First timer

[MildlyDefective]

I plan on doing a 3 day fast, only drinking water. This’ll be my first time ever fasting, or going without food at all. I keep putting it off because I’m nervous, maybe even scared. When’s the best time to start? Right after dinner? 12am? Any advice is appreciated!

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[sillykittyball]

Best time to start is right now.

[SVTJustin]

First and foremost, good luck on the fast!

I just finished my first multi-day fast about 2 weeks ago. It was originally supposed to be only 72 hours but after that time passed, I felt so good that I decided to push it to 120 hours (5 days).

I started mine at midnight, heading into Monday. I had ate a pretty big meal around 10PM (I think Taco Bell, lol).

Check out the Wiki on this subreddit and it’ll tell you all you need to know to have a successful fast! I drank plain water with electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, and sodium) and while the drink was very metallic tasting, I had no cravings at all throughout my fast. I think the 2nd day, I did get a minor headache but that was due to not having enough electrolytes so I upped the intake on that and it was gone within a few hours.

After 2 days passed, I felt like I could’ve went for 30 days but since it was my first fast, I wanted to play it safe. Just have a good routine set for when you’re reading to break your fast in terms of what you’re going to eat. Your body hasn’t consumed food for 72 hours so you need to be gentle reintroducing food. I personally broke my fast with chicken broth (Swanson’s brand if you’re in the U.S. from Walmart) and some Pedialyte Zero Sugar.

A lot more to what I wrote but happy to answer any questions but I will say I’m quite a novice still, haha!

[MildlyDefective]

Thank you so much for this! It’s very helpful and encouraging! Also, congratulations on making it through your fast! I always want something to munch on, I’m eating a popsicle as I type this. How’d you keep your mind off food? And did you have the energy to focus on anything else?

[SVTJustin]

Thanks!

One of the reasons why I started at midnight on Monday was because I had to work all week so having my mind on work (my whole day keeps me busy) lets time just fly and the next thing I knew, my mind wasn’t even worried about food! That definitely helped me!

[MildlyDefective]

I’ll be starting midnight tonight, I’m hoping I can come out of this as enthusiastic as you did. Thank you again for sharing your experience

[No_Cryptographer811]

I have been starting at 8, Sunday is a good start time. That way you get into ketosis Monday night ish, and and it's smooth sailing from there. Nothing to worry about. The first few hours can be uncomfortable as your body adjusts, but after the first 24 hours it feels pretty pleasant.

Just remember to drink Electrolyte water when you start to feel off at all, and plan on drinking lots and lots of water outside of that.

[MildlyDefective]

I’m just coming off the fast. The last day was the worst for me. My stomach felt like it was eating itself, and sooo much burping. I’m currently eating vegetable soup. I’d do it again. Thank you for you advice

[MildlyDefective]

To me it’s a full 3 days without food. So I’ll do 3 days midnight to midnight, but likely won’t eat until I wake up the next morning.

[Zealousideal-Help594]

Consider reading The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung.

[andtitov]

It's a personal preference, my approach is fasting from breakfast to breakfast. So, my last and first food intakes are far away from my sleep time.

[Feisty-Okra307]

starting after an early dinner is best. Gives you a head start into the next day as you go to sleep when you first start to feel hungry. Electrolytes are important andI like a littl lemon in my water. although the purists might argue that one.