#SippinSaturday: My 36 Hour Fasting Experience

Happy Saturday folks! I’m changing things up this week for my last #Sippin Saturday. Mostly because the news was the same old: Trump did something stupid and now the House Dems are ACTUALLY doing an Impeachment Inquiry (not the same thing as an actual impeachment), and PM Trudeau bailed on yet ANOTHER debate – only this time it was the Munk Debates (highly prestigious).

So let’s move on to today’s topic: My 32 Hour fast. Hurry, go get your morning beverage. I’ll wait.

Ok, prolonged fasting. Seems like a crazy, silly idea, right? Wrong. Fasting is utilized by many people across the world to achieve mental clarity, physical strength, religious reasons (i.e., Lent) and to “reset”. I used this opportunity to reset things physiologically – and because it’s good to have a prolonged fast once in awhile! I think it’s important for me to feel what it’s like to actually feel real hunger once in awhile – to put things in perspective and to remind myself that a lot of the time when I think I’m feeling hungry, my body actually doesn’t need the extra calories.

Here’s where my disclaimer comes in: I would not recommend fasting if you have any underlying health conditions such as diabetes, thyroid conditions, etc., unless you are doing it under the purview of a physician. Nor do I recommend you abstain from taking any medication you are currently taking in order to properly fast. Additionally, please do not practice fasting if you are a child, adolescent, or you are pregnant as your body and brain/baby’s body and brain are still growing, so it needs the constant intake of calories and nutrients. FINALLY, if you suffer from any eating disorders, I would not recommend fasting as it COULD trigger destructive, eating disordered behaviour. Please make sure you are safe while practicing a prolonged fast, and do your research beforehand.

Before the Fast

So, in order to prepare for my fast, I ensured I was eating a very high-fat, low-carb diet a few days prior to the fast. This was done to help my body feel a little more satiated during the prolonged fast. Furthermore, I increased my consumption of water and included some Pink Himalayan Salts to ensure I am properly hydrated before the fast. Finally, I made sure to get extra rest a day or two before I began my fast.

During the Fast

I started my fast on Wednesday evening at 9 PM. I started it at this time so the majority of my fasting time occurred while I’m asleep. This also set me up to be able to break my fast first thing in the morning on Friday. I slept for eight hours on Wednesday evening, so my first eight hours were a breeze.

When I woke up on Thursday morning, I had a big cup of Lavender Mint loose leaf tea. I did this to remain calm as my anxiety triggers my desire for food. After my tea, I felt a little hungry so I poured water into my 40 oz water bottle, and sprinkled in 1/2 teaspoon of Pink Himalayan Salt into the water bottle – the sodium helps your body as the fasting process releases a bunch of water (and minerals with it) so the added sodium will help energy and prevent headaches.

Around lunchtime, instead of eating a meal, I drank one mug of black coffee. Sorry, no cream during a fast (that has calories!). Next, I continued to consume water throughout the afternoon and evening. Finally on Thursday night, I did a light workout which consisted of some weights and 1/2 hour of low intensity elliptical. Finally, on Friday morning at 9 AM, I broke my fast by cooking up a small chicken breast and couple slices of bacon, sprinkled that on a bed of romaine lettuce and mixed it all up with a bit of my homemade ranch sauce. I ate normally (keto-style) for the remainder of the day.

How did I feel during the Fast?

Thursday morning was honestly the toughest part. I usually break my fast around 11 AM and it was weird not having any brunch. I thought about food for about an hour but once I got over that hump, I was right as rain. I also had a slight headache until I consumed some water with salt.

I should note that my first meal was a little hard to eat as well. Something about not eating for 36 hours made it harder for me to eat a full meal. Perhaps next time I would break my fast with something smaller and then eat an actual meal an hour or so later.

In Conclusion

Intermittent fasting has been shown to promote longevity and increase fat burning. However, I think it’s important to do it strategically to ensure it’s efficient and utilized properly. The big thing for me was to remain hydrated throughout the Fast and to break my fast with foods that won’t spike my blood sugars. Also, I avoided any Tv shows or YouTube videos that are likely to show or talk about delicious food! I didn’t want to think about food during this fast.

Would I do this again? Yes! I utilize the 16:8 intermittent fasting strategy on an alternating basis, but I would do a 36 hour fast once per month moving forward as well!

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Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, folks!

This will be my LAST scheduled Saturday post. Starting tomorrow, I will only be posting on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays! I’m doing this so I can spend more time on each post to increase quality (and because laundry is building up at my place since I spend so much time writing and editing!)

Posted in Health Lifestyle and Tagged fasting intermittent fasting prolonged fasting