| | Water Fasting

I (29M) just finished first ever 7 day water fast - couple of questions

I just finished my first ever 7 day water fast and feel absolutely incredible. My energy levels and confidence are at levels I haven’t felt since I was a teenager.

  1. Is there too often to do a 7 day fast? Is there a body fat % I should stop fasting at?

  2. Are electrolytes really necessary?

The wiki states: their depletion over time can have scary effects on everything from blood pressure (light-headedness/fainting) to muscle function (heart arrhythmia).

However, I felt none of that and when I tried a 7 day fast the first time (with snake juice) I ended up quitting due to digestion issues with the snake juice - none of which I suffered this time. I’ve tried searching for Dr Fung’s thoughts, but haven’t been able to find anything.

For reference, I’m 5’11 170 pounds and 16% body fat.

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Answer

  1. Nope, people do repeated fasts all the time and even do 30 day fasts. The minimum body fat % before you die is something like 2-3% but that’s bodybuilder material with a strict diet. For fasting I would personally stop at around 10% because that’s low enough, it’s about focusing on growing muscle at that point for definition.
  2. Yes, your body needs electrolytes to function properly. 7 days most likely is short enough to not need worry about it too much, but adding some extra potassium/magnesium/sodium into your water throughout the day will boost mood/energy levels and reduce chances of aches/cramps.

Answer

Congratz! Follow what your body tells you. If you feel like you want to try back to back fasts then try it. No one can tell you what will work for you.

Keep electrolytes on hand. You might need to ditch the baking soda or dilute the mixture more. You will need those electrolytes if you do back to back 7 day fasts. Your body can get depleted over time.

Before anyone jumps me on this.. b2b 7 day… for some people this is mire doable that 14 days straight. I personally do not have an all or nothing mentally about fasting. I have skated easy on 30 day fasts and drug my body through difficult 3 day fasts. Each one is different. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Eat if you need to… just know what signals your body is giving you.

Some of my indicators are if I get hangry over litte things other people say or do, or if I get faint. I drink liter of electrolytes if that doesn’t fix those symptoms then I break my fast. And get right back to fasting. I care about how much better I feel, not the length of time.

I realize other people think differently about this. We have some purist on here and that’s ok. Do what works for your body. Only you can say what works for you.

Experiment, have fun, share what works for you.

Good luck on your journey!

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