40 days of water fasting....
 

So I know y'all are going to bash me but hear me out....I was diagnosed 2 years ago with asthma and I have always have severe food allergies. Well I have been told that water fasting for medical healing is very beneficial and much better for you than a lifetime of meds. So tomorrow is day 1 and I will keep logging in and keeping you posted on all the benefits and troubles that I experience. If you post something negative or an opinion about fasting then please save your time because I will not read it and I have done all the research that I needed and know my pros and cons....by the way I am 28 and a healthy weight so my doctor says I won't need medical supervision for this. Wish me luck and I would love to hear from anyone doing a long term water fast...talk to you tomorrow!

Hi there countrygal :),

I agree with you completely that a long fast is the best gift you can give to your body in the quest to vanquish these ailments.

A long water-only fast healed my lungs of an inability to take a deep breath among many other aches, pains and other various ailments. 40 days would be quite difficult and even unachievable for most people, so i would encourage you to listen to your body and take it day by day, especially after about 30 days.

The physical hunger should be mostly non-existent after the first 2 or 3 days which makes it very nice, but the desire to eat can be quite persistent throughout and additionally you may encounter some immense weakness and even nausea from detoxing. The nausea in particular makes it a lot more grueling in the days where this is present (if at all).

I'm not saying you can't reach 40 days, but if you are able to you are a rare soul. Though i wouldn't have minded reaching 40 days myself, i made it as far as 36.5 and strongly believed my body was telling me it was time to stop and that it may have become dangerous to continue further. Ideally you will be able to end the fast feeling good as i was able to, enduring nausea my last few days and taking the opportunity to break as soon as this had lifted. :p

I won't be as nice as the above poster :).

You will not last 40 days, and probably shouldn't last 40 days. You'll probably stop, feel discouraged, and binge. And, no matter how much you've read, you have no idea what fasting is actually like. How's that for bluntness?

good luck! im starting my water fast today..i made it to day 6 a week ago lol. my goal is 10 days and im eventually going to do 30 or until "true hunger" hits.

I gotta tell you that I always like reading your comments. Usually you write the stuff I think to myself but refuse to post because I don't want to piss anyone off :d

day 1
 

Alright so I'm halfway thru day 1 and I have to say that this online blog idea is keeping me on track. I am very thankful for the first reply from the person who fasted for 36.5 days...good for you and you will be a strong inspiration for me....hello if you can do it I will make myself so it. I am aiming for 40 but nor letting myself quit till at least 30....I want to make sure I achieve my health goals otherwise I have failed. I do have a question for you....I am a healthy weight now so being on a long fast is kinda scary in terms of weightloss. I am already a vegan (If I kill it myself I will eat it tho)....how much weight did you lose fasting and how did you break your fast?

My other favorite post was from the gal who is on day one...so is today day one for you or is tomorrow? I would love to be fasting buddies and make sure not to let one another slip or quit.....you just have to promise to be honest and we will get thru....if it helps we can send our weightloss as often as you want to keep us motivated. Are you only doing this for weight loss or do you have other reasons? I would love to keep in touch.

He did 36.5 days, but it was not his first fast. He's been doing them for a long time, and knows EXACTLY what he's doing. And, you're not a vegan, if you eat meat, even if you kill it yourself. Being a vegan, has nothing to do with not eating stuff OTHER people kill lol. sorry.

Today is day 1 for me. im doing this in hopes it will cure my bursitis in both hips & bilateral sacroiliitis. I just have to stick to it long enough for it to work. as far as weightloss goes.. i dont really care! after this im hoping i can be back in the gym lifting heavy again. :)

I can attest to feeling nausea on day 2 whenever I've done a 3 day water fast. I never go beyond 3 days; I don't have the will to do it and I currently don't have a reason to develop it. You really don't need to fast that much to get benefits from it. Seeing as it is your first fast you might benefit more from doing one day weekly. That's what I did for a while-I slow carb, so when I needed to cleanse a lot of junk from my system I ate normally for six days and fasted one for a month.

If it's not critical, "I'm going to do this or I'm going to die," then you're better off planning and sticking with something less intensive that's easier to maintain. Hell, I've done 2 and 3-day fasts before and it's usually difficult for me to get past 1.

If you eat meat switch to organic, get rid of any junk food or anything that doesn't have a lot of nutritional benefits for the body, maybe add some supplements, and fast once or twice a week. Add some green tea to your non-fast days to help cleanse the liver, 4-6 cups should be fine; you can drink up to 10 safely. That's the sort of thing I'd recommend going with. It's possible you'll get better results, too, as it won't shock the body so much. That's key-you do not want to go too far beyond the body's comfort zone when you don't have to. Stretch, don't break, if you get my meaning.

I think im going to do daily yoga too.

The weight loss aspect is tricky because much of it is temporary water and intestinal content. I try to estimate how much actual fat is lost and depending on various factors it is likely to be about 1/4 to 3/4 of a pound per day. As one important factor highly correlated with metabolism, a person weighing 100 pounds is more likely to burn about 1/4 pound and someone weighing 300 would likely be closer to 3/4. Other permanent losses can include excess water of a more permanent nature and some believe impacted fecal matter (in some people), 2 factors that can also make a substantial difference in weight. In short, if you are at a normal weight i highly doubt that your body fat percentage will become so low as to become unhealthy even if it approaches the low end of the healthy range.

The scale weight i reached at the end of this 36.5 day fast is something i consider to be insignificant and was a lot lower than the weight where i normalized within 2 or 3 weeks of breaking. I believe i got down to 138 pounds and was back (as desired) to about 163 within 3 weeks (my height is 5'11"). Even at such a low weight my body fat percentage, though low, was not even nearly dangerously low. I looked overly thin at 138 but i knew that what really mattered was where i would normalize a few weeks later with the return of these temporary losses and as well i was taking advantage of this prime opportunity to quickly restore any and all of the minor losses in muscle. As a side note, i place a high value in such measurements as body fat percentage, muscle mass and bone mass, and discount the importance of scale weight. I don't think most people will gain back 25 pounds before stabilizing, but i had a strong rebuilding emphasis.

The Russian Rocket has seen a lot of people announce that they will fast 40 days never getting past a day or two so i understand his skepticism... On the other hand i have known a few people who were able to reach 40 days with little or no prior experience, so it is possible with ample nutritional reserves and enough determination. Eliminating asthma and your food allergies is a good source of motivation and when temptation is strong it will help to daily remember how badly you want to be rid of these issues... something i absolutely believe can be achieved in a long fast.

As to breaking a long fast i am a big proponent of juices as the first step, gently nurturing your digestive system back to normal after it had been enjoying such a long slumber. Live and organic ideally and i also believe there is a lot of value in cooking some of your fresh juices and enjoying them this way, as in say a mixed vegetable cockail consisting maybe of Collards, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, chili peppers and garlic.

Even if you experience a good appetite it is generally a good idea to juice for about a day for every 4 days of fasting then eat fruits and veg for a day for every 4 days of fasting and juicing before graduating to other healthy foods. With 40 days of water-only this would amount to about 10 days of juices alone (or maybe 90% with 10% juicy fruits if a person can be disciplined in this way which can be enormously difficult immediately after a fast) followed by about 12 days of fruits and vegetables.

Everybody and every situation is different and it is possible to be ready for more digestively complicated foods sooner (or in some cases, especially if breaking the fast feeling ill, not as soon), but this is a safe general guideline in protecting your delicate digestive system and helping to restore it to normal functioning after such a long fast. Some even advocate breaking with whole fruits but in very small quantities. Myself, I would rather indulge in larger quantities of juices.

The above guidelines assume that you break the fast before the return of genuine hunger. If genuine hunger is encountered (which is pretty unlikely), your digestive system is almost miraculously ready for anything right away and you could probably juice for just a day or two, have fruits and veg for the same and then move into other healthy foods without impairing yourself digestively whatsoever.

day 1
 

Wow....thank you for all the information. I am a very stubborn person so when I put my mind to something I can typically achieve it. I will admit that this fast is the hardest personal physical goal I have attempted but I know that if I can push through it then I will have the benefits....or at least I hope there will be benefits with my breathing and allergies. I would say that I probably have a 30 pound window that I would be willing to lose without breaking my fast but if it drops below that I would hope that I was almost done so I don't have to cut it short. Has anyone on here healed.themselves of allergies or asthma by water fasting?

How are you doing on day one partner? It is almost 3pm here and I am going strong!

Hey there Cado,

It is interesting to hear that you encountered nausea so early. I have done a lot of 7 day fasts over the years and never experienced it until my 2nd and 3rd long fasts and then not until after about 25 or 30 days. Every individual is indeed different. Out of curiosity, how many 3 day fasts have you done and how many of these led you to feel nausea?

This is true that a 3 day fast can be amazingly beneficial. I really think that with countrygirl's issues, though, it will likely take a lot longer to eliminate them. 3 days can wipe out arthritis symptoms, brain fog, many sore muscle issues and other quirks and make a lot of other corrections, but asthma and food allergies strike me as the kind of ailments that will take quite a bit longer. I was not able to heal my breathing in a 10 day fast but when i followed this up a few months later with 30 days my lungs emerged feeling like new.

I've had nauseu after 2-3 days as well. A few times.

As far as the second part. If a 3 day can't wipe out her problem, I don't see what's wrong with starting off slowly, and working her way up. It's the whole mindset of wanting something instantly, and I don't agree with that mindset. It always causes problems. I want it NOW NOW NOW.

day 1...430pm
 

Well it is almost 430pm and I am doing great...my family is about to eat dinner and I feel very strong to say the least. I bought some fresh tea because it is so cold right now....about 30 degrees and raining so some hot tea made of just tea leaves I figured would be fine. Please let me know if this is not good asap...I don't want to throw away a whole day!!!

Tea isn't part of a water fast.

I felt great today! day one isnt as hard as it use to be for me:) I did some yoga too which made me feel even better.

Its 530 right now so day one is almost completed=)

ive been freezing too! but we can not have tea while water fasting.

wow
 

I can't believe no tea! Well thank you for replying before I poured a cup...good job team mate on day 1...hopefully this blog will help us out tremendously

Nothing wrong with starting off slowly, true, but if countrygal is able to do a long fast, listening to her body and breaking when it is time and in the proper way, i believe she has everything to gain and nothing to lose. It can be helpful to train with shorter fasts, yes, but it's not necessary.

It's important to know that a water only fast is a lot more than just a zero calorie diet and I agree with these other guys that ideally you should forego the tea or anything else with taste (including toothpaste, gum, diet drinks or anything else besides water) as they confuse the body and interfere with the optimal process. Even worse would be anything that requires digestion such as vitamins and minerals. As a way to preserve the perfect fast while keeping comfortable, some people like to sip hot or warm water.

y'all are awesome
 

Keep the replies coming and check in with me during each day cause I promise you that by now I would have already broken my fast. I have attempted this a few times this week and failed by mid day on day 1. This blog is what's keeping me focused. Hearing others input and success is so motivating....thank you more than u know!

My partner in this makes me feel as though I am doing this side by side and I feel like I have to stay on track for both of us....I will check in again before I go to bed and then again all tomorrow.....stay in touch!

See, this is why I'm cynical of these things. Wanting to complete a 40 day fast, but can't finish a one day, while saying that she finishes anything she puts her mind to. They always turn into an exercise in futility, or an eating disorder.

By the way. I also want to point out, that she didn't want anything negative or opinions, because she's done all the research she needs and knows everything she needs to know. But not enough research to know that drinking tea is a no no on a water fast o_O

what do u do
 

So i have been ignoring you all day...but the deal is this....I dont give two cents what ur opinion of me is or how much u think u know. Let me guess punk...u haven't completed anything in life so u try to find other people that fail so it makes u feel better about how weak u r. Guess what...wrong girl. I will not respond to another one of ur lame posts and truthfully nobody cares. I am done with day 1 now and for ur reference I did a fast for 15 days a few years back but it wasn't long enough to help me out long term. Have a great miserable life of failure and u don't deserve succeess and happiness when all u do is try to bring people down and laugh if they fail.

Yee haw!

lol lack of food makes you angry : D . I got plenty of strenght and I've had plenty of success. The reason I say the things I do, is to prevent people from hurting themselves. It's not about trying to see people fail. But, more power to you.

Mentioning your 15 day fast, if it's true, would have probably been something to do earlier on in this thread. While you might not care about my posts, or think they are lame, doesn't mean others feel the same way.

I've been on here long enough, to see "40 day" water fasters come and go . Mighty, is the only one that I actually know can do it. The rest, ALL failed, and some created eating disorders.

And, just as I mentioned, eating meat makes you a non vegan, punk :D

first signs of discomfort
 

So its midnight here and I cannot fall asleep...I'm not hungry because I've convinced.myself all day that food isn't even an option so its completely out of my brain.....but my head is pounding!!! The pressure behind my eyes is horrible....all I want to do is fall asleep and can't. I'm sure my body will wear out and I will fall asleep but meanwhile....this sucks! Hopefully tomorrow will be easier on the headache...day 1 for me this time was.a breeze because I had done some major personal brainwashing and this blog was my outlet for venting. Wish me luck for tomorrow...hopefully y'all are right that I only need to get past the first 3 days and it gets easier because I cannot remember any details about my last fast cause it was so long ago.

the headache will go away soon.

day 2
 

Well my headache didn't go away gracefully....to my knowledge I fell asleep with a splitting headache. But on the positive note.....I fell asleep! Plus waking up this morning I don't feel bad and my headache is gone....for now anyway. I can feelva burn in my stomach but I am not mentally hungry if that makes any sense.

How are you feeling today fasting.buddy?

i feel great! this is a walk in the park for me so far.. probably because i did a bunch of short fasts before this lol I didnt even get a headache this time.. Im not going to fast as long as you but i will be here to support you. I need to work my way up to the long fast. I will be breaking this fast @ 10 days.

thank u
 

Well I'm told to listen to my body after 30 day and take it from there so 30 is my first goal and 40 is the longest I would go so we will see. I'm thankful that we both were on here on day 1 so that at least we can fast the first 10 days together. My stomach is making lots of noises and my heart kinda feels fluttery. Other than that I feel fine. My biggest advice for anyone attempting this long of a fast is to brainwash yourself that food isnt even an option and blog blog blog!

I will check in throughout the day and then again around bed time....have a great day partner! Keep focused

I decided not to do any yoga today. im feeling tired now. Today is going by slow. still no headache!:) my stomach doesn't hurt.. i did get a little dizzy but that passed. At least day two is almost over.