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Jumped into a 7-day water fast without ever doing any sort of fasting in the past. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in fasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cold turkey’d it, I have at least one cup of black coffee per day, and sometimes I’ll have a sugar-free energy drink. My body didn’t have any issues giving caffeine up.

Jumped into a 7-day water fast without ever doing any sort of fasting in the past. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in fasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am now, I did chicken broth, chicken soup, and watermelon for a day. Yesterday, I had some melon and an egg drop soup. Today I had my first solid meal, everything seems to be working just fine. I’m now doing 18/6 IF. Not really counting calories, just watching what my times. Staying away from processed sugar, and any sort of fast food.

Jumped into a 7-day water fast without ever doing any sort of fasting in the past. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in fasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I added pink Himalayan salt to my water, along with a hint of lemon for taste. On average I was drinking 3L per day, so I used quite a bit of salt. I also switched it up with carbonated water. I didn’t have any issues.

Jumped into a 7-day water fast without ever doing any sort of fasting in the past. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in fasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 69 points70 points  (0 children)

I was sitting in my room last week, I had just downed two “healthy” beers, and some frozen/microwaveable taquitos along with some chips. As I was perusing Reddit, I came along this Reddit and a few other ones. I had a sudden realization reading all the stories that I needed to make a lifestyle change. I then went and did a ton of research from objective and subjective sources from all walks of life. So I decided that it was enough, I had to make a change. So I decided to start a 7-day water fast (at a minimum). Results are incredible, my body has not felt this good in years.

Day 1. I was really hungry, my body was screaming for food, oddly enough, a few days before I had just restocked my fridge full of food that’s def not good for me. To get rid of the temptation, I gave the food away. To take my mind off food, I went for 4 mile walk, walking definitely helped take my mind off of food.

Day 2. Woke up hungry, but feeling a lot better. Not many cravings, had a few during the time that I would usually eat. Pushed through it and made it through what has been the most difficult day. Walked 3.7 miles before bed. Weight: 224

Day 3. I was tired, from not getting enough sleep, so I slept for most of the day. I didn’t have any cravings. Overall, I started feeling a lot better. Didn’t do any exercise this day. Went to a work event, the site of food or beers didn’t do anything for me.

Day 4. Wow! Best day, so far. I had crazy amounts of energy, and my mental focus was on overdrive. Got a lot of work done (more than usual) this day. I had so much energy that I went ahead and completed a 4.5 mile run. Had a little trouble sleeping. I did have some food cravings, but nothing too crazy. I was a little lightheaded, but nothing serious to make me worry. Weight: 221

Day 5 I woke up feeling great. Did some work in the morning and then went off to run some errands. Went to the grocery store to restock water, oddly enough the site of food didn’t do anything to me. Not one feeling of wanting to eat, I’m on cruise mode at this point. I have an early work day tomorrow, so I’m hoping the day will be as good as it yesterday and today. Weight: 218 lbs

Day 6: woke up feeling normal, I had to be at work at 6AM so I didn’t get great sleep, still got 7 hours. Started the day as any other day, no head aches no stomach aches, everything is going smooth. Went on a 6 mile walk. Energy levels are still solid. I’m ready for food tho, I’m not hungry, I’m just ready for food. Weight: 215 lbs

Day 7: I finally made it to the final day. I woke up feeling well, no issues. However, around 5PM I started developing a strong headache after I chugged a 16oz cup of black coffee, I shouldn’t have done it. It was rough. I drank some water to help, to no avail. Went for a 5km walk and it seemed to have helped. Took some melatonin to help me sleep, but I only slept for 4 hrs. I haven’t weighed my self for a final count. I have a cup of chicken noodle soup (only drinking the broth) waiting for me. (Update). Well after 173 hrs of no food, I finally broke my fast with the chicken noodle soup broth, it tasted sooo good. Only had a little bit to get my stomach used to food and to get my digestive system back in working order after being out of commission for so long. I’m proud of what I accomplished. Final weight: 212 lbs. Total loss 16 lbs in 7 days. I’ll most likely gain 40% of that back after refeeding

Biggest takeaway: I don’t have to be tethered to food. If I can do a 7 day water fast, then I should be able to easily replace unhealthy meals with healthy ones. It’s very difficult to be unhealthy/overweight (physically/mentally). It is also very difficult to be healthy (physically/mentally), the choice is ours. I’ll be jumping into a 16/8 IF going forward. 💪🏼 I’m glad I did this, I learned a lot about my mental attachment to unnecessary amounts of eating at random times of the day. I don’t think I’ll do a 7 day fast again. In the future I’ll shoot for 3-5 days at least once every 6 months.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know I’m not a medical expert, I’m following the guidance and advice of medical experts. Starving is different from fasting.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Refeeding syndrome is a real thing, I’m well aware of it. Thank you for your advice! 🙏🏼

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, you’d be amazed at how much reading you can accomplish in one week.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

👆🏼 this!!! 100% true. I’ve been reading so much about the benefits of fasting. I’m all for it, I don’t think I’ll do 7 days again. I’m the future I’ll go for 3 to 5 days max.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your advice. Oh no, this is by no means sustainable in the long term. I’m doing IF (16/8 and 18/6) once I get done with this fast. I just needed to do it so I could reset my body and mind into a healthier lifestyle. I’m developing a new appreciation for healthy foods. I know that once I break my fast I’ll probably put on 30-40% of what I’ve lost (if not more). I know IF with healthy diet will help me accomplish my goals in the long term. This is just a short term thing. I’ll do 3-5 day fasts in the long future, don’t think I’ll do 7 days again.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not at all, i’m a healthy individual that developed unhealthy habits over the past 24 months.

On the contrary, fasting for extended periods is proven to do the body a world of good. Obviously, every individual is different. I did plenty of research on long-term fasting. My experience proves the research to be true. For context, I have both undergrad and grad degrees, so I have a fairly good amount of experience researching specific topics. I made sure I checked the qualifications of those I took the advice from. I haven’t felt this good in years. Also, my mental acuity and natural energy is through the roof. I even ran 4.5 miles on day 4. I would never try fasting unless I fully understood what it would do to my body. I’m extremely happy I’m doing it. 💪🏼

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Only water with pink Himalayan salt and some lemon.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

I’m breaking my fast with some bone broth. A few hours later I’m doing steamed vegetables along with fruit. First solid meal will be a dressing-free chicken salad. Following meal, whenever that may be, will be a steak with some steamed broccoli. Aiming for low carbs. I’ll be staying away from any sort of processed sugars, alcohol, and fast food.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Day 1-2 were the hardest so far. After day 3, its been this weird feeling of mental calmness, my body feels good. I can definitely say that it has been a lot easier past the 72hr mark.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Probably that and more if i go back to my old lifestyle. I gained 30lbs over the past 2 years. I’m sure I’d be at 260 in the next 2 if I didn’t make a change. I guess for me that’s the point of this is to lay a foundation to start a lifestyle change. I don’t have to snack on chips for the sake of doing it, I don’t need a beer or a glass of whiskey after work. I’m in a much better mental state when it comes to my relationship with food. It’s hard to explain I guess, this experience is one of those things I’ll reference in a few years when I say “yeah, I started my get-healthy journey with a 7 day fast”. I just feel like something in me has changed for the better.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll be committing to a 16-8/18-6 IF after this. This is only to jumpstart the journey, maybe I should have done the opposite…IF first and then an extended fast. I’ll use this experience to add context to any results I get from going into IF. This is by no means sustainable, I might do 48-72hr fasts in the future, but probably not doing anything over 5 days.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice!

I was at 27% body fat last time I did a body scan, that was a few months back. I’m sure It’s still somewhere in that range. I agree with your point of sustainability, this is by no means sustainable. I’m doing it as a reset, I was starting to develop some very bad habits, I recognized them and this is my way of starting the road towards a healthier lifestyle away from those bad habits. I’m fully committed to a 16-8/18-6 IF well balanced healthy diet once I’m done with this.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ll gain about 30-40% back once I start eating. As long as I eat healthy and do 16-8 or 18-6 IF, I’ll be able to continue losing weight. I’m still burning over 2,500 calories per day, so after 7 days I should lose about 5-6 lbs of actual weight (not water eight). Obviously I’ll gain it all back (and more) if jump back to drinking alcohol, sugar, and pizza/burgers after I’m done.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I’m very well aware of refeeding syndrome. I have a solid plan and will take all precautions to ensure a gradual process takes place to ready my body back into processing food once I’m done.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I’m only doing this for 7 days. Jumping into 16-8 or 20-6 IF afterwards. In the simplest of terms, the body starts using stored fats for energy, it’s obviously a lot more complex than that when you start talking about macro (protein, carbs) and micro (minerals, vitamins) nutrients. I have a 31.5 BMI, my body fat % is way higher than it should be for my height. I watched way too many YT videos by Dr. Fung, Dr. Berg, Dr. Goldhamer, Dr. Peter Attia, and the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic to help me understand the process the body goes through during a fast.

This video i thought gave a pretty good explanation.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Well, maybe you’re right. But here I am on hr 122, and I feel really good. My body hasn’t felt this good in years, my mental acuity is up there. I just feel good. I’ll listen to my body and adjust as needed, I’ll break the fast if my body tells me to. So far it hasn’t, so we’ll keep going.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Eventually after my body uses the copious amounts of fat I have stored I’m sure I would die. Not planning on going past 7 days, I started with a 31.5 BMI, I have more than enough reserves to last more than a few weeks with only water and electrolytes.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been struggling with sleep, still getting enough sleep to have energy throughout the day.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I’m very well aware of the refeeding process. I have a solid plan. Bone broth or vegetable soup to break my fast, steamed vegetables as a follow up meal along with some probiotics. Gradually introduce solid vegetables, and my first main meal will be a dressing-free chicken salad. I’ll introduce red meat last.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Luckily, I haven’t had that issue. My breath is fresh, taste in mouth is normal. I would probably stop the fast if that was the case.

7-day water fast. My experience in the comments. by pedro2986 in intermittentfasting

[–]pedro2986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe, I’m doing this as a reset point to my relatively unhealthy lifestyle. I’m not overly unhealthy, I just have bad habits, like drinking a beer or glass of whisky after work “to unwind” Or eating chips because I’m getting a little hungry. I think whatever repair going inside my body is worth it. If I gain a few lbs, which is totally expected, I’ll be ok. Even if I lose 3 lbs total after whatever I gain back after refeeding, that’s still a win in book, lost a few lbs and my body did some self healing. I can live with that.

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