Would you consider a Four day Fast – Water only?

Four-day Water Fast – 96 hours of no solids, just water.

Why would anyone do something like this? For years I've done the big dry January clean down, lost loads of weight, and felt better for it. However, I don't drink anything like I used to, my diet is generally well-balanced, and I exercise a lot. So why bother with a month of abstinence? 

Under the banner of Mental Wealth and specifically Self Care I've been reading up and watching shows demonstrating the benefits of intermittent fasting and full fasting, rebooting and rebalancing our bodies and our gut health, plus a bonus side effect of a bit of weight loss. This posed the question: could I fully fast, how would it feel, and what would I learn about myself and my body? It would really stretch me outside my comfort zone. So why not give it a go?

In the preceding months, I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting. This has meant my body has learnt to feel hungry again, something it wasn't used to due to the chronic grazing that has built up through the pandemic etc; how many times, on average, do we open a fridge door daily to look?

Here are my diary notes of the 4-day fast:

End of Day 1 - 24 hours in, I finished eating at nine o'clock the night before, so I haven't been that hungry today due to the intermittent fasting that has me used to not eating until late in the day. I've drunk so much water I've been weeing all day. So besides knowing I haven't eaten, I'm not noticing much. 

Tomorrow will be very different. It'll be a day and a half without eating. 

Overnight review waking up after 36 hours - plenty of stomach gurgling, and my brain felt really awake. Completed HIIT morning circuits, no real difference to normal. General feeling a little lacking in Vava Voom and sensing the cold (it is cold outside, though). I'm not sitting here feeling absolutely starving. It's just a dull ache and knowing I haven't eaten rather than being desperate to eat.

Morning update on day 3 - officially 60 hours in. I woke up this morning with a dull headache, reflecting the detox from sugar and caffeine. Some weight loss is showing now, and I am four pounds lighter than I was yesterday. I have a slight floaty feeling in my legs and arms. 

It's a little bit spacey, not dizzy or falling over. I played 18 holes of golf and carried my clubs as I usually do, having no snacks during the game was different. I was tired at the end, but not to the point of feeling like my energy had gone off the edge of a cliff. There is a constant dull and empty feeling in my stomach, but I'm not hangry. 

This is surprising as I was expecting my body to yell FEED ME NOW, YOU IDIOT. And I'm not getting any of that.

Day 4 – Overnight was okay a slightly more restless sleep. 

Surprisingly my stomach is neither hurting nor painful, just slightly uneasy because of everything that's going on. Morning HIIT class, no energy. My stats showed a lighter session, feeling mildly lightheaded and weak. Weight shows another pound dropped. 

Today I have felt a bit more floaty as if I'd done a really tough workout making my body feel fatigued and lacking in energy. The headache has been mild on and off.  

Initial thoughts at the end of day four I have to say I didn't suffer from anxiety, stress or feeling hangry. Yes, I felt hungry, but I never really went to the dark side.

I'm really surprised to have not had more adverse or negative reactions. This experience has had a minimal physical impact on me, which is quite amazing considering how big a challenge it is to not eat for four days. 

Would I do this again? 

Entirely possible, on the occasions when I need to reboot and just rebalance a bit. 

Is it something I would recommend to others? I can't recommend it to people because this is down to personal choice. I'm not medically trained to know whether this is good or bad for you. I can say that I did intermittent fasting beforehand, so my body was becoming used to having longer periods without food, and this might well have been good preparation. I just went for it, with the support of my wife checking in regularly on how I was feeling and looking for any changes. 

Throughout the process, I have been very alert to anything that might be problematic. I wasn't taking any chances or being stupid. Oh, for the record, I haven't had a poo for 5 days and 

I have lost 6 pounds through the process as well; bound to go back on again tomorrow! 

The following days – eating sensibly with light meals and minimal exotic flavourings so my gut doesn't feel stressed with the normal volume. Exercise has felt heavy still with low energy. The brain has been clear and chilled. 

On day six, I had a magnificent motion. Overall I'm happy I tried and didn't suffer badly throughout or afterwards. 

Looking After my Mental Wealth – Happy Days!