Hey guys, I’m 17, 182cm and weigh around 93kg (6ft, 205lb) I’ve done 16h fast 8 hours eating fasts before but it’s my first time water fasting. I have a couple of questions.
When do I stop feeling hungry?
Do I have to drink a lot of water, or just whenever I’m hungry?
Do I have to excercise?
Do I need to consume salt and electrolytes? Or does literally just drinking water do it’s thing
How much weight should I expect to lose in 7-8 days, (water-weight and fat) ?
That’s basically it, I’d appreciate any tips as well, thanks in advance!
Answer
Fasting in your teens is a risky proposition for the long term development.
Your brain and bones are still developing, you don’t want to stunt them.
Fasting is a good tool to “reboot the system” and fix some hormonal issues, but ultimately it’s your eating habits (and emotional issues, and sleep habits and exercise routine) you need to address for the long term (5+ years) success.
In your shoes I’d start by figuring out daily calorie intake (journal for few weeks), hit protein goals and explore volume eating (lot’s of fiber, not that many calories)
Answer
- I wouldn’t just jump into a 7 day fast if your only experience is 16/8. I’d suggest OMAD first and then ADF if you really wanted to keep pushing.
- Generally speaking on a longer fast you’ll experience hunger signs when you normally eat. so if you’re doing 16/8 you’ll get spikes of the hunger to eat when you usually break your fast, and your last meal. They go away with time, but come back the next day. The third day they return, usually not as intense (in my experience). and then day 4 its even more mild.
- You don’t have to drink a lot of water, but water you do drink should include electrolytes. If its too salty to your taste, then dilute it. If it tastes distasteful because its too watery, add more salts. It helps when you’re hungry, but you should sip on it throughout the day when thirsty.
- You don’t have to exercise, if you do then you’ll want to drink more water. I’d say some amount of exercise is beneficial to help minimize lean mass loss during the fast. But be wary not to over-exert. But plenty don’t exercise, or if so just go on a long walk and get those steps up.
- as mentioned above, you’ll need to consume electrolytes in some fashion. You’ll need more if you’re exercising. listen to your body, if you’re thirsty drink. don’t force it, but don’t deprive yourself.
- How much weight one loses depends on a lot of factors. If you’re starting from a low carb diet (keto for example) then the amount of water weight you’ll lose is less than starting from a more standard diet. Some people can shed 10 lbs of water weight in a week. If you exercise (particularly strength/muscle training) you’ll hold on to water though. All in all for a 7 day water fast, based on your measurements, you’d probably lose 4-5 lbs of non-water weight. how much of that is fat vs lean is hard to guess. and water weight would probably be at least 5 lbs (so you’d gain at least some of that back afterwards).