Some background: I’ve been doing some combination of IF and OMAD for probably around a year now. Extended fasting (24h+) is relatively new to me; I probably started incorporating them around 5 or so months ago. I don’t remember what brought it to my attention, but my ADHD made me immediately hyper-focus - I read through all of Jason Fung’s blog, and watched a bunch of videos on YouTube (and, of course, read through countless r/fasting posts). I shortened my eating window to between 20:4 and 23:1 (most days), and started throwing some 36 and 48hr fasts in there.
The longest fast I’ve done so far was a water fast for around 66 hours - I wanted to go for as long as I could, or at least 72 hours, but I was getting waves of nausea and I had a doctor’s appointment the following day and didn’t want a lecture. Looking back, the nausea was almost definitely from some combination of my drinking too much water/supplementing with too much lite salt.
I realized a couple of months ago that I felt much better with dry OMAD, and then I found extended dry fasting a couple of weeks ago.
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Honestly, I’m a little annoyed at Reddit (and YouTube) for suppressing it so hard. I get it, it can be dangerous, but I was drinking way too much water while fasting because I thought I needed to. Since teas were the only nice-tasting thing I could enjoy, I was drinking it all the time. Drinking makes me way hungrier, which I would then try to satiate with more water and tea. Gah. So much needless misery.
The widely accepted myth is that we’ll die after 3 days of no water, so why is there so much pushback if someone mentions even dry OMAD? Why isn’t it recommended to do the first 12-24 hours of a fast dry in order to speed up ketosis? I really don’t see someone completely dehydrating themselves in such a short time frame, and I think it would help so many people. Instead, you’re pushing people to more exclusive subreddits where the major scientific reference used is in Russian, and its recommendation is dry fasting for 9-11 days.
Not that I have any problem with that specifically, and I’m very glad for what little research there is. But fasting in general obviously goes against the mainstream, and if you keep adamantly denying any benefits from dry fasting, people are going to realize that you’re lying (just like the low-fat, low-salt BS we’ve also heard) and be pushed to further extremes than they otherwise would be, in my opinion. Anyway….
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I’m currently sitting at around 46 hours dry fasted and I have no hunger, very mild thirst, and I’m so clear and focused.
I’d also been worried about my growing dependency on Adderall for months - my first 24h+ dry fast was such an incredible relief. ADHD is caused by the brain not producing enough dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline. I’ve never liked the idea of taking medication unless necessary (Tylenol when I had a 104+ degree Covid fever, antibiotics for infection, etc.), but Adderall was such a revelation after having been undiagnosed my whole life. Chores were suddenly no issue, holding conversations became much easier…nearly every aspect of my life improved significantly.
I’ve been taking Adderall on and off for about 5 years now. Ask anyone who’s been prescribed it - it’s never the same as it was in the beginning (which I expected, and I’ve not increased my dose [\~15 - 20mg/day] to try and compensate). It’s caused so many fights (madderall), given me so much anxiety, made me lose so much sleep, and just has kept me feeling like I’m a worse version of myself when I don’t take it. And that’s just the psychological effects - my hands were getting progressively colder, and even colder still at my fingertips. I’m 27 - would I have no feeling left in my hands by 40?
Meanwhile…dry fasting was always right there as an option. And nobody told me.
It’s not just ketosis either, though that obviously helps. I’ve done keto before, and really liked the mental effects, but it wasn’t sustainable (90% of my grandma’s cooking involves delicious, delicious carbs) and the clarity wasn’t this intense by far. I was more impressed with the lack of sugar cravings and rapid weight loss than anything.
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Before this current one, my longest dry fast was 44 hours, and I broke it Wednesday night. I had planned to go for 36, then continued because it was easy enough (even thought about trying to go for a 5-day), but finally broke it because it didn’t feel healthy to go past what I had originally planned. I did read a post somewhere today that suggested that this was the right choice, that intention matters with this sort of thing (depriving your body/brain of something it needs).
I am 100% a convert. I started intermittent/water fasting to lose this last 5-15lbs that hasn’t come off (my diet/exercise routine was anything but consistent), but now I’m nervous that I won’t be able to fast as long/often once it does inevitably come off. Honestly, I’d rather be a little chubby and know that I can safely get to this level of clarity than be fit.
Since there isn’t very much data, I’m breaking my social media fast (I haven’t posted anything online in probably over 6 years now) to ask you experienced folks some questions.
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But at the same time, I genuinely care about these people, and fasting has helped me so much. I wish I had had someone to introduce it to me. Tips in this area would be greatly appreciated.
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Side note: please ignore this question if you don’t have personal/professional experience with ADHD. I’m tired of hearing about how it isn’t real, that I just need discipline, etc., etc. The fact is that in our current society, we can’t follow our dreams and just do what interests us/makes us happy if we want to make a decent living, and my brain will not focus on mandatory BS that I don’t care about. Activities/topics that I enjoy (like fasting, or video games), I go all in, and it’s hard to pull myself away at times.
This History of U.S. politics and the Constitution class I’m forced to take? Without medication, I can read the same sentence or paragraph over and over and over and still have no idea what it says. Suicide becomes increasingly attractive the more I try (seriously, fuck the U.S. education system). At this point, I’ve decided that the quality of life increase from Adderall is worth the side effects, though I’m always looking for a more natural solution (foods, herbs, nootropics, etc.).
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I read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker (excellent book, highly recommend), which is mostly study after study proving that we need 7-9 hours of sleep every night to be healthy. In one part he talks about how people with Bipolar Disorder often report having a manic or depressive episode after having a night of poor sleep, and I’ve noticed this personally (though I don’t think I’m actually bipolar - my episodes aren’t nearly that extreme).
I do think that we sleep to spiritually reconnect, as well as give our bodies a break (fast), so it makes sense to me that dry fasting could give us that spiritual connection, and our bodies need less of a break since we’re not putting anything into it. But, of course, I have no evidence and this could absolutely be a false justification.
Those of you that have done longer dry fasts, have you noticed increased irritability/poor decision making/decreased cognition during them? I don’t expect to feel 100% on day four, but I don’t want to feel the way I have in the past when I’ve gone weeks with \~4-6 hours a night.
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Right now, I’m honestly dreading losing this last 5-10 pounds. I love being able to skip most meals, and only having to do dishes every \~4 days, and saving so much money. The thought of having to figure out what to eat 2-3 times every day sounds like so much work. I do have a huge appreciation for food - day two I’m usually writing recipes down and getting genuinely excited about what I’m going to break my fast with - so it’s not like I’m anorexic, or can’t stand the thought of eating or anything like that. I also don’t want to end up in binging cycles.
I watched one interview with a pro-fasting dietician (or nutritionist, something like that) who talked about women coming to her who had been doing OMAD for years and were experiencing malnutrition symptoms because it just isn’t sustainable long term.
How have you guys adjusted once you reached a healthy weight? Do you feel hungrier more often? Do you still fast? How often? Do you break your fasts earlier than you used to? How does the overall fasting experience differ, if at all?
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I’m super pale, and in the past I would always burn and then tan. I’ve gotten sun poisoning at least three times that I can remember (the scar left from the worst one looks like it’s actually beginning to fade after nearly a decade), though I’ve been actively avoiding the sun for the last \~3 years with clothing and/or sunscreen.
If there are any other super whites in this sub, I’d love to hear your takes! I plan to experiment in the summer but that’s months away.
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Does anyone have experience with oil pulling?
Also, someone mentioned on a post that people have lost teeth from jumping too quickly into dry fasting, but there wasn’t any source. Why would something like that happen?
Lastly, I’m fairly certain I have a cavity in one of my molars, though my gums feel much less inflamed and the tooth in question doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m not expecting dry fasting to fix cavities or anything like that, but the question of oral health on this sub in general seems mixed. What are your experiences? Those of you that do hard dry fasts, do you notice any benefit here? Is there any noticeable benefit to not brushing your teeth at all during a dry fast?
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There are certainly posts I’ve come across both here and in r/fasting written by people who, whether they admit it or not, show signs of an ED. I’m of the mindset that it’s hard not to have some disordered thoughts around food considering what our grocery stores look like (isles and isles of over-processed sugar and vegetable seed oils), the portion sizes that are served at restaurants, the increasing percentage of people around us being overweight and obese, etc.
In many articles I’ve read about eating disorders, they mention things like obsessing over body image, obsessively checking food labels, thinking about food in terms of being “good” or “bad,” punishing yourself for eating “bad” foods, and asking what others eat. All of which I do, and I realize that talking about fasting sounds like an ED to anyone that doesn’t. In fact, when I first began looking into it, I was spending just as much time looking into eating disorder/anorexia/bulimia subs to ensure that I wasn’t falling down that hole.
I don’t want to get fat again (at my heaviest I was quite heavy, though this was many years ago). Being fat fucking sucks. If I do go back to eating normally and put on more pounds than I’d like, I will absolutely begin fasting again.
I do check labels on almost any food item I buy, and I will likely continue to. So many drinks contain aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners in addition to sugar (I’m looking at you, new Mountain Dew energy drinks). I often check labels and put items back on the shelf if I see something I don’t like. Not always - there is some junk food that’s worth the red 40 dye, and if there’s only a couple of unhealthy things in my cart then I can usually justify it.
It’s incredibly hard for me to not see foods as “good” or “bad.” I don’t always avoid all “bad” foods - I’ll eat cheez-its or a chocolate bar, and I will enjoy the fuck out of it. But it’s still a “bad” food, and millions of people are dealing with the consequences of these addictive “bad” foods that have little to no nutritional value. Now what foods I consider “good” is starting to change. This anti-vegetable movement that seems to be happening is very interesting to me, though I haven’t delved too deep into it just yet. I had always thought of fruits as “good,” but people have varying opinions on fructose. Meat is both, though I wish I could consistently afford high-quality meat, and it makes sense to me that factory-farmed meat is filled with fear hormones in addition to antibiotics and corn (or whatever other garbage those poor animals are being fed).
I don’t think fasting after a period of eating not so healthily is punishing myself, but I will sometimes eat a little more than I probably should because I’m doing a fast the next day(s), or fast a little longer than I’d originally meant to. I see it as healing myself rather than punishing, but I don’t always know where to draw that line.
And I straight up refuse to consider asking about others’ diets as disordered. I’m just curious, and I wouldn’t have the discipline to follow someone else’s diet unless it sounded legitimately interesting to me.
Basically, right now I’m not eating enough to worry too much about it, but I am really overthinking what the rest of this year is going to look like for me in regards to my eating habits. I lost \~5 pounds last week (after refeeding) doing those two 40ish hour dry fasts. I can only lose another 15 before I’m below the recommended weight range for my height, and while I’m a little curious to see what that would look like, that’s not my goal nor do I think it’s sustainable.
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Any and all advice/information/reassurance is appreciated!
And yeah, you’re absolutely over-thinking it. Dry fasting is zen in its simplicity. Go without food and water for as much time as your body allows. Eat in ways that make your body comfortable. Avoid things that make your body uncomfortable. Fast again when you feel good and want to do so. Let the healing benefits accrue as they do. Boredom is probably the biggest stumbling bloc of all until you’ve really got the mental portion down due to experience.
Good luck!
Have you read Dr. Filanov’s book?
The only thing I want to point out is that he says that you shouldn’t brush your teeth during DF. It’s something related to your body changes.
On an unrelated note, have you seen his body? That dude is ripped. He looks like he’s in his 60s, but his body is as ripped as a 25 year old. You’d have to see it to believe it.
This is especially notable when you compare his body to someone like Armold Scwartzeggger’s body, who works out regularly and has an…unfortunate body.
I mention this because I perceive from your post that physical fitness is important to you.
Since I’ve started carnivore it’s so freakishly difficult for me to even burn in the sun that I don’t see a need for sunscreen for myself, regardless.
I recommend getting early morning and late afternoon sunlight when you can. Not just for synthesizing vitamin D but for all the hormonal signaling and internal mechanisms in the human body that work off of sunlight. It even appears to regulate sleep.