My Personal Experience with Extended Fasting

Before After

My Personal Experiences with Extended FastingI have fasted many times throughout my life, for many different reasons. I first learned about fasting as a religious practice, and for a long time this was what I associated fasting with. While reading a book called, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, I was introduced to the idea of long term fasting, through the story of Louis Zampberini. His story opened my mind to the idea that humans can actually go for long periods of time without ample nutrition. He spent 37 days on the ocean, and when he was about to die he had a spiritual experience. Laura Hillenbrand also discusses in her book a known phenomenon that can happen with an extended fast, and this is an increase of cognitive function. When I initially began my first fast I wanted the perceived benefits of increased cognitive function and an altered state of consciousness. The first water fast I did was for one week. I did not experience either benefit, but much to my surprise I realized I was capable of fasting even longer. 

When I realized that my body was capable of fasting for longer, I made it my goal to try again. It was around this time that I met an individual that did a water fast for 40 days. This was an amazing realization because I literally thought no one but God could perform such a task. The second time I fasted was for two weeks. I was very untrained and unaware of the proper way to break a fast, and literally was so hungry I ate anything and everything. I felt extremely sick afterwards.

It was then that I decided that I should start doing more research if I were to ever engage in an extended water fast again. In my research I began to learn about all the health benefits that can be related to a water fast. In addition to the increased cognitive function, I discovered that it can reduce your insulin resistance by aiding your body in blood sugar control. Fasting also helps to reduce inflammation in your body as well as improve your blood pressure. Fasting can also help protect against neurodegenerative disorders, something that is super important to me as I have a family history of Alzheimers. Additionally, fasting helps to boost your metabolism and increase your growth hormone to aid in muscle creation and building. Fasting also helps to slow aging. In a study done with monkeys, the monkey’s that were put on a severe caloric deficit had a significantly longer life. Fasting is also said to help protect or fight against cancer, this happens through the autophagy that takes place when your body begins to eat the excess in the body. This benefit is also important to me as both my grandma’s died at a young age due to cancer. 

When I did my next water fast I had an additional purpose in fasting, both to increase my brain health, but more specifically, to fight against cancer. At the time of this water fast I had a concerning mole on my back. I had made an appointment to get it checked out by a dermatologist, but unfortunately the waiting period was more than a month. Not being a person that just sits on their hands I decided to conduct an experiment on myself. Obviously this is all observational and anecdotal, but I figured I might as well see what happens.

My third extended water fast lasted for 11 days. I continued to monitor my mole throughout the fast, and also after my fast. At first I thought that nothing had happened. It was two weeks after ending my fast that I discovered that my mole had completely disappeared! When I went to my doctor’s appointment, there was nothing to show my doctor, and I continued on my merry way. 

Last week I completed my fourth extended water fast, also for the purpose of fighting against cancer and neurodegenerative disease. This experience was very different from my last few fasts. Some things to note while I was fasting, I still engaged in exercise, but it was modified and less intense. On the fourth day of my fast I swam one mile. I did not do any weights or HIIT training, that would have exhausted my limited energy stores. Discovering that I could still exercise while fasting was quite surprising.

Day five of this fast was when I first began feeling more comfortable, and less miserable due to my lack of food. When I began my fast I started at a weight of 210 lbs, after seven days I weighed 193 lbs, for a total weight loss of 17 lbs. It has been 5 days since the end of my fast and I now weigh 205 lbs. This is very typical of a water fast, to regain most of your weight. I am still observing the moles on my back to see if there will be any change, thus far there has been none. 

When I broke my fast this time I decided that I wanted to maintain ketosis. In order to achieve this I ate very few carbs and gorged myself on meat and fats. Several hours after eating a large meal, although completely satiated and full, my state of ketosis was mentally difficult because I still felt like I was fasting, and obviously I was not.  I believe staying in ketosis was so draining on me because it didn’t help switch my body from a sympathetic state to a parasympathetic state, because I needed a shot of insulin from carbohydrates to achieve this. My body was craving carbohydrates, and I made a conscious choice to activate the parasympathetic state of my physiology and observe how this choice would impact my cognitive state. I devoured a large fresh mango and was completely satisfied and happy after eating it. I could feel my cortisol levels decrease as I entered a more relaxed state. It is important to note that I found myself struggling with insomnia throughout my fast because of this exhilarated state of cortisol and fight or flight hormones. In this way the fast potentially was contributing to an imbalance in my body, and if continued could have negatively impacted my health. 

*Disclaimer* I am not giving medical advice, please discuss with your primary care doctor before engaging in any type of fast. I am merely sharing with you my own experience with an extended water fast, and the potential benefits associated with it. I am not advocating for its use, some people are unable to withstand such an extreme fast and may put themselves and their health in danger.