You can watch this epsiode on YouTube here.
What is a water fast?
A period of voluntary abstinence from food and drink. A water fast is when you consume nothing but water and electrolytes whilst a dry fast is when you consume limited/no water. When in a fasted state, your body switches from burning carbohydrates as the major fuel source to burning ketones and fatty acids, putting you in a ketogenic state [1]. This has an array of health benefits (listed below) and is reminiscent of our hunter gatherer days when humans would alternate between feasting and fasting [2]. A fast is broken when anything is consumed that can raise your blood glucose, as this will halt autophagy.
Why did I do it?
1) Spiritual reasons. Most religions (if not all) incorporate fasting [1]. Many report that without the distraction of food one is able to reach higher states of consciousness and get 'closer to God'. Fasting is a practise in resisting desires and immediate gratification, which frees you from temptation and being controlled. It teaches you to accept suffering, which is inevitable in life, and naturally increases your gratitude for food. As your body cleans up dead cells and stored hard faeces, many believe this releases with it the negative energy stored in your body.
2) At the time I was exploring the concept of higher and lower self, which I talk about in this podcast episode.
3) Health. There are many benefits which I will go through below but I have PCOS and fasting with keto is supposed to be a great way to treat it.
4) Weight loss. Only a small % of women with PCOS are NOT overweight, and one study suggests 50% of women with PCOS are obese [3] No matter how disciplined I am with diet, I never feel like my body reflects my commitment to health. This was a good way for me to get down to my goal weight which I can maintain hereafter.
Health benefits - What happens in your body when you fast?
Our body has two fuel systems from which our cells get their energy. One is sugar (carbs) and the other is fat (ketones). Our brain needs both to function properly. If you have never fasted for more than eight hours you have likely never switched into a ketogenic state. Being in this state has many benefits including - increased mitochondrial stress resistance, antioxidant defenses, autophagy, DNA repair, decreased glycogen, decreased insulin, decreased mTOR, decreased protein synthesis, decreased LDL cholesterol, decreased haemoglobin A1c, reduced body fat, reduced visceral fat, lower blood pressure, increased growth hormone production, improved dopamine pathways, repairs to the immune system, improved gut microbiome and reduced recurrence of cancer. [4] [13]. It is also associated with increased alertness and mood enhancement [5]. The longer you go in a fast, the more benefits you experience. For more in-depth information about these processes, I recommend Dr. Mindy Pelz book Fast Like a Girl. The following information has been taken directly from that book.
Autophagy is one of the most important benefits from fasting. After about 17 hours of fasting your cells register a drop in blood glucose and begin repairing. They do this to make themselves more resistant. Instead of looking for food outside, the cell begins to eat what is inside. Overtime our cells accumulate damned materials and this causes cellular dysfunction. The parts of the cell that perform jobs also get worn down, and as a result they can't do their job properly. This contributes to aging and other issues. Autophagy removes these parts. It also repairs damaged mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell - which can lead to an array of health problems related to inflammation such as chronic fatigue, impairments in organs and cognitive disabilities [13]. When in a state of autophagy, cells can sense when a cell is malfunctioning (these cells often turn into cancer). Autophagy initiates cellular death known as apoptosis. So fasting is really great at cleaning up damaged cells and cell parts, a process associated with being anti-aging and anti-cancerous [12].
12-16 hours: Intermittent Fasting
- At eight hours your liver will start making ketones.
- At 15 hours you experience mental clarity as ketones 'supercharge' the brain (no brain fog).
- At 17 hours your cells move into a state of autophagy.
- Liver notices the lack of glucose and begins burning stored glycogen from the liver.
- Bad gut bacteria dies off and good bacteria grows.
- Weight loss.
- Improvement in blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, hemoglobin A1c.
- Increased energy from ketones.
12-72 hours: Autophagy
- Detox (as explained above).
- Improved brain function and cognition: slows down neurodegenerative aging, improves memory, enhances mental cognition and improves focus.
- Prevents a cold: ss viruses and bacteria work off our energy system, they can't replicate when we are fasting.
- Balances sex hormones: great for perimenopause, infertility and PCOS. PCOS has been shown to result from dysfunctional autophagy.
24+ hours: Gut Reset
- Burst of stem cells released into your gut repair inner mucosal lining [12]. Brings worn out cells back to life. Useful for counteracting antibiotic use, offset birth control use and help small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
36+ hours: Fat-Burner
-The 'magic' number for burning fat. Extra sugar is stored in the fat and liver, and at 36 hours it breaks down. Useful for people who are weight-loss resistant.
- Reduces cholesterol. As cholesterol is made in the liver, influxes of sugar (carbs) result in a rise in cholesterol. The liver also makes ketones, so fasting helps produce more ketones and also repairs the liver to stop overproducing cholesterol. Many current diets are high in carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, grains) and low in fats, causing a rise in cholesterol.
- Most effective weight loss plan is alternate day fasting with 36 hours on, 12 hours off (eating).
48+ Hours: Mental Health
- Fasting can repair dopamine receptor sites, create new dopamine receptors, improve dopamine pathways and make your dopamine receptors more sensitive [14]. Benefits often experienced weeks later.
- Reduced anxiety: fasting stimulates your prefrontal cortex and makes the neurotransmitter GABA, taking your brain out of a fight-or-flight response operating from the amygdala.
72+ Hours: Immune Reset
- At 72 hours your body regenerates stem cells, which find injured body parts and makes them anew again [15]. Also has a dramatic effect on aging cells. You will continue to produce stem cells until you begin eating again. This can ease a chronic condition, prevent chronic disease, alleviate pain and stiffness in musculoskeletal injuries and slow down the effects of aging.
Diary
- The first time I did a three day fast I bought a continuous blood glucose monitor as this can indicate when your blood glucose is in the 'danger' zone. I bought the brand Freestyle Libre 2 for $109 from Community Care Chemist which was $100 cheaper than anywhere else. You insert it into the back of your arm and it lasts for two weeks. It sends data to your mobile so you can track you blood glucose on the app. This is really good for testing which foods or supplements will take you out of a fasting state (see FAQ) and if your blood glucose gets into the danger zone you should stop fasting. This happened to me the first time I tried and I was feeling faint so I stopped the fast. I was not having enough water or electrolytes (see FAQ).
- The second time around was easy. Most people report the first three days being the hardest but I think they were easy for me because I have already done the Lion Diet and I ate a lot leading up to the fast. The more experience you have being in a fat burning state (from keto or fasting) the easier it is for your body to switch from using carbs as a fuel source to ketones [1]. This is called metabolic flexibility. If this is low, you will likely have a hard time and experience the 'keto flu' and other symptoms. Your body may even burn muscle as the body looks for glycogen.
- I felt euphoric, like an altered state of conciseness and could reach deeper states of meditation already.
- Day 3 I noticed a pain in the right side of my stomach. I googled and it is common for people to experience pain in the gall bladder whilst fasting and even develop gall stones. I bought 'ox bile salts' as a way to prevent this.
- Day 4 I stopped feeling hungry. The body adapts and stops producing digestive acids and starts cleaning up. I enjoyed not having to cook, clean and shop for food.
- Days 4-8 I experienced insomnia. Commonly reported in the first 10 days for many. Can be helped by having more salt before bed.
Days 5-7 I was feeling really bad. Fatigued from the lack of sleep and low mood. I was irritable and feeling sad. I think because I had less distraction, some things I always carry came to the surface. Some people believe the mind brings emotions from the subconscious up to the conscious during fasting. By witnessing these emotions blocked energies are supposed to be released. I had a self love day where I got dressed up, got my nails did, and bought myself flowers, and this helped. I was also constantly nauseous which may be caused by not taking enough sodium or having acidity in the stomach. A yoga remedy is to drink slightly warm water with salt in order to vomit. I also experienced restless leg syndrome and slight heart palpitations. These are signs of electrolyte deficiency. The electrolyte powders were making me feel so nauseous so I switched to electrolyte supplements I bought for $48 (inc. postage) from here.
- Day 9 I started feeling way better. Still felt a bit faint if I did too much. Tried to sleep my way through it. I started to develop the phenomenon called 'white tongue'. This is a common side effect where the tongue develops a white coating and my mouth tasted like shit. From my research I was unable to find a conclusive reason why. The bottom line is there are not many studies on extended fasting, so there are just a lot of hypothesis. One theory is it is papillae (the little bumps on your tongue) which are usually swallowed when dying but without eating they just stay in your mouth. Other theories include it being an overgrowth of fungus and bacteria in your mouth due to dehydration, or it even being thrush. People often buy a copper scrapper to help.
- Day 10 I noticed I need less sleep. This is commonly reported with two main theories as to why - firstly, the body is trying to wake us up to go 'hunt', or secondly the body doesn't need as much rest without the high energy process of digestion [1].
- I began to get sore knuckles on my right hand. Around days 5-15 people often report feeling pain in areas that have previously been injured as the body repairs damaged cells. However I had arthritis briefly and this felt exactly the same. My arthritis was caused by high histamine levels, and there is some science to suggest that fasting can raise histamine levels [6].
- Days 12 onwards I alternated between feeling really good like I could do this forever to feeling awful and wanting it to end. Within one day I would feel full of energy then very fatigued. I definitely had some spiritual insights - rather than having ‘downloads’, I felt like underlying feelings were really coming to the surface for me to evaluate, as many report.
- Days 13-14 I just consistently feeling worse. I was so fatigued jobs like cleaning the house were piling up. My mental health was deterioration but I kept waiting for this phase to end and to start feeling amazing as everyone reports. On day 14 I realised I was getting worse not better, so I called it in.
Weight loss - In total I lost 7kg and gained back about 2-3kg after refeeding.
Refeeding - I spent the next seven days refeeding (see FAQ for how to refeed). I had a hard time with this. On the second day I ate chilli and it gave me intense stomach cramps whilst nausea and heart burn.After seven days I gained probably 2-3kg. Even though I was limiting the foods I was eating, I was still eating too much. The biggest realisation I had from this experience was how much my eating disorder voices had come back and were motivating me without even realising. In the refeeding week I struggled with binge eating and bulimia for the first time in five years. This is considered an addiction so it is technically a relapse. This caused me to lose a lot of trust for myself and I felt ashamed. I want to note this because if you have a history of EDs, just be really aware of old thoughts creeping in, like unrealistic weight loss goals or the desire to be underweight.
Spiritual insights
As mentioned above, the first few days felt euphoric. I experienced deeper meditations and things that are always lingering in my psyche were coming to the surface for me to deal with. I think the realisations around eating disorders was the whole spiritual revelation I was meant to have from this experience. I identified the eating disorder voice that slipped in and I identified where else it was driving me in my life. I realised it was behind some of my goals around success. It is always this belief that once I achieve x, then I will be good enough. For the first time in my life I identified what triggered me to have these eating disorders again and saw a clear pattern over the course of my life. Now I know what triggers them. I am now working on my relationship to food in a new way. Sometimes I feel like I have no control but I’m accepting myself in that situation. I am also talking to the part of me that seeks comfort in food. I am going to try and be more mindful whilst I eat, try to only eat when I am actually hungry and not just craving, and follow the rhythm of my body. I’m just going to listen and communicate with it more. I spoke with my friend Rachael who said that I basically tried to run a marathon without training and now I am renegotiating my relationship to food, and that feels so true.
FAQ
What can I consume on a water fast?
Depends what you want to achieve. Some people consider consuming anything other than water a 'dirty' fast. However, some things can be consumed without taking you out of a fasted state (raising your blood glucose), such as tea, coffee, supplements and more. Dr. Eric Berg explains this here. I had lemon in my water but didn't squeeze it. The best way to see if something takes you out of a fasted state is to measure your blood glucose levels before consuming something and then half an hour after eating to see if it raises [4]. Dr. Mindy Pelz says small amounts of some high fat foods won't take you out of a fasted state. This includes 1/4 of a cup of high fat grass fed cream, 1/2 of an avocado, 1 tbsp of MCT oil or 2 tbsp of nut butter (not peanut butter). I highly recommend her YouTube channel or book Fast Like a Girl. However everybody is different. Having these foods or bone broth can help prolong the fast. However, as bone broth contains protein it will likely take you out of autophagy. If weight loss is your goal, this may not matter to you, and bone broth is an excellent source of electrolytes. If you are fasting to heal, go for the high fat option. Either way, any kind of fast is a massive achievement.
Is it safe?
It depends on the person. There are some conditions can put you at higher risk such as having gout as fasting can increase your uric acid, so it is advised you consult your doctor and are monitored whilst doing it [7]. However in general fasting is safe. Our body is adapted to fasting and we often have much fat to sustain us. The world record goes to Scottish man Angus Barbieri, who fasted for 382 days during which he lost 125 kg [1]. Some people even exercise normally and it is common for people to go 40 days for spiritual reasons. There are two supposed signs when it is time to end a fast - when real hunger returns and when the white coating on your tongue goes away [8]. This can indicate that you are leaving a fasting state and entering starvation. You do not want to stave as this is when your body starts to break down essential tissues.
Will I lose muscle?
The general consensus is no, but some studies I have found contradict this [9]. Dr. Jason Fung wrote in his book the The Complete Guide to Fasting that muscle is the last to deteriorate [10]. He says it only happens in very malnourished people with a body fat % of less than 4% (for context, elite marathon runners have 8-10%). As I wrote above, your body can take glycogen from muscle if you have poor metabolic flexibility, so it may be best to train yourself up to fasting to avoid this. It does seem that it is lost much less than fat and results vary per person.
What electrolytes do I need?
The most important electrolytes needed during a fast are sodium, potassium and magnesium.
For sodium I take 1 tsp of salt (recommended 3-6g per day). Make sure the salt is iodised. Symptoms of deficiency include fatigue, headaches, nausea, insomnia and difficulty concentrating.
For potassium I take 1 tsp of potassium chloride (recommended 3-4.7g per day).
Symptoms of deficient include muscle spasms/cramps, fatigue and heart palpitations.
For magnesium I take a supplement twice a day (recommended 300-400mg per day). Symptoms of deficiency include muscle tremors/numbness/weakness, agitation, depression.anxiety, nausea and insomnia.
Everybody is different so figure out what is best for you. The main signs you are deficient is feeling dizzy/light headed when standing up. You may also be dehydrated. I also often swap the powders for supplements as I find it easier to consume, however you must be conscious of amounts as one tablet is not enough.
How do I refeed after an extended fast?
Refeeding is no joke. Take it seriously. If you go straight back to normal eating you can make yourself seriously sick. According to some estimates, 14,000 people from the Belsen concentration camp died of refeeding syndrome when eating food again which resulted in edema, acute heart failure and acute vitamin B1 deficiency [1]. The general rule is you need to spend half the time you spent fasting refeeding before going back to eating normally. For example, if you fast for 30 days you will need to refeed for about 15. This may be more or less for some people. There are varying opinions on what foods to refeed with. The general consensus is that as your body has stopped producing digestive acids you need to build it back up before consuming foods that are harder to digest, so start with liquids. You also need to build back your microbiome in the stomach. The following advice is taken from Dr. Mindy Pelz [4]:
(one hour between each step)
1) Bone broth (vegetable if you don’t eat meat). When fasting your digestive system shuts down. and it cannot handle solid food. Bone broth will warm it back up.
2) Probiotic meal with fat, such as natural yogurt, olives, sauerkraut, kombucha or miso soup. Refeeds good bacteria back into your gut. (If you get bloated after this step, you have gut damage).
3) Fibre such as steamed or boiled vegetables like carrots or broccoli (must be steamed or boiled so they are easier to digest), sweet potato or avocado. Can also add butter. Fibre will feed the good bacteria to help digest food.
4) Meat. Digestive system is ready for harder to digest foods such as meat.
Some people refeed with juice, however this will spike insulin and take you out of ketosis and so is not good for some people like me. My general rule is to introduce 1-2 foods per day and I stick to foods high in fat. The order I reintroduced foods is: bone broth, yogurt, avocado, cream, bacon, cheese, pork belly, sauerkraut, etc. Some people avoid meat for many days as it can be harder to digest but I am fine with it.
What is the 'whoosh effect'?
'Whooshing' is the phenomena of rapid weight loss experienced after a plateau in weight loss for people on low calorie diets. During fasting, people report loosing a lot of weight in the first week which then slows down. Glycogen in the liver retains water, and so as this is broken down in the first week we loose a lot of water weight (expect to gain this back when eating again) [4]. In the first week we are also clearing out our bowels as nothing new is coming in. After this weight loss will slow. The body will slow down metabolism to conserve energy. Despite burning energy every day, some people still report no or little weight loss. Some hypothesize that when the fat cells are emptied they replace this fat with water. This results in a variation in the appearance of body fat which some refer to as "squishy fat" [11]. Then, all of a sudden (or often after a consuming a high carbohydrate meal again) the water is released all at once, resulting in a big loss on the scale. Another hypothesis is that the increase in cortisol that results from dieting can cause water retention [11]. For me, I lost 5.5kg in the first week, then in the second week I only lost 1.5kg and then gained back 2-3kg after refeeding for seven days.
Resources
Transcript
file .txt
Books
Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz
Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung
Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard Schwartz
References
[1] Visioli, F.; Mucignat-Caretta, C.; Anile, F.; Panaite, S.-A. 2022, Traditional and Medical Applications of Fasting. Nutrients 2022, 14, 433. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030433
[2] Wang, T.; Hungs, C. C. Y., & Randall, D. J. 2026, THE COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF FOOD DEPRIVATION: From Feast to Famine, Vol. 68:223-251 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.physiol.68.040104.105739
[3] Hoeger, K 2001, Obesity and Weight Loss in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, Volume 28, Issue 1, Pages 85-97, ISSN 0889-8545, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-8545(05)70187-X.
[4] Pelz, Mindy 2022, Fast like a girl: a woman's guide to using the healing power of fasting to burn fat, boost energy, and balance hormones, Hay House, Inc.
[5] Michalsen, A. 2010, Prolonged Fasting as a Method of Mood Enhancement in Chronic Pain Syndromes: A Review of Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms. Curr Pain Headache Rep 14, 80–87 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-010-0104-z
[6] Misto, A., Provensi, G., Vozella, V., Passani, M. B., & Piomelli, D. 2019. Mast cell-derived histamine regulates liver ketogenesis via oleoylethanolamide signaling. Cell metabolism, 29(1), 91-102. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdfExtended/S1550-4131(18)30579-5#:~:text=We%20found%20that%20fasting%20increases,concomitantly%20heightens%20liver%20OEA%20production.
[7] Gumaa, K. A., Mustafa, K. Y., Mahmoud, N. A., & Gader, A. M. A. 1978. The effects of fasting in Ramadan: 1. Seram uric acid and lipid concentrations. British Journal of Nutrition, 40(3), 573–581. doi:10.1079/BJN19780161
[8] Chuckrow, R. 1997. The Intelligent Dieter’s Guide, Rising Mist Publications, Briarcliff Manor, NY. https://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/Fasting.html
[9] Laurens, C., Grundler, F., Damiot, A., Chery, I., Le Maho, A. L., Zahariev, A., & Wilhelmi de Toledo, F. 2021. Is muscle and protein loss relevant in long‐term fasting in healthy men? A prospective trial on physiological adaptations. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 12(6), 1690-1703. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12766
[10] Fung, J., Moore, J. 2016. The complete guide to fasting: heal your body through intermittent, alternate-day, and extended fasting, Victory Belt Publishing.
[11] Pansini, L. 2021, Is the “whoosh effect” a thing? An evidence-based perspective, Alan Aragon’s Research Review. https://bodycompacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Pansini-L-Is-the-whoosh-effect-a-thing-An-evidence-based-perspective-1.pdf-1.pdf
[12] De Cabo R, Mattson MP: Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease. N Engl J Med. 2019, 381:2541-51. 10.1056/NEJMra1905136
[13] Green DR, Galluzzi L, Kroemer G. Mitochondria and the autophagy-inflammation-cell death axis in organismal aging[J]. Science, 2011, 333(6046): 1109–1112. doi: 10.1126/science.1201940
[14] DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory 2007, Food restriction increases dopamine receptors - linked to pleasure - in rats, ScienceDaily.
[15] Cheng, Chia-Wei et al. 2014, Prolonged Fasting Reduces IGF-1/PKA to Promote Hematopoietic-Stem-Cell-Based Regeneration and Reverse Immunosuppression, Cell Stem Cell, Volume 14, Issue 6, 810 - 823