Day 1 of 25 water fast

Hey guys!! This is my first Reddit post and it’s because I’m starting this water fast. I have done 2 other 3-day water fasts and always broke them before I could reach day 4 so I’m setting myself a goal of 25 days plus the 4-5 post refeeding days.

Stats:

19 yo female

Height: 5’6

My starting weight (SW): 160 lbs

BMI: 25.8

My goal: mid 120s-early 130s. I will be posting on here everyday mainly because it’d be a great log to keep track of my progress along with helping me deal with my boredom since I won’t be eating. Also during this fast I will be going to work which is at a grocery store so this will be an interesting challenge.

Day 1: I woke up craving Cocoa Krispies and Lucky Charms cereal hard so bad I went into the kitchen and smelled inside the cereal box to ease my cravings since 80\% of taste is in the smell. Throughout the day I was honestly fine, it was my first day off work so I watched movies & shows along with drinking a cup of black tea and 4 bottled waters with propel packet added into some of the bottles. The propel packets are 0 cal and just has sodium in it to help with my salt levels. 4 bottle waters = 67.6 oz (there’s 128 oz in a gallon) So yes, I was 60 oz shy of a gallon because I listened to my body instead of listening to others which told me to chug a gallon everyday of the fast. I drank every time I felt hungry or started craving something because cravings only last 20-30 mins and drinking too much water will cause you to puke or feel nauseous. I also watched Man vs. Food which is a show that involves food challenges of juicy delicious food around the world and while watching it I felt no hunger pains which was amazing!

Tips!!! VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: Starting on day 2 and continuing throughout the fast, incorporate a teaspoon of Pink Himalayan Salt into a 10 oz lukewarm water in a glass in the morning to help with your electrolytes. Starting on day 3 and continuing throughout the fast, drink Bragg organic vinegar before you go to bed every night to help your liver and heartburn. ONLY DRINK the Bragg organic vinegar because it’s organic and the point of a fast is to remove toxins, not add more. A few tips I’ve learned from my experience and others is listen to your body, you can’t base off of someone else’s experience, if you’re not feeling okay, end the fast. I don’t plan on seeing a doctor throughout my fast because 1.) I’m young and don’t have blood pressure/sugar problems and 2.) I know I have enough fat to allow me to do this I am not stick skinny but it’s in everyone’s best interest to consult one especially if it’ll make you feel safer. Eating food is 90% EMOTIONAL which means this fast will take an extreme amount of willpower and control. Mind over matter, if you tell yourself you can do it, you will succeed. Don’t fall short to cravings or putting it off till tomorrow. Big fan of nike so, “JUST DO IT”. Lastly, 2 more tips I have are, 1.) Try not to be so active during a fast, I know you might think that exercising while having a 0 calorie intake will speed up your weight loss, it will not. It will end up damaging your muscle and contribute more to muscle loss because during the fast you lost 1-2 lbs of muscle. And 2.) know your goals for this and stick to it, if you feel you wanna cave and eat, remind yourself why you’re doing it. There will be good days and there will be bad days in every fast, expect it and stay strong but also listen to your body, if you feel you can’t push through then start the refeeding process. TRY YOUR HARDEST TO NOT BINGE EAT BEFORE/DURING/AFTER THE FAST, On my first trial I went 3 days and binge ate my mom’s dinner which included grilled hamburger, hotdog, salad, beans, banana pudding, beans, and chips. I felt my digestive system literally hate me because it wasn’t digesting at all and I shocked it with eating such a large meal after 3 days of nothing. So take it from me, it’s a big mistake. I am wanting to change my lifestyle after the fast is complete of course so I do not gain the weight back like so many do. I have watched many videos on different peoples’ experiences while long term water fasting and they all mentioned that the fast taught them they can do anything, they have better control and more cautious of what they put into their body (which I currently do not and want to change). My problem with food isn’t overeating or eating because I’m sad, it’s about whenever I have a slight craving of something random I feel the need to give my body that craving at that very moment to satisfy it along with boredom eating. We should treat our bodies like a temple. I can’t wait to experience the mental clarity everyone talks about also having throughout the fast along with better skin/brighter eyes/shinier hair/healthier relationship with food. Also before I forget, I learned from my first fasts DO NOT TELL PEOPLE YOU’RE FASTING. I say this because 1.) people will not understand nor believe the benefits of water fasting so will most likely accuse you of having an eating disorder or just constantly judge you everyday being on it. You need to keep the energy as positive as possible around you, 2.) I actually had people eat more in front of me & offer me more delicious foods knowing I can’t eat it. 3.) You’re doing this fast for YOU, nobody else so focus on that and not what others think. It’s none of their business so keep it lowkey because you’ll end up surprising everybody with how you look at the end. Remember do not use this as a quick weight loss and then return to eating how you did before because you will gain it back + more. Have your new lifestyle plan laid out so you don’t overeat or binge back to your old lifestyle.

About me/ why I am doing this: I am currently in the process of joining the USAF so that is one of the reasons I chose to do this along with learning it’s an amazing detox for your body if you do a 21+ day fast. The max weight for my height to get into the military is 170, and yes I am 10 lbs from it but it made me realize I want to lose more before I go in because I’ve always been unhappy with my weight even as a kid at 10-years-old. I’ve never been huge, not even big, but I’ve always been self-conscious of my arms & thighs because I played soccer my entire life so my thighs are semi huge due to the muscle and big arms runs on my dad’s side of the family and is one of the hardest places to lose weight in. I’m doing this mainly to prove myself that I CAN do this and for my younger self since I’ve never as far as I can remember have been comfortable wearing tank tops or even short sleeves.

Plan post-fast: I am aware how dangerous and careful you have to be post-fast and plan on doing 4-7 days of bone broth, small cups of veggies, and watermelon. Around the time of day 25 comes, I will be leaving on a road trip with my dad and older sister to Arizona and Colorado. I am hoping the long drive will keep everyone from stopping and eating so I can just munch on my watermelon in the back without any Qs being asked.

I have come to terms with a new lifestyle to do afterwards which will include eating completely clean along but also having 2 cheat MEALS max a week because hello, I’m still human and love indulging in some dark chocolate.

During and after the other 3-day fasts I did, I realized in that small amount of time without food just how obsessed we are with food and how long we can actually last without it. 90% of eating is emotional and it is said that majority of people in the U.S will not experience true hunger (which is in the throat) in their lifetime because of how food is literally everywhere you look and the “3 meals a day” or “5 mini meals is healthy” that was taught to us growing up is BS. The food industry is running us for money and costing us our health so I am taking my life in my own control and seeing where it takes me. :) I will continue to update xo