Before trying Fasting 
After Fasting
My Personal Experience with Water Fasting
We’ve been fed a lie for so long by the huge conglomerates that control our food chain. How many times have you heard people saying things like, “ You need to eat 3 square meals a day or you’ll starve and waste away.” or ” If you skip breakfast, you will not function normally.” These are outdated myths backed up by misleading data financed by huge corporations. Modern science proves the opposite is true. Your body actually goes into a rest and repair mode called Autophagy when you fast. However, it doesn’t do that when you’re in a constant state of feeding. The biggest myth about fasting is that people think you will go into starvation mode. Starvation is when your body starts to sacrifice its own tissues and organs in order to survive. An average person with a normal BMI index of 25% fat doesn’t even start going into starvation mode for at least 40 days without food. So you’re good. I’ve tried them all. Daily intermittent fasting, 5/2 day fast, OMAD (one meal per day), extended fasts of 3, 7, and even a 30 day fast. The recommended optimal extended fast is 21 days. However, I did a 30 day water fast as a personal challenge. This is all the knowledge I’ve learned from the many years I put in studying and experimenting with water fasting. *Warning* Please don’t try extended fasts without proper medical consultation.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7010817/
Top 9 Benefits of Water Fasting In This Article:
- Fasting Promotes Autophagy
- Anti-Aging/Extends Longevity
- Higher Brain Function
- Weight Loss
- Ramps up Metabolism
- Improves Immune System
- May Cure/Prevent Diabetes
- May Cure/Prevent Cancer
- Enhances Heart Health
Fasting Promotes Autophagy
The main benefit of fasting is called Autophagy. It’s Greek meaning self-eating. When your cells reproduce, not all of them form perfectly. These degenerate cells then build up in your body. If there are too many of them, they start to promote disease and hinder your total health. When you stop eating for at least 16 hours, autophagy kicks in. Your body systematically seeks out these mutant cells and recycles the proteins and make brand new cells out of them. Also, when you go on an extended fast, your body depletes all of its glycogen stores. First in the stomach, then the liver. When this happens, it uses your stored body fat as fuel to fuel the cellular clean up in a process called ketosis. As an added bonus, your stomach and liver shut down as there’s no more food to process and they get a much needed rest. Plus your body releases a huge amount of human growth hormones and stem cells on an extended fast. People pay thousands of dollars for stem cell therapy. You can get it for free, just by fasting!
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5718973/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4102383/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC329619/
Anti-Aging / Extends Longevity
As you grow older, your metabolism starts slowing down which leads to a gradual loss of muscle tissue. The performance of your cells also gradually deteriorates with age leading to those degenerate cells. Fasting stimulates the production of human growth hormones and stem cells. This leads to increased bone strength, better protein synthesis, and increased muscle mass. All these slow down the effects of aging both internally and in your physical appearance and performance. The longer the fast, the more profound the benefits.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19079239/
Higher Brain Function
Fasting promotes the production of a hormone called BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This, in turn, activate stem cells in the brain which converts them to neurons. The more neurons that fire together, wire together. Every time you learn something new, this happens. The best way to do this is to never lose your sense of wonder. Experiment often and always be open to new ideas and experiences. Also, it’s most important to never lose the element of play in your life. Just because you are older and wiser, doesn’t mean you can’t play. There is a difference between being childlike and childish, though. The secret is to have all the wonder and magic of a child, but not act like a child when you don’t get your way. Note the difference. Finally, when you are in a fasted state, you are more able to focus and concentrate on a task at hand. That’s because there is no blood and energy being diverted to the digestive system. Therefore, you are able to “knock it out of the park” in areas like writing, poetry, and things that require a clear and creative mind.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23755298
Weight Loss
When autophagy kicks in, that means your body is depleting its stores of glucose. The majority of glucose is in your stomach and some in your liver. Once these stores are gone, the body switches over to your body fat to fuel autophagy. Bingo! However, it never does that if you are in a constant state of feeding. The more obese you are, the more toxins you have stored in your fat. That’s why if you are obese, the risk of contracting a disease is many times more than if you are at a healthy B.M.I (body mass index). That’s a measurement of what’s a healthy weight in conjunction with your height. So don’t go about comparing yourself to others. A 6′ 4 person who weighs 200 pounds is not the same as a 5′ 4 weighing the same. Better yet, do yourself a favor and donate your scale to a local nonprofit. Weight is only one factor of health. A better indication is how you feel, your energy levels, and your resilience to sickness. Focusing on just your weight just makes you feel depressed when you don’t meet society’s standards. If you really dumb it down, weight is only just the effect of gravity has on your body. It has nothing to do with your general overall well being. You’ll be much happier by shedding the weight of what others think of you. However, if you are obese for your size, fasting is a great solution to remedy this situation. Don’t go crazy and try to start fasting for days if you haven’t done it before, though. Baby steps. First, try daily intermittent fasting for 16 hours. That’s when autophagy kicks in. Then try a 24h, 36h,72h, 3 day, 7 day or 3 week fast. A one to three week fast annually is recommended for optimal performance. However, a word of caution. Just like a race car, you can’t go from 0 to 60mph without any fuel in the tank. The fuel I’m talking about is knowledge. When I was preparing for my 30 day fast, I took 3 days to fully immerse myself on everything I can find about fasting. I listened to podcasts, audiobooks, watched youtube videos, read articles and blogs. Anything and everything I could get my hands on. That is the best way to fast safely on any extended fast. Educate yourself first. Also, I am not you, so listen to your own body and stop the fast immediately if you’re feeling ill or faint. Consult your doctor before, during and after fasting. Especially if you are not fanatical about health and nutrition like me. Although I like to push my limits, I also do the preparation and educate myself on everything required. Get crystal clear on your limitations and push just a little above your comfort zone. Rinse and repeat until you’ve achieved your goals.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2014214
Ramps up Metabolism
A weak digestive system affects your ability to metabolize food and burn fat. When you fast intermittently, your digestive system gets some much-needed rest. When you re-feed, your metabolism gets a boost which means your body burns more calories and is much more efficient at getting energy from the food you eat. Other ways to speed up your metabolism include HIIT training (high-intensity interval training) and drinking lots of organic teas and eating spicy food. The teas also contain amazing antioxidants and polyphenols which are super beneficial for overall health.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20484315
Improves Immune System
Have you ever observed an animal when it’s sick? They stop eating and retreat to a safe shelter to recover. Do you ever wonder why that is? It’s a natural instinct to reduce the internal stress so it can focus on using that energy to battle the illness. We can learn a lot from our furry friends. So next time you are coming down with something, try fasting instead of food or those expensive supplements and medications. Remember autophagy? It should be your favorite word by now, right? It also works on the cells that are a part of your immune system. This rejuvenation leads to improved immune function. As earlier discussed, fasting releases the fat stored in your body which is where the toxins are. Then they are processed and ferried away via the bloodstream. A great hack for this is to supplement with activated coconut charcoal. It will bind with your toxins to be excreted faster through your digestive system. Some people get sick when the toxins are released. This will help expedite the process shrinking the time you feel sick. The more this happens, the fewer toxins you will have in your body. Then you will be less likely to get sick in the future and you become more resilient.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478699/
May Cure/Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
In the past few decades, cases of diabetes have skyrocketed. The main cause of diabetes is the hidden sugars in all the commercial food products out there. That stuff is in everything! Add to that the misinformation that the governments of this world knowingly spread. Why? Because they get kickbacks from these food corporations. So what do you get? A whirlwind of misinformation fuelled by greed. This corrupt system is trickled down to the medical system where most doctors are nothing more than glorified drug pushers for the giant pharmaceutical companies. They get kickbacks for every prescription they fill. ***News flash, they are more concerned about lining their pockets than your health.*** This corrupt system also prevents honest good doctors from doing the right thing as well. They are not allowed to approve or deny the effects of alternative medicine as they can be held liable. What you need to look for, is a functional medicine doctor. They have the best of both worlds. They are classically trained yet, also take the initiative to train and certify themselves in other holistic modalities to heal the body. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now and back on topic. Type 2 diabetes is brought on by the overconsumption of sugar mainly. Processed refined sugar is toxic to the body and it eventually loses insulin sensitivity. Normally when you eat, there’s a spike in your blood sugar levels. The more sugar you eat, the higher the spike. In response, the pancreas produces insulin which absorbs this extra sugar. This is fine if you are consuming a healthy diet with only little or no processed sugar or only natural sugar from fruits and vegetables. The problem lies when you are over-consuming sugars, both natural and unnatural. This puts tremendous stress on the pancreas and it becomes overworked cause it’s constantly pumping out insulin. Over time, it becomes impossible for the body to produce insulin naturally to maintain normal blood sugar levels. This, in turn, results in unnaturally high blood sugar levels resulting in diabetes. Fortunately, people can increase their insulin sensitivity again through intermittent fasting.
Souce: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5394735/
May Prevent/Cure Cancer
The main food for cancer cells is glucose. When you fast, you deplete your body’s glucose stores. This, in turn, starves cancer cells and makes tumors shrink. Fasting is the single best preventative measure you can take to mitigate the growth of cancer cells in the first place. Cancer is a disease that is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of mutant cells. When autophagy occurs, these mutant cells get recycled and their numbers reduce greatly. So doing at least daily intermittent fasting is a great way to prevent cancer.
source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3608686/
Enhances Heart Health by Improving Blood Pressure, Triglycerides, and Cholesterol Levels
A study revealed that 8 weeks of alternate-day fasting reduced levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by 25% and 32% respectively. Another study in 110 obese adults showed that fasting for 3 weeks significantly decreased blood pressure, as well as levels of blood triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20300080 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17929537
What my current fasting protocol looks like
Every day, I at least do 16-20 hours of fasting or OMAD (one meal a day) if I have a really busy schedule. Every 3 months, I do a 3 day fast. I also do an annual week-long fast. Usually, after the Xmas and New Year holidays. I’ve graduated to dry fasting now. Meaning no food or water. Why you may ask? Because it compounds the effects of autophagy 3 times! 3 days dry fasting = 9 days of water fasting. ***Important, don’t even attempt it if you have not tried water fasting first and studied at least 3 days intensely on the subject!*** To read my article about my experience with dry fasting, go here
Final Thoughts
How you re-feed is just as important as the fast. I can’t stress that enough. So do your own research on the proper way to do it for each type of fast. The rule of thumb is that you have to re-feed using liquids only after 5 days of fasting or more. Keep in mind that you will need some supplements when you go on an extended fast as well. A good mineral salt, liquid magnesium, and potassium are crucial. I will go into more detail when I write about my 30 day fast in a later post. Stay tuned. In the meantime, I highly recommend “ The complete guide to fasting “ by Dr. Jason Fung. Anything from Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Satchin Panda, or Dr. Rhonda Patrick as well. When you read their material, you will be educated about the dos and don’ts of fasting. I hope this helps you to start your own fasting protocol. One last thing, fasting goes hand in hand with the Ketogenic diet. They compliment each other and the Keto diet has immense benefits as well. I will cover that in a future blog, stay tuned. Do you have questions, comments, or awesome fasting stories to share? I would love to hear them. Please comment below. Happy fasting!
