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Message
re: Thoughts on fasting
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:13 pm to Rex Feral
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:13 pm to Rex Feral
The longest I've done is 3 days. Like you, I made an allowance of black coffee. (There was no way I was going to fight caffeine withdrawal headaches at the same time... and a cup of black coffee only has something like 5 calories, which isn't enough to trigger the stomach to go into acid production mode.)
I can only speak to a 3 day fast...
- Day 1 is fairly easy. Have done 24-36 hour fasts numerous times. Almost seems easier if you're active (perhaps as a function of not having to sit still and your mind noticing you're hungry and nudging you to eat).
- Day 2: A few significant periods of very mild discomfort as the body goes through intermittent cylces of hunger pangs.
- Day 3: Aside from intermittent hunger pangs, there was a somewhat persistent low-grade brain fog and a mild unpleasant feeling in the body... a sort of weak / sluggish feeling. It wasn't debilitating or anything; more of a constant annoyance. I think this combo of brain fog & fatigue is part of what some people commonly call "keto flu".
One pro tip I read somewhere... probably some health bros on Twitter / X... is to take salt every day during a fast. This makes sense as your electrolytes can become severely depleted during a long fast-- especially if you're drinking a lot of water. I assume this explains my own keto flu on day 3 (I was not supplementing salt). This is a safety precaution that should absolutely be heeded. At a minimum, you should take some amount of salt, but really should find some way of supplementing potassium & magnesium as well. Running out of electrolytes can cause heart palpitations and possibly induce a heart attack.
I'm sure there are other good practices that aren't cheating for a 7 day fast, but I've never gone that long myself so haven't reasearched. I'm assuming you've at least done a few 1-3 days fasts already to somewhat prepare yourself for a longer fast. I don't think I would just jump into a 7 day.
Lastly, in case you don't know: don't binge eat at the end. You should ease back into eating with small amounts of healthy, lighter food.
quote:
What was it like and how did you do?
I can only speak to a 3 day fast...
- Day 1 is fairly easy. Have done 24-36 hour fasts numerous times. Almost seems easier if you're active (perhaps as a function of not having to sit still and your mind noticing you're hungry and nudging you to eat).
- Day 2: A few significant periods of very mild discomfort as the body goes through intermittent cylces of hunger pangs.
- Day 3: Aside from intermittent hunger pangs, there was a somewhat persistent low-grade brain fog and a mild unpleasant feeling in the body... a sort of weak / sluggish feeling. It wasn't debilitating or anything; more of a constant annoyance. I think this combo of brain fog & fatigue is part of what some people commonly call "keto flu".
One pro tip I read somewhere... probably some health bros on Twitter / X... is to take salt every day during a fast. This makes sense as your electrolytes can become severely depleted during a long fast-- especially if you're drinking a lot of water. I assume this explains my own keto flu on day 3 (I was not supplementing salt). This is a safety precaution that should absolutely be heeded. At a minimum, you should take some amount of salt, but really should find some way of supplementing potassium & magnesium as well. Running out of electrolytes can cause heart palpitations and possibly induce a heart attack.
I'm sure there are other good practices that aren't cheating for a 7 day fast, but I've never gone that long myself so haven't reasearched. I'm assuming you've at least done a few 1-3 days fasts already to somewhat prepare yourself for a longer fast. I don't think I would just jump into a 7 day.
Lastly, in case you don't know: don't binge eat at the end. You should ease back into eating with small amounts of healthy, lighter food.
0
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:15 pm to Rex Feral
quote:
My wife and younger kids are on a mission trip. I was supposed to go with them but one of our older kids was having some problems so we decided it best I stay at home with him. Every time I feel hungry I'll pray for them and what they're doing.
That just sounds weird.
You need to be hungry to remember to pray for people...
This post was edited on 5/26/26 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:17 pm to Rex Feral
I did a 7 day water fast last month. I've done a 6 before & many 2 or 3 day ones. The first day is no problem. I would say day 2 or 3 are most difficult. After that not too bad. I kept exercising.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:19 pm to Rex Feral
Im especially enjoying my bacon i cooked this morning after reading this nonsense
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:26 pm to Rex Feral
quote:
I noticed caffeine affect me differently this morning. I'll probably forego it the rest of the way.
I don't remember the caffeine hitting me differently, but everyone is a little different. I know I get caffeine withdrawal headaches if I don't drink coffee, and since long fasts carry their own headache risks, I don't want to compound that issue or get confused about the source of my discomfort.
If you really know you felt different in some way, perhaps you might consider cutting down the amount of coffee by a third of so, watering it down and drinking when warm vs hot, and drinking it more slowly (like half in the morning & half around noon) starting tomorrow and re-evaluate as the week goes on.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:26 pm to AllbyMyRelf
quote:
Yes. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are frequently instructed to fast as legal, ceremonial requirements. Did God not understand life before the coming of Christ?
Old Testament.
quote:
After Christ, Jesus assumes people will fast in his sermons “when you fast…”
But he didn’t tell people to do so. He did tell people to do it in private and not publicly show off that you’re doing so. Too bad for the OP.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:27 pm to ColoradoCock
Wouldnt it be best to drink not water with salt or something like that while fasting but at least one bottle of Pedialyte?
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:27 pm to ColoradoCock
quote:
Im especially enjoying my bacon i cooked this morning after reading this nonsense
I get it. I've researched it ad nauseum. Once you get into what autophagy is and how it repairs your body it's just eye-opening. There are so many cases out there were people are fighting off some cancers by simply fasting. What researchers are seeing is the body being able to take a break from digestion and being allowed to fight for it's life. If caught early enough, autophagy is choking out cells inhibiting tumor growth. Some cases have cancer cells being erased. It's wild shite.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:28 pm to ColoradoCock
A 4-5 day fast a few times a year is good for you (if otherwise healthy). It engages the body’s autophagy process (literally means self-eating), where a lot of the body’s muck is cleaned out. It invigorates cellular development processes and, of course, leads to some nice weight loss.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:28 pm to AllbyMyRelf
quote:
God instructs people to fast. Are you saying that God doesn’t know how life works or that God is instructing people contrary to his purpose? Or do you not actually believe in God and are using this as a disingenuous argument?
I believe in God very much.
I am skeptical of religion(s), especially the nonsensical parts.
When I detach from religion and see the world via God’s life design and creation lens (not a religion) only, I see Him much more clearly in all parts of amazing life.
I also see significant man influence / imprint on religion more clearly, as well.
I don’t think God created life in its human design and then instructed His people to starve it.
That wreaks of man-made ness. I think this is example of then powerful people exerting influence and control over the world’s population via their pen, captured as religious text.
I just never understood religious irony such as this. Full circle, it is things like this that led me to detach from religion and focus on God and Godliness only that has brought me closer to Him.
This post was edited on 5/26/26 at 1:40 pm
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:30 pm to Eurocat
quote:
Wouldnt it be best to drink not water with salt or something like that while fasting but at least one bottle of Pedialyte?
Pedialyte has dextrose which will frick with your insulin levels and break your fasting state.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:32 pm to Rex Feral
I don't like it, I get hungry.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:33 pm to Rex Feral
quote:
Anyone else done this?
Not 7 days. Most I’ve done is 72hrs..
I do intermittent fasting typically Monday thru Friday with a 16hr fast to 8 hour feed and have eliminated carbs and sugar from my diet. Health wise is great.
Longer fast do have some real health benefits. Your body gets into a deep state of ketosis,your body starts making growth hormone and it starts to heal itself.
I will say the one thing that helps me fast longer is having a good electrolyte packet to add to my water. Something with no sugar.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:36 pm to Everyday Is Saturday
quote:
When I detach from religion and see the world via God’s creation lens (not a religion), I see Him much more clearly in all parts of life. I also see too much man influence / imprint on religion.
I don’t think God created life in its design and then instructed His people to starve themselves. I do think controlling the world by then powerful people who carried pens perhaps do show up in religion text.
Virtually every religious group throughout history has practiced some version or form of spiritual asceticism.
I wouldn't suspect you are the first person to think it is hooey, nor the fact that you think it's so, makes it so.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:40 pm to Rex Feral
quote:
I've read that day 3 is when your body starts to really react to it. What did you notice?
You notice that you feel pretty good honestly, and you should even notice more mental clarity as well.
I've done fasting here and there and I enjoy it. Since August I've done 3 or 4 3-day fasts, one 4-day, and several 2-day ones (to reset my appetite if I notice myself eating more lately).
I also like the mental challenge of not being able to eat or drink anything outside of water and black coffee (which I don't drink). You can get some little electrolyte packs to put into your water though, just make sure it's the zero sugar/calorie ones. But those help.
The toughest part is around that 36-hour mark or so. For me, that's when the hunger is the worst and once I power through that it's honestly pretty easy to push through the remaining day and a half. I also don't eat breakfast and rarely eat lunch, so for me I'm only skipping dinner twice and then I'm there.
It's not for everybody, but every time people ask me about it they swear there's no way they could do it. But I always try to explain to them that it really is much easier than it sounds. And you do feel a difference when you're done.
But that, along with eating less unhealthy bullshite and exercising more, has me down about 45 pounds since August, and my body hasn't felt this good in years.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:42 pm to Y.A. Tittle
quote:
Virtually every religious group throughout history has practiced some version or form of spiritual asceticism. I wouldn't suspect you are the first person to think it is hooey, nor the fact that you think it's so, makes it so
Sacrifices of worldly pleasure is one thing, but starving the essence of life (fasting / depriving cellular life for long periods of time), in the spirit of religion, just seems tainted.
Endocrine system and Homeostatic hunger just never seem to make their way into Religious text for some reason beyond my capacity to understand.
This post was edited on 5/26/26 at 1:56 pm
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:46 pm to Rex Feral
I do 48-72 nearly every week. 7 days is a long one.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:49 pm to Rex Feral
I don't do lunch or breakfast Monday - Thursday. If I'm light headed or feel weak, I'll eat an egg or nuts. Drink a lot of water, which really curbs my appetite. I also drink organic fiber (tastes like rope) right when I wake up before my coffee. That also kills my appetite.
Then I eat a good dinner several hours before bed and try to go for a walk right after dinner to help my digestion, though I've missed that more than I've done it lately.
Since I've been doing this, my weight has stayed in a good place and I honestly feel more focused at work when I don't have any food in my system. Some people respond to fasting with mental clarity.
Then I eat a good dinner several hours before bed and try to go for a walk right after dinner to help my digestion, though I've missed that more than I've done it lately.
Since I've been doing this, my weight has stayed in a good place and I honestly feel more focused at work when I don't have any food in my system. Some people respond to fasting with mental clarity.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:52 pm to Rex Feral
Hours 58-60 are when I started noticing enough negative side effects to break it there. I don't think I was taking enough of the right kind of electrolytes. I developed a severe headache and started to get pretty dizzy.
Consider how you will replenish your body with more than just water while maintaining the fast.
Consider how you will replenish your body with more than just water while maintaining the fast.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 1:52 pm to Tigerdew
I wish more doctors would promote fasting then. Why dont they? Oh because we live in a money hungry pharmaceutical world
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