My 3-Day Water Fast

We may have heard this phrase a number of times before – our bodies are temples. Indeed, they are. But it is likely that most of us take these temples for granted by means of abuse or just basically neglecting the actuality that they are entitled to acquire the most generous attention they need. As someone living alone independently, it seems likely that I should personally maintain a healthy body, for it is a fact that I do not have anyone else to carry that one out for me. If ever I do get sick (knock on wood), it would come out to be a struggle in the sense that despite the awful state I will be in, the need of having enough strength to get myself some medical attention must be stipulated still. And so, I came up with this idea of cleansing.

There are a lot of good reads in the internet about cleansing that it could get quite confusing in which ones are worth trying first. Detoxifying will just have to be a challenge if one’s lifestyle is a bit of on the extreme side though. Having to keep up with a fast tracked way of life, more often than not, we tend to end up consuming something of convenience – fast food, microwaveables and the all time just-add-a-cup-of-hot-water-and-wait-three-minutes kind of food. I myself have a very outgoing way of life as of the moment that jumping into a new and healthier one may cause some drastic shock to my system. And so, after a while of reading through probable detoxifying plans, I have decided that a water fast cleansing diet may be worth an attempt.

The plan is to simply consume water for three consecutive days, no more, no less. Yes, you read that right - solely water for three whole days. No solids, no coffee, no juice, no nothing! This could get tricky though, because I am very fond of eating food so let us see how far I could go on with this. But a little challenge appears nice, so I am going to do this with the best that I can. Thinking about it, three days without food is not a big deal anyway, especially to people who do work interminably. However, there are some individuals who are able to do a very reasonable five-day fast to an extreme 40-day water diet!

From all the pieces I have studied about water fasting, I have noted three of the most important points to expect and remember before engaging myself into it.

• One is, there are going to be food cravings – a lot. Like every hour, every minute, every second especially after the first 24 hours of this challenge so some extreme self control on cravings are to be implemented strictly somehow along the way here.
• Two, the third day headache symptom shall be anticipated. Taking in medicine or other pain relievers are not allowed in the duration of this fast as well, therefore, this is the part where I will definitely quote Augustus Waters because then, he is going to make sense – “That’s the thing about pain...it demands to be felt.” Oh the pain of being foodless!
• And three, as there are not going to be nutrients coming into the body, a lot of pounds will be shed off throughout the experiment and will most likely make one feel weak. Also, it should be noted that metabolism may slow down and the regularity of bowel movement may be disrupted due to the lack of fiber intake.

Now, without further ado, let this water fast commence.

Feeling good during the first 5 hours simply just because - nothing much to tell really. A lot of 24-hour water fasts have been done before but they were mostly due to too much work that food was unknowingly forced to a halt in my system. So as expected, this is not going to be a struggle. First day is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy to be honest. Just have to deal with restraining myself from making a very luscious and creamy coffee in the office though.

I. Must. Resist. Nope. Thank goodness! Not eating despite the sight of tempting food and a little bit of wanting coffee is a success.

By the time I am free from my regular office work – 5:30pm – a feeling of being a little lighter is considered. Not feeling hungry still. This is a good sign. Because frankly, I do not fancy craving for something so bad at the moment especially when this is only day one!

First day in the bank! Now, I have my game face on because I am working today in the office without any food intake at all. Drinking loads and loads of water since the feeling of being hungry had already registered in my system. Everything is going really fine except for one small concern – going in and out of the toilet to drain out what I am solely taking in is slowly making me irritable. But oh well, I made myself do this, so better just live with it for the time being.

Mind you, aside from the hungry feeling, the growling of my stomach and a slight headache, I actually feel a bit good about sensing I weigh a few pounds less than yesterday.

Any minute now, I am going to say hello to major headaches. Let us just wish today’s work will not be so much of a pain in the neck until 5:30pm.

This is the last day of my three-day trial of water fasting anyway, so what else can go wrong? By tomorrow I will be able to eat right again. But not very normal yet due to the fact that I cannot eat loads right away. It was stated that I must take in solid food slowly within the next few days as not to shock my system.

Hallelujah! I survived! Ended the fast with some chilled lemon water. The overall process of this fasting was quite good in all honesty. It may have been a struggle during the first 48 hours but I must say, it is definitely worth a try. A few pounds were shed - though it will be gained easily once my eating goes back to normal again – and I feel more refreshed than last time. Starting the fast was easy. Breaking the fast though is a different thing. A mild diet, like juice intake is very ideal. There is this healthier feeling, maybe because toxins in the body were somehow flushed. My tongue was notably white then, and according to what I have read, it is an implication that our body is trying to eliminate fat, toxins, dead cells, and surprisingly, including tumors while fasting on water is on going. Stored fat and glucose are being get rid of during the whole process since there aren't anymore food consumed. Our body then opts for the reserves to turn into energy. Also, excess salt are eliminated which is another good thing as these are the main reason of weight issues among us.

This may sound all too good to be true, but everything has its pros and cons. Starvation is very different from fasting so be very well aware of what you are actually feeling, or perhaps consult an expert regarding this before you engage yourself into this kind of diet. But overall, this deserves a thumb’s up. Having said so, I am actually considering a 5-day water fast next time.

Cheers!