Why I fast? And by fasting I mean I only drink water with Himalayan salt and drink 1 cup of green tea per day for 7 days. Actually, I can only stomach tea for the first 3 days, after that caffeine makes me puke.
Psychologically– It sucks, but most things that suck do indeed make you stronger. Mentally, on day 4 I feel like an anemic pack mule trying to get my owner’s possessions up endless switchbacks. Simultaneously, on days 4 to the end I have great clarity , and have more time to ponder my life. Either way, when all is said and done, and I eat that first bowl of broth, I feel like a champion.
Physically– Look up “fasting Dom D’Agostino” or ”Dr. Rhonda Patrick” for more details. Bottom line is, I’m not a doctor so cannot recommend fasting (short or long), but it has helped me a lot.
I do a 5-7 day water fast every 6 months for the above reasons and many more. I started with shorter fasts of 36-72 hours, and worked my way up. This time, I plan on logging my thoughts in a diary on a daily basis to explain how it has impacts me, specifically my brain function.
Day 1– I have a headache. I slept great the night before, but for some reason woke up with a headache. I think it may have been the massive meal I ate the day before which pushed my blood pressure acutely to unhealthy levels. Usually, this sort of stress to my head leads to a headache the next day. Regardless, I worked about 8 hours that night and felt fine. I had normal clarity throughout the day.
Night 1– Slept like an angel and woke up with no headache.
Day 2 – No headache. Thirsty. Drank 1 cup of green tea in morning. Feel relaxed calm and have plenty of energy to do normal things like walking the dog or typing this. Music seems clearer and enjoyable much like if I were smoking cannabis. Also, my eyesight is quite crisp. I worked a few hours, and felt fine except some random stomachache.
Night 2– Slept a solid 8 hours while house sitting.
Day 3– Definitely less energy today. I felt fine waking up, but less energy when seated. I think I’m fine once I start moving around. Drove home from house sitting, read, hot-tubbed to warm up. Went to Starbucks to do some writing.
Night 3– Slept a little less than the night before. At this point I was getting quite deep into ketosis. I was feeling very mentally clear, yet quite weak and tired.
Day 4– I woke up clear, but as the day progressed I grew much weaker. My cousin and I went to the store to buy some bone broth to break our fast and simply walking a lap through the door was tiring. Of course, I was happy to get out of the house, time is in abundance while you fast. Worked that night, but was cut quickly, and got to go home.
Night 4– Slept fine.
Day 5– Had this day off work. Did a lot of reading and studying, while I wrote up my new training program and a schedule with my new routine after taking the MCAT. Mentally woke up clear, and carried it through most of the day. Didn’t feel faint as much.
Night 5– Slept okay, woke up in the middle of the night very dizzy and out-of it. It was tough to get up
Day 6– This day was boring. I did some studying and more writing. I worked for about 5 hours that night, and honestly, I felt great once I got going. To be honest, I had never worked while 6-7 days into a water fast. Surprisingly, I felt no dizziness, no cloudiness in my thoughts, and I felt great. The main benefit of work was having a purpose.
Night 6– Slept okay, but was restless and waiting to get back to eating.
Day 7– Woke up and read (most of day 7 was late evening and while I slept). I decided to break my fast at the being of the day so that I would have some energy when I worked that night.
Breaking the fast– Honestly, I wasn’t craving any food, but this may be because I don’t really eat carbs and am not too addicted to the glucose spike. I did really enjoy eating. I won’t lie. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy the food for the taste (which has been true in the past), but I simply enjoyed the ability to pass time eating, feeling full, and having more energy. The mental clarity lasted for 3 days after my fast before it seemed to go back to normal.
Overall, this fast was fun, and I want to be clear I am not recommending this in any way, just sharing my thoughts. I am pretty big proponent of spending some time in ketosis on a regular basis for its benefits on neuroinflammation. This being said, again, I do not recommend any of this. If you do want to try it, consult your physician. They even have a mimicking fasting diet now invented by Doctor Valter Longo that could be an alternative option.
If you have any question, email me at happieheads@gmail.com or DM me on the socials. @happieheads
P.S. GO BEAVS