72 Hour Water Fast

Our spiritual need for God is far more fundamental than our physical need for food and water.

On the 24th of November, 2023 I started my fast. What was initially planned as 48 hour fast turned out to be 72 hours in the end. It began on Friday night around 9pm and ended on November 27th at 9pm. It was quite a learning experience since it was my first three day fast. I will try to summarize as best as possible my experience in this blog.

• DAY 1 – The first day was easy as I am used to intermittent fasting. It was a Saturday so there was no work stress and I could plan accordingly.
  1. Energy Levels : Overall energy level was good. I could function like it was a normal day. I did not experience any fluctuations at all on the first day.
  2. Cognitive Functions : All cognitive functions were elevated including clarity of thought and fluency in speech. My overall focus in daily tasks was quite high and overthinking was reduced.
  3. Hunger & Appetite : Surprisingly there was no craving for food and my stomach felt normal consistently throughout the day. By late evening I did not have a single thought about food perhaps because my body had begun ketosis.
  4. Body Aesthetic : My body felt extremely lean and dry. I weighed myself and had already dropped 1Kg from the day before. Overall felt light and physically active.
  5. Physical Training : I did one hour of light training including cardio. This helps to speed up autophagy which generally kicks in on second day of fasting.

• DAY 2 – The second day was slightly harder than the first but also went by smoothly as it was Sunday and I did not have to work. Overall the second day is considered the hardest but if you organize fun activities throughout the day it goes by quickly.
  1. Energy Levels : In the morning my energy levels were high as Autophagy had begun which clears out brain fog. However in the afternoon there was a dip in my energy levels which was fixed by taking a 30 minute nap around 3pm. By evening my levels had recovered and I was quite energetic.
  2. Cognitive Functions : Cognitive functions peaked on the second day. Perhaps it could be due to combined Ketosis and Autophagy. By this time all my overthinking and anxiety was suppressed therefore leading to an elevated focused state of mind.
  3. Hunger & Appetite : In the morning there was no desire for food just like the previous day. However in the afternoon when I experienced a slight drop in energy I experienced the feeling of hunger for approximately an hour. After taking a nap it went away and stomach felt normal.
  4. Body Aesthetic : I felt the leanest I ever did in a long time. I had dropped another kilogram which made it a loss of two kilograms since I started the fast. I felt physically active during morning and evening.
  5. Physical Training : I did 45 minutes of light cardio and stretching in the gym. The goal is not to sweat a lot so the body does not lose too many electrolytes.

• DAY 3 – The third day was the hardest for me as it was Monday and I had to go to work. However knowing that I would be breaking my fast at 9pm that night gave me enough strength.
  1. Energy Levels : In the morning my energy levels were not as high as the first two days. I took a cold shower in the morning and got ready for work. The journey to work was hectic as public transport is always crowded in winter. By afternoon my energy levels dipped again but this time I had to try and stay awake during meetings. Energy levels recovered around 4pm and stayed until I broke my fast that night.
  2. Cognitive Functions : Even though my overall energy levels were not as high my cognitive brain functions stayed at a stable level. There is something about fasting that clears out all brain fog and elevates your level of focus.
  3. Hunger & Appetite : The third day was similar to the second day with regards to hunger. I had an hour window in the afternoon where I felt slight sensation of hunger and I could hear my stomach growl during a meeting. Overall it was not severe and did not distract me from work.
  4. Body Aesthetic : On this day I was as lean and dry my body could get. I felt extremely light and active while moving. In total I had dropped three kilograms since I started fasting.
  5. Physical Training : I decided to take a rest day as my body had already been in Ketosis and Autophagy for quite some time.

Overall it was a positive experience for me. I would recommend it to anyone who is healthy enough to do it. Although I did it for Autophagy which is simply recycling of damaged cellular components there were also other positive outcomes such as fat burn.

Do not force it. The goal is to look forward to it and not be stressed about it.