Re: 1st Day of 40 Days Water Fast

I recently completed 11 days of an intended maximum 21 day water fast.

For me, day 2 was the roughest in all, with headaches, muscle pains, etc. This may have been nicotine withdrawl as I used the fast to quit smoking too. I also had to work with and around food, alcohol, and tobacco.

I personally didn't tell my parents until I was about a week in
--this is helped by the fact that I am on my own, I don't know your age, but you sound young and as if you still reside with your parents, nothing wrong there, it helped me though simply having one roommate who didn't give me much flak--
and by then too dug in and dedicated to break it off on anyone's objections. And trust me, the more people know, the more will object, but most of them don't know f***all about fasting and either care about you and think the best way to show that is by trying to break you down instead of supporting you or are acquantainces/randoms who think that their opinion is solicited and valued. Both types will pass judgement without doing research. Some may even try to tempt or taunt you with food. Simply ignore all the malicious ones and pacify the ignorant ones who simply care but know nothing of what they criticise( it is unfathomable to most people that simply because they are incapable of functioning without skipping a meal, that others are).

As far as the craving go, for me they did get more intense the first 4-5 days or so, but levelled off and eventually almost ceased. Oddly enough, the cravings became almost sexual-like fantasies of my favorite foods, but these can be dealt with, with fierce dedication(I still had to taste stuff for work, then spit-rinse-brush) and by staying away from temptation when it's too much. I will say day 11, then cravings/food fantasies returned with a vengeance and I can say I'd never felt sure a psychological desire and longing for food. That was also the day I had to start refeeding, but that was because I fell and almost passed out and I could not have that at my job, much less at home or behind the wheel of a car. I've heard others mention that day 11 was tough for them, including my father and uncle, who've both gone longer than me.

I did overlook the fact that I should only drink with thirst and drank as much distilled water as I wanted(up to 6/7 liters a day), with occasional seltzer water to sooth the worst of the heartburn(very low sodium seltzer water, NOT club soda or sparkling mineral water). I also downright arrogantly ignored the fact that Water Fasting and relativly tough/hot physical labor are an undesirable and plain possibly dangerous combination which I guess slows the rate at which your body detoxes. That reason and that I didn't take enemas were why my dad gave me a lot of flak about it.

Anyhoo, I'm rambling, good luck and hopefully something in my own experience can help/bolster yours. Good luck. Tweet