“That’s not safe!”, “Why would you do something that crazy?” and “Not even juice?” were the most common questions I received as I told people about the fast. The first response is a reasonable one depending on the lifestyle one lives – as someone who works from home doing a job that is not physically strenuous; it was doable for me. I practice intermittent fasting (16/8) as part of my lifestyle, and I have completed several three-day fasts in the past, so this is something I worked up to after changing my lifestyle from the traditional “three meals a day” regimen that most people have adopted.
There are several reasons I did this fast. I thought I would lose a few pounds, but I did not expect to lose more than 5-10lbs max, so losing weight was not one of my primary goals when I decided to embark on the journey. My primary reason for doing it was to prep my immune system for my upcoming trip to the UK and then Egypt through a process called autophagy, defined on Healthline as: “… the body’s way of cleaning out [older] damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells, according to Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University.”
I recently recovered from a short encounter with what I believe was Omicron, but it just presented as a fever for a day and left me with some deep chest congestion. The lingering wet cough is now completely gone, thanks to all the mucus I cleared out during the fast. The benefits of autophagy are abundant, but some of the most impressive ones include:
- Anti-aging principles – since your body is clearing out its oldest (and damaged) cells, it replaces them with young cells.
- Strengthening your immune system as damaged white blood cells are the first to be attacked and replaced.
- Removing toxic cells that often lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.
- Preventing and treating cancer as part of a holistic regimen.
In addition to the above-listed benefits of autophagy, fasting is known to boost your metabolism, meaning when you’re done, it will help your body process food more quickly, helping you keep weight off when you start eating. It helps you reset your gut microbiome by clearing In men, it helps your body produce more HGH and testosterone, meaning when you’re done with the fast and have energy, you will perform better in bed and the gym.
I began the fast on Sunday and ended it on Saturday. I made it a point to meditate every day, as I wanted to see what impact the fast would have on it. As far as the experience went, it was toughest on Tuesday and Friday night. Thanks to the intermittent fasting, my body was pretty good for the first day and breezed through that, but as the day progressed on Tuesday, my hunger hit its peak and then subsided after the Kundalini Yoga and meditation session that day. On Friday, I was fine until the evening when all I could think about was the delicious acai bowl and salad I was about to devour to break the fast the next day.
I honestly did not think about food much the rest of the time. The key is to drink plenty of room temperature water (I recommend adding lime), and when you feel the hunger about to creep up – have some hot tea. In my herbal tea flavor rotation, I had: moringa, echinacea, elderberry, nettle leaf, and eucalyptus mint. You can throw many other beneficial teas in the mix – soursop being worthy of a special mention – or you can drink black coffee if you like. The key is to avoid any calories.
After completing the fast, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and a newfound respect for your self-discipline. I highly recommend meditating daily throughout the fast, journaling how you feel at the end of each day, and concentrating on a goal (especially during meditation) – you may just become inspired and get one step closer to reaching it. Have you ever completed a fast? What was the most surprising thing you learned reading this article? Do you have any questions for me? Let me know in the comment section below!
