My Experience Fasting for Five Days
Over the last year I have heard about the benefits of going without food (not water) for 3–7 days. These include:
- Delaying aging and increasing healthspan by triggering autophagy, which is the bodies system of clearing out damaged cells. Fasting activates stem cells for the production of new cells to replace the damaged cells. Organs actually shrink, and when refeeding, they regrow.
- Reducing insulin resistance and inflammation in the body.
- Increasing human growth hormone for weight loss and muscle gain.
- Changing the way you think about hunger and food.
I decided to dive in and go for a five day fast. I downloaded the Zero app which is a free app to help you track your fasts. I officially started my fast on Sunday at 7:00 PM.
I took notes on how I was feeling each day.
Day 1 — Monday
I was a little hungry during the day, but not too bad since I ate so much yesterday. Fantasized a little bit about food and started talking to people about their favorite foods. Did my lifting and sauna routine without a problem.
Day 2 — Tuesday
I am super thirsty and drinking a lot. Feeling a little giddy. Yesterday I had horrible allergies, stuffy nose and puffy eyes. Today, my allergies are 100% gone! No suffering or hunger in the evening.
Day 3 — Wednesday
Woke up feeling drained of life. Total body weakness and muscle aching. Took a shower and it loosened me up and got me feeling much better. Started seeing light sparkly visuals in my peripheral vision. At 11:00 AM, was feeling great. Fantasizing about food for fun but not super hungry. Sense of smell up 500%, I can smell everything. Ended the day in a great mood.
Day 4 — Thursday
Woke up feeling great, a little weak but in a good mood. I believe I have transcended hunger, I am no longer feeling any hunger. In fact, I feel the opposite of hunger and don’t want anything to eat. Went on a hike with a friend, was slow but finished the hike. At work I felt incredibly productive and focused. Light muscle aches in the afternoon. Was very weak in the evening but drank a ton of fluids and ended the night feeling actually pretty great.
Day 5 — Friday
Woke up with a spring in my step, feeling very energetic. Hunger is completely gone, slight weakness still present. My sense of smell is spectacular, I smelled some peanut butter and took in a symphony of smells like I could not believe. My vision is remarkably better, didn’t think I would be able to see better than I normally do. Heightened senses probably useful for finding food. Maintained high energy throughout the day.
End of Fast — Friday Evening
I closed my fast with a few friends at 7:00 PM at Tucanos Brazilian Grill where freshly grilled meats and vegetables are brought to your table for your selection. Got really nervous about eating, considered holding off and going for six days. Steak came to the table and I just decided to eat it. I put a small bite in my mouth and an incredible feeling of joy and happiness rolled over my entire body. This got the engine of hunger going again and I ate to 99.9% of my capacity. I think my stomach had shrunken quite a bit, I wanted to eat more but physically couldn’t. I was planning on not eating any carbs on the first meal, but ended up getting mashed potatoes and rice which I could not resist.
Day 6 — Saturday
Woke up with a super stuffy nose and puffy eyes, allergies instantly back after eating! Maybe the carbs are the source of this? Feeling lower energy than when I was fasting but happy to be able to eat again.
Summary
I took full 3D body scans with my Naked body scanner on Monday and on Friday. I ended up losing 5.1 pounds of fat during the fast. Here is the before and after comparison:
In conclusion:
- Not eating for five days was way easier than it sounds, and the positive side effects were quite pleasant.
- Days 3 through 5 felt the same difficulty, if I committed to it I probably could have gone 7 days.
- The main downside for me was a general sense of weakness in the body.
- Fasting probably isn’t for everyone, but it is probably easier for people with a higher body fat percentage for the body to draw fuel from.
- I have set a goal to do a five day fast 4 times per year, hoping to leverage this as a tool to increase my overall health.
For more information on fasting, you can check out these YouTube videos:
