"My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them."
~ Mitch Hedberg
"Moisture is the essence of wetness and wetness is the essence of beauty."
~ Derek Zoolander
No food?
I should have started by writing a post before I began the fast, but here we are, just over 24 hours into my 120 hour long journey. That's right. For the next 96 hours, all I will be allowed to consume is the flavorful and rich liquid we call water.
My last meal concluded at 8:24 pm on Sunday, September 6th. This succulent meal consisted of six eggs, three pieces of toast, a biscuit, strawberry jam, as well as a well balanced dessert in the form of a pint of ice cream. Now I would normally regret having such a meal, but as I sit here and write this, I can officially say I am so very proud to have had that. I know as I get into the latter days of this fast that I will not have regretted taking in those extra calories.
Day 0
179.0 lbs.
7.6% body fat
49.6% muscle mass
Previous Experience
I'm no stranger to the idea of fasting. My typical diet is that of intermittent fasting (IF), meaning I spend everyday fasting for 18 hours, leaving me with a six-hour window to eat. This habit is one I gradually picked up from my brother, but truly implemented starting this past January. There are numerous benefits to the IF diet, from improving your skin to weight loss to building your immunity, the list goes on.
The longest fast I have done to date was a two day fast in the beginning of August and that was not overwhelmingly difficult. The goal of the two day fast was not very well defined, it was mainly because I had regretted eating two days of rather carb heavy foods while visiting grandparents in Tulsa (shoutout Grandma Sara and Grandpa Robert!). As I planned to take on this five day fast, my main mission and goal is to overcome the mental roadblocks that lie ahead. Obviously I am doing this for good reason outside of the mental satisfaction - studies have shown various benefits including removing toxins, resetting your digestion system, and optimizing your body's caloric intake (and obviously weight loss tossed in there).
The Goal
Honestly, I don't really have a good reason for doing this outside of making a challenge for myself. I don't really need to lose weight, the other supposed benefits from the fast are so long term and not exactly measurable that I don't really expect to feel any large noticeable changes. I do know I want to make it all the way through without faltering, so really the goal is just to keep a strong mind. Mind over matter, right?
The Start
Day 1
176.8 lbs.
7.2% body fat
48% muscle mass
Today I woke as I normally would and proceeded to go on a four mile run. I usually do these runs, but today it felt different. Likely because I had spent the last two days worrying about how the water fast might affect me, but I wanted to make sure I was pacing myself.
Because I am used to not getting any nutrients until later in the day due to IF, I felt pretty normal... that was until about 3:00 pm. I began to have a rather subtle headache. Typically, my headaches are the result of not eating enough food. Today, obviously, was no exception. As I sat in the library and worked on my homework, I was able to sufficiently distract myself from the pain in my head.
One of the interesting side effects that is commonly associated with a long term fast is actually increased energy and improved focus. This stems from our survival and starvation instincts from when we were hunter gatherers. Humans would frequently go long intervals of time without food, yet still need energy in order to capture or find food for their survival. So although people think this may not be safe or healthy, I think I am in good company. Hunter gatherers still exist, right?
(No they don't)
Surprisingly (or maybe not), I made it through the day without any real hunger pangs. No growls from the stomach. No intense cravings. Perhaps this is because I spent so much time mentally preparing myself on the front end or maybe it's truly just because of my caloric masterpiece last night. Anyhow, I feel great now.
Other notes from the day:
Drank TONS of water (at least 1 gallon)
Threw football for 30 minutes
Stayed focus on activities
Spare time as result of not having to cook/eat food = more time to work on this
Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!
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