I want to fast mainly for concentration and self-discipline, which I’ve seen people say that those effects kick in about 3 days into a fast. I can easily do 24 hours of fasting, but it gets significantly harder after that. I have trouble sleeping, I sometimes get lightheaded and I feel lethargic in general, so I end up breaking the fast. Last fast I had was a few days ago, which I ended after 44 hours because it was too unbearable. I’ve referred to the wiki and I took the recommended amounts of the electrolytes. Has anyone had this issue? Any tips are appreciated.
Just saw that you said you were getting electrolytes… Sounds like maybe you weren’t getting enough in OR you’re just dealing with a massive carb dependency.. I typically recommend cleaning up diet and reducing carbs dramatically before fasting. Makes the transition much easier.
Yeah, I had similar issues when I first started fasting. Fast for as long as its comfortable to do so and then eat. If you keep at it, the easier it gets. The body adapts and what was once difficult becomes really easy. It just takes time. Be patient. To speed things along, eat low carb and practice intermittent fasting.
You need electrolytes my friend…
Make yourself some snake juice to sip on throughout the fast… It’s essentially a liquid IV. Will keep you from getting fatigued and light headed.
Ratios below.
Water = 2L
Potassium Chloride = 1tsp (No salt or Now Potassium Chloride)
Sodium Chloride = 1/2 tsp (Himalayan pink salt)
Baking soda = 1tsp ( Bob’s red mill)
Totals…
Sodium = 1920mg RDA = 1800 - 2200mg
Potassium = 2560 RDA = 2000 - 3500mg
Magnesium = take preferred supplement RDA = 400mg
Edit: Added totals and RDA’s
For me it all depends on timing it so the most unbearable hours are before you go to sleep. 24-36 hrs seems to the most difficult time. If I can time it so I go to sleep at around then, I can get over it more easily.
The longest I’ve gone was 4 days (but my next fast I’m going for 10!)
Personally, I only feel hunger for the first 24 hours, so that’s the hardest part for me. I feel cravings around normal eating hours because circadian rhythm or habit, but GI track doesn’t know any better so I ignore the ghrelin by staying busy during those hours in particular. The lethargy is the last nut to crack, once I figure out what works for me though it’ll be smooth sailing! (Narrator: Little did he know, it’s never smooth sailing).