I didn't have nightmares but I do remember that my dreams during the fast were incredibly vivid. I never imagined such dreams were possible and it's one of the things I miss most since ending the fast.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- austinjp 11y agoCan you please explain what you ate or drank over that 25 day period?
- aviv 11y agoNot the OP, but when I fasted I only drank water, usually distilled. You don't eat anything, hence the term water fasting. I should mention that I personally got weekly blood tests to keep track of the vitals (especially potassium levels) and this is something you definitely should do especially if it's your first prolonged fast.
- eru 11y agoInteresting. Why did you stick to distilled water, as opposed to having some (non-caloric) electrolytes?
- aviv 11y agoMost people do not reach a point where their electrolyte levels are dangerously low when undertaking a prolonged fast of up to 40-45 days. Low levels of electrolytes are an indication that your body is unable to continue in a fasting state for one of several reasons, and it must be stopped. IMO, artificially supplementing those during the fast will throw off your body's sensors if you will of knowing when something is abnormal.
- justinpaulson 11y agoOnly water. Tap water or bottled water, not distilled for me. Other than that I ate nothing, no vitamins or electrolytes or anything, just water.
- austinjp 11y agoI find this remarkable. Not saying that I absolutely don't believe you, but I'm struggling. This would seem more like starvation than fasting, and sounds potentially very dangerous. For a little context: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-long-can-a-person-sur/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-long-can-a-per...
- marchelzo 11y agoSorry- but you mean that you didn't eat anything at all for 23 days? And you felt energized?
- aviv 11y agoCorrect. I did not consume anything but water for those 23 days. And yes, past day four I felt more energized than at any time in the last 10 years or so. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but I guess it's one of those things you have to try to feel for yourself :) Even the people around me that knew I was fasting were surprised to see the progression and how much more energetic I seemed. Anecdotally, I did feel at least five years younger at the end of the fast - physically and mentally.
- crusso 11y agoNone of the people I've seen so far on Naked and Afraid seemed "energized" after not eating for days.
- JeffL 11y agoI think they are often also dehydrated, full of bug bites, uncomfortable, lacking sleep, and stressed out, so not sure how comparable it would be to fasting in the 1st world.
- aviv 11y ago@crusso, haha I only heard about this show when my friend suggested that I go ahead and apply to participate. It does take some mental effort to cruise through a prolonged fast. It's especially hard in our society where so much is centered around food. It was inconvenient at times to be the one who doesn't eat in social functions and such, but you get over it. The key is not to talk about it and have to explain to people why you're not picking up a beer at the BBQ. Also this wasn't my first prolonged fast, and I know from experience that it does get easier the more you condition your body to rest and take a break from constantly digesting.
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- bitL 11y agoAdd a bit of salt/minerals to your water or you risk lack of electrolytes, but you probably know. I feel a bit dizzy at around 20 hour mark, past this I feel absolutely fine, can do interval training like always and have no hunger at all. On 3rd day I can start noticing some physical limitations, like when I tested how many hills can I climb on a MTB until I hit the wall hard (shaking muscles, mild spasms etc.), and the time I can spend doing athletic level of activity decreases every day (like 6 hours in the beginning to 1 hour after two weeks).
- js2 11y agoHow much weight did you lose over this period? With a TDEE of 2400 cal/day, you'd theoretically lose almost 5 lbs/week, though I imagine your metabolism slows down. Still, I'd guess you lost 10-15 lbs? Did you happen to get measures of your body fat pct before and after?
- justinpaulson 11y agoNot OP, but in 25 days of water fasting I lost 30 pounds. 196 -> 166. I gained about 15 lbs back within a week after I stopped fasting, then settled in the mid 180s. I did not measure body fat percentages, but I could tell I was losing just as much muscle mass as fat by the second week.
- fezz 11y agoNo OP also... I was about 1-1.5 lbs a day once you get past the first 3 days. Another method I've done is a net-zero where I eat say 600 calories and run a few miles so there's not as much muscle loss.
- js2 11y agoIt's generally accepted that a deficit of 3500 calories causes 1 lb of weight loss. And most men burn around 2000-2400 calories day. So 1 lb (much less 1.5) surprises me. I wonder why the math doesn't quite add up. I like the net-zero approach. Do you make those 600 cals primarily from protein? BTW, it's about 100-120 cals/mile typically. (I'm a runner and use 100 cals/mile since the math is easier and close enough.)
- aviv 11y agoI lost 35 pounds. I didn't measure anything else, and since ending the fast 2 months ago I regained about 5 pounds. For several weeks following the fast I only ate fruits and veggies which is why I think the weight gain has been so little compared to those who fast and then resume their old diet fairly quickly. Also, in the first 48 hours of the fast I did a rather extensive physical workout program which is meant to bring your body into a keto state much earlier than it would otherwise. At the end of the day I feel like I got to know my own body on a whole new level. I didn't do it with the intention of losing the weight, but of course it was a welcome addition to all the other benefits I took away from this experience. In a year or two I plan on doing another one for 40 days.
- __z 11y agoOh, God. Where did this meme come from? I have fasted for 5 days and never wasn't hungry. The hunger severity comes and goes, just like anything but I was still hungry!!! I fast pretty regularly for a day here and there. Used to do it every 4 days but fell off the bandwagon. Have done plenty of 2 day fasts too. This is one of the silliest things said about fasting - and that is saying a lot. Never had all this energy either.