okay so this may be a dumb question, but how do you not die on a dry fast? because my entire life, i’ve been taught you can’t go more than a few days without water. and if you look it up on google, it says the same thing. i’m just curious because i know it’s possible to even go 2 weeks without food or water, but i guess my actual question is: why does google (and most sources/people) say you will die/be in critical condition after a few days without water even though many people have proven that to be false?
Metabolic water. The byproduct of utilizing fat for energy is H2O and CO2. So we make some water while burning fat long term. Also, water connects with glucose when it is stored as glycogen. It could be up to even 3-4 parts water for one part glycogen. I have seen this happen with myself over and over going back and forth of keto and having sugar. Eat sugar and suddenly I go up 10 lbs. I know it’s not fat, just retained water. That’s over a gallon. It’s funny how often sodium gets blamed for water retention but the carbs is making people retain water like crazy too. That lasts for a few days if you haven’t been keto beforehand.
As for not seeing results on Google that are accurate….well that’s Google now. Do not expect non-biased results from there. Getting word out more and more that just taking breaks from eating and drinking has major benefits is ruining billions of dollars for big businesses.
If you’re not expending too much energy (even mentally), it works. You also have to be sufficiently hydrated when going into the fast. The stories of people dying of dehydration in the desert or whatever and the resulting conclusions that the body can’t take more than 3 days or whatever without water don’t take into account that when you’re dry fasting in a controllable environment, your energy expenditure is just completely different than in a high-stress situation.
>how do you not die on a dry fast?