72 Hours Fasting Benefits
What Is 72 Hours Fasting?
The concept of a 72 hours fasting, A 72 hours fast, it’s also known as a three-day water-fast, can have numerous effects on the body. The three-day water fast is a practice that can help reset your energy and cleanse the brain. Water fasting, a practice where individuals consume only water for a set period, has gained popularity in recent years as a method for quick weight loss and potential health benefits. However, it’s essential to understand both the potential benefits and the risks associated with this type of fasting before diving in. This blog post will explore what water fasting is, its possible benefits, the risks involved, and how to perform it safely. It offers numerous benefits, including improved immune function, cellular repair, and reduced neural inflammation. Initially, your body will use stored glycogen for energy, causing a decrease in blood sugar levels. As the fast continues, the body goes into ketosis, which starts burning fat for fuel. While extended fasting might seem beneficial, it’s important to understand both the benefits and the risks involved.
What is Water Fasting?
As the name suggests, water fasting means abstaining from all foods and beverages except water. Most water fasts last between 24 to 72 hours. It is crucial to note that fasting for more than 72 hours should only be done under medical supervision due to the potential health risks.
What Happens During a 72-Hour Water Fast?
The Basics of a Water Fast
A water fast involves consuming only water for a set period, in this case, 72 hours. The idea is to give the digestive system a break and potentially detoxify the body. However, the effects on the body can be significant. During 72 hours fasting the liver plays a crucial role in detoxification, but during a prolonged fast, it may not have the necessary fuel to perform optimally. Moreover, the process of releasing stored toxins from fat cells can lead to reabsorption of these toxins, defeating the purpose of the detox.
Metabolic Flexibility and Its Importance
Metabolic flexibility refers to the body’s ability to switch between burning glucose and burning fat for fuel. Unfortunately, studies have shown that many people, even those of normal weight, are metabolically inflexible. This means their bodies struggle to switch from burning glucose to burning free fatty acids when glucose is unavailable.
The 72 Hours Fasting Process
- First 8-12 Hours: The body uses up available glucose.
- First 24 Hours: The body depletes glycogen stores (stored glucose) in muscles and the liver.
- Beyond 24 Hours: The body should start burning free fatty acids for energy. However, due to metabolic inflexibility and elevated insulin levels, many people cannot efficiently release fat from fat cells.
72 Hours Fasting Negative Effects
For those who are metabolically inflexible, a 72-hour water fast can lead to several issues:
- Hunger and Irritability: Commonly known as being “hangry.”
- Headaches and Fatigue: Due to lack of glucose and inadequate fat metabolism.
- Loss of Muscle Mass: The body might start breaking down muscle tissue to create glucose through gluconeogenesis.
- Release of Toxins: Fat stores can release heavy metals and other toxins into the bloodstream, potentially leading to increased toxicity rather than detoxification.
Why People Try Water Fasting:
Why People Try Water Fasting:
- Religious or spiritual reasons
- Weight loss
- Detoxing
- Health benefits
- Preparing for a medical procedure
How to Water Fast?
While there are no scientific guidelines on how to start water fasting, the basic premise is simple: consume only water for 24 to 72 hours. Most people aim to drink about two to three liters of water per day during the fast. The Forbes Health has elaborate about water fasting and it’s pro and cons you can also grab knowledge from forbes article.
Key Points to Remember:
- Avoid operating heavy machinery or driving: You may feel weak or dizzy during the fast.
- Breaking the fast: Resist the urge to eat a large meal immediately after the fast. Instead, start with a smoothie or a small meal and gradually increase your intake throughout the day.
- Refeeding syndrome: Be aware of this potentially fatal condition where the body undergoes rapid changes in fluid and electrolytes after fasting. This phase usually lasts a day, but those who fast for longer may need several days to feel comfortable eating normally again.
Benefits of Water Fasting
While water fasting has been linked to various health benefits in animal and human studies, most evidence comes from animal research. Here are some potential benefits:
- Autophagy:
- Water fasting may promote autophagy, a process where old cells are broken down and recycled in the body. This process might help protect against diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.
- Lowering Blood Pressure:
- Longer, medically supervised water fasts may help individuals with high blood pressure. For example, a study found that 90% of participants with high blood pressure who fasted for 10-11 days achieved a blood pressure lower than 140/90 mm Hg.
- Insulin and Leptin Sensitivity:
- Water fasting may improve insulin and leptin sensitivity, which are crucial for metabolism. Improved sensitivity can help the body manage blood sugar levels more efficiently and process hunger signals better, potentially lowering the risk of obesity.
Risks of Water Fasting
Despite its potential benefits, water fasting carries several risks:
- Rapid Weight Loss:
- Although it can help you lose weight quickly, most of the weight lost will be water, carbs, and muscle mass rather than fat. This is not the ideal type of weight loss.
- Orthostatic Hypotension:
- Water fasting can lead to orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure upon standing up, causing dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. This increases the risk of accidents.
- Health Conditions:
- Water fasting can aggravate conditions like gout, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, acid reflux, and eating disorders.
A Safer Alternative: Intermittent Fasting
For those seeking the benefits of fasting without the risks associated with water fasting, intermittent fasting is a safer and more sustainable option. Intermittent fasting allows you to eat some food during the day and can be maintained long-term. For more knowledge about intermittent fasting you can explore our recent post article.
3 day water fast benefits
Benefits of a Three-Day Water Fast
- Improves Immune Function: Boosts the body’s defense mechanisms.
- Repairs Damaged Cells: Helps in the repair of cells and removal of dysfunctional cells and pathogens.
- Reduces Neural Inflammation: Reduces inflammation in the brain, particularly involving microglial cells.
- Increases Autophagy: Promotes the breakdown of cells and pathogens, aiding in cellular cleanup.
- Decreases Autoimmune Disease: Reduces symptoms and occurrences of autoimmune diseases.
- Benefits Gut Flora: Resets the gut flora, promoting a healthy digestive system.
- Increases DNA Repair: Enhances the body’s ability to repair DNA damage.
Important Considerations Before Starting
Consult a physician before starting a three-day fast, especially if you have any of the following conditions:
- Insulin-dependent diabetes: Managing insulin levels during a fast can be challenging and potentially dangerous.
- Menstruation: Fasting during menstruation can lead to depletion of essential nutrients.
- Hypoglycemia: Those prone to low blood sugar should be cautious.
- Multiple Medications: Medication dosages may need adjustment during a fast.
7 day water fasting
During the 7 day water fast, you do not eat any foods or calories, you only drink water. There’s a misnomer that you abstain from water, but no, you’re only abstaining from food while drinking the necessary water for survival. You’ll supplement with salt and minerals, such as Himalayan pink salt, Redmond salt, or Celtic sea salt, or you can use an unflavored mineral packet.
Is coffee and tea allowed?
Yes, but I prefer not to use coffee and tea during the 5-day water fast. You should drink about half of your body weight in ounces of water daily to ensure adequate hydration. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds, drink at least 50 ounces of water each day, along with your salts and minerals.
How often can you do it?
For a generally healthy population, you can do it probably twice a year to help reset. If you have a certain metabolic condition, under the guidance of your physician, you can do it once a month.
who should not do 7 day water fasting
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Hypoglycemics (those who get shaky, irritable, or agitated when they go without food)
- Insulin-dependent diabetics (should be monitored by an endocrinologist or primary care physician)
- Patients with multiple medications (due to potential drug interactions)
- Patients with gastritis (should undergo gut healing protocols first)
- Lean body types (may not have enough reserves or glycogen stores)
- People doing heavy labor or strenuous exercise
- Those with a history of eating disorders
- Alcoholics (tend to be nutrient depleted and need monitoring)
Benefits of 7 day water fasting
Improves immune function
- Repairs damaged tissues, including mitochondria
- Removes dysfunctional cells and pathogens (e.g., Candida)
- Reduces neuroinflammation and general inflammation
- Increases autophagy (clearance of cellular debris for recycling)
- Decreases autoimmune disease symptoms
- Improves gut flora
- Increases DNA repair
- Resets metabolic systems and hormones
- Provides self-awareness about health and relationship with food
- Offers psychological benefits and motivation for healthier living
what happens to your body on a 7 day water fast
8 to 12 hours:
- Utilize glycogen stores and glucose
- Increase hormones: glucagon, cortisol, human growth hormone, adrenaline
- Increase ketones from fat utilization
- Transition from glucose to ketone utilization
- Regular exercise is possible
- Increase in hunger due to the hormone ghrelin
18 to 24 hours:
- Deplete glycogen stores
- Body produces its own sugar (gluconeogenesis) primarily in the liver
- Start impacting autoimmune disease
- Increase AMPK, a key energy sensor stimulating autophagy
- Decrease inflammation in the brain and body
- Create a metabolic switch, becoming a hybrid system using both glucose and ketones
- Increase brain-derived neurotrophic factors and growth hormones
- Increase ketones with a noticeable change in breath smell
- Light exercise only
Day 2 & 3:
- Continued increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factors and growth hormones
- Increase in autophagy, clearing aggregate proteins in the brain (e.g., amyloid, tau, Lewy bodies)
- Mitophagy, reducing inefficient mitochondria
- Decrease insulin sensitivity and improve insulin transport
- Decrease fatty liver and metabolic syndrome
- 90 to 95% of energy from ketones (ketone levels around 1.5 to 3)
- Gut healing begins
- Light exercise, naps if needed
Day 4 & 5:
- Continued autophagy and disease reversal (e.g., chronic knee pain, inflamed lower back)
- Increase immune function and stem cell production aiding in healing
- Ketone levels in the blood around 3 to 4
- Light exercise, walking, stretching
Days 6 and 7:
- Maintenance of day 3 benefits
- Body learns reset points, resetting hormones, metabolic health, immune function, and gut health
- Possible to switch to bone broth or lemon-lime fast if struggling
Breaking the fast:
- Use MCT oil to maintain ketosis
- Initially start with bone broth or vegetable broth, fermented foods, cooked vegetables, and plain animal protein
- Small portions on the first day to avoid overwhelming the system
- Consider a ketogenic diet for another week to continue the benefits
The real benefit of the 7 day water fast comes from resetting autophagy, hormone clearance, and improving your relationship with food. It can shift your motivation and help you continue with healthy eating. Before start 7 day water fasting you should consult with your physician.
Fasting for weight loss : After 40
Intermittent fasting has gained immense popularity over the past few years, but it might not have delivered the results you hoped for. As someone who has guided countless individuals to lose weight through intermittent fasting, I understand the struggles you face. Here we help you achieve the best results possible with this weight loss approach, even after 40 years. Let’s dive right in and tackle everything from hunger pangs to staying active, to what and when to eat. Stick with guidance.
Drink Lots of Water, Coffee, and Green Tea
Are you tired of relentless hunger pangs and low energy levels every time you fast? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with this and often break their fast early, hindering their weight loss progress. Imagine feeling energetic all day and full throughout your fast. Drinking water, coffee, and green tea can help with that. These beverages boost your metabolism and keep you feeling full.
How to Implement:
- Start drinking water immediately upon waking up.
- Drink one liter of water as soon as you wake up.
- Throughout the day, drink a glass of water, coffee, or green tea every hour.
Strategy 2: Eat the Same Meals Every Day
The International Journal of Obesity reports that people who eat the same meals every day lose more weight compared to those who vary their meals. When you eat the same meals, it’s easier to pinpoint what might be stalling your weight loss progress.
Meal Suggestions:
- Choose meals like beef, rice, and veggies.
- Substitute rice with other complex carbohydrates like green bananas, arrowroots, or sweet potatoes.
- Maintain the same meal combination but vary the specific items within those categories to avoid monotony.
- Avoid snacking.
Strategy 3: Learn to Be Hungry
Understanding and accepting hunger as part of intermittent fasting is crucial. The longer you fast, the less you will experience hunger. Hunger is often more psychological than physical because of habitual eating.
How to Cope:
- Embrace the discomfort, knowing it will decrease over time.
- Stay busy and distract yourself to avoid focusing on hunger.
Strategy 4: Start Your Feeding Window with a Light Meal
Avoid starting your feeding window with a big meal, which can leave you feeling overly full and sluggish. Instead, begin with a light meal to regulate your calorie intake.
How to Implement:
- Break your fast with a light meal such as a salad, a few fruits, or nuts.
- One hour later, have your main meal.
- Drink water before meals to help control appetite.
Strategy 5: Stay Active All Day
Staying active throughout the day is crucial for weight loss and maintenance. Moving more throughout the day helps burn more calories.
Activity Suggestions:
- Immediately upon waking, do a 2-minute workout like squats, lunges, jumping jacks, or stretching.
- Throughout the day, do short exercises like five squats or push-ups.
- Take short 5-minute walks during breaks.
- Use stairs instead of elevators and aim to move every hour.
