Last week, I decided to do a 72-hour water fast. This means going 72 hours only drinking water without any food. I can honestly didn’t do much research into it, but I do have some friends that have done 72-hour fasts before and none of them had anything negative to say about it for the most part. From the little research I did do, many articles said that prolonged fasts can reduce blood pressure, reduce body inflammation, and lower cholesterol levels, as well as several other health benefits. Don’t tempt me with a good time. Also, prolonged fasts can also be good for weight loss, but that wasn’t a primary reason for me as I actually want to start gaining more weight. It was more about just resetting my body and mind. 

My friend over in Germany had been interested in fasting as well, so we decided to do it together in order to give each other support. It was definitely helpful knowing there was someone else I know going through the same experience. Here’s how each day went:

Day 1

I had my final meal on Tuesday night at around 8pm, which meant my next meal wouldn’t be until Friday night at the same time. When I say it like that it sounds way longer to me for some reason. Either way, I had my final meal and I went to bed that night ready for my first day. I woke up in the morning and went about my day as normal. I weighed myself. 166 pounds. The first day was actually kind of easy for me, I’m not going to lie and pretend it wasn’t. It was pretty uneventful. I was definitely a little hungry at the end of the day, but not nearly as much as I thought I’d be.

Day 2

I woke up on Thursday morning feeling fine still. I was also stoked because I had already completed 36 hours at 8am that morning which meant I was halfway done. I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 162. That 4 pounds lost in a day. I realize most of this was water weight, but still that’s pretty incredible. However, as the day went on I was starting to get progressively hungrier and my stomach was growling quite a bit. I also started having trouble focusing on things I was working on. 

By about 3pm, I was feeling pretty shitty. My overall state of being was pretty lethargic. I asked my friend how his day 2 went earlier in the day because he was about 8 hours ahead of me, and he actually had the opposite experience. Day 1 was hard for him while day 2 was easier. Regardless, I layed down for the ready of the day and drank some tea and lemon water in order to have some flavor. This helped a bit, but my body still felt off. I went to bed that night very excited to wake up and know that I’d be able to eat later that day. This would alos be the day my body would theoretically enter ketosis.

Day 3

I woke up still kind of feeling like shit. I got out of bed and immediately felt lightheaded. Tough start. I was feeling a bit better than the night before, though, so that was a huge plus. My energy levels were just a bit low.

I recorded a podcast that morning and right when I got started my energy levels picked up a ton. I felt clear and motivated. My energy levels were still a bit low, but overall I actually felt really good. I went to a yoga class that afternoon and finished off the rest of my day as normal. Final weight – 160 lbs.

For the sake of being fully truthful, I broke my fast about 2 hours early at 6pm rather than waiting until 8pm. I really debated on this one too, but I realized my ego was the one telling me to wait until 8pm to complete the full 72 hours even though I wanted to grab dinner with my roommate, and waiting until 8pm would’ve been annoying.

Conclusion

I didn’t really have many expectations, but I will say that it was harder than I expected it to be. I don’t know why I thought it would be easy, but going 72 hours without any food after you have been used to eating food every day of your life since you were born isn’t inherently easy. Who would’ve thought?

Jokes aside, I’m happy I did it and happy that I felt like I got the “reset” I was looking for. One of the most noticeable things for me during the fast was that it caused me to feel intensely present with whatever I was doing. I talk about presence a lot, as this is a big focus of mine, and before the fast, I felt myself living in the future quite often while having trouble going back to the present moment. The lack of food helped me feel that presence again, and I hope to continue with that in my normal food-filled life. 

Another big takeaway for me was the idea of gratitude. I definitely take the fact that I can basically eat whatever I want whenever I want for granted. Not only that, but I take the delicious taste of food for granted as well. Towards the beginning of the pandemic, I actually got covid and lost all of my taste and smell completely for about 6 months. Then it slowly started coming back, but I would say the whole process of being confident in my taste and smell again took at least a year, if not longer. That time period was incredibly depressing for me. I love food. I love tasting food. Once it started coming back, I remember saying to myself how I would never take my smell and taste for granted again. Shockingly, life happens and I definitely forgot how grateful I am to be able to taste and smell again. This fast reminded me of that gratitude.

Would I do it again? Yes, absolutely, but I’m not in a rush. When I feel called to do it again is when I will. I’ve always been a fan of doing things that require a lot of willpower for the sheer sake of it, and this was one of those things. It’s a good reminder to me that I am not my mind, and I am truly the one in control.