Re: Post water fast for athletes

Hi, this is my first water fast and I am on day 9 of 12. This is what I have planned to break my fast...could you please give me your input?

day 1: 4oz diluted juice half water half juice, same, 8oz diluted juice all 4 hours apart

day 2: 8oz straight juice 4 hours apart, small pieces of fruit for the last meal

Hi jwy,  you are probably ok here, but in my opinion you would find it even more optimal overall to juice a 3rd day.  But i say again, you would probably be ok with 2 days of juicing if this was your choice.  I also am a big believer in taking intestinal flora supplements to replenish the healthy bacteria after a fast which will heighten digestive capacity.

whole fruits

Whole juicy fruits yes which excludes bananas. Digestively there is a very big difference. 

fruits and vegetable salad together

again if day 3 you decide to juice, i would recommend about 3 days of fruits and veg.

eggs, oatmeal, chicken breast, nuts

by the aformentioned plan, if you choose to go this way, i believe you are ready for this on day 7. 

rice, potatoes, lean steak

In my opinion, all of this can be included with the eggs, oatmeal, etc. I believe that proper food combining is very helpful and important too.  The primary tenets are to not combine heavy proteins (meat, fish, eggs, etc) with heavy starches (grains, potatoes...).   and to have fruit only by itself, on an empty stomach, and let it digest before introducing anything else.

day 7+ eat whatever I want

Digestively you should be ready for this, yes, but starting with more moderate portions and increasing this day by day as it is your goal to reach 5000 calories.  Maybe you aim for 5000 calories at about 2 or 3 weeks after the fast is broken, easing towards this gradually.   

3) ...strength train/exercise intensely?

As with the food you should move into this gradually, not pushing too hard too fast.  I believe that gradually moving towards this, you should be ready to train very hard within about 2 weeks of breaking your 12 day fast.  Even if you feel ready to do this sooner (which you probably will even as i have), it is not recommended.

Nice work on your fast and best wishes. 

PS:  What is your sport and what type of training do you do? I expect this fast will help take you to the next level.