I survived my first 3-day water fast – and it left me feeling amazing! Here were my main observations:

Firstly, I am not a healthcare professional & am just sharing my personal experience.   

My 3-day fast was in NO way linked to weight loss. I don’t own a scale, hardly ever weigh myself & have no idea how much I weighed before/after. I’m sure I probably lost “fake” water weight.

Most water fasts last 24h–72h. I don’t believe you should go for longer without medical supervision. Nor should you consider any type of fasting if you suffer from conditions such as diabetes, gout, are pregnant, or have a history with disordered eating.

The reason I did this extended water fast was more for a mindful, meditative challenge and for all the physical and mental health benefits I personally believe in. I have been practicing intermittent fasting intuitively for years, which has become an important part of my balanced lifestyle (especially since having fabulous meals are part of my job!). By intuitively, I mean that I don’t follow a strict fasting window or protocol, but will usually fast anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending on my daily schedule and how I feel. I don’t do it every day, but on average at least a couple of days a week. I realize now that I used to do intermittent fasting “naturally” when I was younger, before it was a wellness buzzword thing. I remember sometimes forcing myself to eat that “most important meal of the day”, going against my body’s natural instinct, and often felt sluggish from it. Turns out when you learn to listen and honor your body, it’s pretty darn good at telling you what it needs! I personally don’t believe in the diet culture but conscientiously practice intuitive eating. This is how I find my balance and is what works best for me and for the healthy lifestyle I desire to follow. This was my first time doing such a long-term fast though.

Many cultures, religions and spiritual practices include fasting, the reason being the same for all of these beliefs: physical, emotional, mental & spiritual healing and resetting. Fasting is nature’s way of allowing your body to rest, reset and heal itself.

The main physical goal of an extended fast is to attain autophagy, a process in which your body breaks down and gets rid of unneeded, damaged, or potentially dangerous cells. When you’ve taken a break from eating, all the energy from food is now being used for flushing toxins out and boosting the natural healing mechanism of the body. Because of this, several studies have linked water fasting with impressive health benefits including: lowering inflammation, risks for certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, as well as slowing the aging process.Fasting has also been proven to bring many benefits to mental health.

So how was the 3-day water fast for me?

Day 1 was a breeze: I felt amazing, had great energy and wasn’t that hungry at all. I tried to make sure I stayed well hydrated and drank 2-3 liters a day.

Day 2 was also relatively easy which felt empowering, although I was day-dreaming about food more.  I noticed the struggle was more about controlling the habit of wanting to eat, more than feeling the hungry need for it.

Day 3 was more of a struggle, although manageable. I didn’t sleep all that well (not sure if it was linked to the fasting or the full moon though), woke up tired and with low energy. The non-eating part was definitely a mental challenge. I wasn’t drooling over food as much as I would have imagined, I just wanted to eat (and chew)! You are a lot more in tune with your senses, so you get a lot more sensitive to the smell of food – made me think a lot about how we take our lives of abundance for granted. 

Coffee saved me – I wasn’t going to add caffeine withdrawal to the mix! Some purists will argue that a water fast should be restricted to – well, water – but many studies show that black coffee/tea won’t break a fast, and I chose to believe those studies! I am pretty certain not having my morning coffee would have played with my energy levels in a whole other way. I did miss my oat milk lattes though!

Not doing it alone really helped hold myself accountable. I highly suggest sharing the experience with someone close to you. It’s also a great, new way to connect more deeply with the person that’s on the same fasting journey than you.

I still exercised but focused on low-impact and long walks. In fact, it is advised to stay active during a fast to boost the autophagy process.

I took the experience as a highly meditative one. The mental clarity you gain is insane. I took my mindfullness meditation routine up a notch, was SO productive with work, and it really made me practice gratitude to the fullest. You realize how much of your day and mental patterns are around (over)consumption (of food and all the other things) and really makes you be more mindful & grateful to live in such plentifulness. 

I was also told I was a lot more patient lol.

I noticed my skin was GLOWING – it could be the fast or my skincare routine finally paying off!

The hardest was missing the actual act and pleasure of eating (and socializing) more than the hunger itself. 

Breaking the fast:

The way you break your fast is almost the most important part and crucial for maximizing its benefits. Just like you shouldn’t binge on a big meal before the fast (avoid animal products and slowly work your way towards a clean, plant-based diet leading to it), resist the urge to break the fast with a feast. Introducing food to the body should be done slowly and in moderation. Your gastrointestinal system was cleansing and healing. The autophagy process your body just went through cleared out a lot of the bad guys, leaving your stomach and gut as an empty canvas.

I broke my fast with green juice (coconut water is great too), then I had to treat myself with my no.1 craving: an oat-milk latte. I later had bone broth, and then progressively worked my way towards solid plant-based meals, mostly veggies and some sauerkraut for natural probiotics. The key here is that you want to include something fermented to replenish your gut bacteria, then load up on live enzymes.  Last thing you want to do is overwhelm your digestive system. You can usually eat normally on the second day.

Also, I had to mention another point many don’t seem to talk about. Your digestive system was basically sleeping. So as you start re-introducing food after such a long snooze, you’re basically waking it up with a jolt! In other words, some people might experience “different” bowel movements… Some during the fast, some as they break it – everyone is different. Just keep that in mind, relax and take a load off (pun intended) the day of the break, and maybe don’t plan a hot date that evening!

So will I do a water fast again? Definitely! It was overall a powerful, humbling and cleansing experience and a true (mental more than physical) challenge. And the fact that my bank account also took a necessary cleansing break was a welcome bonus! I plan on maybe sporadically incorporating 24h water fasts here and there if I feel like my body needs it. As for more extended fasts, I wouldn’t ever exceed 72h, and no more than 2-3 times a year.